“We’ve avoided the inquest, thank God,” Sebastian said, plopping down on a settee in Rosenthorne Hall’s drawing room. The space was full of friends and family who had gathered to celebrate the somber decision delivered by England’s highest magistrates that very morning.

Gabriel nodded, taking Celia’s hand and squeezing it tight. She smiled at him, then accepted her mother’s affectionate kiss on her cheek.

“It was preposterous they attempted charging you with a crime in the first place,” Heath chimed in with his customary sardonic grin. “I suppose having friends willing to vouch for your name when it’s needed most is a valuable thing. One never knows when a situation might require such influence.”

“Obviously, the Rosenthorne title can only do so much on its own,” Gabriel replied with a crooked smile. “It took the Duke of Richeforte and the rest of you standing behind me to end this hellish nightmare. Regardless, I was prepared to hang for my part in Flannigan’s death. What happened kept Celia safe from further harm.”

Celia snuggled closer to him, holding Gabriel’s arm tighter. “I would not have allowed it. I would have rescued you from any cell they placed you in, and we would have escaped to a place they would have never found us.”

Gabriel chucked his wife underneath her chin. “Coming from my little wife who attempted to stop Flannigan’s crime spree without assistance, I believe it.”

Celia blushed, but she did not dispute his assertion. Only they knew the full truth of what happened in that hayloft, and it was a secret they would never reveal to another soul. A secret that was buried with Bryan Flannigan in a pauper’s grave just three weeks ago.

All of them—Ravenswood, Bentley, Lord Buckholt, Heath, and Celia’s family—had banded together and protested Gabriel’s imminent incarceration for the crime of murder. But it was Nicholas, the Duke of Richeforte, who’d held the most sway over the proceedings. The man had recently swooped into London, conducted a few secret meetings, then departed just as suddenly. He’d been reluctant to leave his duchess alone for very long, considering the advanced stage of Grace’s pregnancy. There was no doubt his actions on Gabriel’s behalf resulted in the dismissal of the case.

“Self-defense resulting in accidental death was all they could concoct against you. And even that was tossed based on Flannigan’s previous crimes and his activity since coming into your employment,” Bentley said, raising a glass of brandy in a celebratory toast. “The man basically hung himself in that loft after stealing God knows how much from you, Rosenthorne. Everyone knows you could have shot the man several times over for the single crime of holding Celia hostage, never mind the evidence of the money and jewels he’d taken. Who knows how many other estates he worked and used the same tactics?”

“So true,” Lady Darby said, holding a hand to her heart. “Thank goodness you thwarted that man’s evil plans, Lord Rosenthorne. My daughter is indeed lucky to have married a husband so dedicated to her safety. Her father and I thank you.”