Lovers Forever (44 page)

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Authors: Shirlee Busbee

BOOK: Lovers Forever
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Nick's first instinct was to deny such an ugly idea, but he hesitated. Finally he muttered, “I don't think so, but I cannot pretend that I trust her completely. I have the feeling that she is up to something, but I cannot even wager a guess as to what it might be!”
“Perhaps because you have been at odds with her for so long, you find it hard to accept that she has changed toward you?”
Nick made a face. “Perhaps. And until she does something that makes me
more
suspicious, I shall simply have to take her actions at face value.”
“Wouldn't it be wonderful if Avery
was
going away for the holidays and the three of us could get into the dungeons before your grandmother came back?” Tess's face glowed with enthusiasm. “Just think, we might be able to take the news of our discovery to her at Rockwell Hall.”
Nick grunted, not quite as enamored of the idea as his wife. The idea once planted would not go away, however, and Nick found himself hoping that Athena would bring them good news when next she came to call. She did.
The very next afternoon Athena rode up just as Tess and Nick were preparing to take their horses out for a pleasant gambol. The excited expression on Athena's face told them that she had been successful and that she had good news for them. They halted their horses, and as she drew her own mount to a stop, she said gaily, “I had a
most
eventful morning, my dears. I will tell you all. . . .” She glanced meaningfully at the grooms who were busy around the stables and said softly, “But first let us ride a bit farther away from listening ears.”
The three of them quickly rode away, and only when the stables were out of sight did Athena speak. Her black eyes glittering like diamond-polished obsidian, she said breathlessly, “Frampton and I went riding this morning along the marsh road, and whom do you think we happened to meet?” She smiled broadly. “Yes, of course! Baron Mandeville. We had a most pleasant little chat, and he happened to mention that he leaves this Thursday to spend the holidays with friends in Yorkshire. I was thrilled! He must have thought me mad by my open elation about his trip.”
“You didn't make him suspicious, did you?” Nick asked sharply.
Athena shook her head. “No, no, of course not! I am not a fool.” She looked at them, speculation rampant on her face. “Well? Are we going to do it?”
Nick hesitated; he glanced at Tess, and seeing the flush of excitement across her cheeks and the sparkling enthusiasm in her violet eyes, he nodded slowly. “Yes, I think we shall . . . but we're going to need a reason to visit the manor—we can't just boldly ride up and demand entrance.”
Tess looked thoughtful. “What if I claimed that a favorite brooch or necklace had been left behind? Something that had been my mother's? Wouldn't that be reason enough? None of the servants would question my words.”
“Excellent!” exclaimed Athena. “It gives us a perfectly valid reason to call at the manor.”
Nick was less enthusiastic, but he finally agreed it was probably the best excuse they were going to come up with. It was decided that Athena would employ Squire Frampton to make certain Avery had in fact left for Yorkshire—and, if possible, to discover how many servants were in residence.
His brow furrowed, Nick stared hard at his sister. “You can get him to do this without arousing his curiosity?”
Athena smiled demurely. “John is quite taken with me, you know—he believes everything I tell him. I shall stick as close to our tale as possible and tell him that Tess desperately wants to retrieve a brooch, which belonged to her mother and which she is particularly fond of, and she doesn't want to run the risk of meeting Avery. He will easily find out exactly when Avery left and just how many servants remain in residence.”
Nick could not fault the plan, nor could he come up with a better one, and yet . . . Pushing aside his feeling of unease, he committed himself to the undertaking.
If they had been impatient before, the days between Tuesday and Friday dragged endlessly for Tess and Nick as they waited for events to fall into place. When Athena came riding over Friday morning, a smile on her face, they knew that Avery had left.
When the trio were alone in the library, Athena took off her riding gloves and her saucy brimmed black velvet hat. She warmed her hands before the fire as she said, “He's gone. He left yesterday afternoon. His valet went with him, and he has given his butler and most of the staff a holiday until after the first of the year. Only a few old retainers remain. Just enough to keep the place in order until his return.”
Tess let her breath out in a rush. Her eyes sparkling, she said eagerly, “Then we can go ahead. This afternoon we shall set the plan in motion.”
Athena nodded slowly, and for the first time Nick noticed a subdued air about her. Her jaw was set in resolute lines, and he wondered at the faint expression of regret he glimpsed in her eyes. “What is it?” he asked quietly. “Have you changed your mind?”
