Greg’s hand landed on her shoulder. “One of your footmen has gone for Watts.”
But there was no point. She could hear that in Greg’s voice. She glanced up at him and shook her head. “He’ll be all right.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Bella,” he began.
But she shook her head. “He’ll be all right, Greg.”
* * *
It seemedlike a lifetime had passed by the time Doctor Watts arrived at Chatham House, but once the old doctor finally stepped into the parlor, it took only a moment for him to declare what Greg already knew. Aylesford was dead. “A weak heart,” the doctor suggested.
A weak heart or a broken one, they both amounted to the same thing.
“He’s…gone?” the Duke of Chatham stuttered out, his voice filled with emotion. “My son?”
Watts cast His Grace, Bella, Lady Priscilla and Hellsburg a pitiful expression as he said, “I am sorry.”
“No!” Bella wailed, her hand trembling as she covered her mouth while Lady Priscilla fell into a puddle of tears.
Greg wasn’t certain if he’d ever felt so helpless in his life. He slid his arm around Bella’s waist and held her tight. “I’m so sorry,” he said against her ear. “My sweet girl, I’m so sorry.”
She was crying too hard to respond, so Greg just held her as she sobbed against his cravat, wishing there was more he could do. But there wasn’t a blasted thing he could to make anything better.
“Can’t you do something for the two of them?” Chatham grumbled, sounding much more like his usual acrimonious self than he had a moment ago.
Watts winced slight. “Your Grace, I—”
“They are distraught and making it impossible for me to hear my own damned thoughts.”
“A bit of laudanum might calm their nerves,” the doctor suggested.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad suggestion, not if it would help the ladies’ despondent state. “Come on, sweetheart, let me help you to your chambers,” Greg said softly to Bella.
“You will go nowhere!” Chatham barked.
Oh, for God’s sake. Greg wasn’t about to take advantage of Bella in her current state. “Your Grace—”
“Except out of my house,” the duke continued. Then he gestured to Bella with a dismissive sweep of his hand. “And you can consider this so-called betrothal of yours cancelled. My granddaughter can do better than a mere baron.”
“No!” Bella screamed.
Stunned, Greg instinctively tightened his arms around her.
But Bella pushed out of his hold and nearly stumbled as she turned to face her grandfather. “You can’t do that!”
“I can do anything I like,” the duke snapped. He glanced to his strapping Prussian grandson and said, “See to him, won’t you?”
“No, no, no!” Bella threw herself back into Greg’s arms. “Please don’t leave,” she begged.
The last thing in the word Greg was going to do was leave her. But Hellsburg wrenched Bella backward, tossing her to the floor behind him as he reached for Greg.
Greg lunged for her, but her giant cousin’s fist was the last thing Greg briefly saw before the world went black.
Chapter 23
Bella poundedon her chamber door. Grandfather couldn’t keep her locked in there forever! Someone would come to her aid. Prissa, Mary, Doctor Watts…someone. Wouldn’t they?
Greg would come for her. She knew he would, if he was able to do so. But the last she’d seen of him, had been when Johann knocked him out cold and then dragged him from the parlor. Where her cousin had taken Greg, she had no idea. What if he’d done something awful? What if…