Midnight Masquerade (36 page)

“Did you see Alastair when you arrived?”

“I did, he greeted us and pointed me in your direction little one. There is a sadness in his eyes I haven’t seen before.”

“Oh Helena, that is awful to say.” Dropping her chin to her chest she felt incredibly guilty.

“It is the truth Lia, you are a woman and I’ll be damned if you are shielded from the truth. Every decision we make, reaction we have sets a ripple in the pool that affects all those around us. You told me you love Alastair, and I do not doubt that for one minute my little love, but I do have to ask you if you think he feels your love right now? Or, does he feel like he’s about to marry a woman who has feelings for someone else?”

“I am so confused right now.” She admitted.

“Have a drink love, I’m sure Alastair has some fine Scotch hidden in this spectacular room of yours. Have a drink, I shall see you at dinner my beautiful little sister, I have faith in you and your heart Amelia Elizabeth Somerset.”

Watching Helena walk towards the door, she blew her a kiss, “I love you Helena, I thank God everyday that you married my brother. I miss my mother everyday, but the blow is softened considerably with you in my life. I know she looks over you with pride in her heart, you keep us all in line and smiling.”

“Ah dear heart, I pray that is so. Remember, with love comes loss, do not lose your chance at happiness Amelia. Follow your heart.”

With those soft words Helena slipped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her. Standing up from the chair she looked in the mirror to see the wonderful job Helena had worked with her hair. It sat high upon her head, showcasing her jaw and neck.

Suddenly wanting to look her best for Alastair given the hell she had put him through today she scurried into the wardrobe to search for the perfect dress. Finding the perfect one she slipped into it easily and laced the long back with ease
.

Hearing a strong knock upon her door, she heard Luke’s deep voice.

“Oh Amelia, I have something for you…open up little one.”

Grinning she ran to her door and threw it wide, looking back at her was her handsome brother who had an arm full of children.

Putting her hands together over her chest, the vision of her nephews and niece brought happiness to her instantly, “Oh Luke, you bring the
best
surprises!” taking her sleeping niece from his arm, she kissed Claire’s sweet face.

“I do like to be the favorite brother,
and may I add you look stunning Lia?”

Smiling at him and her adorable nephews, she looked up at Luke, “Stow the compliments Luke, I know you brought these little angels to soften me, I know your tricks brother.”

Nudging her, “You do look fantastic Amelia, truly. As far as these little buggers, I know you would have missed them and they’ll need to go to the nursery soon. I didn’t want to make you wait till tomorrow to see them.”

Leaning up she kissed Luke’s jaw, then lowered to look at each of her chubby cheeked nephews cradled in his arm
s, kissing Theodore and Everett’s little faces she added, “You are most correct, thank you.” It felt like home having her family here, seeing her brother’s children melted the last of her defenses. This was her home, this was her family and Alastair was the pillar of it all.

“You look like you just had an
epiphany
Lia.” Luke offered in a telling tone.

With Luke she never hid her emotions, she wore her feelings on her dress sleeves with him, “Indeed.”

“Do I take it we have no need to discuss Rory?” His voice growing bitter when he said the man’s name, she didn’t blame him at all. In fact, she should start feeling exactly like Luke.

Shaking her head, “Not one bit. He is a ghost I buried long ago that will pop up in my life, but he shall always be in the past. I know exactly what my future looks like.”

Leaning down, he kissed her head, “That’ a girl Lia. Knew you had it in you the entire time. Kiss your lit
tle troupe of nephews and niece
, I need to take them upstairs to Mrs. Potts…that woman is positively delightful Lia, I really like her. She’s over the moon with the idea of opening up the nursery. “

Grinning wildly at his well-subdued praise to her decision, and his approval of Mrs. Potts she tucked Claire in his strong arms and wrapped her arms around them all, “Thank you Luke. I love you very much, I love my entire family so much it hurts at times.”

Chuckling, “Now that I can understand completely little dove, I’ll see you at dinner Lia.”

Watching her second pride and joys exit the room safely in Luke’s skilled arms she closed the door softly behind them and took a deep breath. Like a flash of light all doubt had scattered, she had been told to follow her heart and there was only direction her heart now pointed, exclusively to Alastair, always Alastair.

Looking around the room she lit candles throughout the room casting it into a romantic reprieve. Reaching up to her neck she realized she had no idea where her jewelry had been unloaded, not seeing it in her wardrobe she scanned the room looking for a vault.

With her hands on her hips she slowly walked the entire room, pulling at paintings to see if they’d give way to a hidden safe. Wanting to look h
er best for
him, she had so much to make up for.

“Looking for something Lia?”

His deep voice made her jump, spinning towards the direction of his seductive tone she saw him standing in the archway of the hidden door holding his hand with a bloody linen.”

