Shades of the Past (27 page)

His eyes opened and he looked up at her. Realization swept over him, and he tried to struggle up, but she wouldn’t let him. “No, it’s all right, there’s no danger. I’m all right, so are Marianna and Stephen. It’s over, Blair. Miles is dead.”

His lips parted. “Dead?” he repeated dully.

“His wife did it.” She drew aside so he could see Estelle’s body. “She struck you with a candlestick, and then waited for him. She shot him when he tried to run away, and then again when he turned. Stephen put an end to her as she turned the pistol on me.”

He stared at her, trying to assimilate all she said, then Stephen came over. “It really is all right,” he said reassuringly.

Blair insisted on getting up and looking  at Estelle’s body. “I remember turning and seeing her, then there was a blinding pain and I can’t recall anything more.” He turned to Stephen. “You saved Laura, and for that I gladly forgive everything else.”

Laura gazed at Estelle’s body. “She really thought I was Celina, and in the end, Miles thought so too,” she said, remembering.

Stephen looked curiously at her. “Are you saying he was as mad as his wife?”

“I think he must have been.”

Marianna shuddered. “I—I’m frightened...”

Stephen pulled her close and glanced at Blair. “What shall we do about the, er...?” He nodded toward the bodies.

Blair thought for a moment. “It won’t do for you to be implicated in any way. Where’s your pistol?”

“I dropped it on the landing.”

Blair went to place it in Miles’ hand. “There, now we can say he shot his wife. Poetic justice, don’t you think?” As an afterthought, he bent to make certain Miles was dead. “Better to be safe than sorry. Yes, he’s quite dead.”

Stephen checked Estelle, and then looked at Blair. “So is she.”

Suddenly Laura remembered the necklace. “Blair, he dropped the real diamonds and they’re there on the floor. The paste one is in the safe, and his pistol is over there on the shelf. I think that’s everything.”

He gathered the necklace, and pushed it casually into the safe, which he then locked and concealed again. “I’ll put the pistol with my collection in the billiard room,” he said, then smiled at them. “Now, I think we’ll give ourselves a little time to recover before we notify the authorities in Cirencester.”

“What, exactly, are we going to report?” Stephen asked. “Lady Lowestoft’s appearance has rather upset our original idea, and now our stories have to match.”

“Simply that except for you in your sickbed, we were about to leave for the fair when Miles and his wife arrived demanding the return of the necklace. There was an argument between them over his infatuation for Celina, and when I tried to mediate, I was knocked on the head. The argument got out of hand completely, and ended with them both lying dead at each other’s hand. We can all agree on the finer details in a short while, but for the moment my head’s thumping like an anvil, and—

Blair broke off as they all suddenly heard a man shouting from the bottom of the staircase. “Is anyone here? Sir Blair? Miss Marianna?”

It was Harcourt. Laura remembered Gulliver had told her how the butler was returning with Dolly Frampton when they’d heard pistol shots from the house. In a second or so he’d come up and see Miles’ dead body!

Stephen gave a nervous laugh. “It seems we weren’t a moment too soon with our evidence-tampering,” he murmured.

Harcourt ascended the staircase, and then saw Miles. He was so shocked he stumbled backward a few steps, but managed to grab the handrail.

Laura conquered an overwhelming sense of
déjà vu
. This was the moment that terrified Gulliver so much he found himself falling back in the tunnel to injure himself so badly he’d never walk properly again... She gazed at the butler. Was he Gulliver now? Surely he must be.

Blair went out to him. “I’m afraid we’ve had some trouble here, Harcourt. Unwelcome visitors. This body is Sir Miles Lowestoft.”

Relieved to see his master and three companions safe and sound, the butler recovered a little, but his face remained white as he came up the final steps. “We heard shots. Sir Blair. I—I have Mrs. Frampton outside in the pony trap,” he explained.

Blair repeated the agreed story, and the butler’s eyes widened again as he looked at the sad heap of mourning clothes on the library floor. “
Lady
Lowestoft’s dead as well?”

“Yes, I fear so.”

Harcourt swallowed. “Lord above. I, er, suppose the authorities in Cirencester should be told? I can take Mrs. Frampton home and then drive back to Cirencester again, if that will do, sir?”

