if hes wicked (8 page)

something you wish to keep secret. Exactly what did she hear?”

“Your uncle is not certain they should trust in the news of your untimely demise. He reminded Beatrice that he had received no word of your death.”

“Very careful y said, damn his eyes.”

“He is a clever rogue, no doubt about it. Beatrice, however, is not so clever. Cunning, manipulative, and amoral, but not clever. She said that you

were dead even if they had not seen the hand. Suggested that you and their man might have kil ed each other. After al , if you were stil alive, they would have known by now. My godmother said Arthur spat out a few words she could never repeat and told Beatrice to guard her words. It is not the sort of thing

that can get a man of your uncle’s ilk dragged to the gal ows, but at least it confirms his guilt to us.”

Julian slowly nodded. “It also shows us who is the weakest link.”

“Are you surprised?”

“No. If naught else, Beatrice is supremely arrogant. Worse, she is impulsive, can act and speak without thought. My uncle plans his every move

and word. Beatrice just charges ahead. She also believes her beauty wil save her from any consequences no matter how vile the crime.

“I admit that I am stil shocked by what she tried to do to our son.” He held up his hand to silence what Edgar began to say. “Not that she would

deny me an heir. Even in my blindness, I realized she was not pleased when she got with child, but I thought she was afraid. Too many women die in

childbirth. I also knew she was vain and undoubtedly feared having children might tarnish her beauty. What I stil find so difficult to understand is how any woman could set her child out to die. That is what she did when she had Anthony placed in the arms of a dying woman in an isolated cottage on the

moors.”

“I was not as blinded as you were, but even I find that difficult to understand. Children are cast aside, but usual y by the poor, and often because

they simply cannot afford another mouth to feed. That certainly was not Beatrice’s concern. God’s tears, if she did not want a child because she did not

like children, she stil had no reason to do it. She could have handed the boy over to a nurse and never looked back. To me, it is simply more proof that

she and Arthur have planned your death from the start. Therefore, you could have no heirs.” He frowned. “Are you certain there were no other attempts

upon your life before the ones of this last year?”

Julian thought back over his short marriage and then grimaced. “I once wondered if Beatrice’s many attempts to set me upon the dueling field

were actual y attempts to get me kil ed. She had an unerring skil for picking men who were deadly upon the dueling field and, often, very eager to duel.

After that first duel, I made it clear that I would fight no more over her long-lost honor, and that may have ruined a plan to have me kil ed in a way that raised no questions.”

“A good plan. It might have worked.”

A soft rap on the door ended the conversation. Julian was stunned when Chloe stepped into the room. Over the last week he had considered her

everything from adorable to pretty. Dressed in an elegant, dark blue silk gown, her hair done in the latest style, she was beautiful. As he pul ed free of his shock, he found himself pleased that the muslin tucked into the low neckline of the gown was very modest. He should not care how much of herself she

displayed to others, but he did. Neither did he like the idea of her going out for an evening without him at her side. It was glaringly obvious that he was utterly failing in al his attempts to kil his attraction to her.

To his surprise, he found himself a little dismayed by this more stylish and fashionable Chloe. He preferred the one who dressed in comfortable,

modest muslins and cottons, her hair only partly tamed. Then he saw her grimace and start to reach for her hair.

“Oh, no, you wil not go scratching and ruin al Maude’s hard work,” said Edgar as he leapt from his seat and rushed to her side. “Try to keep this

hair just as it is for at least the start of the evening.”

Chloe’s sigh was that of a martyr and Julian grinned. Here was the Chloe he recognized. “Have trouble keeping it tamed, do you?”

“I chal enge you men to try and smile through the torture of having your hair twisted and pinned up into an unnatural lump,” she said and then looked

at Edgar. “Leo and I are ready to leave, but we can wait if you need more time to speak to Julian.”

“No. Said al I needed to,” replied Edgar.

