Once Upon an Accident 01 - The Accidental Countess (19 page)

“Until you accept me, you will always leave me with doubts.”

She felt his hesitation, thought maybe, just maybe there was hope, but it deflated a moment later as she heard him walk to his door.

“I will tell Mother to go on without me.”

She looked back over her shoulder and fought another wave of sympathy, the need to comfort. He looked so pained, so rejected that she wanted to take back every word.

“No, you go ahead. There is no reason for you to stay here.”

He opened his mouth, but she stopped him. “Really, there is no reason for you to be here, and at the moment I do not want to see you.”

He studied her, his eyes pleading with her for something she could not understand. If he would take it back, declare his love, tell her he never wanted her to leave, that he wanted to spend the rest of his days with her, she would gladly forget all his words. But the declaration never came. And truthfully, she wasn’t sure she would believe him if he said it now. With a curt nod, he left her. When she heard the click of the door, she sank down on the floor, covered her mouth with her hand and began to cry.

*

Sebastian shifted his weight from foot to foot, his mind telling him that everything would be okay, while his heart kept sending out warnings. Warnings that he was losing Colleen.

He nodded to an acquaintance but barely noticed who it was.

“You need to smile, Sebastian, or else everyone will think there is something wrong.” His mother’s admonition rankled.

He glanced at her and then back at the dancers. “Why would anyone think anything is wrong?”

“You appear without Colleen, tell us she is not feeling well, but you are not staying home. Not your normal pattern. Then you look at every passerby in this ball as if they had done something personal to you.” She sighed. “Sebastian, this has the earmarks of wounded male all over it. Why don’t you leave and talk things out with your wife?”

He longed to do that. However, Colleen had been the one who said they had nothing to discuss, and he had let her be. It was driving him mad. He wanted to beat his chest and roar. Why had he not told Colleen the whole story, everything, so she could protect herself? It was the most asinine thing he had ever done, standing there while she yelled at him. But he could not help it. She had admitted her love, not with a declaration, but with one comment.

I will not spend the rest of my life loving a man who cannot return the sentiment.

Every thought, every argument flew out of his mind at the moment Colleen had uttered that statement. He wasn’t even sure if she realized she said it. A strange mixture of joy and fear had swept through him, grabbing him by the heart. It had yet to let go. He should have gone back, told her of his feelings, but she was not ready. She did not believe a word he said, and if he said he loved her now, she would think he was just trying to win her back. He was going to have to prove it to her.

“There is something wrong. I am at this blasted ball and my wife is at home.”

“And whose fault is that?” Victoria cocked her head and smiled at him. “Quit being so stubborn and go back home and apologize.”

“How do you know it is my fault?”

“You are a man, darling. It is always your fault.”

Surprised, he laughed. He was about to agree until he spotted Daniel signaling that he had found the duke.

“I will return home soon, but first I need to have a little discussion with someone. Daniel will see you and Anna home.”

She didn’t argue, although he knew she wanted to. Thanking heaven for her discretion, he bid her goodbye and met up with Daniel in the hallway.

“He’s in the library, although he is a bit on the nervous side,” Daniel said.

“He should be. I am going to beat him to a bloody pulp.”

Daniel grabbed hold of him by his upper arm. “Don’t do it. Don’t create a scandal. Colleen does not need that right now. You do not need that right now.”

He was right. Sebastian worked hard to calm his anger to a low boil and led Daniel down the hallway. When he came to the door, he hesitated, drew in a deep breath and opened the door.

At first, he didn’t see Ethingham. A movement by the window caught his eye, and he zeroed in on him. Surprisingly, the man was not dressed for the ball. He looked as if he’d not changed out of his riding clothes. He stared out the rain-soaked window appearing as if he’d lost his best friend.

“Your Grace.”

He turned to face Sebastian and Daniel. The usual jovial demeanor was not there. Anger darkened his eyes, his jaw clenched as if in an effort not to yell, his lips pulled back in a sneer. The man facing them was not Ethingham, the seducer of many widows and chorus girls, and definitely not easily swept under the rug. This was the duke.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here, Penwyth?”

The anger he had pushed back roared to the surface. “What business is it of yours, Ethingham?”

“Your woman is at home. Alone.”

“If you think to entice her into a liaison, you have made a grave error.”

