Duked: Duke One, Duke Society Series

by Robinson, Gina

  I stared at Ren. "You broke up with Zoe?"

  He snorted. "What? That's not what you heard? Don't tell me the gossips got it wrong?"

  "Everyone says—"

  "I know what they say—Zoe broke up with me because my fair-haired brother was the better catch, the better guy. You don't think Zoe planted those rumors? You don't think she smeared me at every opportunity?"

  My heart broke for him. I looped my arm through his. "Why didn't you set the record straight?"

  "Because at that point I didn't give a fuck. People would and could think what they liked. I'd planned to go home to the States, anyway. And who would believe me?"

  "I do," I said.

  He pulled me close.

  "The other rumors?" I said, hoping he couldn't hear the nerves in my voice. "Sleeping with the village girls?"

  "I went on a wild streak," he said, stroking my hair. "After Zoe and I broke up. Yeah, I slept with some of the village girls."

  "Did you sleep with Zoe after she and Will were engaged?"

  "You've heard that, too? And Zoe's take, no doubt. Once. Biggest mistake of my life. I wasn't myself. I wasn't in my right mind." He took a deep breath. "I was high, Bliss. Very high. Not an excuse, but it's all the explanation I have. Zoe wanted me back. She struck when I was vulnerable. When I spurned her, Zoe used that one mistake against me."

  I suppressed a shudder. Not grounds for murder, but after all that, on some level, could you blame Ren for letting Will and Zoe drown? For not risking his life for them?

  "It's amazing you ever fell in love again after that." I took his hand and stroked it with my thumb. "It takes a strong man to believe in love after that kind of betrayal."

  He took my face in his hands and kissed me lightly. "Or it takes a fool."

  Friday

  I got up early on Friday morning and got ready to leave for the castle. I didn't want to leave Ren or London. In his natural habitat, he was the man I'd always imagined for myself. I was torn now, so conflicted that I wondered if I should just walk away from the castle. But that meant walking away from Ren. We were bound now, and I couldn't do one without the other. But forcing him, or luring him, back to Manly Manor was like taking a butterfly out of its habitat, where it was beautiful and could fight its own battles, and pinning it to a board, making it an empty carcass. How could I be party to killing Ren's spirit? Given what he'd told me about Zoe, was there any way to break the association he had between the castle and her?

  And now, to be honest, I wasn't eager to face the funeral and the village and all the lies about Ren. Because yes, I believed Ren.

  Ren got a call while I finished the last of my packing. He took it in the next room. When he came back to the bedroom, he was smiling, but he also looked boyishly nervous. "Mom and my stepdad are coming to the funeral. They're eager to meet you."

  I froze. "Are they? That's good, isn't it? We haven't even talked about them. They've kept their distance. And, to be honest, I've kept mine. I just assumed they didn't approve. And didn't want to get involved. Or attached." I laughed nervously. "Nothing personal, I'm sure."

  "I asked them not to. Not until things calmed down. I don't bring first dates home to meet Mom. Why should I bring the wife I've known less than a week?" He hugged me playfully and grabbed my suitcase. "You'll love them."

  I knew nothing about them and, frankly, had been too busy and distracted to be curious about them. I knew his parents lived somewhere just outside London and that was about it. "Your stepdad liked the foxglove you stole for him? Do you know that's all I know about him? That he likes to garden and collects exotic foxglove?"

  "Loved it. But you couldn't really call it stealing, could you? By the time I left the grounds with it, it was rightfully mine." Ren grinned wickedly. "You probably thought in all the confusion, I forgot to take it to him. I stopped at Mom and Bendi's on my way back to London after the wedding. Mom was the first person I had to see and explain my marriage to."

  "Yes," I said. Of course he had to. It was the right thing to do. "Good. I look forward to meeting them." But I was terrified. "My mom will be at the funeral, too. Fortunately, Dad can't make it. One less set of fireworks to worry about."

  "Good." Ren hugged me again. "Our moms can meet each other and size each other up. Don't worry. They don't have to like each other." He gave me a squeeze.

  "We're doing everything backwards, it seems," I said.

