Samantha James (29 page)

Her heart squeezed. Gabriel was right. Jonathan was
his
child, too…and she loved him all the more because he was so much his father’s son…

Just as she loved Gabriel. With every breath, every beat of her heart. And the thought of living without him was far more terrifying than anything else could possibly be.

Don’t leave me again, Cassie. Promise me you won’t leave me again
.

The words were a burning echo in her brain.

I would sooner cut off my arm than harm you
.

She believed him, she realized, feeling the emotion rise inside her like a surging tide, powerful and endless. She believed
in
him.

And now, having found the answers that had so eluded her, she could not continue this course she had so rashly pursued.

They were not far from Farleigh. Another ten minutes and they would pass the gates. Raising her chin, she tugged on Reginald’s sleeve.

“Please stop,” she said when she had gained his attention.

With a jerk of the reins, he brought the curricle to a halt.

“What is it, girl?”

Cassie shook her head, “I’m sorry,” she said levelly. “But I cannot do this. I cannot leave Gabriel like this. It…it is not right.”

“What! Do you mean to tell me you wish to return to Warrenton?”

“No, Your Grace,” she said softly. “I would like to go home. To Farleigh Hall.” She paused. “To my husband.”

Something raced across his florid features, something that she could have sworn was rage…

Instinct pressed her spine against the leather-backed seat. Very slowly he turned his head to look at her. She stared into gleaming dark eyes alight with the frenzy of madness.

“Perhaps you are right…” He threw back his head and laughed then. A grating, horrible laugh. A menacing laugh.

A laugh that chilled her to the very marrow of her bones.

“You wish to return to Farleigh, eh? Well, so you shall, girl. So you shall.”

Gabriel did not return to Farleigh. Instead he rode to Christopher’s manor. There he paced the length of the drawing room, past white-sheeted furniture, until Christopher grew dizzy simply watching him.

Gabriel was angry. Angry at himself, angry at Cassie for provoking him into saying something he had never intended to say—certainly something he did not mean.

But he was far more furious over his helplessness, his inability to trace the source of Cassie’s tormentor. He smote his fist against his palm. All this time and still no answers! Was he blind…or merely a fool? Throughout the day, he’d had the nagging feeling there was something he had overlooked, something right beneath his nose…

“Gabriel, this pacing will gain you nothing,” Christopher observed dryly, “while I, on the other hand, may have to replace my carpet far sooner than I care to.” When his friend did not slow his pace, he sighed. “You made the right choice. After what happened at Farleigh, Cassie is safer at Warrenton right now.”

Gabriel ground to a halt. “You are right.” He dragged a hand down his face. “If the past is any indication, she is far more likely to encounter foul play at Farleigh than at Warrenton. If there had been even the slightest possibility of her encountering danger there, I would never have allowed her to go. And yet I cannot rid myself of this feeling that…”

All at once he stopped. Christopher straightened abruptly in his chair. Gabriel was staring vaguely into space; for the life of him, he looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

“What?” Christopher demanded. “What is it?”

Gabriel shook his head, as if he were stunned. “Cassie said the oddest thing today. She said that I would stand to gain the freedom to marry where I chose if she were gone.”

“A morbid thought, that.” Christopher grimaced. “This cannot be easy on her, Gabriel. She will come to her senses, surely—”

“’Tis not that,” he said numbly. “Christopher, don’t you see? She was right. If she were gone, I would be a widower—it would almost be,” his voice fell to a whisper, “as if I’d never been married at all.”

Christopher’s gaze narrowed. “I’m not quite sure I follow you. Do you mean to say that you would be free to marry Evelyn once again?”

“Yes…yes!” Both fear and excitement gathered in his voice.

Christopher lurched to his feet, swearing hotly. “By God, Gabriel, you go too far! How dare you suggest Evelyn would try to kill Cassie simply so the two of you could marry! Why, Evelyn could hurt no one, let alone Cassie—”

Gabriel gripped his arms. “No,” he said grimly. “But can you say the same of the duke of Warrenton?”

Christopher was stunned. “My God,” he breathed. “Her father…”

“Think, Christopher,
think
! The duke was in residence at Warrenton when Cassie was shot. He was
in London with Evelyn when she was abducted.”

“And he was at Farleigh when her chocolate was drugged.” Christopher went as pale as his friend. “Gabriel, we must do something.”

Both set out at a dead run for the stable.

At Warrenton, Evelyn had no sooner come down the stairs than Gabriel was before her. “I have come for Cassie, Evelyn. Where is she?”