“Jesus Alastair,” crossing the room she took his hand into hers, “what happened?” pulling the linen away from his hand she saw a cut shaped like a
crescent
moon. A glass.  Looking up at his face she saw him flex his jaw as she pressed against him.

“I slammed my glass down a tad hard while catching up with Gideon in my library. I’ll be fine Lia, I’ve suffered far worse.” Slowly pulling his hand away from her he closed the secret door and stepped out of her path and walked towards his wardrobe.

He didn’t compliment her. He tensed when she pressed her breasts against him. Her wolf was wounded, figuratively and literally.

“Alastair…”

Turning, the look he shot her had her stopping in her tracks, “Not now Amelia. I do not want to talk about today right now. I have had far too much thrown at me today to try to fit in a discussion right now.”

Shocked at his attitude, it inwardly made her want him so much. He had only raised his voice at her a few times in life. He normally gave her everything she wanted, being denied was oddly arousing to her.

Shrugging her shoulders, she walked directly over to him and ran her hand over his impressive bulge; leaning into him she captured his mouth and kissed him with a desperate need. His hands were on her in seconds, lifting her up as he ran a hand up her silk shirts, plunging it into her.

“It this what you want?” He asked, his hand plundering her.

“I want you!” She growled, ripping his shirt open. Buttons scattered across the room pinging off the walls. Biting his shoulder she arched against him as she moaned.

“How does it feel to want something so badly only to have it want something else?” He growled, taking his hand out of her he sat her back down on her feet and disappeared into the wardrobe. The sound of something crashing inside of it echoed throughout the room.

Leaning against the wall she closed he
r eyes and covered her mouth. H
is point was razor sharp, this words hit home perfectly. Unsure of what to say she crossed the room to the liquor chest she had found earlier and poured herself a
three-finger
drink as her hand shook.

Raising it to her lips she took a deep drink and closed her eyes. She didn’t blame him, he had every right to be angry. He was showing her emotions he normally kept hidden under that unbreakable mask of his. She had made him livid and he wasn’t
hiding
anything from her.

“I’m sorry Alastair.”

From inside the wardrobe she heard him shout, “We are
not
talking about this right now Amelia!”

Screaming, she turned towards his wardrobe and whipped her glass as hard as she could. Watching it cross the room and shatter against the wall, “I can say whatever the fucking bloody hell I want Alastair, if you want to be so daft to not listen than be my guest, but you will never silence me!”

He was out of the wardrobe in an instant, dressed perfectly in all black donning a red cravat that matched her blood red dress perfectly. Running his hand through his sandy blonde hair he rolled his neck and looked up from the shattered glass directly into her eyes, “The lady doth have a temper when her demands are not made, such a temper.
”

Clench
ing her fists at her side she knew he had a brilliant point. She had just told him to stop giving her everything she wanted, and he had stopped and she was acting like a spoiled brat.

“I don’t want to fight with you Alastair.” She whispered, looking down at the ground in shame.

Feeling him approach she felt emotionally vulnerable. Feeling his hand slide over her silk covered hip and pull her close as he tipped up her jaw and looked into her eyes, “No fighting love. Lets have dinner with your family and welcome them to Blackstone together, you and I.”

Throwing her hands around his strong neck, “I’d like that very much.”

Dinner had went surprisingly smooth for the group, his unrest had been settled long enough to enjoy a hearty meal with Amelia and her family. Although it was clear to all that he and Amelia were not seeing eye to eye, their guests were quick to divert attention away from them and have an entertaining evening.

The ladies had each retired upstairs
afterward
, all were exhausted from their travels and Amelia had escorted them all to their rooms. He and the men had retired to his library for a few drinks, and most importantly to discuss very important matters.

There was a murderer at large, the man who had tried unsuccessfully to kill Amelia was still free and most likely still looking for her.

Pouring his friends a drink, he handed each of them a large glass and took a seat by the fire with a large sigh. Today had went from perfect to absolute hell, he had yet to settle his disagreement with Amelia, even now he wasn’t sure what he was going to say.

“Where would you like to start
old man?” Luke asked, taking a drink he too sat down in one of the large chairs and stared at him. Beside him, Gideon dropped into a comfortable chair and crossed his legs.

Rolling his neck, “Bring me up to speed on our London suspects first.”

Gideon leaned forward and offered, “We have it narrowed down to several men, one who would have more motive than any to kill Amelia off.”

“VanEtter,
Porche’s
father.
” He growled.

Nodding Luke added, “Not only does he have massive gambling debts at the racetrack that he’s unable to pay, he has been known to blackmail those around him to avoid it going public. The man Amelia witnessed murdered was a known bookie for him. He was also in the circle of people outside the theatre that night Amelia swore she heard his voice.”

