Lori Brighton - [The Seduction 02] (34 page)

“It was good seeing you, James.”

The man nodded. He was curious but knew better than to ask questions. With a quick bow, he turned and headed toward the stairs. Alex resisted the urge to call out to the man who had been his friend and beg him to leave with him. He knew it would be useless. Instead, he focused on the woman who had destroyed his childhood. He felt nothing. Not even anger. Grace had been right; she was not worth their hatred. No, instead he saw only a woman embittered by life. A woman who blamed others for her problems. She still dwelled within her self-pity.

“Well, it’s certainly surprising to see you here.” She gave him a smirk, although her eyes remained cold and hard. She was putting
on a play, she always had. Sometime long ago, she’d invented the character she now hid behind. “Do come in.”

His instincts flared, his senses on alert, but Alex did not worry the woman would come after him; she’d have too much to lose. Still, with one quick glance, he took in Wavers standing by the fireplace, the open windows facing the east, and the pearl-handled pistol lying upon her desk. Lady Lavender shut the door and with a swoosh of plum-colored skirts, moved toward her desk. Alex took the chair across from her, hoping Mr. Smith, who stood by the closed door, knew enough to watch his back.

She folded her hands demurely upon her desk, close enough to the pistol that she could grab it if need be. So, she wasn’t immune to him after all. “Whatever can I assist you with?”

A cool breeze swept into the room, the air smelling of lavender. He thought he’d escaped the scent. “You can release him, Ophelia.”

She quirked a blonde brow and leaned back in her chair, all ease. She had the upper hand and craved the power. Yes, she’d make him suffer. “Whoever are you speaking of?”

“No games,” Alex snapped. “You know. Release Gideon. He deserves it.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Down to business? Let’s chat first.”

Damn her to hell. He didn’t want to chat but knew he needed to play her game. “Very well.”

“How is your lovely wife? Your adorable daughter?”

Alex stiffened, his heart slamming erratically.

“I see I’ve shocked you.” She stood and moved to the sideboard, pouring a glass of sherry. She’d changed. Her gait was stiff, small creases at the corners of her eyes. In the two years since he’d been gone, the woman had actually aged. “I must read everyone’s letters for safety.” She took a sip. “You didn’t think they would actually receive their missives in secret?”

Of course he’d assumed she would read them, which is why he hadn’t put in anything too personal. Still, the thought of her knowing any details of his family life made him ill. Alex didn’t respond. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

“Oh, Alex.” She shook her head, laughing again. “You were always so very trusting, and I see you haven’t changed.”

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Mr. Smith shift. Alex knew the man was worried Lady Lavender would spur him into reacting. But Alex wouldn’t attack the bitch. No, by reacting he only gave her control, showed her he cared. He leaned back and crossed his leg over his knee. He could pretend ease as well as her.

“I’m well aware of why you despise me, but why Gideon?”

She smirked, as if knowing the game he played, but there, deep within her eyes, he swore he could see wariness. Had he hit on a nerve?

“Despise you?” She released a wry laugh as she settled behind her desk. “Why, whatever do you mean?”

So she’d play coy? But he had too much heart to blurt out the truth. “Mr. Smith, Wavers,” Alex snapped out. “Leave us.”

Both men hesitated.

Lady Lavender waved her hands dismissively through the air, as if bored. “Oh, do go on, I’ll be quite well alone with Alex. Why, we’re old friends, you know.”

Mr. Smith moved reluctantly into the hall, followed by Wavers, who shut the door behind him. Alone, she did not drop her façade but continued to smile at him like some painted porcelain doll.

“I’ve had two years to think about your past and our connection.” Alex stood and strolled to the windows, gazing out onto the quickly sinking sun. He’d wanted to be home as soon as possible, but it wouldn’t be tonight. Damn, but he missed his family already. He felt tainted being here, as if he’d need to bathe three times, at the least. Nothing would cleanse his soul like Grace’s kiss. Her smile. Her touch.

“You said that my father helped cover the crime.” He turned to face her. “But who actually raped you, Ophelia?”

Her smile turned brittle.

Yes, he’d definitely upset her. One would have assumed he’d find pleasure in bringing her down, but he found no satisfaction in seeing her suffer. “I wasn’t sure, although I had my suspicions. Until Mr. Smith arrived claiming that Gideon’s father was actually titled.”

