tears of joy
and relief ran down her face.
Eugenia had never been happier in all her life to
see the face of her friendly Franz. He wasn’t Franz anymore but still a
familiar face of her dear, dear friend.
“It’s all right,” he whispered into her hair. He
held her close. Wrapped securely in his arms, she held on to him where she felt
safe.
With Thomas’ death, she and Edmund could safely
return to Taramore. Edmund then sent for the magistrate and subsequently Mrs.
Bennett was arrested.
Suffering from shock and complete exhaustion,
Eugenia gave a statement. Edmund tried to limit her questioning and the need
for her to testify. Being one of the victims and the sole witness, it would
seem unavoidable. They needed to remain at the estate until the authorities had
time to complete their investigation.
Edmund promised her that after this awful business
was finished, he would see Eugenia to London and to her family as soon as
possible.
It was her dearest wish and all Eugenia could ever
want.
Chapter 8
By the end of the following week, the local
authorities had been out to Taramore to thoroughly search the passageway and
the hidden dock area that lay below. Thomas Mallick’s body had yet to be
recovered and might be another victim laid to rest in the Channel’s waters.
Eugenia was very pleased that Edmund Mallick had
been cleared of any wrongdoing and had regained his title, entails, and family
holdings. The poor man lost five years of his own life, spending them hiding
from his younger brother.
She saw very little of Edmund, spending most of the
week recuperating and resting from her ordeal. Her opinion of him did not
change. After all, was he not Franz without the accent?
Oh so agreeable and ever so much more handsome. How
could she have ever confused the two brothers? Thomas the nasty and cruel could
not be further removed from Edmund the kind and amiable.
What Eugenia had difficulty comprehending was how
Thomas could have ever misled her into believing he had formed an attachment to
her. The affection he displayed seemed so real, so utterly convincing. Even
more perplexing was how she could have cultivated any affection for him.
Eugenia could not have been more elated by her
current marital status … widow. It was unfortunate that the life of a man had
to be lost. However, she felt it could not have been a more deserved demise for
someone as despicable as Thomas.
Edmund proved to be the same kind of friend to
Eugenia as Franz had been. While he sent her ahead to London, he remained
behind to handle last-minute details with the investigation, thus sparing her
from further distress.
Instead of being delivered to her family’s
townhouse on South Audley Street, the driver had
orders to take Eugenia to the Rothford residence in Hanover Square.
Dawson the butler, transplanted from Taramore,
notified her of the full availability of Rothford’s accounts for her personal
use. Eugenia had no interest in shopping in London. The reason she had wanted
to come to Town was to be with her parents.
She shook off her fatigue the next day and gladly
took the new duke at his word, making significant purchases at each shop she
chanced to visit. Eugenia couldn’t help but take her anger out on his
pocketbook. On her return, she still felt at odds with the entire housing
arrangement.
The staff had orders to keep her occupied until
Edmund’s arrival. Eugenia could not, even if she wanted to, find her parents’
townhouse. To rent a hackney on her own would be out of the question, and she
could not walk there since she knew nothing of this city.
Once again she was being held prisoner against her
will. Only the keeper had changed, hopefully for the better.
Although her past with Edmund, when he was Franz,
told her he could be trusted, Eugenia could not imagine his reason for keeping
her detained.
She wrote to her parents, who must have finished
with their business in London and returned to Langford House by this time,
and relief ran down her face.
Eugenia had never been happier in all her life to
see the face of her friendly Franz. He wasn’t Franz anymore but still a
familiar face of her dear, dear friend.
“It’s all right,” he whispered into her hair. He
held her close. Wrapped securely in his arms, she held on to him where she felt
safe.
With Thomas’ death, she and Edmund could safely
return to Taramore. Edmund then sent for the magistrate and subsequently Mrs.
Bennett was arrested.
Suffering from shock and complete exhaustion,
Eugenia gave a statement. Edmund tried to limit her questioning and the need
for her to testify. Being one of the victims and the sole witness, it would
seem unavoidable. They needed to remain at the estate until the authorities had
time to complete their investigation.
Edmund promised her that after this awful business
was finished, he would see Eugenia to London and to her family as soon as
possible.
It was her dearest wish and all Eugenia could ever
want.
Chapter 8
By the end of the following week, the local
authorities had been out to Taramore to thoroughly search the passageway and
the hidden dock area that lay below. Thomas Mallick’s body had yet to be
recovered and might be another victim laid to rest in the Channel’s waters.
Eugenia was very pleased that Edmund Mallick had
been cleared of any wrongdoing and had regained his title, entails, and family
holdings. The poor man lost five years of his own life, spending them hiding
from his younger brother.
She saw very little of Edmund, spending most of the
week recuperating and resting from her ordeal. Her opinion of him did not
change. After all, was he not Franz without the accent?
Oh so agreeable and ever so much more handsome. How
could she have ever confused the two brothers? Thomas the nasty and cruel could
not be further removed from Edmund the kind and amiable.
What Eugenia had difficulty comprehending was how
Thomas could have ever misled her into believing he had formed an attachment to
her. The affection he displayed seemed so real, so utterly convincing. Even
more perplexing was how she could have cultivated any affection for him.
Eugenia could not have been more elated by her
current marital status … widow. It was unfortunate that the life of a man had
to be lost. However, she felt it could not have been a more deserved demise for
someone as despicable as Thomas.
Edmund proved to be the same kind of friend to
Eugenia as Franz had been. While he sent her ahead to London, he remained
behind to handle last-minute details with the investigation, thus sparing her
from further distress.
Instead of being delivered to her family’s
townhouse on South Audley Street, the driver had
orders to take Eugenia to the Rothford residence in Hanover Square.
Dawson the butler, transplanted from Taramore,
notified her of the full availability of Rothford’s accounts for her personal
use. Eugenia had no interest in shopping in London. The reason she had wanted
to come to Town was to be with her parents.
She shook off her fatigue the next day and gladly
took the new duke at his word, making significant purchases at each shop she
chanced to visit. Eugenia couldn’t help but take her anger out on his
pocketbook. On her return, she still felt at odds with the entire housing
arrangement.
The staff had orders to keep her occupied until
Edmund’s arrival. Eugenia could not, even if she wanted to, find her parents’
townhouse. To rent a hackney on her own would be out of the question, and she
could not walk there since she knew nothing of this city.
Once again she was being held prisoner against her
will. Only the keeper had changed, hopefully for the better.
Although her past with Edmund, when he was Franz,
told her he could be trusted, Eugenia could not imagine his reason for keeping
her detained.
She wrote to her parents, who must have finished
with their business in London and returned to Langford House by this time,
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