Taking a deep drink, Alastair offered, “Yes, and once she entered that circle he shut his mouth and smoothly left without being noticed by his peers. He has much on the line if it is indeed him, Reginald VanEtter is a Viscount with several daughters and a wife who loves to spend money they obviously do not have. If he were to be labeled a cheat,
or a murderer their family would be shunned from society and he’d end up in debtors’ prison.”

Gideon leaned forward and looked directly at the fire, “Do you think Porsche has anything to do with it? You were engaged to her for a period of time, could she have a hand in the murder?”

Shaking his head, “I do not see her as an accomplice, she’s far too
flighty
. I do see her as being money hungry and aiming directl
y for me for my money and titles
. What do
fathers
do when they are low on funds?”

“They marry off their daughters to rich lords who will pay their debts.” Luke
answered immediately.

“Exactly Luke, and now he’s got a daughter who has been shamed by society, a broken engagement to me and to top it all off, my new fiancé is the woman he wants to kill, for more than one reason now.”

“Bloody hell Alastair.” Gideon muttered, downing the rest of his drink, “He will come here, he will try to finish her off before she can out him to the world as the murderer. He has too much riding on it, and Amelia is the only one who can testify against him.”

Standing up, he grabbed the bottle of Scotch and topped off their drinks, “We have eyes placed all over London and every road between there and here. Our men will notify us by a coded message attached to a falcon if he makes a move to the north. There is no way he can ride faster than our birds, we will be prepared for him and we will end this.”

“Damn right we will!” Gideon lifted his glass and nodded.

Luke rolled his neck and looked over at him, “Now that is out of the way, can we please talk about what the hell is going on with you and my sister?”

Closing his eyes, he should have known Luke would bring it up. He knew Luke had went upstairs upon his arrival and saw Amelia before dinner, he wasn’t up there long but long enough for Amelia to tell him herself.

“I’m sure your little sister has already shared what occurred.”

Shaking his head, “Actually, she didn’t. For one time in her life she didn’t need my assistance. I know it has to do with Rory because Helena told me, but Amelia didn’t want or need to talk to me about it. I’ll tell you, it was quite a change Alastair.”

“Honestly?” He asked, stunned that Amelia didn’t divulge the entire
fight with him, seeing both brothers nod he added, “Until today I had no idea that Amelia had been engaged so young in life, I had no idea that she harbored an affection for a man from her past. In life’s unfortunate timing we ran into Rory DeVos directly after Amelia found out his wife had passed months ago.”

“Good God, I’m sorry we never shared that with you Alastair. At the time we were out of Eton, Gideon was at war and Amelia was still in the schoolroom. Our father had a fit upon hearing she accepted Rory’s proposal and refused to give his blessing. He never
trusted that man, none of us did.
She was so young, none of us considered a true engagement.
”

Gideon added, “We honestly thought it was far in the past Alastair, it has been six years and he was a married man.”

Taking a drink he asked, “Amelia stated he used to send her letters after his marriage, regretting his decision and leading her on to believe he still cared for her.”

Nodding, “That bastard played with her heart, he only wanted her money. She was fifteen, who gets engaged that young? We shipped her off to Lady Juliet and a few weeks later he had married another heiress instead. Yes, he did send her letters, I found them and put a stop to it. Once she had her coming out in London I could see her holding back from trying to find a husband, she still held a tender for Rory.
She hasn’t mentioned in in years, literally years.
”

“Yes well, it was clear by today’s events that she still does. I have never wanted to snap a man’s neck so much in my life. Seeing his hands on her, his remarks about finding his son a new mother, and how he wanted to right the wrongs of his past sent me into a rage.”

“One would think she should hate the man for the pain he caused her.” Gideon mumbled.

Nodding, Alastair had to agree, “
I cannot marry her if she loves another.”

“Well you certainly aren’t going to let her marry that rat
shit
sack
Rory are you?” Luke balked.

“Her and I have yet to truly discuss today’s events. I was so bloody mad I refused to let her speak about it before dinner, I had yet to settle my rage
and the last thing I wanted to do was get into a full blown argument with her at that point in time
. If she has feelings for him, or any man she needs to sort those out before she becomes my wife.”

Clearing his throat Gideon calmly asked, “Are you sure she loves him?”

Throwing his hand in the air, he stood up, “I have no bloody idea what she feels!” Rolling his neck he began pacing before the fireplace as both Somerset brothers watched him.

“Alastair, here you are pondering what is in her heart, and even from your own admission you refused to let her speak earlier. For the love of all that is holy, go talk to her! How do you expect to know where she stands when you haven’t
taken the time to talk about it?”
Luke interjected in his stern voice, “When I was up there with her, she knew exactly where she stood I didn’t even have to lecture her. Stop being so damn stubborn and get your ass upstairs and talk to your future wife!”

