Chapter thirty three
Elizabeth brewed eight cups of coffee, fixed them beautifully on a tray and lifted it in her hands. With it, she strode round the mansion with the hem of her skirt swooping over the floor, searching for any living soul to no avail.
It was empty…
Where was everyone?
A gunshot from outside made her heart jerk. She took the next few seconds to panic and suck in enough strength to think of what to do next. But then, she suddenly stopped fussing when she remembered the men practised every morning, so the gunshot was justified. Clearly, everyone was outside.
She walked towards the back door, the cups vibrating upon the saucers beneath them. At the door, she found all eight upon the lawn, occupied with one thing or the other to even notice she was around.
Faking a wide grin, she declared, "Good morning everyone! Who's in for some coffee?"
As if it was planned, all eyes fell on her at that instant. Then almost immediately, most of the eyes left her and refocused their attention on what they were into. The few that still looked at her were surely just those of Nax and her would-be husband.
Elizabeth strode to Earl who had a barrel gun aimed at some pieces of wood far away. He had an eye closed, lifting the weapon at shoulder height with full concentration on his target.
"Earl! Earl," Elizabeth called when she reached him.
If he heard her, he did not show it. The Marquess still had his eyes ahead.
Lady Aflong glared at the boards which distracted him from answering her. Truly however, he was not distracted, he was ignoring.
She stalked to stand before him, right in front of the gun and obstructing his view, "Earl!"
"You do not suppose your presence before me will stop me from shooting do you," he finally answered, his pose unflinching.
Elizabeth found her lips agape in surprise as she gawked at him, shock painted upon her features, "Why would you speak to me that way Earl?"
The Marquess sighed with a shake of his head. Reluctantly, he lowered the gun and picked a cup out of the tray, taking it straight to his mouth…anything for this lady to leave him in peace.
Just while the coffee was at his lips, he paused and frowned at Elizabeth, "Did you poison this?"
Her already open mouth opened even wider. So that was what this was all about…Monica must said something to him.
She smirked, sighed and answered genuinely, "My deal is with Monica. I have no problem with you.
"Makes real sense," He nodded and sipped from his cup.
Her next stop was Monica. The Scottish was not training like the rest. She was seated with Jason, wrapping bandages around him and giving a thorough massage to his ribs.
"Your wound looks terrible Earl of Vetcom," Elizabeth said with a dramatic shake of her head and a parabola to her lips as she looked down at Jason, "ever heard of the  healing magic of coffee?"
Unlike Jason normally did, he gave her his full attention. Looking up at her with striking blue eyes, he frowned with utmost pride.
Monica rushed out, snatched a cup before she was invited to… and began gulping it down. At this, Jason and even Elizabeth glared at her.
When the English lady put two and two together, she sighed and rasped, "I see you've poisoned their minds against me Monica."
All her cousin did in response was a smile between coffee gulps.
The blonde still studied her with hidden admiration, surprised by how she comfortably enjoyed the drink, "Do you not frat I might have poisoned it?"
Monica grinned till it reached her eyes, "Well poison is an old trick in the book Elizabeth. And if so think poison can kill Monica Maitland, then your senses need more polishing."
Jason had struggled to stifle a chuckle at her words. Not long after, he let Monica help him up to his feet before he left both ladies to carry on with their chatter.
While the blonde was so looking forward to that, Monica did something that marked the end of the conversation.
"Oh I'll take that," the lass said before she snatched what was supposed to be Jason's cup off the tray, giving her cousin a daring glare at the same time.
That was all it needed for Elizabeth's anger to snap.
The English lady turned away and began marching back to the mansion, anger definite in her moves. However, as she passed Philip, she made sure to force his own cup into his hands and spit a "good morning."
The rest of the coffee, the rest could serve themselves for all she cared.
The Duke's brows joined as he watched her go crazy, dazed enough he couldn't reply her pleasantries. There was only one person capable of making her that way.
At the thought, he turned to Monica abruptly and gave a look that was supposed to mean, "What have you done this time?"
