The Duke of Hearts (The Highwaymen Book 2) by V. C. Lluxe

Author:V. C. Lluxe [Lluxe, V. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Punk Rawk Books
Published: 2025-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

THE NEXT DAY, Arthford drank so much black tea that he was twitchy. Somehow, he stayed awake, as he and the other three men went walking on the grounds. They had brought dogs and guns, and the story was that they were out to hunt, but they didn’t shoot at anything; they only talked.

Nothshire asked if Arthford would be so kind as to take money back to Champeraigne, since he could—at the very least—give it to the marchioness since he saw her regularly.

“I’m not seeing her anymore,” said Arthford.

“Wait, truly?” said Nothshire, turning to look at him with his gun resting against his shoulder. “Because she’s usually taken you back by now. Was she serious about being done with you.”

“I am done with her,” said Arthford.

Dunrose put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m very proud of him. He’s all grown up.”

Arthford shoved him off, giving him a withering look.

Nothshire and Rutchester exchanged a glance, shrugged affably, and accepted it.

“I thought the two of you were scheming some way out of this, anyway,” said Arthford.

“Us two?” said Nothshire. “I thought that was your plan, Arthford.”

“Well, I’ve been distracted,” said Arthford. “Did anyone have any ideas?”

“Kill him,” said Rutchester. “Maybe I could sneak into his bedchamber. First, we’d have to lure him to some country house or other, I think. It’d be difficult in London.”

“Well, if it were that easy, you’d have done it by now,” said Arthford.

“True, he’s usually got guards,” said Rutchester. “He pays a number of men to watch his chambers. And anyway, I suppose I’m not really the discreet one, am I? Nothshire’s good at sneaking about, but I’m a bit obvious.”

“We can’t kill him,” said Arthford. “We need to stop killing people.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk,” said Dunrose. “I think I’m the only person who doesn’t kill anyone who gets in my way, truly. The rest of you—”

“I’m not a murderer,” said Nothshire.

“You use me to do your dirty work,” said Rutchester.

“Anyway,” said Arthford. “We should get someone else to kill him for us.”

“Hmm,” said Rutchester. “It has possibilities.”

“Honestly, we don’t even need to kill him,” said Nothshire. “Just the threat of it might be enough to get him to leave us be. We need leverage to use against him. He has something on us, but what if we had something on him?”

“Good,” said Arthford. “That’s good.”

“But leverage against his reputation isn’t going to work,” said Dunrose. “He doesn’t care what people think of him.”

“No, that’s why it’s the leverage of a threat,” said Nothshire. “We need to figure out something he’s done that would make someone wish to kill him, and then threaten to tell that person. It can’t be that hard, truly. He’s done all sorts of unconscionable things.”

“Right, right,” said Rutchester. “But most people who have a legitimate grievance against him, like us, he’s already got leverage against. It should be easy, but he’s too damnably smart for us to get around his own schemes.”

“Well, all right, the accusation against him doesn’t even have to be true,” said Arthford.

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