To Have and to Hold (40 page)

Isobel once
again looked towards Dominic who had lapsed into silence at the far end of the
fireplace, his gaze locked upon the document in his hand.
 
She wished he would shout and throw these two
out of the house, but knew as he stared blankly down at the words contained in
the document that he was lost to her.
 
Pain clenched in her chest as she gazed at his face.
 
So severe and forbidding, she knew he had
made his mind up on the truth of the documents laid out before him.
 
He made no move to look at her.
 

“Please
Dominic?”
 
Isobel murmured, as she tears
began to course down her cheeks as the realisation dawned that despite
everything, he doubted her.

“What a touching
display my dear, but you cannot escape the fact that you are a bigamist.
 
You have married this man knowing very well
you were already married to my good friend here.”
 

“I have never
married, before Dominic.
 
I would have to
be insane to commit myself to DeLisle, or any of your associates.
 
You are a liar and a fraud, and if you
consider for one moment you will get away with this, then I can assure you that
I shall use every resource available to prove your guilt and ensure you swing
for your crimes.”
 
Isobel murmured
feeling her heart shatter within her chest at just how easy it had been for
Rupert to destroy her life again.
 
“All
of them.”
 
Her voice dropped to a cold
menace as her tears dried and a cold cloak of grief settled over her, numbing
all of the tumultuous emotions swirling within her.
  

“Whatever.”
 
Rupert stifled a yawn as he lurched to his
feet.
 
“Get your cloak, your husband
wants you in your rightful place.”
 
He
made to move towards her, spurring her into action.
 
“Go to hell.”
 
Isobel murmured shaking her head in disbelief.
 

“Wait.”
 
Isobel threw Peter a quick glance, as he
moved to stand between her and Rupert.
 
“I am her guardian and was when this marriage, as you call it, happened.
 
I haven’t ever given permission for her to
wed anyone, except Lord Tavistock.”
 
Peter glared darkly at DeLisle.
 
“Unless you two forced her into it, there is no way she was legally in a
position to marry you.”
 

“Of course she
was able.”
 
Rupert began, only for Peter
to step forwards menacing with a snarl.

“Shut up, you
stupid man and listen to me.”
 
Peter’s
voice was deadly with intended threat.
 
“She has been entailed into marriage to Dominic for some years.
 
I have the papers previously drawn up and
signed, with Magistrate witnesses confirming her betrothal to Dominic some
three years ago.
 
Long before you raised
your head above the parapet.”
 
Peter
glared at both men with hatred.
 
“You
have no place forcing anyone who was not free to wed into matrimony.”
 
He raised a hand when DeLisle drew in a
breath to argue.
 
“If indeed this
matrimony did take place, which I fully intend to investigate thoroughly before
Isobel goes anywhere.”

“She is coming
with us now.”
 
DeLisle rose to stand
before the younger man, reaching behind him as he did so to try to grasp Isobel
who swiftly stood out of his reach.
 

Quickly
snatching the scroll, Isobel took several steps backwards and quickly read the
document, taking note of the place of registration and the Vicar’s name before
tossing the document down on the table with disdain.
 
Briefly her gaze met and held Dominic’s for
several moments.
 
Her heart shattered at
his cold look of disinterest.
 
Inwardly,
she was stunned and horrified Dominic hadn’t fought harder for her.
 
The document she had seen had been very
persuasive, but she knew it wasn’t authentic.
   

“I am leaving,
alright.”
 
Isobel intoned her gaze moving
to Peter’s sympathetic one briefly before she turned away.
 
Not looking at anyone within the room again,
she moved towards the door.
 
Within
minutes, she was climbing the stairs towards the master suit, her steps upon
the stairs as heavy as the heart in her chest.
 

A small part of
her was waiting for the study door to open and Dominic emerge to reassure her
that everything would be alright.
 
By the
time she had reached the top though, the study door remained closed and Isobel
knew he wouldn’t be coming.
 
Tears
streaked down her face as she entered the master suite that was their
bedroom.
 
Unable to hide the trembling
wealth of emotions that battered her, she slumped for several moments on the
bed in an attempt to gather her resolve. The clock ticked slowly upon the
mantle-piece marking the passing of a few scant moments.
  

She knew what
she had to do.
 
Within minutes she had
carefully tucked away a small pouch of coins in her cloak pocket, and with one
last lingering look around the room, quietly left.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Now gentlemen,
it is time you left.”
 
Dominic murmured
coldly when Isobel had left the room.
 
It
took everything within him to control the rage boiling inside him.
 

“Once we have
thoroughly investigated your claims, I will consult legally on the correct
course of action to take.
 
Until then you
may await contact from my man of business.
 
I will suggest until then you stay off my property and away from my wife
until we have clarified matters.
 
But be
assured of two things.”
 
Dominic watched
the wary look DeLisle and Rupert pass between them with something akin to
amused malice.
 
“You shall not receive
any kind of payment to severe any possible claim on Isobel, I shall not be held
to ransom.
 
Secondly, I have every
intention of investigating the circumstances of this document in minute
detail.
 
If there is anything forged about
it, I shall find out and I shall ensure the full force of the Law is upheld to
the last.
 