Athena took a deep breath and glanced, not at him, but at the richly furnished room in which they stood. Her eyes finally came back to him. Looking him squarely in the face, she said steadily, “No, I haven't changed my mind. Events will go as planned.”
Athena did not linger. Promising to return at the appointed hour, two o'clock that afternoon, she departed soon afterward.
Tess was bubbling over with excitement. She said teasingly to her husband, “This is far more thrilling than exploring the cellars beneath the gatekeeper's cottage. I can hardly wait to find out if your suspicions are correct!” A little of her excitement ebbed as she added quietly, “I know it will be grisly and sad, but I am so glad that I can be with you when we discover what really happened to them.” She shook off her somber thought and smiled impishly. “You shall not have all the adventures!”
His thoughts elsewhere, Nick made some casual reply and excused himself to have a word with Lovejoy, who was upstairs in Nick's room. Shutting the door carefully behind him, Nick said bluntly, “I may be doing a damn foolish thing, old fellow. I don't believe so and I wouldn't dare risk a hair of Tess's head, but I would feel so much better if I knew that you were aware of what I was about.”
Lovejoy glanced sharply at him, laying aside the jacket he had been brushing. “Now what sorts of tricks are you up to today?” he demanded.
Nick smiled faintly. “I'm not certain. There should be no danger, and if I seriously thought that there was any real danger, I certainly would not be taking my wife with me. I am, I find, growing more cautious the older I get.” He reached inside his jacket and withdrew the diary. Handing it to Lovejoy, he said slowly, “Keep this for me. And if something untoward should happen to me, see that you place it in, and
only
in, my grandmother's hands. My wife and I are going to be visiting Mandeville Manor this afternoon with Athena.” At Lovejoy's start of surprise, Nick added grimly, “Oh, don't worry—the baron is not supposed to be in residence. We intend to solve a mystery and plan on exploring the old dungeons beneath the manor itself.” Their eyes met, and his voice hard, Nick said, “Should your mistress and I not return by, say, seven o'clock this evening—I do not know how long our task may take—I want you and several of the strongest men to come to Mandeville Manor and demand our presence.” Nick smiled thinly. “No matter what you are told, or by whom, do not leave that accursed place without both of us.”
Lovejoy looked greatly disturbed. “You suspect a trap?”
Nick shook his head. “Not necessarily. I'm just not taking any chances.” He grinned.
“You could cry off,” Lovejoy answered quietly.
Nick's jaw set. “No. I have to know the truth about . . . several things.”
Leaving his servant standing there, Nick walked over to one of the massive mahogany wardrobes that lined the north wall of his bedchamber. Rummaging round in it, he eventually found what he was looking for—a small, easily hidden pistol and a deadly-looking knife. Expertly, he slid the knife into the top of his boot, where it was concealed but readily accessible, and hid the little pistol carefully within his waistcoat pocket. “There,” he said grimly, “just in case there are any surprises—I'll have a few of my own.”
Chapter twenty-seven
A
s the hours passed, Nick's feeling of unease did not abate, and he made one last attempt to dissuade Tess from accompanying him to Mandeville Manor. She listened to him in silence before saying calmly, “Do you really believe that you will be able to gain access to Mandeville Manor without me? Or that I would let you,
especially
since you have grave reservations about Athena's trustworthiness?”
Nick rubbed the back of his neck. “It's not that I don't trust her, exactly,” he said in exasperated tones. “I just feel that everything worked out a little too conveniently. Everything has been arranged by her, and we have only her word for it.” He sent Tess a rueful smile. “You have to remember, these past weeks have been the only time in my memory that she and I have managed to get along for any length of time. I've told myself a dozen times that she has changed—perhaps I have changed, too, but it doesn't reassure me very much.” He sighed. “And yet, unless I am willing to believe that my own sister has my demise in mind—as well as yours—I can offer no solid reason for my feelings.”
Tess touched his cheek. “Well, I do believe that Athena has finally decided to make the best of a situation she can't alter. She is genuinely fond of having her own household. Surely you see that?”
Nick stifled a curse and pulled her urgently against him. “Yes, Athena does seem to be far happier living apart from us. I pray you are right and that she has accepted her new position.”
 
At the appointed hour Athena arrived, and with no sign of reservation, Tess and Nick rode away with her. For a trio embarking upon a great adventure, they were all oddly subdued as they traveled toward Mandeville Manor. Nick supposed it was because they knew that, at best, the most they were going to find was a sad little pile of bones—all that remained of Benedict and Theresa after these many years.
