Stealing the Duchess

by Marie Higgins

  Happiness grew in his chest once again, and he wanted to take her in his arms and shower her with his love. Hopefully, they could get the pistol away from Joanna so that he could hold his wife once more. “And I love you, my darling Lexie.”

  “Enough of this!” Joanna screeched. In a flash, she raised the pistol, strode to her sister, and yanked her arm. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  Anger filled him once again, and he gritted his teeth. “You are correct, Joanna. This is quite enough.”

  He took a step toward her, and she jerked back, bumping into a table. The quick movement made her stumble, and knocked her shoulder into the wall.

  Crying out in pain, she quickly cradled her left arm. A spot of blood gradually grew on the sleeve of her arm, spreading over the material as though it was in a race to color the material red. A pungent, almost decaying odor permeated the room. Her face turned ashen and for a second, Julian thought she might empty her stomach on him.

  Within moments, his mind began to work. Shock seeped into his body, bringing with it awareness as it opened up his thoughts. Joanna’s left arm had been injured enough to draw blood. What were the chances she had been the one who’d tried to kill him? Yet none of this made any sense. Confusion filled him and left him immobile.

  “Joanna!” Alexandria hitched a breath. “You’re hurt.” She reached for her sister, but Joanna jumped back, bumping against the single desk by the west window. “Why is your arm bleeding?” Alexandria’s voice shook.

  “I...I...I was injured a few months ago.” Joanna’s face hardened. “My injury hasn’t healed properly. Infection keeps coming back. That’s why I’ve been so ill lately.”

  “How were you injured, Joanna?” Julian asked, finally believing that this woman could have had a motive to kill him and his father and brother, after all. She knew that Martin would inherit the dukedom if the other members of his family were dead. “An injury that keeps getting infected could only be from a severe cut or a bullet wound.”

  “Joanna?” Alexandria’s voice cracked. “Did someone shoot you?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes.

  The more Julian studied the older sister, the more he believed she was indeed responsible. His stomach twisted. “Where were you around March thirteenth?”

  Joanna released an unsteady laugh. “You cannot expect me to remember that.”

  Alexandria moaned and rubbed her forehead. “Oh, Joanna, no.” She squeezed her eyes as tears escaped down her cheeks. “You’d sent me to stay at my friend’s house for nearly a sennight, remember?” She sniffed. “Now I know why you wanted me out of the house. You didn’t want me to know you were gone.” She shook her head. “You led me to believe you were still there by sending me missives to see how I was faring with my friend. You had told me your husband had gone to try and find a house for you to live in.”

  Joanna huffed. “I didn’t lie. Martin was indeed looking for a place to live.”

  “Yes, I know that now.” Alexandria lifted her gaze to Joanna’s. “Because it was you who tried to set up your husband to make him look like he killed his uncle and cousins.”

  “Dear sister, you are being over dramatic and highly imaginative. Save it for your stories.”

  “You, my dear sister,” Alexandria took a step closer to Joanna, “are lying. Why? Why did you think you had to kill innocent people? What gave you that right?”

  In an instant, Joanna’s expression hardened as she switched her attention between Alexandria and Julian. She raised the pistol toward Julian. Fear slammed his heart against his ribs. He held his breath. Somehow, he and Alexandria needed to coax the weapon out of her hand. A woman possessed with evil was the worst kind of person to try and negotiation with.

  “What are you doing?” Alexandria cried. “Joanna, put that down before someone gets hurt.”

  “I have a confession to make. One,” she glared at Julian, “that should end your puzzlement, Major. The least I can do is send you to your death knowing the truth.” She pointed to the weapon in her hand. “This is why I have a pistol, Xandria. Because I am going to protect us. I’ve always protected us.” She lifted her chin in victory. “When we were younger, I was always the one watching out for you. We grew up in poor conditions, and I wanted us to have a better life. When I decided to marry, I searched for a man who wasn’t far from being the next heir to a wealthy title. Martin fit that position perfectly. So when he and I were invited to visit his uncle and cousin, I made sure I put poison in their drinks. Fortune was on my side because the poison made them appear as if they both had the plague. It didn’t take them long to die, either.”

