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Authors: Adrienne Basso

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BOOK: To Protect An Heiress (Zebra Historical Romance)
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He was close enough to hear their conversation, their speculation. He had done his job well. They were convinced it was an accident, a cruel stroke of fate. It had been difficult, but he had not demonstrated any savagery when he performed his task. The young woman barely had time to be frightened before his hands had stolen around her neck.
Her soft eyes had widened in surprise, then panic and finally pain. She had lost consciousness quickly and it had taken only a quick snap to break her neck.
For him, killing was a compulsion. A necessity, like food and water and air for other men. He had long ago ceased trying to understand it, for it had always been a part of him, cleverly and successfully concealed from the world.
This woman was unlike his usual victims. Female, of course, but of a far different class. He preferred the young assistants in the shops on Bond Street or the fresh-faced serving wenches at the taverns, working girls who fought with fear and determination to escape their fate.
Yet this particular woman had been chosen for a reason. A very personal reason.
His senses gradually began returning as the rush of excitement and exhilaration began to ease. He peered again through the leaves to savor the death scene one last time and became aware of a woman kneeling beside the body. She lifted her head, and he sucked in his breath in astonishment.
It was impossible! He had just killed this woman! He blinked vigorously, then carelessly pushed aside a branch for a better view.
There was no mistake. The woman sobbing so pitifully beside the body was Lady Meredith Barrington. Cursing soundly, he realized he had not taken full measure of his victim’s face. He had seen the distinctive shawl and stalked his victim patiently. The moment she was alone, he had sprung, attacking from behind, turning her to face him only at the last instant, so he could relish the final moments of her life as he hastened its end.
Lady Meredith bowed her head. Her hands stole around her waist and she clutched at her stomach as if in great pain.
His anger began to ease. She was suffering. Horribly. Perhaps this was better. Her death would have been a swift punishment for her sins. The death of someone she clearly cared for would bring her years of pain and anguish.
He dragged in a breath, his chest swelling. His skin began prickling with enjoyment as he savored this strange twist of fate.
Perhaps all had not gone precisely according to his original plan, yet he was pleased with the final result.
For now.
Two
London, England
Eight years later
 
“I thought by now you would finally comprehend that it is beyond foolish to place a wager when you do not possess the coin to pay if you lose,” Lady Meredith Barrington admonished forcefully. “Nor the legal means to obtain it.”
She assumed what she hoped was a grave expression of disapproval and glared at the two gentlemen who were sprawled on the patterned brocade sofa in her drawing room.Identical in golden coloring, with sharp handsome features that were also nearly the same, they gazed back at her with matching green eyes that held a hint of boredom, a reaction hardly befitting this serious matter.
She had hoped her lecture would inspire regret or remorse or even repentance. Yet that seemed unlikely.
With a forlorn sigh, Meredith admitted her younger brothers were no longer a pair of lanky youths who grew still and quiet when she raised her voice. Those skinny, boyish limbs were now muscular arms and wide shoulders, clothed in the finest garments Weston could produce. And when they were not being lectured by their older sister, she knew those brilliant green eyes burned with youthful zeal and a passion for life.
It did not, however, disguise the fact that her younger twin brothers, Jason and Jasper, were without question the most mischievous, irritating, frustrating, and charming men in all of England. Meredith was also firmly convinced they were responsible for the gray hairs she had discovered in her hairbrush this very morning.
“I don’t understand why you are getting so distraught over this matter,” Jasper grumbled. He leaned back and casually rested his left ankle atop his right knee. “It is not an overly large wager.”
“Nor have we lost it,” Jason added in a deliberate tone.
“Yet,” Meredith said in her sternest voice. She huffed dramatically, folded her arms across her chest, and used her considerable height to her advantage. Unfortunately, neither man was looking directly at her, so the effect of glaring down upon them was lost. “I told you most emphatically two weeks ago I would neither intercede on your behalf with father’s man of affairs to advance your quarterly allowance, nor would I make you a loan from my own meager funds.”
“Meager!” Jasper hooted. He shifted position swiftly, placing both booted feet firmly on the carpet. “Saints above, Merry, you’ve got more money than anyone else I know, male or female. I’d wager you could lend the Bank of England funds if it was needed.”
“The Bank of England?” Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “A solid, reliable institution, with sound collateral and a sterling reputation. I know Merry has a pretty bit of coin put aside, but it can’t possibly be as much as the bank. Or could it? An interesting notion. I believe I shall accept that wager, brother.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sakes, will you both stop it?” Meredith nearly stamped her foot in frustration. This was ridiculous. Would they never stop, never learn? She loved her brothers to the extreme but was hardly blind to their faults, the principal one being their overzealous enthusiasm for gambling.