Nick had brought the tools they would need to break through the brick wall—two picks, a heavy maul, a pair of shovels, and several thatch torches for light. They were all in the two bulky canvas bags tied across the back of his saddle.
There wasn't much conversation among the three of them as they approached their destination, and even Athena was curiously silent. What little speech they had exchanged came to an abrupt halt when Tess's former home finally came into view. Instinctively they pulled their horses to a halt and stared at the manor. The place looked harmless, just a charming old manor house, drowsing in the weak afternoon sunlight.
Remembering her terror the night she had fled from her home, Tess took a deep breath and said brightly, “Well, shall we?”
The others nodded. The die was cast.
Everything went as planned. An old retainer, Henry Barnes, answered their knock on the door, his seamed face warming as his eyes fell upon Tess's countenance. “Miss!” he exclaimed happily. “You've come back!”
Tess spoke with him a few minutes, introducing her husband and his sister. After he had offered fond congratulations on her marriage and Tess has reassured him that the aunts were fine, Henry confirmed all that Athena had said: the master was gone to Yorkshire until after the first of the year and, except for himself and the cook and a young scullery maid, all the other servants were away, having been given another unexpected holiday.
Leading them into the house, Henry shook his grizzled head and said softly to Tess, “I never would have thought that the new baron would prove so generous to the staff. But he has been most kind in allowing all of us time to spend with our families.”
While Tess urged him to return to his favorite spot near the fire in the kitchen, Nick and Athena went to get the bags of tools. By the time they came back inside, Tess greeted them with the news that Henry had returned to the kitchen, where he would no doubt remain until they rang for him when they were ready to leave. Now they had only to find the bricked wall to the dungeons.
They followed Tess down several narrow, convoluted hallways at the rear of the building, and after a few false starts they finally found themselves walking down a hallway that was obviously very old and seldom used. As Tess explained, the present manor house had been built partially on top of and connected to a much older dwelling—a small stone keep constructed in Norman times. The dungeons had been part of the previous building, and it was unlikely, since they had been bricked up for decades, that anyone ever came to this part of the house. Except for the family and an old servant or two, it was doubtful anyone knew that the dungeons even existed.
They had lit two of the torches some time ago. Tess and Nick were each carrying one, and when they suddenly rounded a corner, the flickering light revealed a most astonishing sight: a brick wall with a huge black gaping hole in the middle of it, mortar and broken bricks lying in a heap near the base.
As soon as he saw the hole, Nick knew it was a trap. Dropping the bags of tools he carried, he was already grabbing for Tess, his first thought to get her away, when Athena said smoothly, “I wouldn't if I were you.”
He glanced at his sister and found himself looking into the double barrel of a pistol. He understood now why she had not wanted to carry a torch and had claimed that the tools were too heavy for her. She was smiling slightly, a mirthless smile that sent chills down his spine. She motioned toward the opening in the brick wall. “Well, go ahead, you wanted to know what happened to them.”
His fingers digging into Tess's arm, Nick said levelly, “Why don't you just tell us what you've found.”
Athena shrugged. “You were right. They
are
here—what is left of them. We found the bodies, bones mostly, in the middle cell on the right. The diamonds, too.”
Tess had known what they would find, but hearing Athena confirm their suspicions sent a stab of pain through her.
Never taking his eyes off Athena's face, Nick asked quietly, “So what happens now? History repeats itself?”
Athena's grimaced. “Yes, I'm rather afraid that's exactly what is going to happen. Now get moving through that opening.”
Nick's eyes met Tess's, and she sent him such a look of love and confidence that his breath caught in his throat. They were
not
going to die!
For a second he considered refusing, but he discarded that option rather swiftly—he had no doubt that Athena would shoot them where they stood. Hoping that a way out of this deadly tangle would occur to him, he released Tess's arm and climbed over the rubble to the other side. Tess followed closely behind him, and Athena, keeping the barrel of the pistol fixed on him, scrambled on their heels, allowing them no chance for escape.
On the other side, they found themselves in a large, dank, stone room, about twelve feet by thirty. The torchlight danced eerily off the dark, smoke-stained walls. Glancing around, Nick saw that several small doorways opened off the main chamber. Cells, he suspected, where poor unfortunates were simply left to die. His eyes lingered on the middle cell on the right, knowing that his grandfather and Theresa's remains rested there—had rested there for nearly seventy long years.... Pray God they had been dead when Gregory sealed them in their tomb.
