All is Fair (12 page)

“I’ve never helped the Irises before, if that’s what you mean.”

“Any other families?”

“Yes. If you want to know if I’ve lied to you, just ask me. This arrangement will be much more efficient if you just state plainly what you want to know and what you want me to do.”

Will appreciated his candour. “Did you lie to me at the hospital?”

“Yes,” Faulkner said. “That was before my new orders arrived. It won’t happen again. Unless something else changes.”

Will’s heartbeat felt like a drum roll in his ears. “I want to know the truth about what happened to my wife. I want to know everything you do about what happened, who told you to lie to me and why.”

“Cornelius White gave me the order to come to the hospital and tell you that Tulipa magic was detected at the scene.”

Will gripped the sides of his chair below the table. Cornelius was involved? After all he’d done for him?

“My Chapter was already aware of a serious attack. I went to the scene before coming to the hospital because it happened in my ward. No Tulipa magic there; it was all Rose. I didn’t expect that, considering what happened to that family, but that’s what I detected. Large amounts; it was either Lady Rose or one of the Thorns. Most probably one of the brothers; she doesn’t get involved with anything bloody. Enough for a powerful Glamour, and there was a strong residue in the bushes, which makes sense. There was a child injured with puncture wounds consistent with thorns.”

“Then you came and told me it was Tulip magic?” Will struggled to keep his anger in check.

“That was my order. Cornelius was very clear.”

“But he told me it was his cousin. He killed him.”

Faulkner nodded. “Standard Rosa technique, I’ve seen it before. Glamour an assassin to look like a fall guy. Commit the crime and, if there are no witnesses, it’s done. But if someone sees, or someone survives, they give a description and the fall guy is blamed. The cousin either pissed Cornelius off or was just unimportant enough to kill without repercussions from others in the family. What interests me is why the attack failed. From the police report it sounds like there was someone from the Elemental Court there, someone allied to Iron or Iron himself. Your wife has interesting friends, Mr Iris.”

But Will was still struggling to understand Cornelius’ betrayal. Were old family loyalties playing out? Was it because of the affair with Amelia? His stomach twisted. “Was his sister, Amelia, involved?”

“I can find that out easily enough,” Faulkner replied. “I can bring the brother in and question him. I’m assuming you want that?”

Will nodded. “I want to know why. And what else he’s done.” Bastard, he thought. You bastard. And then he knew he was going to kill him, once he had all he needed from him, and he felt better. The rage had somewhere to go.

“Are you aware you’re under the influence of a potent Charm?” Faulkner asked.

“What?”

“Your pupils dilated, your cheeks flushed and your lips went red again when you thought and spoke about Amelia White. Tell-tale signs of a love or lust Charm, probably a mixture of the two.”

“I…” Will stammered, struggling to manage nausea as well as his anger.

“Did she engineer repeated exposure over a short period of time shortly after you first met?”

Will pushed his mind back to the beginning of the season in Aquae Sulis. The first moment he saw her on the balcony he’d been attracted to her. “She’s very beautiful, it makes sense–”

“Did she make sure she had frequent access to you after you first met?” Faulkner repeated.

The memory of the crush in the hallway at the Peonias’ party flooded back. She’d smelt of rose water and had made his chest almost burst with lust. They’d had tea and he couldn’t stop watching her. Then the meetings to help them integrate into Aquae Sulis, the dinner parties, the way she smiled at him and made it so easy to help her. She was beautiful, but he’d met dozens of beautiful women all over the world and none of them had had the same effect on him.

“Damn it!” Will yelled and smashed his fist against the table. The Whites had played him and he’d lapped it all up. He slept with her on his wedding night! That night of all nights – why didn’t he question his own decision? And the day Cathy was attacked, Amelia lured him up to her room when he’d been set on leaving. If he had left then…

“If you let me take a sample of your hair I can confirm it,” Faulkner said. “From the way you’re acting I assume I don’t need to.”

