A Murderous Masquerade by Jackie Williams

Author:Jackie Williams
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2015-03-10T07:00:00+00:00

Giles counted the bricks on the cell floor again. There were between nine hundred and ninety seven and one thousand and eleven. He had made it a different answer four times now and he couldn’t see where he had gone wrong.

He sighed and stood up again narrowly avoiding the all too low ceiling. He took a turn about the cell which wasted approximately another five seconds before he stood staring at the narrow bench that was to be his bed for the night.

During his lifetime so far, he’d slept in a lot worse places than the gaol in Oakley, but that fact didn’t make him feel much better at that precise moment. He desperately wanted to go back several hours and be lying in the arms of his wife.

His wife! He wished with all of his heart that the words were true. He’d loved her for what felt like an eternity, but had only known that she loved him in return for a few days. Of course, he had suspected that she did. His visits to Evenleigh had been greeted with more than a little delight. Her emerald eyes had glittered up at him and her skin flushed with pleasure every time he bowed over her hand and kissed her glove, but there was nothing like hearing the words fall from your lover’s lips.

He patted his coat pocket, hearing the reassuring rustle of the special license. He’d not told her about it and for a desperate moment wondered if it would ever be used. He sat on the wooden platform and contemplated the floor again as he thought of the beautiful woman who had given herself to him only the afternoon before.

Oh God! How on earth was Anne coping? Did she really believe him innocent? It wasn’t as if he had hidden his dislike of her family. Fortunately he’d not had to meet them often.

Thoughts of her family reminded him of his own. There was Charlotte to worry about now too. The poor girl had seen enough tragedy in her life and he certainly hadn’t meant to add to her despair. He knew that she was in safe hands at Ormond, but that wasn’t a perfect solution.

The girl was delightful but headstrong and already more independently minded than he could imagine a woman being at her tender age. It wouldn’t surprise him if she took off back to her home yet he couldn’t bear the thought of her going back to that crumbling ruin. Maybe he could move her into White Briars. Alice, his maid was there along with Mrs. Mingle. He wondered how Mrs. Downham would fit in to the household dynamic but then shoved all such thoughts from his mind. No need to worry, he was perfectly innocent after all. He’d be out of here soon enough and be able to sort everything out in due time.

Time! He wished he hadn’t thought of it. He glanced up at the small, barred square of a window. The light was beginning to fade.

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