  "Story of my life."

  I clung to Ren as he walked me to the car. "You'll be at the castle this afternoon? Before Manly's body arrives?"

  "I'll leave work at noon. Before if I can swing it. I'll be there around two at the latest."

  I kissed him, desperately. I'd never have expected it, but I'd fallen in love with him in the space of days. I didn't dare tell him. Love wasn't part of our contract. The surest way to scare a man away was to get too emotionally attached too soon and frighten him with talk of love before he was ready. But being more emotionally engaged put me in the weak position. I'd have to wait, and hope, that he fell in love with me.

  We got into our cars. At the end of the driveway, we turned in opposite directions. He went to work. I went home, whatever that meant now.

  When I arrived at Manly Manor, a police car was parked in front. I rushed out of the car up the stairs to the castle. Whatever new trouble this was, we didn't need it and couldn't afford it. My nerves were stretched thin enough as it was. I had a horrible feeling this had to do with Manly's death. Call it intuition. The timing was right. I couldn't help remembering all the horrible questions the police asked after Manly collapsed. It would almost have been a relief if someone had run off with the silver.

  Harris opened the door before I reached the top of the stairs. "Duchess." A look of relief crossed his face. "DCI Noble is here with the results of the late duke's autopsy. He's spoken to all the staff. He wants to see you and the duke. I told him you were on your way back from London. And that the duke wouldn't be here until this afternoon. He insisted on waiting for you. He's in the drawing room."

  I nodded.

  "I'll bring your bags in." Harris leaned close and whispered, "Don't worry, duchess. I told the inspector the late duke's death couldn't be anything but an accident. I made sure the late duke's room was cleaned like you asked. There's nothing to see there."

  I frowned, confused and worried. Harris nodded and left to get the bags. I found Noble seated in the drawing room.

  He got to his feet when I entered. "Duchess."

  I nodded. "I hope my staff made you comfortable?"

  "Very."

  "Good."

  "Have a seat, duchess."

  I hated being asked to take a seat in my own home, but I complied. "I hope you don't think me rude, inspector, but I'm pressed for time today. I've just walked in the door from London. The funeral home is delivering Manly's body in a few hours. I have a ton to do—"

  "This is important, I'm afraid, duchess." The inspector leaned forward with his hands on his knees. "We got the results of the late duke's toxicology reports. There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just come out with it. The late duke had a nearly lethal level of digitalis in his system."

  I stared at Noble, fighting to contain my anger at the implied accusation. "What are you implying, inspector? Manly took heart medication that contained digitalis. He had a weak heart. He'd had the condition for decades. His heart was one of our main concerns as we thought about starting a family."

  "The levels, duchess—an overdose."

  "Not that surprising or suspicious, is it?" My heart pounded. "Manly was a hundred years old. I hate to throw him under the bus. He liked to believe that although his body was failing, his mind was still as sharp as ever. I let him believe it. We all did. Put simply, Manly had a weak heart and a weak memory. He forgot many things. He couldn't be trusted to remember to take his medications in the right doses at the right times. Harris, his nurse, and I fastidiously put his medications neatly into a pill organizer. Even with th
at, he had to be supervised. But there were times he still got confused. We tried to watch him, but it wasn't always possible."

  Noble looked unimpressed.

  I tried to stay calm. "If I can be bold enough to propose a theory: Manly was eager for our wedding night. But he was worried about his heart being strong enough for the exercise." I smiled sweetly and innocently. Yes, he may have been eager, but there wasn't going to be any exercise. "I wouldn't be at all surprised if he took more pills than he should have, thinking that would help and give him energy. Or if he took the pills and took another dose later, forgetting he took the first. The day of the wedding was hectic. Manly was off his schedule. If he overdoses, that makes perfect sense."

  Noble still looked skeptical.

  Ren's reputation, I thought, trying not to look either guilty or worried. The rumors that he killed his brother for the title and inheritance. If he killed once, why not again? Especially such an old man? Such an easy mark.

  There was a moment where I went cold, hoping no one else had seen Ren with the foxglove the night before the wedding. Foxglove was poisonous and full of the main ingredient in Manly's heart medication.

