Midnight Masquerade (12 page)

Many hours later, she tossed
her covers off her
and
slid out of bed and wrapped her white matching robe over her nightgown and pulled her door op
en. She needed fresh air, and a short stroll outside. She knew her brother
s would be furious with her for going out into the garden, especially since someone had just tried to shoot her there days ago.
Overly confident that they had taken measures to keep the property secure, she wasn’t worried about getting shot at again.

Barefoot, she walked down the back stairs and out into the garden without second thought, she was so mad she wanted to scream.
Why hadn’t Alastair reigned in his bitch?
Rolling her neck, it felt incredible to have the lush grass underneath her feet as she stretched her limbs. Carrying a child was making her sluggish and sore, her muscles all screamed as she walked through the open air garden.

London was asleep, only the pale moonlight lit her way as she ran a hand over her stomach. Still flat, she knew it would only be a matter of time before she began to show. Rounding the corner to her favorite spot, she smelled his cologne. Looking up, Alastair sat waiting for her, his eyes upon her as he sat in her favorite chair underneath the roses.

Stopping in her tracks, “What are you doing here?”

Standing up, he rolled his neck and started to walk towards her, “I’ve came to say goodnight to my two favorite people.”

Holding out her hand, “Stop Alastair, you are the last person I want to see.”

“You’re mad at me?” He questioned, pointing to his own chest.

Crossing her arms, she scowled at him, “Of course I am.”
Why did he have to look so devilishly handsome?

Stepping closer, he asked quietly, “Can I at least as
k
why?”

“Are you
jesting
right now?
Hm
, let’s see, you
told
me that I will marry you.”

“You will.”

“I will
not
, and then you stood there and let that bitch degrade me in public, you said nothing, even when she declared I was to never dance with you again.” Tears stung her eyes as she said the words.

“You needed no assistance Lia, you put her right in her place and you certainly didn’t need my assistance
to do so
, furthermore I was standing right behind you, I literally had your back.”

Throwing her hands in the air, “I can’t do this Alastair, I’m leaving town.”

Closing the distance between them, he cradled her face, “Like hell you are leaving
me
Lia.”

Smacking away his hands, “I need time away from this blasted city, away from you. A few week
s Alastair, I’m going to Scotland.
”

“I will not be without you.”

“You are just going to have to deal with it Alastair. You will learn you cannot tell me what to do, you cannot order me around. I am not your wife, I am not yo
ur fiancée.
I am nothing to you.
I will do whatever the hell I want to!”

“You are nothing to me? Do you hear yourself right now Lia? This isn’t about only you now, you have our child to think about.”

“My child.”

“Oh fuck you, that is
our
child, don’t you dare deny me of that!” He shouted.

Closing her eyes, she knew her words had hurt him. She was talking about of anger and hurt, she just wanted to run away and hide in Scotland for a month and sort everything out in her head.

“I’m sorry Alastair that was unfair. Please, please just let me go to Scotland for a few weeks, I promise I’ll come back.” She couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer, covering her face with her hands she began to cry as he stepped closer and wrapped her in his arms, rubbing her back.

“Can you sleep on it Lia? I know this is a giant mess, but I can’t live without you.”

“I’ll only be gone a few weeks
, you’ll manage
.”

“It doesn’t matter Lia, if I can’t have you at my side every waking moment
as my true fiancée, as my true future wife and duchess than
I need to at lea
st be able to see you two daily until that is possible.” T
ipping up her chin, he looked down at her, “I will fix everything, I will make it right I just need time Lia.
I can’t go to Scotland with you right now, please just
let me fix this, give me time.
”

“You have your mistresses and Porsche to keep you entertained Alastair, you do not need me.”

“I have not visited my mistresses since I made love to you at Van Allendale’s Lia, and I have
never
slept with Porsche, even af
ter she claimed to be the one. I need you more than you can realize.”

Reaching up, she cupped his chin, “Alastair, let me go please. I am in pain and hurting here, I need to get away from this city.”

Bowing his head, he ran his arm around her shoulders an brought her close to his chest, “
Let’s
get you back upstairs Lia, we can talk about this tomorrow.
You and our baby need sleep.
”

Closing her eyes, her head and heart hurt. Nodding against his chest she wrapped her arms around his slim waist and simply hugged him in the quiet garden. Feeling him shift, he lifted her off her feet and went in the same way she exited
. Leaning against his strong
chest she held on tight as emotions ran through her, she wanted this man so bad, she carried his child yet right now, they couldn’t be together. Every kiss, every touch made her fall deeper in love with him, the uncertainty of the future worried her.