Of all the reactions Sebastian expected, it was not the burst of laughter from Ethingham. “Oh, that is rich. You think I am trying to lure your lady away.”

“Ethingham.” He growled the man’s name and almost jumped over the chaise lounge to get to him. Very easily he could picture his hands wrapping around the bastard’s neck.

“Sebastian.” Again, Daniel stopped him, grabbing his arm and stepping in front of him. “If you two are finished, I think you owe Sebastian an explanation.”

The duke choked on another laugh but seemed able to finally restrain his reaction. “Thanks, Penwyth. I needed that. I don’t think I have laughed like that in a long time.”

“Ethingham,” Daniel said, his own voice a warning that he was pushing his luck. He’d released Sebastian and moved close to the duke. Curling his fingers into his palms, Sebastian waited for Ethingham to bait him again.

“Right. First, I would never try to seduce a woman who is so obviously in love with her husband and vice versa.” He paused, apparently waiting for Sebastian’s agreement. When he nodded, the duke smiled. “And Penwyth, although it is practiced by many of the ton
,
I don’t dally with first cousins. I protect them.”

*

Colleen sighed, sipping her chocolate, and looked out her window. The rain had moved across London, dampening the streets, feeding into the sadness that gripped her soul. Maybe she was being irrational or demanding, but she wanted Sebastian’s trust. She wanted his love.

Sighing again, she moved away from the window, thinking that maybe she had been a bit rash. Sebastian was being protective and acting a bit jealous. She needed to remember he was stuck in the marriage as much as she was. Everything was so new, so scary. There was a chance he was confused. Or maybe, just maybe, he was in love.

She stopped in the middle of her room. All the sounds, the street clatter, the crackling fire, faded into the background as she assessed Sebastian’s behavior of the last few weeks.

As the memories tumbled over each other, hope sparked in her heart. He was acting irrationally because he was in love with her. His jealousy was his own worry that
she
didn’t love him. Excitement filled her as she thought again, trying to comprehend his mind. She knew then she needed to talk to him, discuss it. Waiting would drive her mad. She looked down at her wrapper. There was no way she could go to the ball now. The rain had stopped, but by the time she dressed, Sebastian could be on his way home. She worried her lower lip with her teeth as she thought about her choices. Then it struck her.

She could send him a note, urging him home, telling him she must speak to him now. Sebastian was predictable enough that he would hurry home because of a summons from her.

Before she could reach the bellpull, the door opened. Aunt Prudence stood in the doorway with a gun in her hand pointed at Colleen’s heart.

Colleen’s breath tangled in her throat as her heart beat against her chest so hard she was amazed it didn’t break right through. Prudence shut the door and locked it.

“Prudence?” She had to think, but it was hard because every ounce of blood had drained out of her head from fear. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“Surprised?” she asked sarcastically. “I bet you are. No one ever expects a woman of being the one. They all think we are stupid.”

“The one what, Prudence?” Cold fingers trailed down Colleen’s spine, and she fought off the shiver it caused.

She laughed. The hysterical sound bounced off the walls. Madness shone in her grey eyes. “You don’t even know. Sebastian didn’t tell you, did he? Men never do.” Her expression moved from gleeful to thunderous. “They think we can’t handle anything other than picking out gowns and being vessels for their lust.”

Colleen fought the urge to laugh nervously. It was all she could do not to fall into sobs in front of this madwoman.

“Do you know how I found out we had no money?” Prudence stared at her, waiting. Colleen shook her head. “I was refused credit at the modiste’s. It was embarrassing. Thank goodness no one was there to see it, but imagine being turned away like that.”

Colleen swallowed past the queasiness caused by her unsettled stomach. In that instant, she remembered the babe nestled in her. Safe, for now. She wanted to shield him from this, put her hands over her abdomen and protect him, but she didn’t want to draw attention to the fact she was pregnant. Who knew what this woman was capable of?

“So James spent all your money. Did you speak with Sebastian about this?”

“No. Grovel to him for money, I think not!” Her eyes narrowed, and the madness turned to anger. “And you would like that, Lady Penwyth, wouldn’t you?”

Colleen shook her head again.

“Oh, yes you would. You think you can do no wrong. Sebastian thinks the same thing. I have seen the way he looks at you. He thinks himself in love with you. That won’t last. It never does. Soon he will leave your bed for a bought whore. Men can never stay faithful.”

