Page 52 of Code Name Duchess
“But why send the letter to you and not me?”
Her uncle looked at her, the bemusement evident on his face as he smirked. “You are a woman. Certainly, they would not be sending you the ransom demand. I am the head of the family, and he sent the letter to me. I was simply supposed to inspire you to use the business money to pay for the ransom. I could not have known that thoughtless, stupid girl was going to go to the Bow Street Runners.”
“Do not dare call my sister names. Unlike you, she truly cared about Leo. You are the one who should be ashamed. You are the one who gambled on Leo’s life. And you lost. For that, you will be locked up forever.”
How uncle shook his head. “Oh, my dear child, I shall not be locked up anywhere. Nothing will happen to me. It is my word against that of a known gang leader. I may not be a nobleman myself, but I am the brother of one and the uncle of one. My word weighs more than his.”
“But you just confessed to everything. I heard you.”
Her uncle shrugged as he stood with his head toward the window.
“And once again, I must remind you that you are a woman. It seems you have quite forgotten your place in society. My word means more than a gang member’s and my word weighs more than a woman’s.”
“But not more than mine.” Seth said as his face appeared at the window, next to that of Mr. Weston.
Uncle Ezekiel’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Seth.
“Cambarton?”
“It is Your Grace, to you. And this here is Mr. Weston. An investigator with the Bow Street Runners. And the both of us have heard your confession.”
The older man’s eyes darted from Winnifred back to the investigator and Seth.
“You have been here this entire time?”
Mr. Weston shrugged. “At first, we were stationed at the front door. You may not have noticed it, but Miss Keating left the door ajar so that we were able to hear your conversation. Then, when you rushed back here, you did us and our investigation a great favor as the window was already open—we heard your confession loud and clear.”
“Winnifred, you would not do this to your uncle, would you?” The man said as he faced her, an expression of disbelief written all over his face.
“I would not do what? Bring you to justice for bringing about the murder of my brother? I certainly would. And gladly. I shall sit at your trial and tell them what you told me. I shall beg them for the harshest punishment, for you have destroyed our family.”
“You would not! You would not bring such shame upon our family. And for what? All I have done is suggest something to a gang leader. He is the one who did everything. He is the one who killed Leo. I love Leo. I would never have wished such a fate upon him.”
Seth and the investigator stepped through the kitchen door.
“And that is where you are quite mistaken, Mr. Keating,” Mr. Weston said. “You are the one who set off this chain of events that ended in the death of your nephew. The courts will hold you just as responsible as Elton. And if Elton cannot be caught, then you are the only suspect. Two members of the nobility are dead. Somebody will be held accountable, and if it cannot be Elton, then it will be you.”
“Never! Nobody will ever sentence me. I am the brother of a Baron!”
“And I am a Duke. I am one of the highest-ranking members of the peerage. I am a Peer of the Realm, and I will make sure that you hang for the murder of my sister.”
Seth spoke these words with such venom that Winnifred could not help but shrink back in shock. To hear him express such harsh words caused her a flurry of emotion. At once, she found it comforting to know that his anger was just as deeply felt, just as righteous as hers. But she was horrified by the idea of seeing her uncle hang.
However, that was a concern for another day. Right now, she simply watched as Mr. Weston grabbed her uncle by the elbow and led him through the dark house and out the front door. Winnifred dashed after them, followed in short order by Seth, and together the two stood on the pavement as Mr. Weston transported her uncle to a black carriage that had been parked outside.
Her uncle’s neighbor still stood on the front stoop of his home, but he was no longer the only one. All up and down the street, people had come out of their homes and watched as Ezekiel was taken away for the murder of his nephew.
As the carriage door closed and the horses trotted down the sandy road, all the anger and hatred that had propped Winnifred up these past few hours slipped out of her body, and a wave of desolation crashed down on her.
“Leo,” she muttered, “he is dead.”
Before she knew it, she spun around and cast her eyes at Seth, who stood before her, his lips pressed together, his eyes glistening with tears.
“Oh, Winnifred, I am so sorry. I wished… Rose, my Rose…”
As the tears streamed down his cheeks once more, Winnifred threw herself into his arms. She held onto him as though he might keep her from drowning, and in turn, he did the same. Together they stood, their bodies at last connected, but there was no joy in it. As they propped each other up, a realization overcame Winnifred. The search for her brother was over. For good.
Chapter 26
