For Love Alone (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 8)

Henry gulped and followed Oliver meekly into the study. Everyone followed them into the large room. Phillip slid open a couple of shutters overlooking the driveway and took up position before the fireplace. Henry was waved into one of the high-backed chairs beside him. The rest of the men positioned themselves either beside the windows or the doors. Henry knew he was going nowhere until he had told them what they wanted to know.

‘Now, I would warn you that if I find out you have lied to me I shall have you arrested for helping her father, Horace, murder his wife, which was witnessed by Carlotta.’ Oliver began. He looked over his shoulder at her.

Feeling so nervous she felt sick, Carlotta nodded. When Phillip stepped closer and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, she grabbed his fingers and held on tightly. With their hands entwined, Carlotta turned to look at Henry with renewed strength. In that moment, she could feel nothing but acute dislike for him. He seemed arrogant and incredibly cold. Now that she had seen who he truly was when away from Henrietta, Carlotta had to wonder why she had not seen this side of him before. Carlotta almost felt sorry for her friend – almost.

‘Henrietta knew you were coming here, didn’t she?’ Carlotta asked. ‘Henrietta sent you to get me out of here.’

Henry snorted. ‘She was as reluctant to accommodate you as I was. When you turned up asking for our help of course she allowed you in. She is too well bred to refuse you entry to the house. What she didn’t expect was to be lumbered with you. Here was the only place I could think of to dump you until your father could come and fetch you. Of course, those stupid thugs he hired bungled everything. When one of them returned and told him that his friend had been shot, your father came to see me. It is time you got out of my house and found your own way back to your father, Carlotta. He was right to want you off his hands. You are nothing but a bloody albatross.’

CHAPTER TWELVE

Carlotta gasped as the hurtful words slammed into her. Tears immediately gathered on her lashes, but she refused to let them to fall. She refused to allow Henry to see how much his vile opinion hurt. Instead, Carlotta peered down her nose at him, even when her fingers clung to Phillip’s so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

‘You are nothing more than a liar and are no better than Horace, who is a murderer by the way, so I wouldn’t be proud of your loyalty to him. I don’t suppose he has told you about the inheritance he has squandered.’ Phillip was furious that the man felt he could talk to Carlotta so offensively. ‘Stealing someone’s inheritance is theft. The money wasn’t given to Horace, it was left to Carlotta. Guardian or not, Horace had no rights to help himself to it. Further, Horace has no right to deny Carlotta access to what is rightfully hers. He will be investigated for embezzlement of the inheritance and will have to face justice in due course. Unfortunately, Horace hasn’t just been greedy, he has also been cruel. Forced marriage is illegal in this country. Murder is illegal. Horace has been involved in both, and so have you by helping him.’

‘Get out of this house. I am not going to sit here and listen to this,’ Henry hissed, glaring at them all.

‘I am afraid that you are now under arrest and will do what we tell you. Your connection to Horace means you are guilty until you can prove otherwise. You have just admitted to us that you are here to try to force Carlotta to leave here with you, against her will if need be. That is kidnap. Further, Oliver has already told you that this house is no longer yours. If you object to that then feel free to take it up with the War Office. Until you do, this house and the people now in it are under our protection. Not even you has the right to over-ride our authority,’ Phillip announced.

Henry gulped. ‘Until I am paid for it this house is mine.’

‘I am afraid not,’ Oliver snorted. ‘This house belongs to the War Office. Your presence here puts you firmly in the middle of two of our investigations. One into the kidnaps and murders of several innocent women, and one into the murder of the man who was found in your woods just a couple of days ago, at a time when Horace’s thugs were lurking around the property – with guns. Now, I want to know where you have been over the last two days, Henry. And I will warn you now that should you lie to me, I shall add a charge to your arrest sheet of obstructing a War Office investigation.’

‘I was at home, with my wife,’ Henry snapped.

‘For the whole two days?’ Niall demanded.

‘Yes. No.’ Henry looked wildly around the room.

‘Well? Which is it? Yes, or no?’ Oliver prompted.

‘I was at home the day before yesterday. Then Horace appeared and told me about the thug being shot. He told me that she couldn’t stay here any longer. He wanted Carlotta out of here and told me to at least get her back to my house so he could fetch her from there.’

‘Why didn’t he come here himself?’ Oliver demanded.

‘How should I know? He said he believed she would run if she saw him, and that she would be more likely to talk to me,’ Henry replied.

‘Now why would she talk to you, Henry? Why would she be more amenable to return to your house upon your orders? If you want to persuade her to return home like you claim you do, why did you not bring your wife to do the job for you? Did you not think that your wife’s friendship might be a little more persuasive? I mean, you are not an older relation, a brotherly figure, or even someone who has really helped her. You just pretend you are. However, to anyone who knows what you should have done, how a real gentleman would behave, your behaviour betrays you. I don’t doubt you let her stay here alone so she would suffer in the hopes that she would give in and return home when the hardship of life away from her father started to make life difficult. Moreover, you then thought that you could do what you wanted when she was here alone, and your wife was safely tucked up at home, eh, Henry? I mean, a woman alone is very vulnerable, isn’t she?’

‘You cannot prove anything,’ Henry scoffed.

‘Your presence here proves it,’ Oliver murmured gently but in a tone that was laden with menace.

Henry shifted, as if he was going to get up and try to walk out. The men who were standing near the doors and windows straightened, leaving Henry to glance wildly around the room. When he realised there was no place he could go, he sat a little straighter and glared at Oliver.

‘Where is Horace now?’

‘He is staying nearby. I was to take her to him when I got her out of here if she wouldn’t return home with me. Then he was going to take her to her new husband’s house. The wedding has been arranged,’ Henry explained.

‘Over my dead body,’ Carlotta hissed. ‘I would rather die.’

‘Stay with Horace, my dear, and I am sure he would arrange it,’ Oliver drawled. ‘Aided by his little criminal friend here.’

‘Look on the bright side, out of all of this at least you have seen both Henry and his wife in their true colours. She now has to face the indignity of having her husband arrested for trying to kidnap you. That should be more than enough to indulge the idle curiosity of the gossips who would discuss why he should want to do such a thing to you, a stunningly beautiful, single young woman.’

Carlotta turned to stare at him. It wasn’t his words about Henry that made her eyes widen and her heart flutter. It was the knowledge that Phillip thought she was stunningly beautiful that left Carlotta speechless.

‘You are best rid of the lot of them,’ Niall assured her. ‘They are criminals after all. You don’t need to consort with the likes of them.’