“Do go on, this is all quite amusing.”

If she hadn’t tried to kill Grace, he might have felt sorry for her. She took another dainty sip, watching him over the rim of her glass. Yes, she smiled, but she could no longer uphold the façade. Her eyes had turned hard as granite.

“Gideon’s father raped you, didn’t he?”

“Well done, Alex. You are quite the Bow Street runner.” She set her glass upon her desk and stood. “Yes, it was the man, and I’ve done the world a favor by keeping Gideon here. He is and has always been a cad. A rake. A demon, just like his father. Gideon’s sire was a horrible man, and society did not mourn his death.”

“Gideon isn’t his father.”

“Really?” She moved around the desk and strolled across the room, her footfalls muffled by the expensive, thick carpet. “He killed the man, you know. So very Hamlet of him.”

Dear God, Gideon had killed his own father? That’s why Lady Lavender had been able to manipulate him into working for her. He must have had good reason. Had he been protecting himself? “And I’m sure you threatened to tell the constable if he didn’t work for you.”

“It was all so very easy!” She paced to the fireplace and trailed her fingers over the mantel. “You know his sister killed herself?” She clucked her tongue. “One wonders why. What would drive a young, pretty girl to do such a thing?”

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. So much pain in the man’s life, and Alex hadn’t a clue. He felt suddenly guilty as hell, but what else was new? “What are you implying?”

“That I wasn’t the only one whom Gideon’s father hurt.”

The cold, hard Gideon he knew suddenly made sense. His secrets. The way he shunned society, refusing to grow close to anyone. They’d had so much more in common than even he’d realized. Alex certainly knew what it felt like to be ashamed of one’s own father. “I find it hard to believe Gideon would attack and kill his own sire without reason.”

“Of course.” She shrugged as if unconcerned. “They say he was protecting his mother.”

So, then he’d been right. “Gideon is not the same man as his father, just as I am not my father.”

She paused at the windows near him and gazed outside. “Oh, Alex, but he is. You saw the way he treated the women here.”

Frustration set him on edge. “He did what they wanted! What you paid him to do.”

She faced him, glee in her eyes. She was enjoying this. “He’s a bad, bad seed, Alex.”

Alex stepped so close to her that he could feel her warmth. His hands curled as he resisted the urge to grab the woman and shake sense into her. “I won’t let you ruin what chance he has.”

She moved back to her desk. “Honorable of you, but I have no designs to leave my lovely estate.”

She was bluffing. She had to be. The woman wouldn’t give up the idea of revenge no matter what. Hell, she’d follow him across the country if need be. What was her game?

“I don’t believe you. Your life revolves around revenge.”

“Oh, I will get my revenge.” She settled in her chair and clapped her hands in delight. For a brief moment she actually looked like a child. “But I won’t have to do any dirty work at all, that’s the beauty of it.”

He’d had enough. Alex stomped to her desk and glared down at her. He’d stopped trying to understand this woman long ago. He knew one thing…she was utterly mad. “What the hell do you mean?”

“I’m not the only one who wants to see Gideon suffer. He has family, you know, and they think he is just as horrible as I do.”

His veins turned to ice. “What have you done?”

“Nothing.” She shrugged her delicate shoulders, her lower lip pouting. “I merely pointed them in the right direction. When she came looking for him, of course I couldn’t lie. I had to tell her the truth about what he’d been doing for the past thirteen years. I can’t help it if this angered her greatly, the title and money going to a whore.”

The jest was on her. “Their guard will be up. They know about the dowager and her threats.”

She lifted a brow. “The dowager? The woman I spoke with was no dowager.”

Alex stiffened. “The woman who came here was not Gideon’s grandmother?”

The woman’s lips lifted into a cruel grin. “The woman I spoke with was thirty-five, perhaps forty years of age.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk. “Oh, Alex, don’t tell me you’ve been going after the wrong woman all along?”

Alex didn’t say a word, merely turned and left the room, her mocking laughter following.

Elizabeth couldn’t sleep. The sun had barely risen when she found herself outside in the walled garden, pacing the trail around and around. Morning dew soaked her slippers and the air held a bite, but she was too restless to return indoors. She felt strained tight, her muscles taut with the need to move. The sun had yet to reach the top of the brick wall, and shadows leered at her from the far corners, adding to her unease.