Will looked up from his fist to see the rest of the people in the café staring at him. “You don’t need to,” he said, twisting away from them and blocking his peripheral vision by resting his head in his hands. There was no one he could trust. Not even Amelia, who he thought loved him. He’d saved her and her brother, given her everything she needed… but even though she’d stolen his senses, it didn’t mean she’d been complicit in the attack. He had to be certain.

“I need to know whether she knew Cathy was in danger,” he said, rummaging in his pocket for his wallet. “I’ll send a message to Cornelius to meet me at Black’s in one hour. You’ll take him into custody there and do whatever it takes to get everything out of him. Free rein.”

“And when I’m finished with him?”

“Report back to me and don’t let him go.” He pulled a fiver out of his wallet and tossed it next to the coffee cup.

“There’s something else,” Faulkner said. “A message for your wife. We’d appreciate it if she were more subtle in her use of Charms in such public places.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“She cast a Charm on the statue of Nelson in Trafalgar Square earlier. It seems she went straight out to test your new authority.”

But he hadn’t even told her yet. Will stood up, masking his ignorance with the movement. “I’ll be sure to tell her.” Why hadn’t Carter stopped her? He’d given explicit instructions. How was he supposed to run Londinium when no one did as they should?

“Anyone else and we would have personally escorted them to the Patroon and pushed for their expulsion from Society.”

“I understand,” Will said. “You can go now.”

He waited until Faulkner had left then went to the nearest underground station, one with multiple entrances and exits. If Faulkner knew where he was it meant the other Arbiters of his Chapter did too, and they might be following him. Whilst he wasn’t afraid of them now, he didn’t want them to know his business.

After a swift detour through the station and out by one of the more crowded exits, Will walked to the Bathurst stables and opened the Way to the Nether reflection. He penned a message and sent the head of the stables to take it to Cornelius. After a brief stop at the Emporium of Things in Between and Besides he instructed the driver to take him to Cornelius and Amelia’s house. The journey gave him time to think it all through and calm down. He’d deal with the Whites first. He needed to root out the lies and make sure that his family was safe. Then he would work out what to do next. He only had the throne because of betrayal and manipulation, the former by Cornelius, the latter by his own patron. His wife was lying to him and was, it seemed, determined to have herself thrown out of the Nether. He’d been ordered to appoint the wrong man as Marquis and the Court would be against his reign from the start. His temples throbbed. If only he could be back in Sicily again. If only he could be that man running on the shore line, the beautiful girl dancing in and out of the surf ahead of him, with nothing to worry him in the Worlds. Will felt heavy with the knowledge that he could never be that young man again.

When the carriage drew up he slid the feather from its envelope and brushed it across his eyelids, under his nose, across his lips and his earlobes as the Shopkeeper had instructed. He felt no different but had been told it would be so. The protection would last a day and a night. He checked his pocket watch as the footman lowered the step. Cornelius would be in Faulkner’s custody by now.

When the door was opened he climbed out. “You’re to come inside and wait in the hall,” he said to his footmen. They were the same men he’d brought to the house before and, just as they had been then, they were armed.

The front door was opened by the butler who bowed low. Will entered, his men behind him, and asked for Amelia. She was already at the top of the stairs.

“Will!” she called and hurried down. She was dressed in a peach-coloured damask silk and looked bright and healthy. Will appreciated her beauty as one would that of a painting, not as a man in love. As she took each step he became more and more aware of how deeply he’d been in her thrall. There was no need to harden his heart against her because there was nothing real there at all. Memories of being in love with her felt just like that: memories, something faded and already tarnished. The briefest urge to embrace her felt more of a habit than anything genuine.

“Amelia,” he said and forced himself to smile.

“I’m so delighted to see you. It’s been so long since you last visited!”

He hadn’t been there since the day of the attack. He’d been in Exilium for two weeks then had been at Cathy’s side every spare moment.

She stopped halfway down the staircase, studying his face. Then she curtsied deeply. “Your Grace,” she said and then winked. “Would you be so kind as to wait for me in the drawing room? I’ll be with you in a moment. I’ll have tea sent and…” She fluttered her eyelashes in such an obvious way. “There’s something we need to discuss.”

He was tempted to just have it out with her, then and there, but he wanted to see if she was doing what he suspected.

