Viridis - A Steampunk Romance (36 page)

Their eyes met and he held her gaze with his own.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse with emotion. “Will ye have me,
Phoebe?”

She nodded, blinking back tears. “I will. And you?
Will you have me, Seth?”

He lowered his head, his lips brushing against hers
in a whisper of a kiss. “You and no other,
a ghaoil
.”

Phoebe pushed all other thoughts from her mind and
concentrated on the only thing of any importance at that moment—
Seth, and Seth alone. There was no room in her head for anything
else— no room for Victor or her nightmares.

They stood there naked in the warmth of the
fireplace, her pulse racy and erratic from his gentle touch. Her
arms went around his neck and she pulled him to her, meeting his
mouth with her own.

Like a spark to dry tinder, the fire within her
ignited. With all that had happened, she could not take things
slow; she desperately needed to cleanse herself of Victor’s touch.
Seth responded to her need, their kiss deepening as his hand
trailed its way to tease her nipples pert, a moan escaping her
lips.

Unable to leave their kiss, she murmured against his
lips. “Please, Seth. I need you.” Reaching down, she stroked his
hard length, making it pulse in response.

“Phoebe—” Seeking to erase all words from his mind,
to erase all his fears and doubts, she pushed him onto the sofa and
dropped to her knees before him
.

She ran her tongue up his cock and he shuddered in
response. As his fingers knotted in her hair, she continued to
tease and take, pushing him towards the edge, her own need pulsing
in beat with his own. When his moans reached a crescendo, she
straddled his lap and with barely a moment’s hesitation, slid down
the length of him.

“
A ghaoil
, ye’re going to be the death of
me.” Her heart soared upon hearing his breathy response, and she
covered his mouth with hers, allowing all control to slip away. He
clamped an arm around her waist, and met her thrust for thrust,
burying himself in her.

“Look at me… I need you to look at me, Phoebe.”
Without breaking her rhythm, she met his gaze. “I need you to know
it’s me. Me and no one else. You’re my heart and my soul,
a
ghaoil
. Mine and no other’s.”

Their pace quickened until she thought she could
take no more, her eyes locked with his. Her body tightened around
him, his name but a whisper upon her lips as he pushed them over
the edge, his claim on her complete.

***

The following morning, not only did Phoebe awake in
Seth’s arms, but to a happiest surprise— Gabriel was awake and it
looked like he would indeed recover. Sitting by his side, she tried
to reassure him that his memory would return and even if it never
did, she was just happy to have him back.

“I’m sorry. I really do not remember what happened.”
He shifted, his face suddenly grimacing in pain, his hand going to
his chest where he was shot.

“Let me get you something to ease your discomfort.”
Worried, Phoebe started to stand, but he took her hand in his,
preventing her from getting up.

“It can wait. I’m fine for now.” His eyes went to
everyone in the room before settling back on Phoebe, a look of
question in his eyes. “Did something else happen?”

Phoebe gave his hand a squeeze, and smiled at him,
trying to mask any indication of all that had occurred. “Nothing
you need to worry yourself about. As for your memory, it will take
some time, but should come back to you soon enough.”

“I know. It’s frustrating though. I remember being
at Viridis, and I remember going to the pub with Lilly, but nothing
after that.” His color looked flushed and mottled, and Phoebe knew
it would be some time still before he was back to feeling like
himself.

“You must get some rest.” Phoebe stood and kissed
his forehead. “I’m glad to have you back, my dear.”

“I’m glad to be back.”

***

Later that afternoon, Phoebe sat across from William
in the sitting room, relaying Gabriel’s condition, but her stomach
churned as she wondered why he had come. She knew by the worried
look in his eyes that this was not simply a social visit.

“I’m glad to hear he’s well. Do you think it would
be possible for me to question him?”

“I don’t see why not. The lads are with him as we
speak, though I will warn you he does not remember what happened or
who attacked him.” William nodded, then glanced at her hand, where
she had yet to replace her engagement ring.