“I’d be very grateful, Harcourt.”

“Very well, sir.” But before hurrying back downstairs, Harcourt glanced directly at Laura, and in that split second she knew he was Gulliver. He went quickly down the stairs again, and a moment later they heard a whip crack and then the rattle of the pony trap.

Stephen went to drape a dust sheet over Estelle, but as he brought one to cover Miles as well, Marianna turned anxiously to Blair. “We haven’t achieved all we wanted, have we? We still don’t have Stephen’s IOUs, and Laura’s family is still—

Blair interrupted her. “All threat was removed the moment Miles expired,” he said quietly. “If the IOUs come to light now, I’ll settle them for Stephen. As for Laura’s family, I’ll approach the Lowestoft estate and offer to defray the Reynolds’ debts and purchase their property. I’m sure no difficulty will arise.”

Marianna stared. “Is it really that simple?”

“Why not? IOUs need only be met in full to eliminate them, and why should Lowestoft’s heir not accept a generous offer? But for the moment,
mes enfants
, I don’t know about you, but I’m gravely in need of a drink, and I don’t mean tea. Besides, this has all served to concentrate my mind. Everything’s perfectly clear to me now, and there are propositions I wish to put to you and Stephen concerning the future.”

“Propositions?”

“I thought that maybe when you and Stephen are married, you’d like to come to live at Castle Liscoole.” Smiling, he put his arm around his sister, and ushered her away toward the drawing room.

He glanced back at Laura, but didn’t say anything, and suddenly she felt excluded. Stephen followed them and as they went into the drawing room she felt more shut out than ever. A sudden overwhelming sense of rejection descended over her. It came from nowhere, and without real reason. To use the modern phrase, she felt as if the rug had been swept from beneath her feet. Was it irrational reaction to the events leading to two deaths? Was it some stupid part of her that would always search for the dark side of everything? Or was it a moment of insight that reminded her that no matter how he loved her, to Blair she remained an actress. The nobility didn’t matter actresses, they took them as mistresses

Oh, surely she was imagining it? She took a hesitant step after them, but then halted. He
had
excluded her. Why else had he looked back like that and said nothing? Tears sprang to her eyes. She was already overwrought, and now this. She gathered her skirts and fled up to her room on the floor above, where she flung herself on the bed to sob inconsolably into her pillow.

But in the empty library, things were not quite as they seemed. Stephen’s examination of Estelle had been too cursory, for there was a slight movement beneath the dust sheet, and her thin hand crept out to claw the carpet for a moment.

She wasn’t quite conscious, but soon she would be. And she had just enough strength left to take Celina and Deveril House itself into the hereafter with her.

Chapter Twenty-three

It seemed to Laura she’d lain there weeping for a long time, but in reality only a few minutes had passed. Desolation gripped her as her fear and insecurity returned. Restoring her family’s property and defraying their debts was to be nothing more than payment for services rendered. The proverbial money on the dressing table!

This was an outcome she hadn’t foreseen. She’d naively pictured either an idyllic existence at Blair’s side, or dreadful loneliness because of his death, but not the possibility of rejection.

“Laura?”

She gave a start, for he was outside the door.

“Laura? Why don’t you answer me?”

She sat up. “I—I have a headache, and need to rest a while, that’s all,” she replied, but couldn’t hide the break in her voice.

He detected it, and came in immediately. “What is it, Laura? What’s wrong?”

She gazed tearfully at him, taking in the dressing on the wound on his forehead.

He came concernedly to her bedside. “You’ve been crying! What’s wrong?” he asked, stretching out a hand to touch her cheek.

She pulled back. “Just a headache,” she said again, avoiding his eyes.

“I don’t believe you. Is it the strain of today? It can’t have been easy for you, and for it to have ended with two violent deaths—”

“It’s the truth, I do have a headache.” She hesitated then. “No, the truth is, I realize my presence is no longer required. I’ll leave as soon as the authorities are satisfied about today’s events.”

There was a pause, but she couldn’t tell if it was one of surprise or relief. “If you wish to leave, there’s nothing I can do to prevent you,” he said then.

“Nor anything you’d wish to do,” she murmured, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.