  Julian gnashed his teeth. His heart broke a little more hearing the story of how his family died. He wanted to wring her neck for being so heartless and selfish. But for now, he needed to wait for the right moment to jump at her and snatch the weapon out of her hand.

  “Oh, Joanna...no.” Alexandria’s sobs wracked her body.

  “Ah, I see I have solved one of your lingering mysteries. Let me solve the rest.” She offered Julian an evil smirk. “The idea for killing Major Stanford goes to my friend, Miss Theresa. Once I convinced her it was wrong to think that way about him, I went behind her back and hired some men to find the major,” she motioned the pistol toward him. “They even helped me to locate a cannon. I wasn’t the one responsible for firing the cannon, but I wanted to make certain it hit near Major Stanford. Close enough to kill him.” She shrugged. “When I tried to run afterwards, someone shot me in the arm. I had no idea the man who shot me would be the one I thought I’d killed.”

  “And I had no idea my killer would be a woman,” Julian retorted.

  Joanna gave a full-throated laugh, obviously enjoying his pain. “Yes, I’m full of surprises, aren’t I?”

  “What happened to my sister?” Alexandria shook her head, frowning. “What happened to the sister who was kind and loving—the sister I had looked up to all my life?”

  It physically hurt Julian to see his wife so distraught. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close to his body. “Greed has changed her, my love.”

  “I didn’t do all of this just for me, you know,” Joanna argued. “I did this for both of us, Xandria. We shall now live the kind of life we have always wanted.”

  “No, Joanna,” Alexandria whispered brokenly. “I have never wanted that kind of life, and you know it.” She buried her face into Julian’s chest and cried.

  “What are you going to do with us now?” he asked bitterly.

  Joanna shrugged. “I shall continue to do as I’ve always done. I’ll protect my sister, and if that means killing you, then I’ll do it. Besides, you’re supposed to be dead anyway, so it will not matter.”

  “You are too late now. Most everyone knows I’m alive.”

  The insane woman chuckled. “You won’t be after I finish with you. My excuse for ending your life will be because you were hurting my sister, and of course, I was only trying to protect her.”

  “Don’t turn blame to your sister,” he growled. “The only reason you want me dead is to be Duchess of Linden. Your sister doesn’t want anything to do with your selfish needs.”

  “You are wrong. I love my sister, and I want to see her—”

  “Joanna stop!” Alexandria wiped her eyes. “Julian is correct. The only reason you’re doing this is because of greed and power.”

  Julian shook his head, pulling Alexandria closer to him. “She doesn’t need you any longer, Joanna. I’ll be the one protecting her from now on. I will always be the one protecting her. Not you. Not anymore.”

  THIRTY-TWO

  Alexandria’s heart burst with an over-abundance of love for her husband, yet at the same time it painfully broke to pieces because of her sister’s unexpected mental condition. Joanna was demented, and Alexandria feared that Joanna would indeed follow through with her threat of killing Julian.

  “Oh, my wonderful husband,” Alexandria sighed and
lay her head against his chest. “I love you so much—”

  Joanna screamed at the top of her voice, a sound so evil it sent chills up Alexandria’s spine. Never had she heard this tone from her sister. She never wanted to hear it again, either.

  “Will both of you be quiet,” Joanna yelled. “I don’t want to hear—or see—you two fawning over each other anymore. It makes me physically ill to watch.”

  Alexandria scowled at her sister. This wasn’t the first time she’d noticed that her sister had to get all the attention and all the glory. Joanna had always been overprotective, but Alexandria would have never suspected her sister of going insane. Yet, that was exactly what had happened.

  Growing up, Alexandria always knew Joanna was the prettier, smarter, and more sociable one. Alexandria had been kept in a sheltered world, and up until now, she was all right with living in such a way. But now her eyes were finally opened to her sister’s selfishness. Why hadn’t Alexandria realized how controlling Joanna had been all those years? She could see now that Joanna didn’t want her sister to be independent or happy.

