Scandal with a Sinful Scot(39)

“How is he?” Oliver asked worriedly.

“Calmer than earlier. Dr. Faraday predicts the crisis will come within hours. He believes the fever will break.”

“Thank God,” Julian murmured.

“What happened? Were you able to locate this man of Sutherhorne’s?” Abbie asked. “Where is Jonas?”

Riordan frowned. “We escorted Jonas home before returning here. Locate Sutherhorne’s man? Not exactly. We started at the inn in Sevenoaks, then branched out to the guest houses. Once completed, we expanded our search to surrounding towns and villages. Only one place acknowledged the possibility of a man of Delaney’s description. He may have stayed there last week, for two nights. Of course, he did not use the name of Delaney. This is hardly solid proof.”

“We can only surmise the marquess did not stay overnight. He is not easy to miss, with his fancy carriage and entourage. A carriage traveling at a swift clip could make London from here in an hour and thirty minutes. Even less.” Julian crossed his arms. “We assume that is how he and his man communicated.”

“What’s the next step?” Abbie could plainly observe the frustrated expressions on the Wollstonecraft men’s faces.

“Confronting the marquess will get us nowhere. I have a better solution: We appeal to Prince Albert directly. While prosecution remains unlikely, we may be able to persuade his Royal Highness to agree to banishment. A forfeiture of money and properties not entailed along with a guarantee that if he leaves Great Britain, and never returns, his oldest son will inherit the title. It has been done before with peers who think themselves above the law.”

“But we need solid evidence,” Julian said.

“You have it. Me.” They all looked in the direction of the doorway where Sabrina stood, wearing her silk wrapper, her golden hair in a braid lying across her shoulder.

Riordan’s look softened, the love clearly showing through, and it made Abbie’s heart ache. “My darling, we agreed.”

“This situation has moved far beyond any potential stress or embarrassment. We can no longer sweep it under the carpet. We are speaking of attempted murder.” Sabrina moved to Riordan’s side. “I’m not sure that the prince will allow me an audience, but I will tell everything, either in person or in a written account. How my father colluded with Sutherhorne to kidnap and sell me—more than once. If I remember the accounts in the papers, the prince is a tireless anti-slavery advocate. This will anger him, I am sure. For isn’t what they tried to do a form of slavery?”

Oliver nodded. “You are correct, Sabrina. It will anger him. Counter it with this attempt on Garrett’s life, and we could find success. Do you think your father would agree to a written affidavit stating Sutherhorne’s part in your kidnapping?”

Sabrina snorted. “Only if it will benefit him. I know my wretched father well. He will no doubt ask for you to clear his debt and his name, ensure there will be no repercussions from his statement.”

“Perhaps we will be able to come to a sort of pact. It will bear thinking about. Are you sure you wish to do this, Sabrina?”

Riordan’s wife nodded, a determined look on her face. “In hindsight, we should have gone to the prince as soon as it happened. I appreciate you all trying to protect me, but it’s well past time I stood up to these evil men, and truly place this all behind me. I have a future. And well…” Her hand trailed across her stomach. “Forgive me, Riordan, for making this announcement public, but I believe I am expecting.”

Riordan cupped her cheeks, his eyes glistening. “My dearest love.” He kissed her deeply, oblivious to anyone else in the room.

Abbie was not used to such a public display, and she blushed in response. Though why was a puzzle, considering her wild relationship with Garrett. Expecting? Hadn’t they been married only last month? Oh. Right. The marriage started out as a convenient arrangement earlier in the autumn. Obviously, it had moved beyond such before their winter wedding here at the hall. When Riordan broke the kiss, the men closed ranks, congratulating them.

“I am not completely sure,” Sabrina demurred. “I should consult with Dr. Faraday in the morning.”

“Then we shall wake him this minute,” Riordan cried happily.

Before, they had spoken in hushed tones, but with this happy announcement, the voices had grown louder, which caused Garrett to stir. Regardless, Abbie rushed to Sabrina, pulling her into a warm embrace. “I am very happy for you.”

