Page 36 of A Duke's Unwanted Bride
“What are they saying?” Lady Adele whispered.
“We might be able to hear better without you talking.” He arched an eyebrow at her.
She scowled at him but did not say another word.
Mr. Harris’ voice was muffled, but Warner caught the end of his sentence. “After my little visit you mean? Oh, I am more convinced than ever that that little vixen did it.”
“Why are you so certain it was the Widow Kidlington?” his companion asked.
“Have you seen the way she behaves? What married woman would be able to carry on as she does?” Mr. Harris replied. “No husband would permit a woman to behave like that.”
“She is rather wild. And rich too.” Lady Adele’s eyes narrowed at the man’s words.
“Exactly. And of course, there is the fact that she and the Marquess never even had their wedding night. She probably killed him to keep herself unspoiled for her next marriage.” Mr. Harris chuckled to himself, and Warner remembered the way the men in the gentleman’s club had said similar things.
I can hardly blame Lady Adele for not wanting to marry.He felt Lady Adele tense against him but barely heard the sharp intake of her breath over the thundering of his heart.
“But we need proof. Something like a confession.”
“I am confident we can encourage a confession.” Mr. Harris sighed. “The widow is like a wild horse. She needs to be tamed. To be broken.”
“Quite the ride, a chit like that.” Warner could picture the Bow Street Runner licking his lips.
Warner’s jaw was clenched so tight, he thought his teeth might break. He had moved without realising, but the feeling of Lady Adele’s fingers around his arm stopped him. He glanced down at her, panic and… was that shame on her face?
It tore at his heart, and he turned to face the door. “Absolutely not.”
“No!” her voice was a strangled hiss. “If they discover us, it will only make this worse.”
Warner took a steadying breath. He knew she was right. And then he heard Mr. Tibble’s next words.
“If we play our cards right, we could get ourselves a confession and a little consolation prize. Those innocent eyes of hers? Imagine giving her the old green dress; she’s clearly desperate for a good sha—” The man’s words were drowned out by the thundering of Warner’s blood in his ears.
Every rational thought left his body. His hands twitched as though to wring the men’s necks. He took a step forward — or tried to. Lady Adele threw herself against him, clinging to him and using the full force of her weight to hold him in place.
“Get off me,” Warner growled, his voice low.
“You will get us both caught.” Her words were barely audible over the red mist that filled his brain.
“I am going to kill them,” his voice rumbled, low and quiet.
“What good will that do?” she hissed at him. “You will be hanged!”
“I do not care.”
“Warner! Please!” The sound of his name froze him in place.
He tried to disentangle himself from her, but the woman was surprisingly strong. He could feel her panting with the effort of holding him back. The sound of retreating footsteps disturbed their scuffle, but she did not release him. He could have broken free with ease, but he feared that he would hurt her if he did.
“I think… Yes… They are gone.” Lady Adele loosened her hold on him. “Let’s get out of here before they come back. You swear you will not go after them?”
Warner growled. “Fine. We will go to the gardens; we can speak there.”
His fists were clenched so hard that his muscles were at risk of ripping through the fabric of his shirt. Every part of him wanted to find the two men, to grind them into a fine pulp with his fists. He felt the widow disentangle herself from him.
They made their way out of the study and into the gardens without speaking to one another. The cold night air stung Warner’s cheeks as they made their way towards one of the more secluded areas by the maze.I will be able to see if anyone is approaching us.
“I suppose you are going to tell me that you tried to warn me about this.” Lady Adele was panting, her face red as she leaned against a tree for support. “Curse me for a fool.”
