Chapter 137: Delivering the Message
At the Rhodes Town lodging, Davey was trying to figure out how to deal with the Lemoyne Raiders.
In the game storyline from his previous life, it was Lenny who picked up word of an arms deal and then brought Arthur along to rob the shipment.
The deal was happening at Shady Belle, an abandoned estate in the southeast corner of Rhodes.
Normally, Davey could just sit back and let things unfold. But reality wasn’t working out that way.
Lenny seemed to know far too much about the arms deal—details, locations, everything—as if someone had told him directly.
And in truth, that’s exactly what had happened. The Gray family had leaked the information on purpose, hoping to use the Van der Linde Gang to weaken their rivals, the Braithwaite family.
But now that Davey was cooperating with the Grays, would they still send someone to pass that intel to Lenny?
It seemed Davey would have to issue the task himself.
“Mr. Land, there’s a man outside claiming to be from the Braithwaite family. He brought an invitation.”
“He says you’re invited to a banquet at the Braithwaite mansion tonight.”
“And that one of your friends—Mr. Matthews—will also be attending.”
A subordinate stepped in with the report and handed him the envelope.
Davey frowned.
Had that old woman already learned about his plan to wipe out the nearby Lemoyne Raiders?
Or did the Gray family have a Braithwaite spy among them?
After thinking it over, Davey still decided to go. Hosea would be there anyway.
...
At Braithwaite Manor, inside the garden gazebo—
“Penelope, this Mr. Callander is a handsome young gentleman with a thriving business.
A marriage between you and him would bring tremendous wealth to the Braithwaite family, which is exactly what our enterprise needs.”
Bartholomew spoke in a grave tone.
He insisted that his sister Penelope dress in her finest and appear at the very start of the banquet—radiant enough to catch Davey Callander’s eye.
With her beauty, he believed very few young men would remain indifferent.
“Bartholomew, why? Why must I marry someone I’ve never even met?”
“I should have the right to pursue my own love, not be sacrificed for a family alliance.”
“Please, Bartholomew. You’re my brother. I’m begging you—let me go. I just want freedom.”
Penelope pleaded, voice trembling.
Bartholomew’s expression darkened.
“Listen, Penelope. Don’t think I don’t know about you and that Gray boy. A union between our families will never be allowed. Put that idea out of your mind.”
“To tell you the truth, this marriage wasn’t my idea—it was Mother’s.”
“We need allies, and Davey Callander is the best one we could hope for.”
“He came to Rhodes to deal with our Braithwaite family. We offended him before, and now he’s here for payback.
But if you marry him, not only will our troubles disappear—we’ll gain a powerful supporter.”
“So, Penelope, put on your best dress and be at the banquet.”
He gave the order bluntly, then turned and walked away. He was sure his sister would make the “right” choice.
Penelope felt nothing but pain. She already had someone she deeply loved, and attending this banquet to meet another man was the last thing she wanted.
But she had no power to defy her family—especially here in Rhodes. And the man she loved couldn’t defy his family either.
It was a forbidden love.
Maybe the only outcome was for both of them to surrender to their fate.
“Are you Miss Penelope Braithwaite?”
Just as Penelope was lost in her sorrow, a voice suddenly broke the silence.
It was Arthur.
Following Dutch’s instructions, Arthur had gone to the Gray family to gather intel and happened to run into Beau Gray, the Gray family’s young heir.
Arthur had seen him once before at the sheriff’s office, so the two started talking.
Seeing that the outsiders were capable, Beau confided in Arthur about his relationship with Penelope Braithwaite and offered a generous reward for delivering a letter.
From their conversation, Arthur learned Beau was the son of Tavish Gray and the drunken sheriff’s nephew.
If he could get on Beau’s good side, he might learn something about the missing gold.
So Arthur agreed to deliver the message and quietly slipped into Braithwaite Manor.
“I am. What is it, sir?” Penelope asked, quickly composing herself.
Arthur placed Beau’s letter and a bracelet on the table.
“This was given to me to deliver to you, miss.”
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