“Thank you, Abbie. And Riordan, allow the poor man to sleep. The doctor and your uncle.”

Everyone laughed.

“No!” Garrett cried out.

The laughter ceased and all eyes turned to him. He was struggling to sit upright, but could not accomplish it. Abbie rushed to his side, but he thrust her away, still surprisingly strong considering his weakened and feverish condition. She almost lost her balance and fell to the floor. His eyes were glassy, his look wild. “Get away from me, far away. I don’t want you near me, not ever again. I want you out of my life,” Garrett snarled, his voice full of venom. “The curse. It exists. It is real and will consume us all. I want you gone!”

Abbie’s blood ran cold. He still believed in it. All his talk about putting the miserable curse behind him had been wishful thinking. Call it what it truly was: lies. This hurt as much as it had fourteen years past. Perhaps more. She had placed her faith, hope, and worst of all, her heart in his hands, and he ruined it. Again. Abbie turned and left. Once in the hall, she broke into a run until she reached her room.

She was about to close the door, but Julian stopped her. “Abbie, don’t listen to him. He is still in a fevered state. He’s out of his head and doesn’t know what he is saying.”

Stepping away from the door, she clasped her hands in front of her to keep them from shaking. “People often speak truth in fevered states. How they truly feel deep down.” Should she be discussing this with Garrett’s brother? Abbie buried her face in her hands. “This will never work, Julian. Your brother is stubborn and will never embrace love and life fully. He is damaged inside, and my love cannot fix him.”

Julian clasped her arms. “It is difficult to completely erase years of belief in a few short weeks. Yes, he’s damaged inside. We all are, in various ways. We’ve been touched by tragedy on many levels. It has affected Garrett more than any of us realized.”

Abbie frowned, but met his earnest and sympathetic gaze. “I understand, believe me, I do. He told me of his childhood losses and how he’d been affected by them. But most people put tragedy behind them and move forward with living. I mourned my husband, I still do, but I am ready and willing to take another chance at life. Can you say the same? Will you acknowledge your feelings for Alberta? Or will you stay cloistered away in this hall with the rest of the men?”

Julian’s arms dropped to his sides, his expression grew chilly. She may have gone too far. “My feelings for Alberta are not your affair.”

She glared at him. “Then my feelings for Garrett are none of yours.”

They stared at each other as if they were adversaries on a battlefield. Who would yield first?

“Touché. Well struck,” Julian said as a brief smile quirked at the corner of his mouth. “I shouldn’t interfere, but I ask you to please stay and fight for Garrett. I know that I’m asking you to sacrifice much here.”

Abbie exhaled. “That is one of the reasons I came here, to fight for our love. To see if it still existed. It does, but I’m weary from the constant conflict, Julian. He hurt me, wounded me deeply all those years ago. I refuse to even give him the chance to wreak more damage. We are leaving.”

Julian’s eyebrow arched. “Abbie…”

“We were going to depart this week at any rate. Garrett is fully aware of our plans, and I aim to stick to them. When the fever breaks, we will return to Standon. Though I must hire a carriage…”

“If you insist on leaving, allow me to make the arrangements. Garrett will never forgive me if I do not see to yours and Megan’s safety. Use one of our coaches, and I’ll send along Samuel, one of our grooms, to act as protector. He’s an ex-soldier and a formidable presence. You have a spare room at your residence?”

Abbie nodded.

“Excellent. He will stay with you until this situation is resolved. We’re not sure what Sutherhorne is up to, so we cannot take the chance that he will seek you out to exact revenge on Garrett. There’s no doubt why he or his man fired in your direction.” Julian exhaled. “We can better protect you if you stay here, but I understand why you feel compelled to leave. Garrett is not perfect. None of the Wollstonecraft men are.”

“I love him for that very reason. And he loves me despite my flaws.” Abbie paused. “I will see Garrett before I depart. I promise. I will tell him everything I’ve told you, and more besides. He will have to make a choice. It’s a life with our daughter—or the curse. I will not accept any middle ground.” She gave Julian a warm smile. “Thank you for listening. I did not mean to pull any of you into this situation.”