Julian wished them both a good evening and then sighed when they were gone. He hated being stuck in a bed while others hunted down his

enemies. Thinking of how Chloe would soon be smiling and dancing with men eager to savor her charms only soured his mood more. He had no right to

feel that way as he was stil a married man, but that stern reminder did not kil the feeling.

“Only a week to wait,” he told himself. “One more week and I can join in this game.”
And maybe even steal a dance with Chloe
, he thought with a

faint smile as he closed his eyes.

Chloe stood behind a set of heavy drapes in a tiny library. The Paxtons were obviously not the bookish sort, she mused as she vainly tried to

scratch an itch at her waist. Unfortunately, the heavy material of the dress and the corset she wore beneath it were making it impossible. She truly hated

coming to these affairs, she decided. If she heard one more man speak of the great hunt he had attended or one more woman slander another with

honey-sweet words, she would scream. The only thing that kept her from doing so was the knowledge that it would hurt Leo in many ways. It would also

make it difficult for her to hostess his occasional dinners and gatherings, and she liked doing that. His friends did not treat her as if she were some lack-witted dol whose only purpose upon this earth was to smile and look pretty. Sadly, none of those people had attended this gathering, nor had any of her

relatives besides Leo.

Making herself comfortable on the narrow bench beneath the window, Chloe savored the cool air the heavy curtains blocked from the room. Her

thoughts immediately turned to Julian and a smile curved her lips when she recal ed how he had looked at her tonight. That one hot look from his beautiful

green eyes had given her the confidence needed to face this interminable evening.

He was far too attractive for any woman’s peace of mind, she decided. Chloe had to admit that it was not just his fine looks that stirred something

strong and hot within her, however. She had the sinking feeling she was coming to care for the man, and that way lurked disaster. He was a married man,

and the fact that his wife was trying to kil him, had betrayed him again and again, and that the marriage was nothing but names on a paper, did not

change that. He was also far above the touch of a penniless, cast-off daughter of a knight. She suspected the man held some very poor opinions of

women, too. Unfair, but understandable. She suspected that if a man had done to her what Beatrice had done to him, she, too, would find it hard to trust

any man again. Sad to say, that knowledge and al the good sense she could muster did not halt what appeared to be a rapidly growing infatuation.

The sound of a door opening and shutting startled Chloe out of her thoughts. Her moment of solitude was over. Even as she started to get up, two

men began to speak and she went very stil . The name mentioned by one of the men was enough to make her sit back down and pray that she would

remain unseen.

“You ask too much, Arthur,” said a man with a low, trembling voice.

“Rubbish. I but ask you to do a smal favor for a friend, Conrad.”

“You are no friend of mine.”

“No? Is it not a true measure of friendship to keep a man’s secrets? And I do keep your secrets, Conrad. Or do you no longer care if that sweet girl

you are betrothed to finds out about your lover? How is young George, by the way?”

“Bastard.”

“Tsk. Name-cal ing is so beneath you.”

“What you are asking me to do could get me hanged.”

“So could what you are doing with young George.”

There was a long heavy silence, broken only by the harsh breathing of one of the men. Chloe assumed it was Conrad. Arthur’s voice had

remained cool throughout the exchange. She wished they would say exactly what was going to be done.

“This is the last thing I wil do for you, Arthur. The very last.”

A moment later, the door slammed. Chloe stood up, intending to step out of her hiding place, when she realized she had only heard one set of

footsteps. A chil went through her. She was alone in a room with Arthur Kenwood, a man who thought nothing of murdering his own nephew, even his own

great-nephew. Chloe had no doubt that she would be in danger if he found out she had overheard him and Conrad. She was eyeing the window to see if

she could easily, and silently, open it and run when someone else entered the room.

“I just saw that fool Conrad. Did he agree to help us?”