At twenty-two years of age, the twins were a pair of spoiled, privileged gentlemen, reckless, overindulged, and self-centered. Meredith’s parents were of little use when it came to controlling their sons. The earl and his wife were often out of the country, pursing some archaeological find or scholarly relic that had captured the earl’s fancy. They were, for the most part, blissfully unaware of their sons’ extreme antics.
Yet even when they were in town, they did nothing to curb the twins’ wild behavior. The earl was of the opinion his sons would eventually grow out of their high spirits. Consequently, he allowed them to live their lives entirely as they wished. No matter how outrageous the circumstance, the earl gave no censure to his sons.
Initially Meredith had tried to follow her father’s lead, but she soon discovered that, left to their own devices, the twins would run totally wild. She had tried to be a steadying influence on them, but more and more that task was requiring stronger measures. They no longer easily followed her direction nor listened to her advice or opinions with solemn, wide-eyed regard.
As they grew older, it seemed the harder she tried to control them, the more they resisted. Each time Meredith vowed she would not intercede at the next crisis, yet she found it impossible to follow her own advice.
She partly blamed herself for the current state of affairs, admitting she had bailed her brothers out of so many scrapes over the years that they no longer fully considered the consequences of their escapades before acting.
They knew if things went awry, she could be counted upon to somehow set everything to rights, for she had taken the task of watching over them very seriously. It was a role she did not relish, yet she knew she must often seem like an avenging angel, refusing to let any real harm come to her wayward siblings, especially when it was within her means to prevent it.
Despite everything, she loved her brothers deeply and knew they held her in equal regard. However, at moments such as these, that was occasionally difficult to remember.
“It never ceases to amaze me that given the vast amount of time you waste with your endless gaming and wagering you are both so exceedingly poor at it,” Meredith said tartly. “One would think you could at least improve over time.”
“ ’Tis just a run of bad luck,” Jasper declared stoically. He was the older twin by several minutes, and thus the heir to his father’s title.
That gave him a distinct advantage over his brother, for as the future earl he was afforded more privileges and considerations. Chief among them was a larger line of credit from merchants, moneylenders, and his gaming partners.
“Why, only last week I won a shockingly fine pair of matched bays from Lord Darby,” Jasper continued, “at the turn of a single card. It was the talk of the club for several days.”
“And I won them from Jasper only three days later,” Jason said in a cheerful tone.
“You cheated.” Jasper flicked a small bit of lint off his breeches and glared at his brother. “Though I cannot prove it, I am convinced you marked those cards.”
“Sore loser.” Jason smirked. “You are loath to admit it, but my skill at piquet exceeds yours. It always has.”
“It never has,” Jasper stated emphatically. “The only possible way you could have won was by foul means.”
Jason shrugged his shoulders. Her brother’s total lack of offense at the suggestion he had cheated had Meredith convinced there might be some truth in the charge. She only prayed he practiced such foolishness with his twin and not with other gamesters. Cheaters often came to a swift and unpleasant end.
Though her brothers were nearly identical in face and form, there were distinct differences in their personalities. Jason was by far the more congenial of the twins, quick with a smile, always eager for a new experience, a new challenge. Yet Meredith had recently begun to notice a reckless streak in Jason that worried her greatly.
“If the horses are as prime as you say, then you should sell these magnificent beasts to cover your current gaming debts and wisely hold aside enough coin to make good on this latest wager,” Meredith said, as she diverted the conversation back to the current problem at hand. “If you lose this newest bet, of course.”
“I’m afraid that is impossible.” Now it was Jasper’s turn to smirk at his brother’s expense. “Jason lost the bays only last night. In another game of piquet.”
“Good lord.” Meredith collapsed onto an upholstered chair. “Those poor animals are being shuttled all over London as half the bucks in town win and lose them. Have you no conscience at all for their well being?”
Both men gave her an equally puzzled expression.
“They are fed the finest grain, housed in the cleanest stables, exercised in the choicest fields,” Jasper said. “I daresay those less fortunate souls in the East End of London would envy the treatment these horses receive.”
“A most pitiful comment on the state of our society,” Meredith said dryly, but the blank expressions on her brothers’ faces told her it was pointless to continue in this vein. This was most definitely not the time for her to begin a lecture on the responsibilities and duties of a privileged man in Society toward those who were less fortunate.