  "Were you in the late duke's room the day of the wedding?" Noble asked.

  I raised an eyebrow. "And let my groom see me before the wedding? You know that's bad luck, inspector."

  I'd stunned him. He didn't know what to say. He hadn't been expecting humor, certainly not morbid humor.

  "Seems like I got it anyway, though, doesn't it?" I clasped my hands in my lap, trying to look demure. "Although you may find it hard to believe, I'd never been in Manly's room until after his death. I went in with Harris to get clothes for Manly to be buried in."

  "Never?" The inspector's eyes narrowed. "You'd never been in the late duke's room before?"

  "Never," I said. "Is that really so surprising?"

  "Why?"

  "Manly didn't want me there," I said. "You have to understand, Manly was a proud man. He liked to keep up the pretense that he was much younger and abler and more capable than he was. His room was full of evidence that contradicted the image he liked to project. I was startled when I finally went into his room and saw his hospital-style bed, his many canes and walkers—all of the aids Manly needed and liked to pretend he didn't."

  "And the current duke? Was he in his uncle's room the morning of the wedding?"

  I shrugged and felt sick, realizing I had to tell the truth. I couldn't falsely give Ren an alibi. "I don't know. I wouldn't know. As I said, I didn't want Manly to see me before the wedding. I was staying away from the vicinity of Manly's room. I had no opportunity to see anyone coming or going. You might ask Harris. Or the Duke of Axton or the Duke of Hardly. I believe they were all with Manly most of the morning before the ceremony."

  My heart was pounding. If I could, I would have crossed my fingers. Damn, Ren, I hope you didn't go see your uncle that morning.

  "I'd like your permission to inspect the late duke's room." It was more of a command.

  I shrugged. "Certainly. I have to warn you, though, that there's nothing of Manly's left there. I had his things removed and the room thoroughly cleaned on Monday. I'll have Harris show you up, if you're sure you'd still like a look. I'd show you myself, but for my tight schedule." I paused. "I hope you'll keep this quiet and wrap this—what I'm sure is simply a routine inquiry—up quickly. No one here had a motive for harming Manly. Poisoning him would have served me better a few days later. And the castle is more an albatross around Ren's neck than anything. Don't let old gossip and rumors about Ren sway you, inspector. Don't give the villagers another reason to start any new ones."

  "I'll be discreet," he said.

  I called Harris. The moment Harris and the inspector were out of sight, I texted Ren, as neutrally and blandly as I could in the unlikely case the inspector ever subpoenaed my phone, that the inspector wanted to speak with him about Manly. And the toxicology reports that said Manly had died of too much digitalis in his system. And a weak heart, of course.

  I was busy with the preparations when the inspector left twenty minutes later, scowling and roughly thanking me for my cooperation. From his tone, it was obvious he hadn't found anything and was frustrated.

  I had no guilt. I hadn't harmed Manly. My actions regarding his room were completely normal. After a death, people cleaned out the deceased's belongings. Could I have waited longer? Maybe. Maybe that would have looked less suspicious. But I hadn't thought about looking suspicious. Given the circumstances, why wouldn't I simply have wanted to move on with life and being a new bride? And I needed the room for the business.

  Harris found me after Noble left. "I'm sorry, duchess. The inspector asked many questions. I had to answer them honestly." I hadn't seen Harris look so anguished before. "I had to confess that the late duke's memory wasn't what it once was, I'm afraid. And that it was highly likely he'd mistakenly taken too many of his heart pills."

  I almost collapsed with relief. He'd backed me up. "Thank you, Harris. We have nothing to hide."

  He still looked pained. "I also had to tell him that the new duke stopped by the late duke's room on the morning of the wedding."

  "Ren did?" I said. "Natural enough. Of course he'd want to wish his uncle all happiness before the ceremony."

  Harris hesitated. "They had an argument, your grace. The new duke tried to talk the late duke out of marrying you. It got heated."

  "Oh." I didn't know what to say. "You told the inspector?"

  "I told the inspector they discussed, in rather excited terms, the late duke marrying again at his age."

