Page 53 of A Love to Remember
How odd. Why would Kirkwood threaten him when Philip had already made his intentions clear? Something wasn’t right. But he didn’t rise to Kirkwood’s bait. He simply bowed and left the room.
Philip strode into his room and called for Wilson. “Ask the Libertine Scholars to attend me in my bedchamber. Then start packing. I have some letters to write. Then we are off to London.”
Quickly, he wrote a note to Christian, who was still in London. If Rose was there he wanted Christian to organize men to stand guard on her home.
When he was finished he gave it to Wilson. “Deliver it into the hands of one of my people yourself. Don’t send it via Kirkwood’s servants.”
“Yes, my lord,” Wilson said and stood aside to let Sebastian, Maitland, and Grayson enter.
“Rose left first thing this morning,” he told them. “I’m off to London now to find out why. Maitland, I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything to help.”
“Everyone in the financial markets knows you. Can you discreetly look into Lord Kirkwood’s finances?”
Maitland, who had been leaning against one of the four posts of the bed, straightened. “You think Kirkwood is involved? I’ve heard no rumors.”
“Murder is usually about revenge or money. I’m merely trying to understand who benefits from Drake’s death. Revenge seems unlikely. It has to be about the money.”
“So how does Kirkwood get his hands on Roxborough’s money?” Grayson asked. “If Drake dies it goes to Rose.”
“Who does it go to if Rose dies while still a widow?” Philip saw the reaction on their faces and added, “He wanted me here to see if I had changed my mind about marrying Rose.”
Sebastian bared his teeth. “Have you?”
“That’s not the point. Why is Kirkwood so interested? At first I’d put it down to the fact he genuinely cares for her. But then after he told me to leave her alone, he threatened me. Why? Something doesn’t add up.”
“He’s right,” Sebastian said. “If you don’t wish to marry her then you do need to leave her alone.”
Philip wanted to hit something. “I’m not about to leave her alone when someone’s trying to hurt Drake. So do you think I’m mad suggesting we look at Kirkwood? It makes more sense if it is him. He could have had servants hiding all over the house watching to see where Drake went. It just so happened he went to the attic alone. That’s what is troubling me. How would anyone know Drake might go to the attic?”
Maitland was nodding enthusiastically. “That sounds infinitely logical. Kirkwood could have had several men or women waiting to hurt Drake. He really is the only one. No one looks at servants.”
Grayson spoke up. “I think we have to investigate him. He would be the one to know the full details of Roxborough’s will and Rose’s marriage settlement.”
Philip rolled his shoulders. “Then I’m off to London. There is no point staying now that Rose is not here and it would look suspicious if I did. But we can’t all leave.” He thought a moment. “Except for Maitland. He needs to talk with those in the financial markets. Could you think of a reason to leave tomorrow? The rest of you will have to stay the week. I’ve written to Christian and asked him to put a guard on Rose and I’ll seek his counsel.”
Maitland looked as if he was deep in thought. Finally, he clicked his fingers. “When you get to town send me a letter. I’ll say it’s a summons from the Prince Regent. Kirkwood won’t think that’s odd. Prinny called me away from a dinner that Kirkwood was attending in July.”
“Brilliant,” Philip said, clapping him on the back. “Now get out of here so I can finish packing.”
“Not yet,” Grayson said. “We may learn Kirkwood is behind Drake’s accident but finding proof that would void his guardianship will be difficult, if not impossible.” He hesitated. “The only way might be to catch him in the act, and that means using Drake as bait. I can’t see Rose agreeing to that.”
God, no. But if she knew the stakes? “Leave Rose to me. She’ll want Kirkwood stopped. In the fall Drake starts at Eton, then no one can protect him. She needs Kirkwood’s guardianship broken before then.”
“Then we’ll break it,” Grayson said.
“Good luck,” Sebastian said just before he stepped through the door. “Once I’m back in London I’ll do anything to help. Drake and Henry are best friends and it will be easy to guard them.”
Philip understood his sentiment. “I understand that you’re worried about your son and of course Drake, but I won’t let anyone hurt either boy, I promise you that.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Sometimes life has a way of taking our good intentions and destroying them. Don’t promise an outcome you have no control over—and one that no one would hold you to anyway. We will guard them as best as we can but we know the risks that someone could still get to them. Sometimes fate has other plans for those we love no matter how hard we try to protect them.”
Once Sebastian had closed the door, Philip stood still in the middle of the room playing that fateful day on the battlefield over in his head. What could he have done differently? Did fate play a hand in Robert’s death?
He relived that day and saw Robert fighting a Frenchman, watched in slow motion as the enemy pulled him from his mount. Philip had ridden over the top of anyone in the way of reaching Robert. But that had been his mistake. Robert was doing fine on his own and was just about to remount but Philip, so intent on saving his brother, did not see the Frenchman on his left, but Robert did. Robert stepped in front of Philip’s horse and took the killing blow meant for him. He sat frozen watching as Robert slipped to the ground and Grayson’s pistol killed the enemy.
“My lord,” Wilson said from the door. “Your mount is ready. I’ll take everything in your carriage and see you in London.”
