frequented.”
Amelia opened her eyes and furrowed her brow. “A gin club? In St. Giles?”
Thad nodded. “Unfortunately, it’s something stupid young gentlemen do frequently. Spending time in a St. Giles cellar. I’m not proud of it, but we thought it was such a lark.”
Amelia nodded. Young men were often up to such antics. Her brother had always liked to have a good time. It wasn’t particularly surprising.
“So we went down to this club we’d been to a few times and these two blokes were there. Locals. We’d argued with them a time or two before, but it was usually in drunken fun and quickly over. We’d never got violent with them.”
Amelia swallowed. “And you did…that night?”
“I told them that Paul had just got engaged and we were celebrating. One of the blokes said something about Lady Evelyn.”
Amelia put her hand to her throat. “Oh no.” She could well imagine Paul would not let such a thing go. “Then what happened?”
“I’ll spare you their words, but suffice it to say it was quite crude. Paul wasn’t about to letthem speak of his fiancée that way.”
“No, of course not,” Amelia replied. Pure dread was slowly creeping up her spine.
“The exchange became heated quickly and Paul challenged the man who’d said it.”
“To a duel?” Amelia gulped.
“Yes.”
For the first time since Thad had begun talking, Amelia let out a sigh of relief. “Mama had always led me to believe that Paul had died serving as your second. But now you’re telling me that wasn’t the case at all. Paul had been the one to challenge the man to a duel. He died defending Lady Evelyn’s honor.” Amelia stood to embrace Thad, but he placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to sit back down.
“Let me finish,” he said.
There was that dread again, pooling in her belly. Amelia glanced up at him from beneath her lashes. There was more?
Thad continued his pacing. “We met them outside of London on Hightower Field at dawn. I, of course, agreed to be Paul’s second and the bloke who’d challenged him had his friend there too. Dr. Murdock arrived soon after.”
Amelia nodded. She’d already known that much. But what had happened? If Paul had not been Thad’s second, why hadn’t he told Mama as much that awful day?
“Pistols were chosen and the appropriate paces were taken.” Thad closed his eyes as if the next part were particularly difficult for him to relate. “Paul turned and lobbed his firearm into theair. The consummate gentleman, as always.”
Tears streamed down Amelia’s face. Her shoulders shook. “And the other man, Paul’s opponent. He didn’t…he didn’t fire into the air too, did he?”
Thad’s jaw was clenched tightly. “No. He didn’t. He shot at Paul.” Thad took a long, ragged breath. “But he missed.”
Amelia’s head snapped up. “What? What can you mean? If he missed, what happened?”
Thad slowly expelled his breath. “We were all walking back to the carriages—honor had been satisfied, after all, and to be honest, Paul and I were relieved it was over. But as we walked back, I said something. Something I’ll always regret.”
Amelia’s shaky hand went to her throat again. “What happened, Thad?” The words tripped out of her dry throat.
“I called the man a coward…for firing at Paul.”
Amelia closed her eyes. Oh, God. “And then?”
“His friend challenged me. But not to a duel, the pistols were already fired. He challenged me to a fight. A bare-knuckled fight, right then and there.”
Amelia’s whole body shook. “And you fought him?”
“Yes. We fought. And when it was obvious that I wasn’t going to win, was mostly likely going to die in fact, Paul stepped in and tried to fight for me.”
Amy shook her head. “No. No,” she whispered.
“The first bloke stepped forward. He was a huge man, a bruiser. There had been a chanceagainst him at pistols, but in a fight, there was no reason to think Paul or I could best
Amelia opened her eyes and furrowed her brow. “A gin club? In St. Giles?”
Thad nodded. “Unfortunately, it’s something stupid young gentlemen do frequently. Spending time in a St. Giles cellar. I’m not proud of it, but we thought it was such a lark.”
Amelia nodded. Young men were often up to such antics. Her brother had always liked to have a good time. It wasn’t particularly surprising.
“So we went down to this club we’d been to a few times and these two blokes were there. Locals. We’d argued with them a time or two before, but it was usually in drunken fun and quickly over. We’d never got violent with them.”
Amelia swallowed. “And you did…that night?”
“I told them that Paul had just got engaged and we were celebrating. One of the blokes said something about Lady Evelyn.”
Amelia put her hand to her throat. “Oh no.” She could well imagine Paul would not let such a thing go. “Then what happened?”
“I’ll spare you their words, but suffice it to say it was quite crude. Paul wasn’t about to letthem speak of his fiancée that way.”
“No, of course not,” Amelia replied. Pure dread was slowly creeping up her spine.
“The exchange became heated quickly and Paul challenged the man who’d said it.”
“To a duel?” Amelia gulped.
“Yes.”
For the first time since Thad had begun talking, Amelia let out a sigh of relief. “Mama had always led me to believe that Paul had died serving as your second. But now you’re telling me that wasn’t the case at all. Paul had been the one to challenge the man to a duel. He died defending Lady Evelyn’s honor.” Amelia stood to embrace Thad, but he placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to sit back down.
“Let me finish,” he said.
There was that dread again, pooling in her belly. Amelia glanced up at him from beneath her lashes. There was more?
Thad continued his pacing. “We met them outside of London on Hightower Field at dawn. I, of course, agreed to be Paul’s second and the bloke who’d challenged him had his friend there too. Dr. Murdock arrived soon after.”
Amelia nodded. She’d already known that much. But what had happened? If Paul had not been Thad’s second, why hadn’t he told Mama as much that awful day?
“Pistols were chosen and the appropriate paces were taken.” Thad closed his eyes as if the next part were particularly difficult for him to relate. “Paul turned and lobbed his firearm into theair. The consummate gentleman, as always.”
Tears streamed down Amelia’s face. Her shoulders shook. “And the other man, Paul’s opponent. He didn’t…he didn’t fire into the air too, did he?”
Thad’s jaw was clenched tightly. “No. He didn’t. He shot at Paul.” Thad took a long, ragged breath. “But he missed.”
Amelia’s head snapped up. “What? What can you mean? If he missed, what happened?”
Thad slowly expelled his breath. “We were all walking back to the carriages—honor had been satisfied, after all, and to be honest, Paul and I were relieved it was over. But as we walked back, I said something. Something I’ll always regret.”
Amelia’s shaky hand went to her throat again. “What happened, Thad?” The words tripped out of her dry throat.
“I called the man a coward…for firing at Paul.”
Amelia closed her eyes. Oh, God. “And then?”
“His friend challenged me. But not to a duel, the pistols were already fired. He challenged me to a fight. A bare-knuckled fight, right then and there.”
Amelia’s whole body shook. “And you fought him?”
“Yes. We fought. And when it was obvious that I wasn’t going to win, was mostly likely going to die in fact, Paul stepped in and tried to fight for me.”
Amy shook her head. “No. No,” she whispered.
“The first bloke stepped forward. He was a huge man, a bruiser. There had been a chanceagainst him at pistols, but in a fight, there was no reason to think Paul or I could best
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