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

Carlotta had to admit that he had a very valid point. When she looked at Henry again it was from a completely different viewpoint. She saw him for the harsh, spiteful, equally draconian brute as Horace, who had little respect for women, their opinions, thoughts, feelings or emotions. ‘I am sorry that Henrietta found you for a husband. While I should be annoyed for her, I cannot help but feel a little sorry that she will spend the rest of her life being tainted by your criminal behaviour.’

In that moment, Carlotta felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. It was from being able to see the true natures of Henry and her father and being able to witness it alongside men like the Star Elite. They didn’t need to discredit the thoughts or feelings of women to feel like men. They didn’t need to bully or threaten women to feel fulfilled. They did everything possible to protect whereby Horace did everything possible to ruin. The men from the Star Elite were a breed apart from Hora

ce and Henry, and that was evident in the way the men had said very little but had still left Henry unable to defend himself.

‘Well, we hereby place you under arrest for attempted kidnap and helping a murderer,’ Oliver replied. ‘This house belongs to the War Office, so object to our presence if you wish but it would be wise to co-operate and try to buy yourself a lighter sentence. While in gaol you will be required to sign the necessary transfer papers and will, of course, be paid the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds for this property. It is a fair price given its poor condition.’

‘You cannot prove I did anything,’ Henry growled.

‘Horace will confirm it,’ Oliver replied smoothly. ‘You forget; you are taking on the might of the Star Elite.’

His menacing words were enough to make Henry flinch and sit further back in his seat. Henry threw a dark look at Carlotta but didn’t speak.

‘Now, I want the truth from you,’ Oliver continued. ‘Were you present when Carlotta’s mother was murdered?’

‘No. I was not. She wasn’t murdered,’ Henry snarled.

‘Are you sure about that? If you weren’t there, how can you say that?’ Phillip challenged.

‘Where were you?’

‘At home with my wife.’

‘If I send my men to speak to her, Henrietta will confirm that, will she?’

‘Well, y-yes.’

‘Y-yes? You don’t sound too sure, Henry. Would you like to think about it for a moment?’ Oliver pressed.

‘She will tell you that I was with her,’ Henry replied.

‘We will go and speak to her. If I find out you left her, even for half an hour on the day that Regina died, I will see it that you have lied during questioning and will have you arrested for obstructing a murder investigation. Do you understand me?’ Oliver pressed.

‘I didn’t kill her,’ Henry burst out. ‘I didn’t have anything to do with it. Horace didn’t tell me that he had killed her. He just said that the silly bitch was dead. That she had tried to run away with her lover.’

‘You didn’t think it odd that he then sent armed men after his daughter? Did you not think it unusual that his daughter left the house within days of Regina’s sudden death?’

‘Horace had told me that he wanted her off his hands, Carlotta that is not Regina. I mean, she is three and twenty,’ Henry blustered. ‘Everyone her age is married by now. She told him that she wouldn’t marry. He lost his temper with her and told her that she was going to marry whether she wanted to or not. What father wouldn’t?’

‘If you are going to be the kind of father who would force his daughter into matrimony, Henry, you are going to spend a very large part of your life behind bars.’

Henry sighed. ‘I didn’t say I would do it to my own child if I had one.’

‘But it is alright to force someone else’s child into it.’ It wasn’t a question.

Henry looked at the floor beneath his boots. It was clear that he was no match for Oliver’s skilled questioning.

‘Now, I want the truth from you. Where can we find Horace?’ Niall demanded.

‘I am here,’ Horace announced from the doorway.

Carlotta gasped and instinctively cowered against Phillip when she heard that horribly familiar tone. She paled and began to tremble without even realising she was doing it. Phillip was aware of it, though, and as furious when he saw it. The instinctive fear he saw in Carlotta’s eyes worried him and his colleagues. They all looked at her before turning to stare at the intruder.

‘Well, at least we don’t have to send men out to come and fetch you,’ Oliver drawled.

Niall stepped toward the door and closed it when Horace stepped deeper into the room. Horace spun around and glared at Niall, who folded his arms and leaned his beefy shoulders against the smooth oak. It was clear from the impenetrable look on his face that Horace wasn’t going to leave the room until Niall decided he could.

Slowly, Horace turned to look at the occupants of the room. He nodded briskly at Henry, but Henry didn’t return the greeting. Instead, he continued to glare sullenly at the floor.