Page 51 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
Basil fell silent, skimming the edge of his glass with his index finger. Speaking to his cousin wasn't doing him any good. The man was obviously smitten. Arabella had done what Maribel and likely many before had tried but failed. If he didn't get rid of the pretty maid now, he might never get the chance. She could be a duchess by this time next year with a baby on the way.
“Well,” said Basil, rising to his feet. “I can see that I will not be able to get through to you. You have known me far longer than Arabella, yet you trust her more than you trust me.”
“Arabella has done me no harm,” said Henry.
Henry's words held another meaning to them, one that Basil immediately understood. It seemed his cousin was aware of his endeavors to become the duke. That would explain why Basil's attempts were always futile. Perhaps Henry wasn't the obtuse fool Basil had always believed him to be.
“It seems you truly believe so,” said Basil and bowed. “Please, would you excuse me? I should get going. Thank you for the brandy.”
He banged the glass on the table and stormed out, hardly taking two steps in the hallway before he felt slender hands jerk him into a room. He pulled away from the person, ready to berate them, when he saw it was Maribel.
“Can you not give a man a warning before grabbing him?” he said, annoyed.
“I beg your pardon, my lord,” Maribel apologized, curtsying. “I only wished to speak to you in private.”
Basil pursed his lips and straightened his clothing, looking around the room. He couldn't recall if he had ever been in the room. It had an Oriental look about it, with Ming dynasty vases on most surfaces, clawed furniture, and delicate water paintings of thick grass, birds, and dragons. He recalled hearing the duchess had been fascinated with China, even trying to learn the heathen's language. The room had probably been her private space.
“Have you created a plan to remove Arabella from this house yet?” Maribel asked as he fingered a tapestry.
It really was quite exquisite with its depiction of a Chinese lady and whatever instrument she held in her lap. It could be a mandolin, but he wasn't an expert on foreign musical instruments.
“Not yet,” he said, turning to the maid. “I first needed to see if what you said was true. It seems I underestimated Arabella's influence on my cousin. I need more time to think about how to get rid of her, but I'll send you a note once I have a plan in place. I'll most certainly need your support.”
“You have it, my lord,” Maribel said eagerly. “Have no doubts about that. You need only tell me what you wish me to do.”
“For now, continue to watch Arabella,” said Basil. “The woman is a temptress, a siren singing her song for my cousin's ears. He is so blinded by her he cannot see how dangerous she is.”
He knew he was one to talk, when he had made attempts on Henry's life several times in the past. If he managed to remove Arabella, it might make his cousin emotionally vulnerable. Basil could use that against him to finally get Henry out of the way, but he would have to be careful.
Henry was no fool—he had hinted at that earlier. Fortunately, Basil was no fool either. He just needed the perfect opportunity to finally make all his wishes come true.
Chapter 18
Arabella couldn't stop smiling. The conversation with the duke had gone better than she could have imagined. She had been of two minds about revealing why she had chosen to work at the duke's estate. Arabella could have just lied when he asked, but she found she didn't want to have any lies between them. She no longer even cared about finding out the mystery surrounding his life. If he chose to keep it a secret, so be it.
Perhaps one day he might trust her enough to tell her his secrets because he definitely had them—that much she was certain of. She had so many questions about the little things she had learned about him, such as calling his father theold duke, why he didn't look like either of them or even why the old duke decided to reveal him to the public so late as his heir.
It was almost as though the duke wasn't the real heir by birth, which could pose problems if others chose to take it away from him.
Lord Kersey was supposedly next in line for the dukedom and a few men after him. Neither the viscount nor the other heirs next in line seemed good enough to run the dukedom, so it was currently in the right hands. The duke was a good and fair man, and Arabella had yet to hear anyone complain about him. Most just spoke about their discomfort or apprehension around him, but no one was unnecessarily rude about him.
“Arabella!” Jane cried, startling Arabella as she entered the library.
She had just put her last book away and was about to start taking measurements by the window for the duke's seat when her fellow maid entered the room.
“Goodness!” Arabella exclaimed, grabbing her chest. “You gave me quite a fright.”
“I apologize, but I need to tell you something,” said Jane, drawing closer. “I thought you might wish to know.”
"What would that be?"
Jane was a highly excitable person, so Arabella didn't really think anything she had to say would be all that interesting. She was soon proven wrong.
"Viscount Kersey and Maribel were just talking in a rather conspiratorial manner," said Jane. "I saw Maribel grab the viscount and draw him into a room. I knew they were up to no good, so I tiptoed to the door and listened to their conversation. I couldn't hear everything, but they mentioned you and the duke. I believe they're plotting something."
Arabella shook her head with a sigh. It was bad enough that Maribel accused her of seducing the duke, but now she was talking to the viscount about her. The maid was certainly up to no good, and the viscount was right behind her.
“I'll have to be careful about them,” said Arabella.