She focused on the gravel path, the crunch of stone under her feet. Her muslin rose-printed dress was thin and the wrap she wore offered little protection, but she didn’t care about the cold. She welcomed the numbness it brought. Another night and Gideon hadn’t come to her bed. Instead, he was too busy exacting revenge. She sighed, her shoulders sinking. Would they ever have a normal marriage? Could they ever settle into peaceful bliss?

Elizabeth plucked a brown daisy from its stem, twirling the dying flower around and around. Summer was fading fast. She welcomed winter, only wished it would arrive sooner. Winter meant the roads would be hard to travel, which meant the dowager would not arrive and Gideon would not be able to leave. Perhaps they’d get respite from the search for justice.

Elizabeth glanced toward the gate where Will and Benjie stood chatting amicably. Her own personal guards. She frowned, annoyed. Will had refused to speak to her of Mr. Miller’s questioning, but apparently Gideon and now the constable were still in the back room with him. She shuddered, drawing her shawl closer. Who knew what they were doing to the man.

Gideon had demanded that she never be alone, and until further notice, the children were to stay inside. Thank God for the conservatory, where they could get some sunlight. Once her mother-in-law was imprisoned, perhaps they could enjoy a jaunt to the beach. She smiled fondly, remembering a summer when she, Mr. Ashton, and the children had headed to the coast. The children frolicking in the waves, the soft breeze, collecting seashells along the shore…

With a sigh, she sank to the stone bench. She understood now why Gideon was so reluctant to love. Because he thought he was his father. She played with the fringe upon her shawl. Yes, his father had been an evil, evil man who had harmed so many in his short life, but Gideon was far from becoming his father. How could he not see how wonderful he was? He’d saved more than one person from certain death. He was a bloody knight in shining armor. Why did he continue to punish himself?

“My lady,” Will called out from the gate.

Elizabeth heard the unease in his voice and surged to her feet. The paleness of his face didn’t bode well. “What is it?”

“A visitor.”

A shiver of apprehension raced over her already chilled skin. For one long moment, neither of them said a word. As the sound of wheels over crushed gravel came to a halt, the spell broke.
Benjie raced toward the front of the house. Elizabeth hiked up her skirts and rushed to the gate.

“Who?” She reached for the metal bars, but Will kept the gate closed, locking her inside for safety.

“Don’t know yet.”

She gripped the metal bars and pressed her face to the gate. Blast, but she couldn’t see far enough around the corner to identify their visitor. She could hear the soft murmur of conversation and knew Benjie was chatting with whoever was inside the coach, but she was too far away to decipher their words. Elizabeth jerked her head toward the estate, studying the many windows. She had the sudden urge to see Gideon. Damn him, somehow she’d come to depend on the man.

The rapid thump of footfalls indicated Benjie’s arrival. “The companion,” Benjie said, breathless from running. “Miss Howell. She says she has news and needs to speak with you. Says it’s urgent.” He slid his hand through the iron bars and handed her a note.

Elizabeth opened the missive.

My lady, I have reason to believe your life is in danger.

A sudden cool breeze tugged at her shawl and skirts, making Elizabeth sway. She turned her gaze toward the carriage, hope soaring. “Send her to me.”

“But Elizabeth—” Will started.

She tightened her grip on the iron bars, annoyed that he was questioning her when only a few weeks ago he would have jumped to do her bidding. “She might have news, Will. If we can get a confession from her, Gideon won’t have to continue his search.”

And she would no longer have to worry that he’d end up in the gaols for murder.

The lad sighed and stepped back from the gate, noting her hard tone. “Very well.” But he was still frowning, and she knew it was because she had given the order and not Gideon. She really did need to have a talk with the staff about loyalty.

“Benjie will stay with me. Please head inside and find Gideon.”

Will looked a little more than relieved at that command, and with a nod he headed toward the house, while Benjie went to the carriage to assist Miss Howell. The companion looked paler than normal, her narrow face drawn while dark smudges marked the areas underneath her brown eyes. Her black bonnet swiveled toward the garden, her gaze catching Elizabeth. With determined strides the woman started forward without Benjie’s assistance.