“We can discuss your ideas for political and social reform later, Merry,” Jasper said smoothly. “But first we would like to talk about a more pressing problem. Of a personal nature.”
Meredith’s brows arched upward. Perhaps she had underestimated her brothers’ shrewdness. At least they were aware of her opinions, even if they did not share them. “I have already told you I will not lend you any money, and I have no intention of changing my mind, no matter how eloquently you state your case. Therefore, we have nothing to discuss.”
Meredith regained her feet and strode restlessly to the other side of the room, deliberately keeping her back to the twins. When they turned pleading, sincere eyes toward her, it was much harder to stand firm, and Meredith was determined not to relent in this matter.
“We are not asking you for money,” Jasper said in an indignant tone. “You have obviously misunderstood the entire situation.”
“We have come to ask your help in winning a wager that could restore those long-necked bays to us,” Jason added in a righteous voice. “Won’t you at least do us the courtesy of listening to our plan before you dismiss it?”
Meredith sighed as her shoulders sagged. “Jasper initially won these poor horses from Lord Darby, then Jason won them from Jasper, and last night Jason again lost them in still another card game.” She rubbed her temples in an effort to ease the steady pounding in her head. It was not successful. “I fail to see how I can assist you in the matter. I don’t even play piquet.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Merry.”
“I was being sarcastic.”
“Oh.”
Silence fell. Meredith raised her eyes toward the gilt porcelain clock resting on the marble mantel above the fireplace and slowly counted to ten.
“All we ask is that you listen to us. With an open mind. Please?” a voice which could have belonged to either brother entreated.
Against her better judgment, Meredith slowly turned around. Both men immediately flashed her their most winning smiles. Merry gritted her teeth, refusing to be charmed.
Then Jason invitingly patted the seat beside him. Merry’s mouth quirked faintly, but her gaze was sharp as she took the place so solicitously offered by her brother.
“All right, out with it. I know I shall not have a moment’s peace until you have revealed your latest plan.” Meredith primly folded her hands together and placed them in her lap. “I’m listening.”
Jason leaned forward eagerly. “We have devised a most clever way to ensure we win this latest wager. All we require is a bit of help from you—in a very limited role.”
“For once my brother does not exaggerate,” Jasper agreed heartily. “It will take very little effort for us to be victorious, and the best part is that we will walk away not only in possession of the bays but with a tidy sum in our pockets.”
“More than enough to last until we receive our regular quarterly allowance,” Jason said.
“I hardly dare ask, but with whom have you placed this oh-so-easy-to-win wager?”
“The Marquess of Dardington,” both men said simultaneously.
Color flared high on Meredith’s cheeks and she had difficulty catching her breath. The Marquess of Dardington! The last time she had set eyes on Trevor Morely was at Lavinia’s funeral, eight years ago. He had stood beside the black-silk-draped coffin stiffly, without a trace of emotion marring his handsome features, as his young wife was entombed in the family vault.
The grief of the day had nearly shattered Meredith’s own heart. She had worn a dark, heavy veil to hide the constant flow of tears that would not cease. The sadness had seeped inside her very soul and would not abate.
Eventually time had lessened the pain Meredith felt, but somewhere inside she knew she would always grieve for the friend she had so abruptly lost.
Jason and Jasper had been away at school that ill-fated year Meredith made her debut into society and knew nothing of her friendship with Lavinia. They knew of the tragic, accidental death of the lovely young marchioness, for that harrowing tale had reached even the halls of Eton, but they had no idea of its impact on Meredith’s life.
Immediately after the funeral, the marquess had disappeared from Society entirely. Rumors abounded as to his fate. Some said he had joined the army, others said he had shut himself away in one of his father’s remote estates and nearly gone mad with grief. There were even hints that in a raging fit of madness he had taken his own life.
It was all nonsense, of course. Trevor had emerged again among the
ton
two years after Lavinia’s death and became a formidable presence among the rogues and rakes who existed on the fringes of society. Meredith often wondered how she would feel, how she would react, if she once again met the marquess, but their paths never crossed.
She attended fewer and fewer Society events each Season, and apparently the marquess went to even less. By all accounts, he seemed to prefer the company of men, those who had reckless and daring reputations that equaled his own, and women who were known for their beauty, not their moral character. It surprised and worried Meredith to realize that Trevor was an acquaintance of her brothers. She wondered what a jaded, worldly man like the marquess would find interesting or even amusing about her younger siblings.
BOOK: To Protect An Heiress (Zebra Historical Romance)
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