This had to be Beatrice, Chloe thought. She fought the temptation to ease open the drapes just enough to peek out at the woman. She had only

seen Julian’s wife a few times, either from a distance or in a crowd, and was not exactly sure what she looked like. Her curiosity was pushing her to risk

discovery just so that she could see what kind of woman could do al the things Beatrice had done, but she beat it into silence. She would wait to get a

look at the woman when it was a lot safer to do so. Chloe reluctantly admitted that a large part of her curiosity was born of a keen need to see what kind of woman could make Julian Kenwood plunge himself into a year of debauchery.

“Very unwil ingly,” replied Arthur. “After this, I fear he may be more trouble than he is worth. He becomes more angry than afraid.”

“Ah. Dangerous. So be it. No one wil real y miss the fool.”

“Except, perhaps, for young George.”

Soft laughter trailed behind the couple as they left the room. Chloe did not move for several moments, frightened that one or the other might return.

Final y, she eased the drape aside enough to peer into the room. Seeing that no one was there, she stepped out from behind the drape and wondered

what to do next.

The first thing she needed to do was find Leo. He would know who Conrad was or, at the very least, know how to find out that information. Once

they knew who the man was, they would have some idea of what he was being forced to do for Arthur. Despite her lingering fear, Chloe felt rather pleased

that she was the one who had some helpful information this time.

She reached for the latch on the door only to see it move. Chloe yanked her hand back and frantical y tried to think of some excuse for being in the

library. Discovery meant that two very dangerous people might learn that she had been in the room, possibly even at the same time they were. She was

fighting a rising panic when the door opened and Leo stared at her in surprise. Relief swept over Chloe so quickly, she felt a little unsteady, but Leo

caught her around the waist and helped her to a seat.

“Are you il ?” he asked even as he lightly touched her forehead and cheeks for signs of a fever.

“Nay. I was afraid I was about to be caught lurking in here, and the relief I felt when I saw you briefly overwhelmed me.”

“Who did you fear would discover you?”

“Arthur and Beatrice. They were in here only a short time ago. So short a time ago that I am surprised you did not meet them on your way here.”

“Nay, I did not see them. Just where were you?” He glanced toward the large desk set near the far wal .

“Not under there. I was behind the drapes.”

Leo ran a hand over his tightly queued hair and stared at her, his concern for her actual y making him grow a little pale. “God’s tears, Chloe. They

could easily have found you.”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself as a chil of lingering fear rippled over her. “I know. When someone came into the room I began

to think on how I could graceful y step into view without causing myself a great deal of embarrassment. Then the two men began talking and I realized one

of them was Arthur Kenwood. I stood as stil as a statue and hardly dared to breathe.”

“Who was the other man?”

“Conrad. That was the only name spoken.” She told him everything else she had heard. “Do you have any idea who Conrad is?”

“I have an idea, or two, but I wil need to look closely at the matter.”

She sighed, disappointed that there would not be a quick resolution. “I was hoping you would know, for I am sure it would tel us what he is going to

do for Arthur. The man is in danger, as wel , and not just from the consequences of doing what Arthur asked of him.”

Leo nodded, stood up, and tugged Chloe to her feet. “Aye, Arthur must see that he is losing his hold on the man, and he cannot al ow that to

happen.”

“Leo? You do not think al that
young
George talk meant that Conrad abuses boys, do you?”

“I hope not. I would sorely regret saving the man’s life if that is so. Yet, we need to thwart as many of Arthur’s plots as we can.”

“Conrad could also be a worthy witness.”

“Not if he abuses boys. Sad to say, not even if his lover is a wil ing adult and just a little younger than Conrad.”

“How unfair.”

“True, but I fear that wil be a long time achanging. And this is not something I should be discussing with an unwed young woman. Now, since you

were lurking behind drapes, I wil assume you have had enough of this gathering.”

“More than enough.”

“Then we wil gather Edgar and leave. I doubt I have much time to find Conrad and I should like to get started.”

“Should we tel Julian about this?” she asked as they started out of the room.

“It is not worth disturbing his sleep tonight. Morning wil be soon enough and, if I am lucky, we wil know who Conrad is and what Arthur wants.”