That includes both of you.”

He moved to
stand before DeLisle, his gaze cold and deadly as he looked the man straight in
the eye.
 
“Any association you may have
with my wife ends.
 
Now.
 
Today.”
 
He turned towards Rupert who instinctively stepped back from the sheer
ruthlessness in the younger man’s gaze.
 
Suddenly he didn’t feel so confident.
 
“Neither of you should feel at liberty to appear at my door again.
 
Anything you have to say to either Isobel or
myself should be done through legal means.
 
Do I make myself clear?”
 

He didn’t bother
to wait for their assent before motioning to Sebastian and Edward to escort the
men out of the house, and escort them off the property.
 
He turned towards the far bank of windows
apparently bored with their barrage of protests, before they were quickly
shepherded out of the door.
 
As soon as
the door was closed behind, them he took a deep fortifying breath before
turning towards Peter.

“Do you think it
is real?”
 
Peter murmured moving towards
the brandy decanter.
 
Pouring two glasses
he handed one to Dominic before moving towards the fireplace.
 

“Of course not,”
Dominic snapped, frustration rising.
 
He
wished he had pounded both men.
 
It would
at least have eased the rage burning inside him.
 
“Isobel wouldn’t be that stupid.”
 
He flopped down on the high backed chair with
a sigh and propped his booted feet on the edge of the hearth.
 
“They know we have the contract that clearly
proves their attempted theft of Isobel’s fortune.
 
By falsifying a marriage certificate, they
are trying to get hold of her and thus her wealth.”

“What now?”
 
Peter broke the thoughtful silence that
settled between them.

“Someone needs
to go to the Church and question the Vicar as to the authenticity of the
papers.”
 
Dominic murmured.
 
“I think Hubert might be handy in being the
one plying the questions.
 
After all
lying to people is one thing.
 
Being
threatened with the full force of the Law by lying to a Magistrate, is entirely
another, especially when the legal ramifications are set forwards.”

“I’ll set out in
the morning and go to see him.”
 
Peter
murmured.
  

“I’ll go and see
Isobel.”
 
Dominic murmured, feeling
somewhat of a cad for the way he had behaved when he had first seen the fake
certificate.

Taking the
stairs two at a time he quietly entered the master suite moments later,
mentally running through the things he needed to say to her.
 
He was still struggling with surprise of this
latest turn of events.
 
Although
everything within him doubted the document and marriage were false, in all
honesty he couldn’t say he was entirely convinced and he had been unable to
hide that fact from Isobel.
 
He knew she
had been aware of his doubt.
 
She knew
him
that
well.

He frowned as he
eased the door open to reveal the empty room.
 
The dress she had hastily donned earlier lay in a heap upon the
bed.
 
Frowning warily, a quick search of
the room revealed the clothing she had worn the previous night gone, along with
the heavy boots and a small pouch of coins she kept beside the bed.
 
His heart sank to his knees.
 

Shaking his head
in disbelief, he sat for several moments on the side of the bed and let the
silence of the room settle around him.
 
He wondered if she had been forced into marriage to DeLisle before
running away from Gosport, and with the trauma of life on the streets had
conveniently forgotten.
 
Maybe her
illness had made her forget?
 
Maybe she
had been so desperate not to return to either Rupert or DeLisle, or the
streets; she had felt compelled to deny any marriage occurred.

She had
certainly been a virgin when they had married.
 
DeLisle, one of the Ton’s most notorious whore-mongerers wasn’t the kind
of man who would allow his wife to accept him into the marriage bed at her own
pace.
 
Had they wed, Dominic felt sure
Isobel would have been on her back as soon as the Vicar’s bible was
closed.
 

Whatever had
happened Dominic thought, the seal had looked real and would certainly be
enough to convince any court in the land of its authenticity.
 
Although Rupert didn’t have the wealth to buy
any Vicar and/or Magistrate, DeLisle did.

Briefly he
recalled the look of betrayal Isobel had sent him before leaving the room, and
bitter regret fuelled him as he moved towards the doorway.
 
She was his wife, whether legally or not, he
couldn’t deny he considered her as his wife and would do whatever it took to
ensure their future together.
 

Within minutes,
the house staff carefully questioned for any sign of her, he was atop his horse,
Sebastian and Edward by his side as they set off in search of his errant wife.

Several hours
later, light was waning as they moved slowly back towards home, exhaustion
drooping their shoulders.
 
Dominic wasn’t
all that surprised their search had proved fruitless.
 
She had, after all, proven herself quite
adept at disappearing into thin air.
 
Numerous enquiries had all come to naught.
 
Two farmhands had vaguely recalled someone
but had pointed them in different directions until even Edward had queried if
she knew where she was going, or if everyone was sending them on a merry
chase.
 
They had effectively gone around
in one huge circle around the county.
 
Although he would never say so to Dominic, Edward was somewhat impressed
and appalled with his sister-in-law’s dexterity at being able to don disguises
and disappear.
 
Personally he couldn’t
countenance being married to a wife with such capabilities, however could fully
understand Dominic’s attraction to his feisty spouse.