Surrender (48 page)

Because he told me so, himself, she thought

wildly. He told me even as he plunged forward

to his death at the foot of those stairs.

But she could hardly tell Lucas why she

was so certain of her stepfather's guilt.

Lucas was entirely too shrewd. Once he

had that bit of information, he would

probe for more and she had already learned

she had a bad habit of becoming altogether

too trusting and vulnerable in his arms.

Besides, she reminded herself grimly,

while Lucas was a very unusual man

in some respects, he was not likely to

be so tolerant and understanding as to

welcome the news that he was married to

a murderess.

 
I have no real proof, of course," Victoria

said cautiously.
 
But in my heart I am

certain of his guilt."

He let that go.
 
Riding accidents happen

all the time, Vicky."

 
My mother was an excellent rider."

Victoria hoped this would close the

matter, but Lucas, in his inimitable

fashion, pushed on.

 
Did you confront Whitlock?"

This was getting too close to dangerous

territory.
 
He knew I had no proof. He

laughed at me."

Lucas's hand tightened around her

shoulders.
 
What did you do then?"

 
There was nothing I could do. He died

less than two months later and Aunt Cleo

and I decided it was rough justice."

 
He was found at the foot of a staircase,

I believe?"

She glanced up quickly.
 
Where did you

hear that?"

Lucas's mouth curved wryly.
 
Jessica

Atherton."

 
You certainly obtained a great deal of

information from Lady Atherton."

Let us not start that quarrel again. Did

your stepfather die that way?"

 
Yes." Victoria picked her words carefully.

He had apparently been drinking

very heavily that night, which was not

unusual for him. He tripped and fell at

the top of a long flight of stairs. That was

the end of the matter."

 
Not quite."

She started.
 
What do you mean by

that?"

 
Merely that you are still upset by

the sight of his initial embroidered on

someone else's scarf or engraved on a

strange snuffbox. What's the matter, Vicky?

Are you beginning to wonder if there really

are such things as ghosts? Did you think

Whitlock had come back to haunt you?"

 
Do not say that,
  
She got control of

herself instantly.
 
Of course I don't believe

in ghosts. What bothered me about the

scarf and the snuffbox was that it appeared

both had been left where I was the most

likely one to find each."

 
The location of the scarf is particularly

interesting, isn't it? It implies someone

knew you would be coming back into the

house late via the conservatory door."

 
Yes, that is exactly it, Lucas. Looking

back on it, it makes one wonder if someone

was spying on us the whole time. That

same someone apparently was watching so

closely that he or she saw me leave the

party that night and get into the carriage

you had hired," Victoria concluded.

 
And followed us to the inn?
 
Tis

possible."

 
It could have been Jessica Atherton."

Lucas's tone lightened.
 
I cannot envision

Lady Atherton climbing the garden wall at

midnight."

 
You have a point. So that means the

scarf and snuffbox were left by someone

else. Unless'

 
Unless what?"

Victoria was struck by an idea.
 
Do you

suppose she hired a Bow Street runner to

follow us around?"

 
You, of all people, my dear, would

know how easy that is to do."

There was an acute silence following that

remark, a silence during which it occurred

to Victoria that if she'd been thinking

clearly, instead of following her heart, she

might have had the good sense to hire a

runner herself to obtain some information

on the mysterious Lord stone vale.

 
I wondered, myself, how long it would

take you to get around to doing just that,"

Lucas said.

She frowned, afraid he had read her

mind.
 
Doing what?"

His teeth flashed in a wicked grin.

 
Hiring a runner to have me investigated.

It was one of the reasons I wanted to get

the courtship over and done as quickly as

possible."

 
You are perfectly despicable, stone vale."

 
I am also perfectly content with our

bargain, madam." He paused outside the

kitchen door to brush his mouth lightly

over hers. His eyes gleamed.
 
And while

I would not have wanted you put in the

awkward position you were in that night

at the inn, I cannot say I am particularly

sorry things happened the way they did.

All in all, considering the risks we were

running, we got off lightly."

 
I do not see how we could have gotten

off much worse."

 
Then you lack imagination, madam. I

used to lie awake nights thinking about all

that could go wrong during our midnight

jaunts." He tipped up her chin.
 
Are you

really so unhappy with me, Vicky?"

She wanted to rail at him for not loving

her as she loved him. She wanted to

accuse him of having manipulated her

into this marriage where her emotions

threatened to tear her apart while his

seemed under perfect control. She longed

to bring him to a more forceful realization

of his overwhelming guilt, to make him

grovel for her forgiveness and proclaim his

undying love and devotion.

In short, Victoria realized,
 
she wanted

some vengeance for the situation in

which she found herself. However, she

was realistic enough to know she would

probably never get it.

But she had learned her lesson well,

Victoria vowed silently. She would keep

the secrets of her heart, just as she had

learned to keep other, darker secrets. If

the Earl of stone vale was content with his

marriage, she would strive to be satisfied

also. But she would not give him any more

than what he had set out to trap an

heiress who was obliged to accept the fact

that she had been married for her money

with relatively good grace.

 
I believe," Victoria said carefully,
 
that

as husbands go, you are probably not such

a bad one."

 
You damn me with faint praise, madam,"

he complained softly.
 
Surely you can do

better than that?"

She licked her lower lip as she looked

up at him. He was a menacing figure

by moonlight. Large and powerful, he

loomed over her. The stark lines of his

face were etched with palest silver and

deepest shadow. His eyes glittered with a

sensual threat that made her recently sated

senses flicker back to life. She ought to be

afraid of him, she told herself instead, she

always felt ridiculously safe in his presence.

Damn the man.

Her instinct was to throw her arms

around him and confess her love. But

her sense of self-protection and her pride

stepped in to cut off such a rash and

useless course of action. She would not

make herself totally vulnerable to Lucas

ever again the way she had that fateful

night at the inn.

 
I believe, my lord, that I have already

explained to you I will do my best to live

up to my part of our bargain."

Lucas shook his head ruefully and kissed

the tip of her nose.
 
So proud. And so

determined not to give an inch more than

you must. How can you be so cruel,

Vicky?"

 
I hardly think
 
tis being cruel to say I

am willing to accept the situation in which

I find myself. What more can you rightfully

demand of me, Lucas?"

 
Everything."

 
You sound as if you talk of my complete

surrender, my lord."

 
Perhaps I do."

 
For that I vow you will have to wait

until the world allows women to wear

breeches in public," she shot back tartly.

 
In other words, forever."

 
Perhaps not quite so long. But we will

come back to the matter later. For now I

will be content with the progress we have

made tonight." He took her hand and led

her into the dark, slumbering house.

The vicar and his wife were nervous.

It was painfully obvious they were not

accustomed to taking tea in the great

house of stone vale. Victoria decided that

if she were to hazard a guess, she would

say they had never before been invited into

the house for any reason at all, let alone a

consultation about the charity needs of the

district. That irritated her. It was further

proof that the previous earl had not cared

about the people who lived on and near

his lands.

 
I cannot tell you how very happy we are

to have you and your lovely lady installed

here at the house, Lord stone vale." The

Reverend Worth, a ruddy-faced, solidly

built man in his fifties, spoke very

earnestly.

 
Yes, indeed. We're delighted to welcome

you," misses Worth, a sweet-faced little wren

of a woman who sat stiffly next to her

husband, said tremulously. The teacup in

her small hand trembled as she took a

very tiny sip. Every now and then she

would steal a quick, timid glance around

the drawing room, as if she could not

quite believe she was inside the great

house.

 
Thank you," Victoria said gently, smiling