Page 38 of A Marquess to Call Her Own
Now it was his turn to feel the urge to shout, creeping up on him. "You've never cared about other people," he snapped, "you're selfish and rude, and I don't know why I'm friends with you." Almost immediately, he regretted the words. Even so, he held his ground. "I hope you're not lying to me, Agatha; because if you are, you're going to regret it-"
Just then, a figure appeared in the open doorway. They wore a long coat, face obscured by the darkness - but when the doorman appeared, James realized who it was; one of the butlers from his very own estate.
"Charles?" James gasped, "What on earth are you doing here?"
His gaze flickered nervously from James to Agatha, shifting from foot to foot like a little bird. "Archie told me I'd find you here," he murmured, "and there's something you have to know. There's been a, uh, development with Miss Sempill."
Just like that, the anger drained from James. He stepped forward, feeling his stomach lurch. "What is it?"
"You'd better come home and see for yourself, my lord. You'll want to."
He didn't need to be told twice. Turning back to Agatha, he blurted, "I have to go."
"Good," came her only response, "don't come back unless it's to apologize.
This time, he didn't try to argue. James only darted outside after Charles, without another word, desperate to get home.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It took half as much time to get home as it had to leave. James burst through the doors before Archie could even fully open them, stumbling into the foyer without a care for who saw. There was no time to care for things like appearances when Alicia's life was at risk.
"What happened while I was gone?" he asked immediately, turning to regard both Charlie and Archie expectantly. "Charlie said here was a development in Alicia. Does that mean she's woken up?"
The two shared a look, frowning deeply. "Not exactly," Archie replied awkwardly, "Miss Sempill is in the same condition you left her in, my lord. But if you go into the kitchen, perhaps things will make more sense."
James felt heat bubbling under his skin. Hands clenched, he snapped, "Why does nobody speak plainly here? Just tell me what's going on.Please."
Archie offered a kind smile and gestured to the hallway where the kitchen waited. "I believe we've discovered who tried to poison Alicia, but it isn't what you think."
At that, James perked up and he turned to stare across the foyer at the dark hallway beyond. "We know who did it?"
"I think so, my lord."
His feet carried him without even thinking, clicking loudly on the tiled floor as he traversed the foyer. The hallway was dark, unlit save for the light filtering in from the kitchen at the end, but James didn't pause as he darted through the darkness. When he came into the kitchen, three pairs of eyes turned to stare up at him.
It was the head cook that he noticed first, her cheeks scarlet and expression furious. Mrs. Harvey wasn't a woman to be messed with, and she had terrified many junior cooks in her time at the Arvill's estate. Now, it seemed, she was angrier than ever.
The second person he noticed was Nora. She sat on a stool beside Mrs. Harvey, curled in on herself as if she wanted to vanish. When her wide eyes turned to James, he saw tears there.
The third figure was smaller than the rest. His head was bowed as he scrubbed tears from his eyes, and his hat was pulled low over his ruddy face. It was Mrs. Harvey's son, Jacob.
James tried to keep his calm. He took a deep breath and willed himself to be reasonable, because it was clear that things were bad enough as it was. Brows raised, he turned to Mrs. Harvey and said, "Please explain to me just what is going on?"
If it was even possible, her cheeks flushed darker, and she scowled. "You'd better ask the boy. It's his fault, and if you decide to punish him, I won't object."
The boy? What could little Jacob have done that was so terrible? Confusion swelling in his chest, James knelt by Jacob and tilted his hat upwards to get a better look at his face.
It was streaked with tears, although by now the worst had begun to dry. He avoided James' gaze and sniffled awkwardly, swiping at his face with an already filthy handkerchief.
"Jacob," James said gently, "would you mind telling me what happened? You know what happened to Miss Sempill, don't you?"
After a long moment, he nodded. "I do."
"All right." James fished his own handkerchief from the pocket in his waistcoat and handed it to the boy. "Take a deep breath, and tell me when you're ready-"
"He won't," Mrs. Harvey cut in then, "my boy here is a coward. He knows what happened to that poor girl, but he won't even tell me." Her brows furrowed as she turned to Jacob. "You're eleven now, and that's old enough to take accountability. Tell Lord Arvill what you saw."
James' chest fluttered anxiously as he glanced between Mrs. Harvey and Jacob. Meanwhile, Nora simply curled tighter into herself and stared off into the distance.
