“That’s enough of that, I think.”
Chapter Nineteen
Silas remained still atop Lewis, trying not to make any sudden movements lest he inspire their guests to shoot him. Lewis let out a sigh of relief and crawled out from beneath the Duke, dusting off his coat as he glared at those who had intervened on his behalf.
“What took you so long?” he hissed. “He nearly killed me! You said you wanted to finish him off, and you left me to handle everything – as always.”
“That is hardly fair, my Lord. After all, we were the ones who administered the poison to the horse. We are just as committed to this mission as you are, so do not for a second let yourself believe that you bear the brunt of everything.”
That voice… No, it couldn’t be.
“Your Grace – must I address you formally in this situation? I mean – you are going to die soon, so I do not believe there is any use in doing so. Silas, stand up and turn around… slowly.”
Silas raised his hands and rose, slowly turning around to face the newcomers, dismayed when he realized that he had not imagined the voice that had been speaking with Lewis. Right next to him stood two figures that had been present through most of his life, practically responsible for his upbringing, alongside his grandfather.
His butler used the gun to motion him to move to the side, his eyes hard while his sister – Silas’ housekeeper – folded her arms, watching with the same cold expression.
“You two… what are you doing?” Silas quietly demanded. “Please tell me you both did not side with that moron.”
Lewis reached for the gun in Lukas’ hand, looking like a child petulantly trying to recover a toy he wished to play with from his siblings.
“Give it to me. Perhaps after I put a bullet or two in him, he will learn his place.”
Marion pulled Lukas away with a tut of disapproval, “Patience, my lord. In due time, we will all have our revenge, and he will get his just desserts.”
“My just… what did I do to you? I’ve known you both since I was a boy. We’ve lived together for practically my entire life. My grandfather treated you like family. So why –”
“You mean, besides the way you have treated us lower than scum beneath your shoes since your beloved grandfather passed? Other than your blatant disregard and disrespect on a consistent basis? Our anger likely stems from the fact that you relieved our brother of his duties as your stable boy and sent him away without a single shred of pity.” Lukas snapped, adjusting his aim so the gun was pointed at Silas’ chest.
“… Max? This is about Max? Is he the reason you joined forces with Lewis to hurt me – hurt Agnes? He was a drunk! I did everything in my power to help him, to guide him to change, but he preferred the company of his spirits to my advice or his job.”
“He was troubled! You could have been kinder to him! Sending him away was not the only solution, Silas. Don’t fool yourself into believing that cruelty was the only path you could have taken.” Marion spat, her cheeks flushed in anger.
“It was the only choice he left me. I did my best, but he was not willing to change. And I could not have him corrupting the other members of our staff. I did not simply wake up one day and cast him out. I spoke to him and warned him time and time again about the consequences of his actions. He had fallen asleep one night and forgot to lock the stables, and a handful of horses wandered off. We weren’t able to find Cider after that – and he had been one of grandfather’s favorites. Still, I forgave him and hoped that he would change. You can't… you can't force peopleto do what they do not wish to. But you can prevent them from causing any more harm. That is what I did – only what I needed to do,” Silas said, gradually lowering his hands and staring down at them in conviction.
“Excuses, excuses,” Marion scoffed, unimpressed. “I did not expect anything less from you, Silas. You are so wound up in your mind, so caught up in your own ways, that you refuse to see things the way they are. That is what blinded you from seeing that we were working alongside your cousin to bring about your undoing. But you cannot be solely faulted for being the way you are, dear. After all, you got this narrow worldview from your grandfather. He, too, did not see our betrayal coming.”
Not for the first time that day, Silas’ world screeched to a halt.
Did she mean… but Lewis had said…
“No…” Silas croaked, shaking his head as he stepped back. “You – you loved my grandfather. You had devoted your entire lives to him. There is no way that you – Lewis said –”
“Lord Hamilton is a lot of things, but capable is not one of them,” Lukas spoke up with an irritated expression.
“I beg your pardon –”
“Dear, hush,” Marion held a hand up to silence the Marquess. “The adults are speaking; wait your turn.” Lewis turned red in embarrassment but remained silent as the housekeeper carriedon. “As you know, your cousin is quite incompetent. But he does make a wonderful scapegoat. It was easy to make it seem as though it was all his idea, as though he had the biggest bone out of all of us to pick with you. An angry, jilted man is a man full of weaknesses. We said we would help him bring down your grandfather, but really, we were making arrangements for him to take the fall.”
“He had suggested we poison the old Duke. Can you believe that? Even the way he thinks is sloppy and childish.” Lukas raised his gaze up as if he were stating a complaint to God about his creation being defective. “We suggested that a carriage accident was a certain way to ensure that pain was inflicted and would be sure to wipe you both away. But you survived like the roach you really are. Poor Silas, cursed to outlive those who love him. Still, we were not too upset about your survival because we thought that after the death of your grandfather, you would be so broken it would make you rely on us greatly.”
“We thought we would be able to convince you to rehire our little brother again. Instead, it turned you into an insufferable, rude brat. Three years – three years, we had to endure your harshness and disrespect. And we’re at our limit. Do not bother begging for forgiveness now. The only thing that you can do for us now is to die. We’d greatly appreciate that without a fuss.” Marion clapped like a mother urging her child to put on a performance.
Silas felt sick with disbelief, grief and disappointment. These people had made up the foundations of his life. He could barely remember a time before them. And to think that they had harbored such hate for him… to the point where they hadno qualms about murdering a man who had treated them with immense kindness and respect.
After the carriage accident, Silas had spent days wishing he had been the one to die that day. That feeling returned with full force, and he nearly surrendered to his fate… only for Agnes’ face to flash through his mind.
He couldn’t die here, at the hands of these people, nonetheless. Not when Agnes needed him to help her find her sisters. Not when he was her only hope of reuniting with her family.