Not even worrying about the household, she closed her eyes and tried to relax as he carried her into her room and sat her softly on the bed.

“In you go love,” He purred quietly, pulling back the covers before he reached forward and untied her white lace robe, “Jesus Lia, are all your night clothes so revealing?”

Slipping into the cool bed she nodded, “Yes.”

“Your brothers are fine with you wearing this stuff?”

“My brothers have not approved my wardrobe choices in years, and certainly not my undergarments, they do not ever see me wearing this so why would they care?”

Feeling the bed bend under his weight, she looked over her shoulder to see him tossing his jacket in her chair, tossing his cravat next to it. Hearing his boots hit the floor she raised an eyebrow, “What are you doing?

“I’m going to lie down next to you and hold you until you fall asleep in my arms, like how it should be.”

Sighing
, she didn’t argue. Having him next to her, holding her sounded lovely. It bothered her that in public he belonged to Porsche, but in private, he was all hers. If she had to choose, she would choose this. Since he found out she carried his child he had been so endearing. He had rubbed her feet, checked on her constantly. She understood his hesitation about heading north to
Scotland;
it would be hell to not see each other
daily
.

Feeling him pull her against his chest, he kissed her shoulder and temple. Running his hand over her hip, he let his strong hand rest on her belly. Tucked in together she felt him let out a deep breath as if he was finally at peace. She had thought so much about herself, she forgot how much he was going through. She felt incredibly selfish when she thought about her words, her actions.

Shocked that a man with roguish reputation hadn’t visited his mistress in weeks, she pondered why. It made her heart happy to know he hadn’t laid with another woman since they had been together, faithfulness was something she needed. Remembering to bank that topic for another night, she yawned and put her hand on top of his and shut her eyes.

Leaving his sleeping angel was harder than he imagined. He wasn’t lying last night when he told her she and the baby were his favorite people. The instant he had found out that she carried his baby the tides had shifted.

He had wanted nothing more than to be a family wit
h the dazzling brunette with gre
y eyes. The past weeks had been hell on him let alone the past few days. Porsche had been vile to Amelia last ni
ght, her jealousy was toxic. Porsche
had dug her heels in when he refused to set a date for their wedding
, she had claimed she might be carrying his child and they needed to be wed soon.
The woman was like a leach, it was clear she was th
ere for money and a title only, she was using everything she could to get him to marry her quickly. It made him livid that she lied to him, and he couldn’t disprove her without acknowledging it was truly Amelia that night and not her.

He still had yet to find a way to break the engagement that wouldn’t cause a huge scandal, it was unheard of for a man to break the engagement. Typically, it was only socially acceptable for ladies to do such a thing. Knowing the blonde gold-digger wouldn’t ever le
t him
walk away amicably
, he had to find a way before Amelia gave up on him.
He did not doubt that she would exit the city if he didn’t make things right soon.

Jogging up the stairs of the Somerset house, the sun was now high in the sky as
Owen let him in
. He had left right before the sun came up, kissed his sleeping lover and went home to bathe and change before returning for his
meeting with Luke and Gideon. Together the three men had been running security and following up on the man Amelia had saw murdered.

Whoever
the killer was, he had seen her that day, now she was a marked target. Someone was trying to cover their tracks and eliminate her so she couldn’t identify them. They knew she hadn’t gotten a good enough description of the murder to cause trouble, but it appeared there murderer wasn’t taking chances.

“
Good morning Your Grace
, the men
are already in the library.” Owen announced as he entered the elaborate entrance to Gideon and Helena’s home.

Tipping his head, he took off his hat and jacket and handed it to the experienced butler, “Thank you Owen, is Lady Amelia awake yet?”

Shaking his head and taking the items, “No, lately we do not see her until the afternoon. I’m starting to worry the little thing will
whither
away, she hasn’t ea
ten well in days.”

The news worried him, he knew she was having morning sickness due to the child, but not eating was very unlike her, in the years he had known her she had always maintained her petite figure but had a
great
love for food.

