Enticing An Earl

Part 8

Lady Malcolm was missing and her daughter had no one else to turn to except the Duke of Lancaster, Lord Maximillian. It was impossible for George to stay with a bachelor so it was decided that George would stay with Earl of Cambridge, William Hamilton until her mother was located. Lady Hamilton was to act as her chaperone while Lady Emma was to be her companion.

Bow street runners were called to investigate the death of Lord Malcolm and the disappearance of Lady Malcolm. Max suspected foul play and told the runners the same thing. At the end of second day they announced that Lady Malcolm had run off with a lover and Lord Malcolm was killed by the said lover. George was so enraged at the them that nobody could stop her from telling the constables what she thought of their theories.

The only argument that runners presented was that no ransom note had been delivered for Lady Malcolm, if she was indeed captured then the kidnappers should have asked for money. The only conclusion left is that the Lady went willingly. The smug men were instantly dismissed.

"Can you think of anyone who would benefit from your parents death? There has to be a reason behind this madness." Brandon asked exasperated. They had been thinking of every possible person who might have held a grudge against Lord Malcolm.

"Nobody gets anything, I inherit all the estates, the money and heirlooms. Nobody gets anything but me. These pathetic men are supposed to be our protectors, they are just slandering my mother's name instead of trying to find her. I wish my father was here, he would have known the solution to this problem."

George remembered how her father used to made everything better and her heart broke all over again. He had been ready to fight Lord Cooper just two days ago, now she didn't even have her mother to share her pain with. The blanket of numbness that had covered her for last two days was absent. In its place was a sharp pain that started near her heart and spread all over her body. She thought of the way her parents would take care of all her problems and she would be an ungrateful child. She never thanked them for all they did for her.

The gut wrenching sobs that escaped George, shook her whole body. Emma embraced her and decided to let her poor friend cry her heart out. Some tears escaped her eyes too, after all she saw the way Lord Malcolm had been killed and losing a parent was never easy. The funeral had been a small affair and Lord Malcolm had been buried in London without the presence of his beloved missing wife.

Max handed George a cup of tea when she calmed down after sometime. It was filled with laudanum that the doctor had recommended. Poor girl was not sleeping well, she would wake up at night, screaming. As George turned sleepy, Emma started guiding her towards her room. The mood around the room stayed somber even after the two women left.

Max and Brady were busy in discussing every possible suspect while William was busy burning in his personal hell. He realized that he had loved George's smiles, the mischievous one, the happy one, the innocent one, the sarcastic one and the ones he had yet to see. The last one he saw was two days ago, before she left with Emma. Her eyes were always red rimmed now and her tears were always ready to flow. The blow of losing both parents at once and the uncertainty of her mother's return had turned her into a completely different person.

Emma was always by her side, quick to console her friend. William wanted to be the one who comforted George but they were never alone or close enough for him to do that. He wanted to be the one to hold her while she sobbed, giving her some strength in anyway possible. He knew she was having nightmares, he heard her screams, but there was nothing he could do. He wanted to, he really did, he wanted her by his side so that when she would wake up, he would be there to support her. The etiquette that had been drummed into him since he was a child didn't allow him to enter her bedroom when he heard her screams. His mother and sister were the only ones who could enter.

William felt useless. If only he could rescue her like he did from.........

Cooper! that bastard!

"I think I know who is behind this. Are you two coming or not?" Max and Brady hurried after their friend who left without another word. William explained in the carriage why he suspected Lord Cooper.

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At Whites, they found Cooper gambling away the money he didn't have and if William had his way, he never would. Instead of exchanging pleasantries like last time, Will started dragging Cooper by the collar. Cooper struggled to free himself for a while but gave up and silently followed when he realized that it made no difference. He was again dragged to a private room, where he was punched before the door was even closed. William had a hard time controlling his temper.

"You decided to kill Lord Malcolm and kidnap Lady Malcolm because the two of them did not want you pursuing their daughter, isn't that right? You thought you could force Lady Georgiana to marry you if her parents were unavailable? You pathetic worm!" Another punch was delivered with the grace of a panther, this one however drew blood. Lord Cooper had opened his mouth to answer and was caught off guard by the second hit. The sight of blood spurred Max and Brady into action. Max held William back while Brandon decided to continue the investigation.

"Did you do it? Did you kill a man in cold blood just to take revenge? Come on man, answer before Lord William decides to punch you again." Brandon could see the sweat increase on the fat man’s head.

"I did no such thing, I would never have proposed to that mad woman if it was not for my mother. I had to find a bride to clear my debts and my mother thought she was the best possible woman for me, but my debts were cleared by someone before Lord Malcolm died. I don't know who it was or why he would do that, I just know that I didn't need Lady Georgiana’s fortune anymore." Lord Cooper straightened his clothes, cleaned the blood with his handkerchief and left. He was fast for a man who was punched twice but the possibility of a third punch was enough motivation to make him hurry to leave. Max and Brandon shared confused looks while William tried to rein in his anger.

"Well that solves one problem and creates another mystery for us. According to George no one profits from her father's death but her and here someone cleared off all Lord Cooper's debts. What I don't get is, why pay off Cooper's debts when he didn’t pose a threat?" Brandon said the only thing that was on everyone's mind.

"I instructed my man to clear his debt so that he stays away from George, that's one mystery solved. He isn't our suspect anymore. " William said as flatly as he could. He knew that his friends would take his actions as something completely different and was proved right when they kept on looking at him with wonder on their faces. Finally getting tired of them he growled

"What are you looking at?"

"It's just that you have never given anyone free handouts from your hard earned money. Remember when I had to help you by doing manual labor on one of your farms, just to get a loan?" Max sounded mystified, like some miracle has occurred.

"That's because you needed to learn how to work hard and that nothing would be given to you on a silver platter, like your title. If I had given you that money without making you work, you would have spend it on latest article of clothing." William rolled his eyes as Brandon finally stopped staring.

"You let him stay at your country seat? I always wanted to see it, can I come the next time you retire to your estate?" Brandon teased and gave a victorious smirk when William growled.

"Sorry. I forgot how touchy you can be about me being around your sister. I won't invite myself as long as your sister is still single. While we are on the topic of sister, what are your intentions towards George? Are you going to make an honest woman of her?" Brandon's voice betrayed his amusement which further infuriated William.

"What is this? A court? We have a murderer to catch or have you forgotten? There’s no point in wasting our time here by discussing useless topics. Let's go." William left without checking if his friends were following. He would have gladly left them behind just to get rid of them.

Max and Brandon shared a knowing look before following William out.