  But she wasn’t fine with it any longer! She was sick to death of her sister being so selfish. When was it Alexandria’s turn for love and happiness?

  “Come on, the both of you,” Joanna snapped and motioned the pistol toward the door. “We are going outside.”

  Alexandria frowned. “Why?”

  Joanna swayed, but quickly righted herself. “So that your imposter lover isn’t discovered in my house!”

  Alexandria growled. “Listen here, Joanna—”

  “Lexie,” Julian cut her off in a calm voice, “we shall do exactly what your sister requests. If she wants us to leave, we shall leave without arguing.”

  A victorious smile claimed Joanna’s face, making Alexandria want to scream with frustration. She switched her focus to Julian and studied his aloof expression. Why was he acting this way? What could be going through his head right now? He didn’t appear very frightened of the prospect that Joanna could shoot and possibly kill him. So why was he like this? She received the distinct impression that he was trying to communicate with her through his eyes. Unfortunately, she didn’t understand him at all this time.

  Julian was the one to lead the group, moving at a slow pace out of the room and heading down the hallway to the back stairs used by the servants. As they made their way down the winding staircase, the house grew quiet. She prayed one of the servants would see what was happening, especially since they told the butler that they were going to remain in their room for a few days.

  Alexandria stayed close to Julian as they quietly moved toward the kitchen and to one out of the many back doors to the grand house. As they walked outside, Julian took Alexandria’s hand in his and stopped, waiting for further instruction from Joanna.

  She closed the door securely and faced them, holding the pistol toward Julian. “Go to the stable. We need to get...those...tools,” she slurred the last words.

  “What are you talking about?” Alexandria asked.

  “You know...those...picks.”

  Alexandria shook her head. “Joanna, you’re not making any sense.”

  “Do you mean shovels?” Julian added.

  Blinking, Joanna nodded. “Yes, shovels. We need two shovels.”

  Alexandria wished she knew what was wrong with her sister. Although her words were slurred, Joanna was not the type of woman who consumed a large amount of spirits. A little wine at dinner was the extent of her consumption. Alexandria’s sister even swayed a time or two, so perhaps she was slightly tipsy tonight. Perhaps it had something to do with her sister’s recovery from being shot. “Whatever do we need shovels for?”

  “To dig a grave.” Joanna belted out an evil laugh.

  Alexandria’s stomach twisted as bile rose to her throat that had nothing to do with the malodorous vapors coming from her sister. Julian didn’t argue with Joanna, but instead, led the way toward the stables.

  With each step, tears burned in Alexandria’s eyes. How could they get out of this? How could they convince Joanna she was wrong? Julian wouldn’t hurt Joanna because he wasn’t the kind of man who’d hurt a woman. It would be left up to Alexandria to somehow cause some kind of commotion and distract her sister so that Julian could snatch the weapon away.

  Anxiety and fear pumped through her body, making her tremble. Taking deep breaths, she tried to gain control. Be a character in your book. They’ll know what to do! Yet, although the idea was clever, fear had immobilized her mind. She couldn’t think of what needed to be done, and she felt like such a failure.

  Julian didn’t say a word, but casually walked into the stable and found a shovel hanging on the wall.

  “Get two of them,” Joanna snapped. “Your lover needs to assist.”

  “No.” Julian shook his head. “I shall dig my own grave. I don’t wish to cause further pain to the woman I love. Besides that, she was badly injured earlier today by your so-called friend, Miss Theresa. Have you even wondered why your sister has a bandage on her forehead?”

  It was as though Joanna looked at her for the first time tonight. Her sister’s gaze moved to her head before sweeping over the rest of her. She stood in her nightgown as well, but her sister hadn’t noticed it before.

  “Theresa injured you?”

  “Your friend tried to kill me, Joanna.” Alexandria’s voice broke. “All because she wanted to be Duchess of Linden.”