“I’ll talk to her later about it Owen, thank you for letting me know.” He offered honestly. Owen didn’t have to say anything, typically he never did. The man must have known his intentions towards Amelia in order to share such personal information about her.
He pondered if the Somerset staff had realized Amelia’s condition yet, her brothers still didn’t even know. Only Helena, Amelia and himself knew of the child.

Walking into the library without knocking, he saw the Somerset brother’s standing by the large window looking at a piece of paper, both turning to look at him.

Saluting to his friends, “Morning boys, what do you have there?”

“Runner’s report about the murdered man Lia found, his name is Sylvester Mortimer, he’s a well-known bookie who runs gambling off Wisteria Acres.”

“The horse track?” He asked, taking a seat before the desk.

“The same one, we think whoever killed him had to be connected.
Possibly a gambling deal gone bad, blackmail, you know the sorts who frequent the track.
” Gideon offered, walking over and handing him the detailed report.

Reading over it, he looked up and asked, “Who is going to Wisteria to ask around?”

“You and I,
right now.
” Luke told him, nodding to the door, “Are you ready?”

Slightly put off that he would go another morning and afternoon without seeing Amelia, he nodded, “My carriage is still out front, let’s go.”
Right now he knew taking
finding
the murderer was far more important. Amelia’s life was a stake and he could not, would not gamble with her life any longer. This had to stop.

Bidding Gideon goodbye, Luke and Alastair headed out for the well-known
racetrack
north of London called Wisteria Lanes. It was a hot spot for racing and gambling, both legal but often steeped in illegal activities and corruption.

Taking a seat, Alastair tossed his hat on the seat and ran his hand through his hair as his best friend took the seat across from him.

“So do you mind telling me why you are engaged to that lying bitch Porsche when it is obvious that you care for my little sister? We’ve seen it for years mate, we were all shocked when you announced that Porsche was your vanishing widow, enlighten me, please.”

“I had a knee jerk reaction to a fight with Amelia, I thought she was in love with another man. Out of jealousy I asked Porsche to marry me, now here I am. Engaged to the wrong woman, and no closer to finding a way out of the damn marriage without rocking society.”

“So
Porsche
is not the Widow Claudette?”

“Not even close, she lied, that alone makes me livid. You know how much I value trust, the young thing twisted what I looked for and made me believe she could be the one. Add in my confusion about Amelia
,
and I made one of the most disastrous decisions of my life.” Rolling his neck, he leaned back against the padded cushioned bench and saw Luke’s brain mull over his words.

“Well, you are the Duke of Blackstone, no one can tell you that you have to marry that chit, who cares if you make waves breaking the engagement, she’ll rebound and you are a duke. I don’t think I have to tell you that London will forgive you of anything you do, you’re the Golden Duke, loved by all.”

“I’d rather not do anything brash, but I will if I have to. There is no way I’ll marry that little blonde bitch, I don’t even want to escort her around. Playing pretend with her makes me sick.”

“Alastair, between us and Gideon, we can get you out of it. I assure you. We’d never let you be miserable for the rest of your life, we wouldn’t want to deal with your whining for years to come.” Chuckling, Luke leaned forward, “I do have to ask you, and although I’m sure I know what y
ou say, you are my best friend…
are you in love with
Lia?”

Looking at his closest friend in the eyes, he said the words that his heart had been telling him for a very long time, “Yes.”
He hadn’t told her that, but he knew in his heart that he loved the woman more than life itself.

Sitting back, Luke grinned, “Good. Now that’s out of the way, let’s focus on finding clues so we can find this bloody bastard hell bent on snuffing her out of our lives.
Then we’ll focus on getting you out of marrying Porsche.
”

Her
mind was made up. Amelia had decided that morning she
was leaving for Scotland
tomorrow.
She had dressed for tonight’s ball with little
excitement;
the last thing she wanted was to see Porsche again.
Standing in her room she looked in the mirror and turned sideways, a slight change in her belly was noticeable to her, still flat where others wouldn’t notice, she could tell her body was changing.

Running her hand over her abdomen, a tear fell down her face. She felt like a whore, pregnant out of wedlock was not the future she had ever envisioned for herself. She knew Alastair was going to be angry, but ultimately he couldn’t stop her. She had talked to Helena and Gideon this afternoon about leaving tomorrow morning, although Gideon didn’t know she was with child, he did understand her request to get out of town for a few weeks.