Evelyn’s smile wavered. “My father took her and Jonathan out for a drive in the curricle. They’ve been gone…oh, perhaps a quarter-hour.”

“No…oh, God, no!” Gabriel’s face turned ashen. “We must find them. We must find them before it’s too late!”

Evelyn glanced to Christopher. “Something is wrong,” she said slowly. “Oh, please tell me what has happened!”

Christopher took her elbow, his expression pained. “Evelyn,” he began. “For your sake, I hope we are wrong…”

She was much stronger than he had realized…for she was with them when they left Warrenton moments later at a breakneck pace. And it was she whose sharp gaze first spied the curricle sitting by the side of the rutted roadway…

Empty, but for a screaming infant.

J
onathan was plucked from his mother’s arms. Warrenton leaped heavily to the ground. “Get out!” he snarled.

Her pulse pounding violently, Cassie climbed from the curricle. She stretched out her arms. “Please,” she pleaded. “My baby…”

Warrenton’s eyes were glittering. He thrust Jonathan onto the floor of the curricle. Jarred awake, Jonathan began to whimper and squirm. Cassie darted forward but Warrenton grabbed her arm and yanked her to him.

“No!” she screamed. “Oh, God, are you mad? My baby!”

Warrenton paid no heed. Pudgy fingers gouged into her soft flesh, cutting off her circulation. He dragged her through the trees alongside the road. Though she resisted mightily, her struggles were no match for his bulk and strength. Through the haze of trunks and branches there was a glimmer of water. An icy foreboding shot through her. A soundless scream echoed in her brain. The lake! Oh, sweet heaven, not there, not the lake! In an attempt to thwart him, she stumbled and dropped to her knees. Warrenton yanked her to her feet so
viciously she feared her arm would be wrenched from its socket.

He did not halt until they reached the end of the small dock that jutted into the waters.

He retreated a step. “So you do not swim, eh, girl? Very fortuitous of you to enlighten me.” With a grinning leer he taunted her.

It was all she could do not to break down. He meant to kill her. She could see the deadly intent in the gleam of his eyes.

“It was you who shot at me, wasn’t it? And that man in London…did you hire him to kill me? I remember one day riding back to Farleigh—you watched me, didn’t you? And the chocolate—you put something in my chocolate that morning!”

“Yes, my dear, and you were right. It was laudanum. And my aim was deplorable that day, to be sure. And that fool in London!” He cursed foully. “You put me to a great deal of trouble, you know. I wanted to have done with it, but when the first two attempts were botched, I had to bide my time. It was my intent to make it appear an accident, you see. And those months when you disappeared—I prayed you’d be found dead in some alley. But then you had to return!” His features contorted into an evil mask.

She could hardly speak for the awful constriction in her throat. “Why? Why do you hate me so? I have done nothing to you!”

“Nothing! Why, were it not for you, Gabriel would even now be wed to Evelyn!”

“Evelyn was relieved at finding Gabriel already married! She did not want to be his wife!”

He shook his head. “’Tis not a case of Evelyn’s
wants. No, ’tis more a case of needs must. You see, my dear, ’tis my fondest wish to restore Warrenton to its former grandeur…you’ve noticed ’tis in a rather disreputable state of late? I’ve other estates which must be maintained as well. And I fear I’ve grown fond of gambling these last years…a pity my luck is not what it once was! Indeed, my dear, my debts at this moment are monstrous! Can you imagine—the duke of Warrenton in the poorhouse? Why, my ancestors would surely turn over in their graves if they knew! My only hope is to see Evelyn married to a wealthy suitor.”

Her lips parted. “So that is why you sought a marriage between her and Stuart—and urged marriage between her and Gabriel.”

“Clever girl. But I have my family honor to uphold, you know. I could scarcely marry off my daughter to a nobody in the merchant class. Ah, but once you are dead, all can be as before. Evelyn and Gabriel will be free to wed.”

He glanced from Cassie’s face to the glimmering surface of the lake, and back again.

“I must say, ’tis altogether fitting that you should die like Caroline—and so fortunate that the lake is so distant from Farleigh Hall. Oh, yes, m’dear, I fear you will be the victim of an accident, just like poor Caroline.” He gave a dramatic sigh. “And I, alas, was simply unable to rescue you before you succumbed! A tragic loss, I fear—but in your death lies my salvation.”