  “Impossible,” Joanna barked. “Theresa wouldn’t do that to me.”

  “She didn’t do that to you,” Julian cut in. “She did that to your sister.”

  “Well, come tomorrow, I shall have a talk with her—”

  “It’s too late.” Alexandria sniffed back a sob. “She was shot and killed tonight.”

  Joanna gasped. “Are you jesting? Who would do such a thing?”

  “Lord Hawthorne,” Julian said bluntly. “He was trying to protect my stable hand because your friend was beating his head with a stick.”

  Joanna rolled her eyes. “Your stable hand probably deserved it.”

  “He was trying to protect me!” Alexandria lifted her voice, not caring anymore about upsetting her sister. It hurt to realize just how selfish Joanna really was. “And, if you care at all about my welfare, let me tell you I’m doing much better now since I’ve returned to my home and was cared for by my husband.”

  For an instant, Joanna’s expression softened, but then the moment was gone and evil lurked on her face. “A husband that won’t be living much longer, let me remind you.”

  Tears fell unhindered down Alexandria’s face. She had finally found her prince, and she’d lose him just as quickly. She clutched her hands against her chest, and slowly died inside.

  JULIAN GRIPPED THE shovel handle tighter. Couldn’t Joanna see what kind of agony she was bringing to her younger sister? Joanna was heartless! He knew she didn’t care about Alexandria.

  He wondered if he swung the shovel fast enough, would it knock the pistol from her hand? What were the odds if he and Alexandria just took off running into the shelter of the shadows that Joanna would be able to hurt them? Yet, he didn’t want to do anything to endanger his loving wife. She’d been through enough already, especially with what her sister was putting her through now. Julian didn’t want to miscalculate and have Joanna fire the weapon and shoot one of them.

  However... He bit the side of his cheek. Little did Joanna realize, but by giving him the shovel, he now had a weapon to defend himself. She wanted him to dig his own grave, but there was so much more he could do with a sturdy shovel and some dirt. It must have slipped her mind that he’d been a decorated soldier in the war. His military skills were second nature to him, and he’d play Joanna’s game until it was time to change the rules.

  Another thing in his favor was Joanna’s sickness. True, she was mentally deranged, but she was physically ill as well. Being in the war, he’d seen many wounded soldiers who couldn’t properly take care of their injuries. S
erious infections had made his men sick. Infections were dangerous—deadly dangerous. And since she’d been battling with her injury for a few months now, he knew she was near her deathbed. Not only could he see the effect it had on her, but he could smell it.

  While she had been in his bedchamber, the odor permeating the room reminded him of some of the hospitals he’d been in during the many battles he had fought in. Even after he’d been in the cannon explosion which had damaged his leg, the horrific scent in that hospital had permanently branded his mind.

  He couldn’t help but notice how weak she was now. A few times she’d stumbled but quickly gained her bearings. Her confusion was obvious, as well. When she had first entered his room, the moisture coating her pale face was quite noticeable. These were signs that her wound was severely festering. If not treated immediately, she would surely die. But even if she was treated, the infection might be so acute it would take her life anyway.

  For now, he would wait until she lost consciousness, which with any luck would be shortly. She blinked quite a bit, which told him she was fighting the darkness trying to consume her vision. He prayed she didn’t try to shoot him before she fainted. Thus, the very reason he took his time getting the shovel. If he moved slowly, with any luck, she would pass out soon so that he could take control.

  THIRTY-THREE

  “Go...over there.” Joanna motioned the pistol to the grove of trees nearest to the stable.

  Julian took a quick glance in that direction. “Over there?”

  “Yes. To the trees.”

  “Are you certain?” he prodded. “There’s not much light when you enter the grove, and the moon isn’t full tonight.” Of course he would remember that since the grove was where he had been hiding while spying on his cousin and Alexandria.

  “Uh...” Joanna swayed again, but then blinked and shook her head. “Xandria, go back in the stable and fetch a...a...candle.”