Tea was brought but he didn’t touch it. Amelia arrived a minute later in a cloud of rosewater scent that sparkled about her, confirming his suspicion. The protective Charm was doing its job well; not only was it preventing its effects, it was showing him when the love Charm was at its strongest. It was likely infused in her scent and when she saw he was different, she’d dashed back to her room and doused herself in it, desperate to have him malleable once more.

“Darling, how naughty of you to send for Cornelius so we could be alone.”

“I wanted to see you by yourself,” he said, standing out of habitual politeness. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

“I beg you to let me speak first. Please.”

So she was going to confess. It would make it easier. She was shrewd and could sense the game was up. “You first then.”

“I’m pregnant.”

It felt as if the floor was falling away in front of him. Could the day get any worse?

Her face fell. “You’re not pleased. Oh… oh, dear.”

“Are you telling the truth, Amelia?”

Her shock appeared genuine. “I would never lie about such a thing! I’m going to give you a son. He’ll be born in July next year. A summer baby.”

A son. From the wrong woman. His guts twisted. “How could this have happened?” he whispered.

“What did you expect?” Amelia said sharply, then drew in a long breath. “Love has its consequences, darling.”

She was looking different. There was a fullness in her cheeks and a pink glow that hadn’t been there before. Her hair was shining. His son was growing inside her. Will looked away.

“Have I lost my appeal?”

He said nothing.

“I thought you’d be pleased. I’m going to give you a handsome and strong son, darling.”

“I know what Cornelius did.” There was a long pause. “And I know what you’ve been doing to me since Aquae Sulis. I’m going to give you one chance to tell me the truth, Amelia. One.” He looked at her. She was sitting rigidly upright, hands clasped in her lap, still enveloped in a sparkling cloud. “Did you know Cornelius was planning to kill my wife?”

She held his gaze, as still as death. “Yes,” she said. “He forced me not to tell you, even though I wanted to, Will. I wanted to warn you.”

Will’s breath felt like it had turned to ice in his throat. He’d expected her to deny it, but she was no fool. She’d realised why Cornelius wasn’t there and why he hadn’t touched her since he arrived. “Why didn’t you?”

“He’s my brother! And I wanted to take her place. I don’t want to be locked away like a private whore. I want to be the wife at your side! She doesn’t deserve you.”

“Catherine has never manipulated me and never conspired to kill another. Don’t you dare imply you are better than her!” Will’s voice rose to a shout. “She’s my wife! You used me, you twisted me up and made me think I loved you when I should have been devoting myself to her!”

“Oh, don’t be so melodramatic.” She smoothed a wrinkle in her silk dress. “You men are all the same. I didn’t need to use a Charm to get your attention. I didn’t force you to come here on your wedding night. You did that all by yourself. You wanted it all; me in the background to satisfy your needs whilst you kept your family happy. Catherine’s so ugly you would have taken a mistress without my involvement.”

He was on his feet. “You will not say another word about my wife. You’re not fit to speak her name. This is how it’s going to be: you won’t see Cornelius again. He will be kept a long way from where the two of you can cook up any more conspiracies and you’ll be sent into Mundanus for the pregnancy. You will be watched twenty-four hours a day and if you do anything that could jeopardise my son’s health, I will have Cornelius killed. If you try to escape or do anything to hurt me or my family, I will have Cornelius killed. He will understand that, if he does anything other than regret his actions, you will be killed. Your mutual good behaviour will ensure each other’s survival. Do you understand?”

She was shaking and her hands twisted the pearls at her throat. “And when your son is born?”

“He’ll be taken from you and will never know your name. You won’t be able to poison him with your ill spirit. You’ll live out the rest of your days in Mundanus.”

“No!” She threw herself forwards and clutched his jacket hem. “Don’t make me old, Will, don’t–”

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” he said as she sobbed. “I could have you sent to the Agency, sold off to a foreign brothel or simply killed. Be grateful that I’m merciful.” He freed himself from her. “I wouldn’t bother,” he said, going to the door. “It doesn’t matter how much you cry, I won’t be moved.”