She quickly covered her left hand with her right
blushing under his gaze. She could only imagine what he thought of
her after what had happened at Victor’s.

Though William looked rather uncomfortable, his tone
was business like, polite. “Mr. Elliott is here then? I do have
some news I wish to discuss with the two of you, if you have a
moment to spare.”

“Of course.” Phoebe stood and William followed her
to Gabriel’s room.

Despite the room’s large size, it was now looking
rather crowded. She couldn’t help but notice William start when he
spied Seth and Gavin’s abused faces, the two of them looking like
they’d been in a dockside brawl. Gabriel, was propped up in bed,
and looking much better. Gavin and Seth’s constant company had
greatly lifted his spirits.

After the niceties were taken care of, William took
the offered seat and got to the business at hand. “I’m afraid the
police department will be unable to pursue the charges of theft and
blackmail against Lord Fenwick, and there is not enough evidence to
show his hand in the murder of Lord Hawthorne. Unfortunately, our
hands are tied regarding the matter.”

Phoebe felt numb. After all that had happened, it
would have been a small consolation to at least have Victor charged
with her assault and the theft of her formula. Now, she would not
have even that.

“I am terribly sorry about the matter, Lady Hughes,
and if there were anything I could do, it would already be
done.”

She nodded in acknowledgment, before glancing to
Seth, who glared at William. “Would you care to explain how exactly
this could happen? You have Sarah’s testimony and the module. Is it
not enough?”

William shook his head. “There was even additional
evidence given by a clerk employed at Lord Fenwick’s solicitor’s
further incriminating him, and yet Victor is a free man.”

Gavin stood there, arms crossed, looking far too
much like the Vikings of his ancestors, his anger coiled and ready
to spring. “The SS has had their hands in this from the beginning,
aye? They’re the only ones with that type of authority, save the
Queen.”

William sighed. “It’s true they’re somehow involved
though I’m not sure what their role is in all of this. We knew Lord
Niles Hawthorne had been working for Special Services, but it also
appears that Lord Fenwick had blackmailed him into stealing the
formula.” William shot a glance at Gabriel before continuing, and
Phoebe’s heart tripped over itself as she tried to keep her
thoughts from racing. “It was Niles who supplied Victor with a copy
of the key and the code to your laboratory, which he then gave to
Sarah, thus enabling her access to your formulations.”

“I’m so sorry, Phoebe.” Gabriel gave her a pleading
look, his voice strained with emotion and guilt. “Niles must have
gotten the key and code when he’d been to my home. I’m afraid I did
not have them locked away properly.”

Phoebe took his hand and managed a smile. “Don’t
blame yourself, my love. You could not have known.”

“Still. This would not have happened if it hadn’t
been for my carelessness.” Gabriel hung his dark head, refusing to
meet her eyes.

Phoebe reached out and cupped his cheek, forcing him
to look at her. “Listen to me, Gabriel. They would have found
another way. Why do you think Victor courted me? But quite frankly,
it does not matter. None of it matters, as long as we still have
each other.”

Frustration marked Seth’s face as he asked, “Do you
still think Victor had something to do with Niles’s murder?”

William shrugged. “To be honest I do not know. I
managed to find the man who was seen with Niles the night of his
murder, a Mr. Brown. He admitted to arranging the blackmail and
theft for Victor, but had no evidence to implicate him in the
murder. Though it is possible Brown himself murdered Niles, he had
no connection to Niles other than the business he was conducting on
Victor’s behalf. I highly doubt he would take the fall for murder
if it were something Victor had sent him to do.”

“So then, what happened? I do not understand why
Victor isn’t being charged if you have the evidence.” Seth went
back to pacing the room, trying to vent some of his anger.

“We brought Victor to the station and charged him
based on the evidence and the confessions we had from both Sarah
and Brown. Our case was strong, and quite frankly the evidence
against him was quite damning. But I’m afraid his sphere of
influence is even wider than I’d anticipated. All of the charges
against him have been dropped,” he turned once again to Phoebe,
“even your charges of assault. I’m afraid there’s nothing that can
be done. I am truly sorry.”