Terror twisted Cassie’s insides. He was right. There was no one to see. No one to hear. The story he would concoct would sound entirely plausible, so plausible no one would ever guess he had murdered her…

Warrenton drew a small but deadly-looking pistol from his pocket. He gestured toward the water. “Now, my dear. Will you jump, or must I resort to this?” An expression of distaste crossed his features. “I pray you choose the former, for I truly have no desire to use this. ’Tis so very messy, you know.”

Cassie regarded him in stricken horror. It was just as in her dream, she realized numbly. Behind her was the lake, its waters serene and pristine. But beneath the surface lurked a dark world of gloom and death. Her greatest fear was of drowning, and that was how she would die…a slow, choking death.

Slowly she shook her head. “I-I will not jump. You will have to—to shoot me.” In truth it was scarcely bravery that prompted her—quite the opposite.

An evil smile crept along Warrenton’s lips. Before she knew what he was about, he seized her arm and spun her around. There was a forceful shove between her shoulder blades. A scream welled in her throat as she felt herself flying forward, her feet leaving the safety of the dock.

Frigid water closed over her head. She plummeted deep…still deeper through black, murky depths of icy cold. Sheer terror clogged her veins. She managed to surface once, her mouth dragging in one precious gulp of air.

Then she was sinking again. She tried to kick, but her skirts tangled heavily around her legs so that she could not move. She felt herself being dragged down, ever down…

Gabriel
, her mind screamed.
Oh, Gabriel, help me…

She did not see the two men who raced frantically across the meadow toward the lake. A slight feminine figure trailed distantly behind, her arms clutched around a small, screaming bundle.

Warrenton threw back his head. His sinister laughter turned to a gasp of disbelief as pounding footsteps shook the dock on which he stood.

Christopher reached him first. He lunged for Warrenton and wrapped his arms around the older man. “Hurry!” he shouted to Gabriel. “She just went down again!”

Gabriel tore off his boots and flung them aside, his gaze pinned on the place he’d last seen Cassie. “Jesus,” he breathed. “Let it not be too late!” The next instant he knifed cleanly into the water.

Cassie was unaware of the sharp tug at the back of her gown. She panicked, flailing wildly. Searing fire scalded her lungs, so desperate was she for air, but she would not open her mouth to breathe, for she knew what awaited her. Her head swam dizzily. A numbing curtain of unconsciousness began to smother her. She had but one thought. So this is what it was like to die…

Somehow Gabriel snared her about the waist. With a mighty kick and an upsurge of power he shot above the surface. His legs churned as he towed his precious burden toward the bank, carefully striving to keep her head above the water. His chest labored with exertion, his muscles straining when at last he succeeded in dragging her ashore.

He scrambled to his knees, cradling her in his arms. His hands were shaking as he pushed aside the streaming hair from her face. Her flesh was milky white and cold. Her eyes were closed, her
lashes spiked wetly against her cheeks. His heart leaped in fear.

“Cassie,” he cried hoarsely. “Cassie, open your eyes, sweet. Open your eyes!”

Slowly she stirred. Her lungs heaved. She gave a sputtering, choking cough, then a racking, wheezing breath. Her eyes fluttered open.

“Never tell me!” she said with a gasp. “Am I dead then?”

His groan was half-laugh, half-sob. “Why, Yank, do you fancy yourself in heaven once again?” He clasped her tight against his breast.

Awareness returned in full bloom. Though it sapped all her strength, she lifted her arms and tugged his dripping head to hers. “Do you know,” she whispered against his lips, “I believe I do.”

But it was a moment destined to be altogether short-lived. Nearby there was a resounding blast, and then a high-pitched scream. Gabriel’s head jerked up. Cassie strained upward. “No! Don’t look, don’t look!” He tried to urge her cheek into the hollow of his neck.

She cried out sharply. “Tell me! I must know!”

“It’s Warrenton, sweet. He…he turned the pistol on himself.”

“No! Oh, no! Oh, poor Evelyn…” She bowed her head and began to cry. Tenderly, gently, Gabriel gathered her close. The nightmare was over. It was time to go home.

Back in her room at Farleigh, Cassie tightened the sash of her robe. A long hot bath had done much to drive the cold and ache from her muscles, but she was still too restless to sleep.

Her mind strayed to all that had happened tonight. In spite of everything, she could not hate the duke of Warrenton. She felt only sorrow and regret. Her heart went out to Evelyn, for Evelyn had been there to witness her father’s choice to end his life. And yet, Cassie sensed that her friend’s grief was tempered by Christopher’s presence, for it was Christopher who comforted her, in Christopher’s arms where she had wept. Christopher loved her, and Cassie did not doubt that Christopher’s love would go far in healing Evelyn’s wounds.