Because of the man hunting her, he said the only way he’d allow her to go is if he and Helena went with her. He refused to gamble with her life, not trusting any of his guards to protect her as well, he had started to prepare to move the family as early as tomorrow morning. She was so thankful he
understood
, she knew Helena had persuaded him
,
making her job easier.

Her trunks were
packed;
staring at them she felt a little hallow thinking about leaving Alastair here with Porsche for a few weeks. She knew she couldn’t marry Alastair
purely
because she carried his child, nor could she sit here and deal with Porsche’s venom. She didn’t deserve it.

She did not want her name on the tip of the Ton’s mouth when Alastair broke the engagement. Especially after last night when Porsche had damn near yelled at her before all the guests. It was clear the young girl was volatile and lacked any class.
The Ton
would speculate, and assume, it was what they did best. It was clear to anyone who watched that her and Alastair were lovers, the way they danced, the way they touched each other, it was clear as day.

Amelia had made a few decisions for her own well-being this afternoon, one she had unfortunately needed to break to Alastair tonight before she and her family left for their Scottish estate in the morning. She had thought about writing him, but she knew he’d be
over the moment he read the letter. Not telling him wasn’t an option either, she cared too much about him to leave without telling him why.

He asked her to sleep on her decision and she
had, the answer
hadn’t
change
d
. She needed a break from him, from London and just go to their Scottish castle and be with nature and feel peace for a while. She never really had been one for the city anyway, much more home in the countryside she longed to ride her horse through the open fields in Scotland once again, to feel the wind in her hair and smile once again.

Arriving late to the ball, the majority of London had already been present for well over two hours by the time she arrived with Gideon and Helena.
Seeing her
best friend
Hero first, Amelia waved to her friend
Hero
bounced over to her with a smile.

“Lia! I was wondering when I was going to see you!” Hero offered, taking her arm and swinging her around with a laugh. It was easy to smile around Hero, her troubles were always forgotten when she was with her friend.

“Hello Hero, I’m sorry we were running late. How are you tonight? I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages!” She admitted, holding onto Hero’s arm the two started to walk around crowded room. The sound of music and laughter filled her ears as she concentrated on her dear friend.

“We haven’t seen each other much Lia, but I understand. How are you holding up?” Hero asked, knowing full well how much she cared for Alastair.

Rolling her eyes, “I’ve been better Hero, I just can’t take this anymore. I’m sick of waiting around. I refuse to have another run in with Porsche like I did last night.”

“Well, if you really want to make the man move…make him jealous. You know that is the oldest trick in the book. Here, there is Divenroth…Alastair always gets cranky when he sees you dancing with the handsome earl. Go have fun my friend, don’t worry about Alastair or what he is doing. Enjoy your night and smile and laugh, I guarantee it’ll have your man jumping to attention. By the way, your gown, love it.”

Kissing Hero’s cheek, she smiled, “I love you, you know that right Hero?”

“Of course I know that, that’s why we are best friends. Someday soon, when I find a man I want to marry you can help me just as I’m helping you.”

Taking a look over the sea of people, Amelia allowed her true rebellious nature to blossom once again, “Hero, we need to find a waiter with a tray of champagne, I’m in the mood for a drink before I go about ignoring one of the most powerful men in our country, all while trying in
incite
his jealous
y
.”

Nodding and smiling brightly, “Oh there is the Amelia I know and love, I see a waiter right over there,
ooooh
, and Divenroth noticed you my sweet, I don’t think it’ll take long before he’s at your side.”

The two giggled as they linked arms and nearly skipped over to the waiter and
relieved
him of six glasses of champagne. Knowing she shouldn’t drink didn’t really stop
her, she knew well enough that some wouldn’t hurt her or the baby. In reality, a drink was exactly what she needed.

Within seconds she had shaken off the sulking invisible cloak she had been wearing. Just because her situation wasn’t ideal didn’t mean she couldn’t still have fun and laugh with her fri
ends. She had turned into a moping
introvert these past weeks, and she had enough.

“Ladies! You two look like a bunch of trouble wrapped up in expensive silk, can I join?”
Henry teased, pulling in next to them, he nudged both of them playfully as he stepped in between them.