The Scottish just shrugged innocently.
***
It was not in the case either!
Nax got his feet hard on the wooden crooked legs of the chair, frustration clearly on his face.
The Duke's chamber was presently in an eyesore, with drawers hanging open and documents hanging out of them, most chairs upside down, as well as the sculptures. In a whole, a reasonable part of the room was battered. As if Nax wasn't satisfied with the damage he'd caused, he tossed the case away as well.
Somehow, the seal of Kilmarnock was not to be found in Philip's chamber, after he'd literally turned the place upside-down of course.
"Nax," he heard someone say his name with a feminine voice.
He hid his fear behind his usually stern face, his heart in his mouth. Ever so slowly, he turned around to find Elizabeth by the door. That explained why she had not seen him outside.
"What is this?" She inquired rather concerned while she stepped over the threshold and into the chamber. Her eyes travelled around her, clearly disgusted by the mess in the office.
The soldier ignored her question with his eyes searching the room as if he was just as surprised as to how he ended up in there. But at the same time, he realised how bad the place looked. "Where are the men?" He asked the lady with fear marring his voice.
The lady pointed towards the direction of the lawn without actually saying anything. Determined and dumbstruck, se managed to ask, "What are you doing here?"
Nax frowned bitterly, sighed and rasped, "Your brother was killed Elizabeth! What more do you still want from these dangerous people?"
"I am getting married to Philip soon Nax," the blonde nearly whispered as though someone else was there. She took one more look around her before concluding, "And that doesn't explain why this place looks like some gambling pit."
The man put his hand on his chest respectfully, although his stern look remained, "The main reason I am helping these people is dead; your brother! Why not just get the seal and get out of here?"
Elizabeth sighed at that realisation, wondering how many people she had to kill. However, this time she almost agreed with him, "What do you suppose we do now?"
Nax seemed impressed. Nodding passively, he took that authoritative pose and stalked to and fro, "First we teach Monica a lesson for what she's done. And most importantly, find the seal and take it to the King before they do."
Just then, a second door clicked at the right side of the office, making Nax and the younger lady turn to notice the seven come in, as heart sinking as it was.
"You speak as though I was some kind of infant you could suffocate with a finger," Monica sighed the words and crossed her arms, looking the military man through after he'd made his intentions clear enough.
The latter watched them agape, his lips shivering at his loss of words.
His eyes fell on the Duke especially who harboured a look of disapproval. But obviously that was not all that was going to come. "Why don't you clean up the mess you've made here," Philip muffled, "afterwards I'll personally show you  where counterfeit people like you end up in."
There was still more…
Earl walked round and led the frontline, "Why not leave the homicide for me. I just got some bullets from Russia I am yet to test." He grinned wildly at the General, "You know everything is so fake nowadays."
Nax's response was sudden and voiceless. With that speed and skill any military man would possess, he pulled out a gun from the sheath on his hip and aimed at Elizabeth who had been suffering from shock and loss of speech, "If you move, I'll shoot her."
"Deal," Jason immediately replied and began turning the case of arrows from his back. He stopped when he received a glare from Philip.
The Duke gasped, swearing that as much as he wanted to kill this man, Elizabeth's life was important. After a sigh, he turned to Nax, "Fine. If you lower your gun, I promise to see to it that you'll have the grandest funeral in England."
The man he spoke to was genuinely offended. The hand around the pistol tightened while he frowned, "Do you think I am some sort of fool!"
"Obviously I didn't think so until you decided to play a con against the Duke of Anfield," Philip confessed, "you really thought I'd keep the seal in my office?"
While the men went on talking, the lady sighed. In a case like this, dialogue wasn't always the answer. As they went on keeping each other company with their words, Monica stepped backwards slowly and out unseen through the door they'd come through.
She rounded the corridor while her hand went low to retrieve a dagger from her boot. Not long after, she found the second one at which Elizabeth stood and raised a finger to touch her own lips.
The blonde watched her, then the dagger and decided it was best to do as told.