To The Traitor in My Bed - Chapter 25
Chapter 13. Romanticism and Realism
“Viscount Darnell is under my protection. He’s currently at my aunt’s house.”
So this was the thing he had to say.
Although not completely unexpected, hearing his mention of the name openly still left Deirdre in shock.
She stared intently at her husband’s face. To search for any hint of deceit or trickery.
But his face remained the same as ever, the handsome face of a young nobleman, with nothing but an expression of remorse and helplessness. It didn’t seem like he was entirely oblivious to the seriousness of what he had done.
He might have lacked tact and struggled with indirect speech, but Frederick Fairchild wasn’t foolish enough to be unaware of such things.
He continued speaking.
“Viscount Darnell… though he’s no longer a Viscount, we were close during our time at the academy. When an old friend asks for help, it’s hard to say no.”
He glanced at his wife’s reaction, before adding,
“I’m sorry, Deirdre.”
She didn’t let her emotions explode.
After all, she was Lady Rochepolie, Countess Fairchild and his wife.
“In Antwerp…”
Her voice trembled without her realizing it.
“You know what it means to help a traitor in this kingdom.”
As she spoke, she herself wasn’t even certain.
Ah, could this man really understand the gravity of it? Could someone who truly understood the meaning of that have done such a thing?
Ian Darnell had been arrested for publishing a newspaper that was fiercely critical of Christian’s policies. If someone as reckless as that could be his friend, wasn’t it possible that Frederick was not much different from Darnell himself…?
Rather than being angry that he had deceived both her and Perpetua, what frightened her more was the consequences of his actions.
“I know what you’re worried about, Deirdre.”
She glared at him.
“No, you don’t. If you knew what happened with the Havisham family…”
Suddenly, a wave of fear washed over her, and she couldn’t continue her sentence.
She had woken up feeling refreshed, without the muscle soreness Bertha had worried about. And now this was the bombshell?
Frederick reached across the table and took her hand, which she had been nervously tugging at her dress. The hand that had seemed so strong yesterday looked surprisingly delicate today.
A hand more suited for leather gloves and a gentleman’s cane than firearms. The only things he seemed to have were money and a handsome face.
Deirdre found herself resenting him once again. Her sharp question slipped out before she could stop herself.
“Then, is that foreign-looking man also in cahoots with Viscount Darnell?”
“Even I don’t know that much. All I know is that he was the one going to take Darnell to Luska.”
In short, Ian Darnell, who had escaped from the political prison, was planning to cross the northern border and flee to Luska. Luska wasn’t far from Rochepolie. In fact, Rochepolie was the perfect place to rest and heal before crossing the border.
The problem was…
Deirdre took out the locket with Rosina’s portrait from her jewelry box. Since finding it in the annex, she had carried it with her at all times.
She opened the locket and showed her husband what was inside.
“Viscount Darnell left this in the annex. I think Captain Cottenham from the military police noticed the connection between the Viscount and Rosina.”
“Cottenham…?”
He asked in a low voice. Deirdre, lost in her own thoughts, didn’t catch the emotion hidden in his voice.
“Lysander Cottenham of County Cottenham. He came to Landyke recently. He even came to greet me. He must have suspected that Viscount Darnell would meet with Rosina, so he probably ordered the military police to monitor this area.”
In the morning, Rex brought news from Edelweiss Heights. Fortunately, the military police had left the house, but they could return at any time under any pretext.
“Wait, Deirdre. This is moving too quickly. Does Darnell have feelings for Lady Rosina Campbell? And why did you go to Aunt’s house?”
Deirdre suppressed her frustration and slowly explained everything that had happened. She explained it as simply as possible, even for a child to understand, but Frederick still couldn’t grasp the main point.
“You posted a lost item notice in the newspaper? Deirdre, what if something happens because of that…?”
“If you were so worried, you shouldn’t have helped Lord Darnell.”
At her sharp remark, Frederick fell silent.
Deirdre fell into deep thought.
Frederick’s story made sense: after escaping with the help of the ‘White Rose Brigade,’ Ian Darnell had sought refuge with an old friend. As a royalist, Frederick wouldn’t be suspected.
And knowing his inability to turn his back on a friend in need, he wouldn’t have ignored him… after all, as Count Rochepolie was the kind of person who would offer a hearth even to a murderer.
“The man with that Froiden accent… did he visit the townhouse to deliver a message from Viscount Darnell?”
“Yes, on Darnell’s request.”
Now, she almost believed her husband. No, she wanted to believe him.
It was far more comforting to think of him as a well-meaning fool who was easily swayed by emotions than as someone involved with a traitorous group.
She wanted a stable life.
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