The Gallows Bride by Rebecca King Read Free Book Online Page B

to
approach him, her arms held open for a hug, only to pause, and
stare at Peter in horror when he backed away.
    “ Don’t, Isobel,” he growled in a hoarse voice. “Just don’t.”
He brushed past her, refusing to look at her again, and pushed
through the study door. He didn’t really give a damn what Sir
Dunnicliffe had planned for his men. It wouldn’t change Peter’s
intention to go after Scraggan himself. Sir Dunnicliffe was bloody
useless now. Whatever he was going to do, it was going to be too
little too late. If the man had appeared only a couple of days
earlier, then he could have been able to step in and keep Jemima
off the gallows. As it was, poor timing and bad judgement had
murdered her. Peter wasn’t sure he wanted to even see the man, let
alone listen to his officious plans.
    Something deep inside him, however, some intrinsic need for
answers, made him want to see this Sir Dunnicliffe for himself. To
see the man who was just as responsible for Jemima’s death as the
hangman who had supervised her hanging. As he entered, he eyed the
man standing before the fireplace with blatant contempt and
immediately moved to the brandy decanter, making no attempt to
introduce himself.
    Although
he had heard stories of Sir Dunnicliffe’s service in the armed
forces, he had never been personally introduced to the man who had
been lauded by many as a brilliant, intellectual soldier whose
forethought and planning had won many battles against the French.
Only, this time, his forethought and planning had failed, and for
that Peter would never forgive him.
    “ Good afternoon.” Sir Dunnicliffe bowed politely toward
him.
    Peter
gave him a perfunctory nod, and slouched in a chair beside the fire
as a clearly furious Dominic burst into the room.
    “ Where the bloody hell have you been, man?” he demanded,
stalking across the room to stand before the new arrival, a glare
of accusation on his face. “We sent word for you several days ago.
It doesn’t take that bloody long to walk here from London!” Fury burned
in the tense lines of his body as he paused before Sir Dunnicliffe,
a muscle ticking rhythmically in his jaw.
    Unperturbed by the rude welcome he had just received from
both men, Sir Dunnicliffe drew himself to his full height and
sighed apologetically.
    “ I apologise for our unfortunate delay,” he said officiously.
“We were unexpectedly delayed with some government business. It was
unavoidable, I’m afraid.”
    Dominic
moved to stand practically nose to nose with the man, his eyes hard
and merciless. “Do you realise that your ‘unexpected delay’ caused
the unjust death of an innocent person?”
    Sir
Dunnicliffe simply stared directly back at him, almost defiantly.
“I’m sorry. If we could have arrived earlier, we would have, but
unfortunately matters were taken out of our hands and there was
little we could do.”
    Dominic
swore, and turned away just as Edward and Sebastian
arrived.
    “ Please excuse our anger,” Sebastian offered, having heard
Dominic’s shouting from the corridor. “One of our own was unjustly
executed this morning, and we are all in mourning.”
    Sir
Dunnicliffe stiffened and stared at Peter in alarm.
    “ Who else?” His eyes flew around the room to land on each man
in turn, as he waited for someone to fill him in.
    Dominic
sighed deeply, and somewhat apologetically offered the new arrival
a glass of his best brandy, before waving everyone over to the
chairs next to Peter and the fireplace.
    “ What?” Edward scowled, not understanding the
question.
    “ Who else died?”
    “ Jemima,” Peter answered. Even saying her name was painful.
“She was murdered this morning.” He watched Sir Dunnicliffe slowly
take a seat on the wing-backed chair opposite, a dark frown on his
face. There was something unusual about the man, only he couldn’t
figure out what. His drink-laden mind wouldn’t operate clearly but,
drunken stupor aside, there was something about Sir