  I nodded. "Nothing unusual in that, is there? It was a rather common opinion. Manly found it amusing."

  "Yes, your grace. I'm not sure the inspector was of the same opinion. I did not tell the inspector that the new duke was alone in the late duke's room for several minutes, at least. Or that he was carrying a cutting of the late duke's prize exotic foxglove, the one he'd had specifically cultivated for the castle grounds. It's a highly toxic variety."

  "Ren wanted a cutting for his stepdad. I'm sure he was only asking permission." But why? Ren had led me to believe he was going to sneak it out. I put my hand on Harris' sleeve. "Thank you for telling me."

  Ren was late getting to the castle. He had to stop by the police station first. I wondered what he'd told the inspector. And about the fight he'd had with Manly. And what it meant—why fight with him at the last minute? And the foxglove. Why suddenly decide to ask permission?

  There was no time to ask Ren anything. He arrived at the same time as the mortuary staff. I flew into his arms, relieved to see him.

  He held me tight. "It'll be all right. Everything will be all right."

  "I wish they'd just leave us alone." I pressed my head against his chest, pushing my doubts aside. "All these ugly innuendos." They'd chase Ren farther away.

  "The inspector has nothing. There is nothing to find. The inspector assured me he's closing the case."

  I sagged against Ren. "But it will never be closed in the minds of the villagers."

  He held me tighter. "Or in the inspector's mind. He wasn't happy about it. He made that pretty clear. But he has no evidence, no way to prove anything one way or the other, thanks to your desire to clear Manly's room so quickly."

  "There was nothing to find there." I was adamant, but I watched Ren closely. I wanted so badly to ask him about the fight with Manly, but I couldn't force myself to do it without worrying some subconscious doubt might show. "I'm glad you're here. I didn't want to be alone with Manly's body." Not when I was so traitorously happy with Ren.

  "You're not alone," Ren said fiercely. "You have Harris and Libby."

  "You know what I mean," I said.

  "You have me, Bliss." He stroked my hair.

  I waited for him to add, Always. But he didn't.

  Chapter 21

  Ren supervised putting Manly's body on display while I got ready to greet guests. They laid Manly out on a pedestal
beneath his portrait in the grand entry of the castle, in front of the stairs I'd been coming down to marry him when he died. I asked for a few minutes alone with his body before the viewers arrived. His casket was surrounded by asters, Michaelmas daisies, and fall foliage. The florist had done a beautiful job.

  I approached his body carefully. He looked peaceful, but like a shell. This wasn't Manly. Manly had left us nearly a week ago.

  Even still, I felt the need to talk to him. "Why, Manly? Why force Ren back here? You know, you had to know, he's not himself here anymore. Forcing him to live here could destroy him. I love him," I whispered. "What should I do, Manly? You've trapped us all."

  And I can't believe Ren killed you, I added silently, too afraid to say the thought aloud.

  A line formed in front of the castle well before four. Promptly on time, Harris opened the door. Ren and I greeted the villagers who'd come to pay their respects. Some were friendly and kind. Some were just curious to get a look at the castle and how we lived. But others looked at us, Ren particularly, with suspicion and disgust. Whispers, whispers, whispers. Everyone knew the inspector had been out. Everyone seemed to know Noble suspected Ren, and maybe me, in Manly's death, but couldn't prove it. I wanted to put my hands over my ears and block them out, to scream at them to leave us alone.

  Ren stood stoically, holding up much better than I was. I had plenty of practice at ignoring lies and rumors about me in the media, but nothing ever as dark and personal as this. Not the looks of distrust and condemnation from people I knew. Not the looks of censure, like I was somehow unfaithful to Manly. That Ren had wronged his uncle, or even murdered him.

  I cursed the inspector for his new inquiry and toxicology report. It was hard enough bearing my grief over Manly. But this was almost too much. I blinked back tears, which I supposed helped my cause in the eyes of the public. Maybe I wasn't as hardhearted as they'd imagined. Maybe I was just sorry I'd almost been caught. Or maybe I was a very good actress and good at feigning tears.