Page 64 of A Virgin to Tame the Duke
“It appears,” Aaron said, almost frighteningly regal despite the fact he was in a mere shirt in his bed, “we must send for her and a Magistrate.”
Anastasia dipped into a curtsy. “I shall do so at once.”
“Do not bring her to me until the Magistrate has arrived.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” With a nod, Anastasia left the room.
Epilogue
Aaron barely had a moment in which to turn to Charlotte with the hopes of expressing his joy—and surprise—that she was here with him when Constance woke. After the first effusions of joy, where Constance, too, threw herself at him, they had more serious matters to discuss.
Constance ducked her head when they outlined their suspicions. “There’s something more,” she said in a small voice. “Don’t be angry with me at concealing it, Aaron—she begged me not to tell a soul.”
“I will not be angry with you,” he said: all he could promise.
“Aunt Octavia was the one who helped me escape to Gretna Green,” she confessed, hanging her head. “She said she loved me as her own, and she could not bear me to marry a man if I didn’t love him.”
Octavia! It hardly seemed possible, and yet… Aaron recalled what Lady Lowood had said about Constance being Octavia’s child. She had always favored Constance, that was plain, and she had been remarkably angry about his refusal to give Edward handouts. As a woman of the world, one for whom consequences were not an unfamiliar concept, he hadn’t anticipated the level of her anger. And if the rumors about his father were also true—
He felt nothing but icy determination in his chest as the sun set and the Magistrate entered the room. He was a small, stout man with a moustache and glasses, and he bowed when he encountered Aaron.
“My condolences about this unfortunate situation,” he said. “How may I help?”
“Lady Lowood,” Aaron said, “would you be so good as to fetch my aunt here, please?” Constance’s lip set as she watched the door, and all too soon his aunt swept into the room, her brows raising when she encountered the crowded party.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “I was expecting to see my nephew, not attend a gathering.”
Aaron’s lip curled. “Did you expect to encounter me alive?”
She looked at him with blue eyes so similar to his own; eyes he now barely recognized. “I had word that you were extremely ill and may not recover if that’s what you mean.”
“And yet you chose to remain in your rooms instead of with me.” His voice was as cold as the numbness inside him. “I’m touched.”
“Aunt Octavia,” Constance said, her voice thick and her eyes brimming with tears. “Howcouldyou?”
Octavia glanced at Constance and drew herself up. “I see you have already made a decision about my innocence.”
“The evidence is overwhelming,” Aaron said. “There was poison found in the glass you gave to me. Lady Lowood saw you conceal something in your hand shortly before you passed the drink to me, and there’s also the unusual circumstances around my father’s death to consider. Not to mention Constance.”
For the first time, his aunt’s composure cracked, and he felt a glimmer of satisfaction. “Constance?”
“Everything you’ve done has been for her, has it not? After their marriage, the way I then did not immediately offer assistance to Edward and Constance must have been a lot to bear.” Aaron felt small fingers creep into his, and he gave Charlotte’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “In fact, I was angry at them, and you didn’t like that one bit.”
Octavia’s eyes narrowed. “You’re as entitled and selfish as your father. I endured living under your thumb as best I could, seeing to Constance’s well-being as her aunt instead of her mother, but when you refused to offer your sister basic kindness—”
“Aunt,” Constance sobbed. “This can’t be true.”
Octavia crossed the room in a few steps and cupped Constance’s face in her hands. “Everything I have done has been for you.Everything. When you were born, I pleaded with my brother to care for you as his own, and though he never forgave me for it, he did as I asked. He knew the shame that would fall on your head—on our head—if you were revealed to be mine. I protected you by relinquishing my claim to you, but I have never stopped loving you. When you wanted to marry the man you love, I supported you. What loyalty can you have for a brother who cares for nothing except his wealth and position?”
Constance jerked her face away, and Aaron nodded at the Magistrate. “I presume you brought some constables to take her away.”
“That I did, Your Grace. Lady Octavia Brighton, I’m arresting you for the attempted murder of the Duke of Hexham. You have the right to remain silent and anything you say may be held against you in court.”
“You cannot!” Octavia cried, but the faces that opposed her were stony. Even Lady Lowood, her staunch friend and supporter, said nothing as the constables entered the room and led her away. Aaron was almost surprised there was no one to come to her defense, but he supposed it made sense; by her actions, she had alienated everyone who might have once cared for her.
“Oh, my sweet girl,” Lady Lowood said, coming forward and putting her arms around Constance. “Come, some hot tea will do you wonders, my dear. Come, come, let us go.”
Aaron waited for the door to close behind them before he turned to Charlotte. “Well,” he said, looking down into the face he had come to know as well as his own. Better, perhaps, for his face never haunted his dreams. “There is much to be said, but for now I have one thing I would like to ask you.”
