None of this made sense. Why had these people come to his aid? He stifled a groan as blood rushed painfully back into his numbed arms. The piercing agony made him lightheaded and he swayed against Grace.
He felt stiff and ungainly after standing so long. Without his chains to hold him vertical, he was humiliated to discover his legs wouldn’t support him. Grace staggered under his weight, then suddenly Wyndhurst shored up his other side.
“Courage, man,” he muttered. “We’ll see you safely out of this.”
He’d never met the earl. He couldn’t imagine what he’d done to deserve the almost affectionate encouragement. Nonetheless, he nodded and fought to regain his balance.
“Oh, Matthew,” Grace said in a choked voice. “What have they done to you?”
“My lady, you promised silence,” the duke said curtly.
Matthew watched delicate color wash over her face. The lush mouth he’d dreamed about for four long months flattened. He wanted to kiss her more than he wanted to take his next breath but their audience made that impossible.
Why must she be silent? Why was she masked? What were these men to her?
Surely she wasn’t the duke’s mistress. Call him a fool but he was convinced she still loved him. He heard it in her voice. He saw it in her eyes. He felt it in the hands she laid with such tender strength on his body.
“We need to examine the patient, Your Grace, my lord,” one of the doctors said in an officious voice.
The earl helped Matthew to an upright position. At least this time his legs didn’t buckle. He gingerly rolled his knotted shoulders and stretched his tingling arms as feeling and movement returned.
“The marquess is a raving madman,” Lord John snapped.
The earl shot him a contemptuous glance and released Matthew. “Nonsense. I can already see he’s as sane as I am.”
“Wyndhurst, you’re hardly qualified to judge,” Lord John protested, his chin taking on a belligerent jut. “I insist this dangerous maniac is constrained.”
“My lord, you may insist upon nothing,” the unknown duke snapped, his tawny eyebrows drawing together in aristocratic displeasure. “I am here on the king’s business. That business includes your arrest.”
Lord John’s response was no less haughty. “I find myself at a loss, sir. Upon what charges?”
“Abduction, deprivation of liberty, fraud, larceny, assault. I could continue.”
“On the word of this slut?” Lord John was clearly in no doubt of Grace’s identity, despite the mask. “I don’t know how she enlisted such exalted interest in her lies but I stand prepared to prove my innocence. Should these absurd accusations ever reach a court of law. Which I doubt.”
“This lady’s testimony will not be required,” the duke said coolly. “We have Dr. Granger and Dr. Boyd in custody. We have concrete proof of your dishonesty. We have Lord Sheene.”
“A certified lunatic,” Lord John snapped, although his complexion was waxy and the hands clasping his cane shone white-knuckled with tension. For the first time ever, Matthew saw a line of sweat above his uncle’s lip.
The duke remained unimpressed. “A man who suffered a fever in youth and who has been unjustly imprisoned ever since. These men are the king’s doctors. They will provide a true diagnosis of his sanity. But like Lord Wyndhurst, I see no evidence of madness. Although I see much evidence of crime.”
“There is no crime, damn you! I’ve been a good and watchful guardian over my poor deranged nephew.”
Matthew was steadier on his feet but he kept his arm firmly around Grace. Who knew when she might be ripped away from him? These men offered the astonishing promise of liberty but he couldn’t yet trust they’d prevail.
He straightened and squared his shoulders. It was time he became more than a spectator. “I’m not mad and you know it, Uncle.” Matthew’s tone was caustic. “You’ve been a grasping and self-aggrandizing guardian to the Lansdowne fortune, more like.”
“Don’t fight a hopeless battle, Lord John,” the duke said in a persuasive tone. “Come quietly for the sake of your family. Believe me when I say the game’s well and truly up. I offer you my word I’ll do my best to help your wife and your girls if you give yourself into custody.”
“Damn you, I will not be tried as a common felon.” Lord John’s cheeks were bloodless now and his hands trembled so violently that the amber-topped stick clattered to the ground.
The duke studied the cane as it rolled across the flagged floor, then smiled at Lord John with a hint of pity. “Yes, you will. Because you are a common felon.”
“I’ll see you in hell first.” Still facing the duke, he backed toward Matthew. He fumbled at his pocket and pulled out a beautiful little pistol with a pearl handle.
With rough urgency, Matthew shoved Grace behind him although his uncle wasn’t aiming in her direction. Over Lord John’s shoulder, he noticed the armed escort was ready to intervene. The men had the bearing of trained soldiers and were obviously used to dealing with trouble. But in this small space, violence could spiral out of control and in the fracas, Grace might be hurt.
“You can’t win, Lansdowne. You must know that,” the duke said calmly without shifting.