Phoebe nearly laughed to keep from crying. “Somehow,
I am not surprised in the least.”

Seth shook his head in disgust. “Ye then wonder why
there’s revolution in the air.”

Chapter Seventy Five

Gabriel watched as everyone left the room, leaving
him and William to speak in private. His heart felt like it would
leap out of his chest, as his mind raced through the possibilities,
a feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

William took the seat by Gabriel’s bedside. “Your
sister mentioned you do not remember who attacked you, but is there
anything else you remember from that night? I fear that you may
still be in danger.”

Gabriel had been scouring his brain since he awoke.
“I’ve been trying to remember, but I still cannot recall a thing.
The last I remember is being at the club the evening before, and
then seeing you with Lilly.”

“It is still early days, and I am sure your memory
will return with time, though until then I do hope you will be
careful.” A silence hung in the air between them.

William’s demeanor was serious, though his eyes were
not without kindness as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled
out a small stack of envelopes wrapped in a red silk ribbon. “I
believe these are yours,” he said, handing them to Gabriel.

Gabriel could feel all the blood drain from his face
as he looked down at the envelopes, the handwriting all too
familiar. He looked at William, unable to mask his panic and not
quite sure what he should say. Everything in him was telling him to
deny it, to be outraged at the accusation, to ask William to leave.
In the end he could not say anything at all. He knew it would be
futile to deny it, and was far too tired of pretending to be
someone he was not.

His fingers ran over the silk ribbon as he blinked
away the tears. Niles had kept his letters with such care. Though
he had betrayed him, he now knew he’d been forced to do so. With
his family’s status in society, Niles’s situation had been a
precarious one, and he would not have survived it if his true
nature had been exposed.

William gave a slight nod. “I am right then.” It was
not a question but a statement. “Does your sister know?”

Gabriel sighed heavily. “I do not know. I’ve never
told her, and have always tried to be cautious, but… Well, you’ll
know a little bit about her by now, and she’s not one to have the
wool pulled over her eyes. If she does know, she has never
said.”

Gabriel held the letters to his chest. “How did you
figure it all out? We had tried to be so careful.”

William nodded. “You were, and I’ll admit it hadn’t
crossed my mind. I came across the letters when looking for clues
to the murder, but had no idea who had written them until the night
you were attacked. I was there at your home when Gavin found you.
While looking around your home for any indication as to who
attacked you, I came across the ledger on your desk and recognized
the handwriting.”

Gabriel just shook his head. “It’s always the small
details that give us away.”

“As careful as you were, could it be someone found
out about Niles? I do not know what Victor was blackmailing Niles
with, but I would think it a possibility.”

Gabriel shrugged. “I suppose it is possible, though
he was trying his best to keep it a secret. He was even going to
marry Lilly as a guise— no marital obligations— and in exchange he
would make sure she and her sister would want for nothing. A poor
marriage his father might forgive, but certainly not buggery. Being
the second son, his inheritance wouldn’t be large, but he would
lose everything if he were ever found out, including his
reputation. He’d have nothing left.”

William nodded in acknowledgement. “I can see the
difficulties, especially when you take Niles’s financial situation
into consideration. The marriage would allow some freedoms you
would not otherwise have.”

“I actually gave it a fair amount of thought myself,
and even asked Lilly to consider a similar situation since it’s
rare to find someone willing to enter into such a marriage. She
seemed keen. Though Niles is dead, I’m sure there will come a time
in the future….” Gabriel left the words unsaid, Niles’s loss still
too painful.

“I can see how it would be a tempting scenario. It
must be tiring to have to constantly hide who you truly are.”

Gabriel sighed. “Exhausting.”

Chapter Seventy Six

Phoebe sat by the fire, numb, her drink abandoned on
the side table, staring blankly at the glowing embers and dancing
flames. Even when Seth crouched before her, her gaze remained on
the flickering light.

“Phoebe, love. Will ye not say something? You’ve
barely spoken a word since William left.”