He exhaled slowly, and ran his hand through his hair. “Laura, I don’t profess to understand why you’ve changed, but I’ll respect your wish.”

There seemed genuine bewilderment in his voice, but she remembered the backward glance in the library. He wasn’t bewildered at all; he knew exactly why she was going to leave. She got up from the bed. “Credit me with at least some intelligence, Blair. I know I’ve been gullible, but I understand fully now.”

“Understand what? Please tell me.”

She went to the window and looked out at the stables and kitchen gardens to hide the fresh tears welling in her eyes. The spaniels had been lying quietly beneath a walnut tree, but suddenly got up eagerly as Marianna and Stephen emerged to take them for a walk. Stephen was using his walking stick and obviously had noble intentions, but in reality he was unlikely to walk very far just yet. Marianna’s head was bowed, and Laura could see she’d been crying. But she gave a brave smile as Stephen drew her hand over his sleeve. With the dogs at their heels they went through the stables and then down the hillside.

Blair was disconcerted by the long silence. “Laura, why are you being like this?” he asked. “You say you understand something, but I swear that’s more than I do. Please do me the courtesy of explaining.”

She rounded on him. “I do
you
the courtesy?” she cried incredulously.

His anger stirred. “Yes, damn it. One moment things are good between us, the next you’re coldly informing me you intend to leave. I believe I have the right to an explanation.”

She struggled not to give in to the torrent of heartbreak pounding through her. “I’d have thought you’d hope a common actress would go quietly, especially when you so graciously intend to pay for her past favors by settling all her family’s debts and restoring their home. In your eyes she should know you’ve been more than generous, and certainly shouldn’t be so presumptuous as to hope to join everyone in the drawing room!”

His eyes flashed. “Is
that
what you think? Well, you couldn’t be more wrong! I expected you to accompany us to the drawing room, but instead you came up here.”

“You spoke of a future that clearly didn’t include me; in fact, it couldn’t have been made more plain that you wished to sever all dealings with someone you now know is nothing more than a common actress!”

He stared at her. “But that’s utter rubbish!”

“Is it? Stephen is suddenly acceptable, yet it isn’t that long since his faults were so legion you intended to call him out. Now he’s not only welcome to marry Marianna, but to live at Castle Liscoole! There’s only one reason for that, Blair—he’s a gentleman. Whatever his shortcomings, his breeding makes him suitable. But no matter what my gentle origins, I’m only an actress, a demirep whose morals don’t bear close inspection!”

“Laura, this is arrant nonsense,”

“No, you’ve been thinking about it since Lord Sivintree exposed me. Well, please don’t fear I’ll make a fuss, for even actresses have dignity.”

“Laura, I don’t look down on you, nor have I excluded you.”

“You didn’t
include
me either,” she pointed out quietly.

“Because I didn’t think it had to be put into words. Laura, I thought we were now sufficiently close for you to just know you were included. Clearly, I was wrong.”

“You spoke of a future that made no mention of me, and on leaving the room you glanced back in a way only a fool could misinterpret. Well, I may have been a fool until now, but not anymore.” Her voice was shaking so much she found it hard to speak, and she stared out of the window again.

“You’ve misinterpreted my motives, Laura,” he said levelly.

She didn’t reply, for her voice wouldn’t obey her.

He came a little closer. “I looked back at you because there was so much I wished to say, but couldn’t when Marianna and Stephen were there. Good things, Laura, private things that should not be aired in front of anyone else. Far from wishing to exclude you from my future, I want you to be part of it. Not as my mistress, or a doxy with whom to amuse myself from time to time, but as my wife.”

Her heart stopped, and she turned. “As your wife?” she breathed.

“I can’t believe you ever imagined I’d want anything less.”

“Oh, Blair…”

“What an insecure little soul you are, my poor darling. You misunderstood completely, didn’t you?” he said quietly.”

“Yes,” she said in a small voice.

He held her gaze. “And what is your answer now things have been explained?”

“Do you still want me after I’ve been so foolish?” she whispered.

He teased her gently. “Well, although I know you’re only a very common actress—indeed, little better than a Seven Dials strumpet who charges a farthing for her dubious favors—you’re also the most precious thing in my world, and I want you to live with me in Castle Liscoole as Lady Deveril.”