Cringing at Luke’s damn good point
he walked over to the large widow and looked out over the moonlit bay as the waves crashed against the craggy rocks below, “Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life, you two speaking logic to me when I’m clearly acting like a child?”

“Hey, you’re going to be the newest member of our family Alastair, you’ve been our boss for years, now you’re marrying our little sister so we get to finally tell
you
what to do for once in our lives, don’t think we aren’t going to soak up every damn second of this.” Gideon offered, drinking the rest of his Sco
tch and sitting his glass down with a grin.

Standing up, Luke walked over and thumped him on the back, “It is a bit comical to see the
all-powerful
Duke of Blackstone
discombobulated over a woman.”

“Oh stuff it Luke, both of you dealt with the same drama with your own wives! Don’t forget I was there and got to watch both of you wade through your own muddy waters on your way to marital bliss, just like I am doing now.”

“Well, good luck with that old chum. I’m going up to my room to my wife, I’ll see you all in the morning, best get this figured out Alastair. We need to get you married off, and catch this killer.” Gideon offered, saluting him as he exited the large library with a smile.

Looking over at Luke who now stood by the fireplace, “I won’t let her marry Rory, I can promise you that.”

Grinning, “Never doubted you for one minute m
ate
, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tipping his head, he too bowed out of the library in search of his bed and wife for the night leaving Alastair alone.

Her fingers danced over the ivory keys of Alastair’s priceless piano, tucked in the corner so she could see the fireplace and bed it gave her a full view of the room that was devoid of her lover.

Still in her blood red gown she played what her heart felt, it had been so long since she had played
the piano
. So used to singing, she let her emotions flow out of her hands and into the room with somber tones.
Her melody was low and sad, much like her heart.

Upon coming upstairs tonight she had cleaned up the shattered glass from her earlier tirade, it still felt unsettling to be denied by Alastair. Yet, at the same time it made her smile that he stood his ground with her. She did not want a man who would bend at her every command, and he showed her tonight where his breaking point was.

On top of piano was the decanter of Scotch and an empty glass, she had planned to wait up for Alastair hoping she could talk to him and ease his anger. Yawning she wasn’t sure how
much longer she could wait up.
She knew that her brothers and Alastair had a lot to
discuss;
she had almost slipped down the hidden hallway to eavesdrop on them but decided against it at the last moment.

Closing her eyes she thought about Alastair as she played, really thought about him and what it would be like to be married to the man. He was everything she had ever wanted, but she had yet to treat him like that. At every corner she made a muddled mess of things, the masquerade, hiding from him for weeks, the pregnancy and so much more.
She had given him reason to believe she didn’t want him,
acted like a bumbling fool yet he
refused to give up on her.

Sighing deeply she rolled through a deeply sorrowful measure in the song, feeling a tear roll down her cheek she reached
up to wipe it away and felt a
hand stop her.

Looking over her left should
er
he
stood so close.

“
How long have you been there?” S
he whispered, a bit shocked she hadn’t heard him, nor seen him.

Wiping the tear off her face, he cupped her jaw, “A lon
g time, I had forgotten how lovely
you played. I expected to hear you sing while you played…”

“I only sing when my heart is happy, and I am not happy with myself or my actions of late.” She admitted, gently pressing her face into his hand as she shut her eyes and enjoyed the comfort of him being near.

Feeling him lift her off the piano bench, she felt him take the seat
she had just occupied and si
t her directly on his lap as he positioned her so he could reach the keys to the piano.

Kissing her softly he offered, “I’ll play, you talk.”

Leaning into his chest she slid her hands around his broad chest and hugged him while his fingers graced the keys of the piano in a
lulling melody. Praying the words came out right, she started out with what she should have said weeks ago, “I’m sorry Alastair,” feeling his body tense with her words she continued on, “I’m sorry that I kept my identity from you after the masquerade.
I should have told you right away when I found out you were looking for the woman from that night.
I wish I would have been brave enough to tell you I carried your child instead of letting you believe I had lain with another man. I’m sorry that I chose to run to Luke with my problems instead of talking to you about them. I’ve acted more like a scared child than a woman in love, for that I am deeply sorry. Yet, at every turn you were there, you have stood strong against my tirades.”

He continued to play as he replied, “We’ve both made mistakes Amelia.”

Nodding, “Yes, but you have never waivered in your decision to marry me. I refused to consider marrying you based solely because I carried your child and believed you only wanted me because of the child. I had a crying fit when I moved out of Gideon’s, I ran away to my brother’s house after a fight. Then today, I acted like I was some love-struck waif who was ready to swoon.”