Colleen kept silent, not knowing if something she said would set Prudence off.

“But I will be the Countess of Penwyth soon enough. As soon as I kill you and frame your husband.”

*

“First cousin?” Sebastian’s mind blanked of all thought. He never expected…

Ethingham smirked. “Yes. Colleen is the daughter of Jane Macgregor, who was Lady Jane, my aunt.”

Daniel stepped up to stand beside him. “Are you telling me that Colleen is a granddaughter of a duke?”

Ethingham nodded. “And the cousin of a duke.”

“Oh, Lord.” Sebastian sat with a thump on a chair.

“My aunt ran off with William Macgregor, married for love. She had the added benefit of escaping my grandfather. My grandfather, being true to form, cut her off without a penny to her name. Apparently, Aunt Jane could have cared less. When my father came into the dukedom, I knew he never tried to locate his sister. He saw her running away with a man he considered beneath her station good reason to ignore her.”

Sebastian shook his head, trying to get his brain back into working order. “How? How did you know?”

“It’s the eyes. There is a portrait of her mother hanging in the ballroom of my estate. I had to dig it out when I took over the dukedom. She has her mother’s eyes.”

“And why were you spending time with James?” Daniel asked.

“Ah, well, I needed to pump someone for information, and other people would have been suspicious. James talks up a storm if you give him enough brandy.”

Before Sebastian could respond the door burst open and Jenkins hurried to his side. A harried footman followed him, trying to catch his arm to drag him out.

“It is okay. He is with us,” Daniel said, and ushered the footman out. “What is it, Jenkins?”

He studied Sebastian’s face then shot a look at Ethingham. “I guess you know about Lady Penwyth and him being related?”

Sebastian nodded.

Jenkins sighed. “Well, I have another bit of news that may interest you. Watch found a floater a couple nights ago. Jasper. Vile man.” He made a face. “Known for odd jobs.”

“Odd jobs? As in killing people?”

Jenkins’ dark brown eyes narrowed as if he could see the dead man before him. “Nasty bit of goods. But one of the things they found in his possession was a piece of paper which had the name and address of a person who struck me as odd. When they looked over his flat, they found more money than Jasper should have had on him. The man was a gambler and drunkard.”

“So what does this have to do with the investigation?” Daniel asked.

“Jasper was the killer,” Sebastian said, a chill passing over his heart. “And the person paying him?”

“Prudence Ware.”

*

Colleen sat in the chair, wondering when Prudence was planning on killing her, if she ever was. She’d spent the last ten minutes ranting about the lack of funds in her life. Surely, someone would come soon. It wasn’t like the staff to not check in on her, especially since this was her first night alone since her fall. She glanced at the door.

“Do not think anyone will come to your rescue. I drugged your guards.”

“My guards?”

“Yes. Such a nuisance but a smart man. Your husband posted a couple of footman outside your door tonight. I made sure they had some hot chocolate, filled with laudanum of course.”

Woodenly, Colleen nodded. As dread settled over her, she studied the older woman. The cool, calculated look in her eyes told Colleen all she needed to know. Prudence was mad, but she wasn’t stupid.

“So where was I? Ah, yes. I had a plan. My daughter, the mouse, never took. She could not make a good marriage. Even with an excellent dowry, I think she would have had to compromise herself to get a man to marry her. And maybe not even then.” A self-satisfied smirk curled Prudence’s lips and then she laughed—a tinkle really. Colleen did not repress the shiver this time. “So, back to my plan. I prepared to kill them over a period of time but then Gilbert married, and I could not waste time. I had to kill one right after the other. I knew it would look suspicious but that couldn’t be helped. Sebastian was really the easiest. We all knew, as most of London did, that the man had lost his handle on the world because of that slut of a wife. So just a tap on the head and he would freeze to death.

“But that didn’t work, did it? You found him, nursed him back to health and then he married you. And here you are, two months later, breeding with his child.”

Panic swelled as her stomach muscles clenched. Oh, no! She knew about the baby.

Prudence smiled at her, the sight so evil Colleen had to close her eyes.

“Yes, I know about the baby. Not too hard. All I had to do was bribe a few upstairs maids with a silly story of wanting to surprise you with a baby gift. They told me everything I needed to know.”

“You did this for money? Prudence, Sebastian will do anything you want, give you anything.”