Edmund had been no less shocked by his friend’s deceit and vile intentions. He had listened in stunned silence while Gabriel relayed all that Cassie had told him—all that had happened. Then he retired quietly to his study.

She had nursed Jonathan before her bath, and now, needing the reassurance only the sight of her child could provide, she moved down the hall to check on him.

To her surprise, a candle still burned in Jonathan’s room, casting a flickering triangle of light out into the hallway. The murmur of low voices reached her ears. A little uncertain, she hovered near the threshold.

“He resembles you greatly, you know.”

Cassie caught her breath. It was Edmund. Turning slightly, she caught a glimpse of the mirror that hung on the opposite wall. Its reflection showed both Gabriel and Edmund bending over Jonathan’s cradle.

Gabriel’s voice came next. “I pray he does not have my temperament.”

“Nor mine, for that matter.”

A hint of dry laughter underscored Edmund’s tone. Cassie hovered there, close enough to hear, but unseen by the pair inside.

“If he is lucky,” Edmund added, “he will grow to be like his mother.”

Cassie blinked. When Gabriel said nothing, she had the oddest sensation he was as startled by Edmund’s observation as she.

But there was more.

“Do you know,” Edmund said softly, “I was determined from the outset that she would be an outsider, so very determined I could never countenance a woman of her station, a Yankee yet! But as the weeks passed, I came to feel something I never thought to feel for her.”

There was a small pause. “And what was that?” Gabriel asked slowly.

“Pride,” he said quietly. “’Tis odd, really, for though she was afraid, she did not lack courage. Nor was she afraid to recognize her own mistakes, and she was not afraid to
feel
. And somehow—somehow she made me see myself as I am.”

In the hallway, Cassie pressed her back to the wall. She stuffed a fist in her mouth to keep from crying out. Her throat grew achingly tight. A heartrending relief poured through her. To think that she had gained Edmund’s acceptance—all that had once seemed so improbable, so impossible!

“Do you remember the night you brought her here? I recalled quite distinctly shouting at you that a change of gown would not make a lady of her.” Edmund laughed, the sound dry and rusty, but a laugh nonetheless. “She was a lady already.
And do you know, I do believe she shamed us both.”

Edmund seemed to hesitate. His voice came haltingly. “You were right about your mother, Gabriel. I-I did not love her as I should have—as I
could
have, had I only tried. And I truly did not realize her death was no accident—that she took her own life because of me.” His tone grew heavy. “I only wish you had told me years ago, though I understand why you did not.”

Cassie’s heart twisted. So Caroline had chosen to end her life! She had always suspected there was more to her death, and now she knew. But before the thought progressed further, Gabriel was speaking again.

“There is no need to—”

“There is every need, Gabriel. You cannot know the shame I bear when I think of how I treated her and how I treated you, my own son! I felt that your rebellion and defiance were your fault, not mine. But I know now that if you are hard, ’tis because it was I who made you that way. If you are stubborn ’tis because…because you are my son. And I know now that…you did not turn away. I—I drove you away, Gabriel. With my own arrogance. My own selfishness and ignorance.”

He paused. “I would have my son back, if only I could. I have made so many mistakes, mistakes I could never even begin to rectify.” To Cassie’s shock, there was a telltale unsteadiness in his voice, a catch that rent her heart in two. “I wish for you—and yes, my grandson—the one thing we never really had, Gabriel. A family—and happiness. A bond of trust and love and commitment.
I believe that with Cassie, you and Jonathan have that chance.”

Cassie
. It seemed such a small thing, but to Cassie it was everything. She swallowed a half-sob and shook her head, still disbelieving. Then she caught sight of Gabriel in the mirror. He held Jonathan against his shoulder, one big hand rubbing tiny circles over his back.

He was staring at his father, his expression solemnly intent. “You are not the man I once knew,” he said quietly.

Edmund smiled slightly. “Nor are you.”

For a moment, silence drifted. Cassie squeezed her eyes shut, and when she looked again, she beheld a most unexpected sight.

Gabriel placed his son gently in his father’s arms.

“I think,” he said softly, “it’s time you got to know your grandson far better.”

For Cassie, the simple, heartfelt scene was too much. Her eyes were streaming so that she could scarcely see. She walked quickly away before she was discovered.

In her room, she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. She had thought no good would come of this day.

She was wrong, thank God. For the breach between Gabriel and his father had finally ended…