As she had come through the rubble, Athena had motioned them farther into the chamber, and reluctantly they obeyed, skirting carefully around the menacing black hole that yawned in the center of the stone floor. Only when they were nearly at the far wall of the chamber did Athena let them stop. For a second Nick's gaze rested on that ominous black hole, guessing that it was an old well that had probably served the original building—or a cesspit.
Athena noticed the direction of his gaze and smiled. “No, I don't intend to throw you down there—although that idea did occur to me. I'll be kind enough to shoot you dead before I leave you.”
“How generous of you,” Nick said dryly. “Always the considerate hostess.”
Athena laughed. “Do you know,” she said lightly, “there are times that I almost like you? And regret, perhaps just a tiny bit, that I have to kill you?”
“You don't, you know. You could let us go. No one has been harmed yet.”
Athena gave him a smile and shook her head. “No. I'm afraid you stand between me and what I want.” Her voice hardened. “What
should
have been mine!” She looked sadly at Tess. “As for you, I truly regret the need for your death, but with Nick dead, you would be his heir, which wouldn't do
me
any good. And of course, you could be breeding already. Sorry, my dear, I really have grown rather fond of you this past month.”
The figure of a man suddenly appeared in the shadows behind Athena, and Tess gasped, instinctively moving closer to Nick. Athena seemed not at all surprised by his appearance. As he stepped into the flickering light of the torches held by Tess and Nick, she asked, “Did he give you any trouble?”
John Frampton shook his head. “No. He never even suspected, until it was too late.”
“You're certain he's dead?”
Frampton nodded. “Quite.”
Nick's brows snapped together in a frown. Why the devil was Frampton here? Who was dead? And how in the bloody hell was he to get Tess to safety?
His furiously churning thoughts were jerked back to Athena as she said, “I suppose it's only fair to tell you what we're talking about. . . .” She inclined her head toward the doorway where Frampton had first appeared. “You'll be pleased to know that Avery isn't going to be enjoying a long life. I'm sure you'll dislike sharing eternity down here with him, but there wasn't any other way.”
If Nick had been puzzled before, he was thoroughly confused now. “You had Frampton kill Avery? Why, in God's name? I know the man was a bastard and I'd have liked to kill him myself, but what the devil did he ever do to you?”
Athena seemed to be enjoying herself, and Nick was thankful that she also seemed willing to talk. Smiling faintly, she said, “Well, you see, Avery has been a bit of a problem for us for some time now—perhaps the last eight to ten months. I just decided that since I was going to get rid of you, I might as well take care of him while I was at it.”
Nick frowned. “What sort of problem? Don't tell me that he tried to seduce you?”
Athena laughed aloud at that. “Avery? Oh, heavens, no!”
She hesitated and looked questioningly at Frampton. He made a face and shrugged. “They're never leaving here alive, tell them if you want to.”
“Well, you see, I wasn't quite truthful when I said that Randal was always generous with me,” Athena began carefully. “He could be as tight-fisted as you have been lately, so some time ago—when John inherited his father's estates and discovered that they were sadly to let—he and I put our heads together to bolster up our sagging fortunes. The solution was simple, particularly when you consider the area—and its, ah, natural resources.”
Nick's eyes narrowed. “You turned to smuggling.”
Athena nodded. “Yes, dear brother, we did. We were very successful at it, too—we were on the verge of abandoning our lucrative little operation when John suffered a slight setback, a bad investment, and Randal and Sidney died. You became the new earl and Avery inherited Mandeville.” She sighed regretfully. “After that, we hesitated to end our illegal activities just then—I did not want to walk away from the smuggling until I knew precisely where my position would be in your household, and John wanted to recoup and expand the size of his holdings. Still, we had intended to continue only for a few more months. But then Avery discovered what we were about, and that changed everything.”
Nick nodded, “It would, knowing Avery,” he said dryly. “I assume that he blackmailed you both into giving him a share of the profits?”
John Frampton spoke up, his tone bitter. “Cut himself in a for a full third, when Athena and I had already done all the work. We'd set up everything—even the horses and carts for transport—and then that bastard Avery just calmly demands a third of our operation. He threatened to expose us. We had no choice.”

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