Prudence frowned. It wasn’t much better than the smile.

“He probably would. But that will not help me. I need a title. Cicely will never make a match as just a cousin of an earl. She needs to be the daughter of an earl.”

What she needed was another mother, but Colleen kept that to herself. “Sebastian would provide a dowry.”

Prudence snorted. “You don’t understand, Lady Penwyth. No man is going to marry her without a father with a title. There is nothing she can offer a man.”

“It is always sad to hear what people think of me, especially my mother.”

Both of them whipped their heads in the direction of the door that connected to Sebastian’s chamber. Cicely stood at the threshold, dressed in black, her brown hair pulled tight behind her head, her face looking as if her world had ended. She had heard everything, Colleen thought. Poor girl.

“Cicely.” Prudence sounded surprised but not alarmed that her daughter had joined them. “You understand, don’t you?”

Cicely moved into the room, casting a glance at Colleen as if trying to check to see if she was okay. Colleen nodded, and Cicely turned her attention back to her mother. “Yes, unfortunately, I do understand. I understand I am not the daughter you expected, a woman who is a diamond of the first water.” She took a few steps closer to her mother. “I also know about your embarrassing attempt to buy me a husband a few years ago. You and everyone else think I am stupid, think I know nothing.” She drew in a deep breath and the pain in her eyes cut right to Colleen’s soul. “But I am smart. When you started meeting with that man, I knew there was something up. I followed you here tonight because I cannot let you do this.”

Prudence wavered, her hand shaking on the gun. Cicely was close enough to grab her. Colleen held her breath waiting, hoping that Cicely had a plan.

“I did it for
you
,” Prudence screamed.

Cicely swallowed, the only show of nerves Colleen had witnessed from the woman. “I did not want it.”

“You should marry and marry well.”

Cicely cocked her head to the side. “Like you did, Mother? Did it bring you happiness?”

With a growl, her mother raised the gun and pointed it at Cicely’s chest.

*

Sebastian was in the foyer, racing toward the stairs when he heard first one gunshot and then another. His blood ran cold, his heart dropping to his feet. She couldn’t be dead. He wouldn’t allow it.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he ran down the hall, servants, the duke and Daniel hard on his heels. Without a thought to his own safety, he pushed open the doors and burst into the room. The smell of gunpowder filled his senses as did the metallic scent of blood. His stomach roiled.

He glanced wildly around, looking for Colleen. He found her on her knees next to a prone body.

“Colleen!”

She looked up, relief lighting up her face. He thought it was the sweetest thing he had ever seen. “Sebastian.”

When he reached her, he pulled her into his arms. “Are you all right, love? Did anything happen to you?” He ran his hands over her body, checking for wounds, wondering where the blood was coming from.

“Sebastian.” She pulled out of his arms. “It’s Cicely. Prudence shot her.”

It was then that he noticed the young woman was the body on the floor. “Prudence?”

“Dead. But I think that we can save Cicely.”

Just then a moan emitted from Cicely. Both of them looked down at the woman as her eyes fluttered open.

“Colleen,” Cicely said. Her voice was so weak, Colleen had to lean closer to hear. “You are all right? She did not hurt you?”

Colleen’s eyes filled with tears and she took Cicely’s hand in hers. Brushing hair off Cicely’s face as a mother would a child, she smiled. “No, I am fine .You saved me.”

“Mother?” Cicely asked.

Colleen glanced at Sebastian who looked at Daniel. He shook his head, telling Sebastian Prudence was dead.

“She didn’t make it.”

Cicely licked her lips and tried to swallow. “I just wish I would have figured it out sooner.”

Then she went limp and Colleen called out her name.

Sebastian checked Cicely’s pulse, which was beating strong, indicating the woman had just fainted.

He gathered Colleen into his arms. “She is okay, she just fainted. We’ll get the doctor here as fast as we can.”

She nodded against his chest. He stood, then pulled her up off the floor.

“I want to stay here.”

“Let Daniel take care of that. He can handle wounds.”

“But—”

“You will just be in the way.”

That convinced her to leave. He picked her up and carried her to his room. As the staff, instructed by Daniel and Ethingham, cleaned up the room, he sat in a chair beside the fire, his wife settled in his lap. His nerves calming, his heartbeat finally returning to normal. He knew he could handle anything now that Colleen was safe.