Wicked Deception (16 page)

He ordered him to kill the woman now
that she was no longer necessary. If any found her alive; the whole
mess would come to light. His lips flattened with displeasure to
recall she knew every damning secret they had thanks to Lord
Farwell and Dartmouth. Farwell’s penchant for opium gave him an
idea. He dispatched his servants to deal with him. An overdose
would not be looked at too closely by any.

Dartmouth would take out his pleasure
upon Lady Iverleigh and bury her in his gardens there. Then he
would see about ending Dartmouth’s life. Yes, everyone who knew of
his secret pastimes would be silenced.

~ ~ ~

Gabriel eyed his breakfast without
enthusiasm. Since Catherine abruptly ended their affair, he had
little appetite and nothing tasted as it had. He was angry he was
still mooning over her telling himself the affair was agreed upon
between them. Her absence in his bed was pronounced reminding him
he reneged upon their agreement to keep the affair
casual.

He allowed himself to fall hard for her
again. He pushed the plate of runny eggs away from him in disgust.
She was determined to get her husband back now. He fought the urge
to go after her, too proud to allow her to reject him once more.
His dark eyes softened when he recalled their last moments
together.

She gave him much to remember. He
closed his eyes, haunted by those large green eyes. Discovering her
brief note on his bedside table the day of the bout made him
furious. He knew he would have argued her refusal to see him again.
They’d not been alone together since. She wouldn’t continue to see
him. The finality of it reminded him he’d not won her back at
all.

Catherine wanted her husband; that much
was obvious. He refused to chase the woman. She made her choice, he
told himself. She even disdained becoming his mistress again if
Nicholas didn’t come home.

Had he offered another arrangement, she
might have stayed with him. He hadn’t thought much of marriage
since extricating himself from his Countess. He knew he was acting
like an ass now. He was determined to have her back, under any
circumstances. If Nicholas made good his threat to leave, he would
marry her.

Nicholas claimed he was going back to
sea after all was resolved and ending his marriage. He knew better
than to waste such an opportunity. Catherine’s Uncle was another
matter. The man was as ornery as his niece and determined to find
both him and Nicholas responsible for all that befell her these
last four years. Hope filled him to think it was very much, not
over.

~ ~ ~

Nicholas read the message he received
from Gabriel. The Earl informed him he was on his own with
Dunleavy. He chuckled as he folded it and sat in the study quietly.
His glance at the mantle clock told him his meeting with Lilly was
only hours away. He was relieved Gabriel would not be here when the
next phase of his plan was put in motion.

He was angry when he realized Gabriel
was going after Catherine under his nose. She was angry and hurt.
He would waste little time running to her side. His blue eyes
narrowed when he thought of how beautiful she looked stalking into
the boxing saloon to demand he speak with her.

She only had eyes for him and attacked
him like an angry little dog. She was outraged to learn his leaving
her was for the sole sake of bringing down Lord Rudd and the others
and not because of the affair.

His lips compressed as he still felt
the soreness in his chin after being clouted by Catherine’s Uncle
the night before. He knew the man expected his presence at the
residence this day to explain all to him, and he was angry he was
to face the man without Gabriel. He fully expected another punch
before the day was out.

He sighed and glared at the mantle
clock. He had enough time to meet with Devlin before he was going
to the secret assignation to meet Lilly. He smiled and decided to
get the matter of dealing with Catherine’s outraged Uncle over
with.

He didn’t look forward to another of
the man’s punches. Remembering how his wife flew to his side and
clucked over him came to mind. He closed his eyes at how she
snuggled him to her ample, fragrant bosom and decided he could
endure another beating from Dirty Dev.

He arrived at his home within the hour,
smiling at Hennessey as he opened the door and ushered him in.
Catherine and her Uncle were found in the salon, his sons held in
both the man’s huge, bulging arms. He hoped his naming his eldest
son after the man bought him points. Clearly Devlin would have
mercy upon him? He doubted it, seeing his dark look when he
entered.

Catherine looked achingly lovely in a
demure gown of pale blue silk, her hair artfully arranged, his
locket glimmering at her throat. Seeing it there pleased him. His
eyes lingered a bit too long on his wife’s full bosom. He heard a
throat clear in obvious displeasure.

“
Ye’ll kindly quit lookin’
at my niece like that, Van Ryker, before I flatten ye again!”Devlin
groused and handed his namesake to his mother and Aidan, sending
her husband an arched look. It pleased Catherine to have her Uncle
defending her. It showed as she sent him a smug look. She excused
herself to tend to her children, leaving the two men
alone.

“
I know you want answers,
Devlin. There is much I can’t tell you,” Nicholas told him as he
sat heavily upon the settee. “All will be revealed in due time. If
you wish to beat me to a pulp, get it over with. I have another
appointment.”

Devlin couldn’t help but admire the man
his niece married, despite knowing how he left her and his
children. It was obvious something was afoot. If he was to protect
her and the children, he would know of it.

“
What are ye up to,
Nicholas?”Devlin demanded tiredly, resting his broken hand upon his
knee. “I would know if I’m to protect my niece and the
children.”

“
They are safe, Devlin. My
leaving her assured that much,” Nicholas snapped and looked away
from the knowing green gaze. “They won’t come after Catherine now.
You can rest easy knowing I’m the only one they want to
kill.”

“
Who wants to kill ye? Is it
Dartmouth?”Devlin asked, his eyes darkening when he thought of the
nobleman who was his sponsor. He disliked the man from the onset of
meeting. His need for money had overcome his disgust. “I gathered
from what my niece told me the man and his friends are all after ye
now. Can I at least ask what your intentions are for your wife?
She’s my niece. I have a right to know.”

“
Catherine will be well
taken care of after my demise,” Nicholas assured him bitterly and
smiled mirthlessly. “Have no fear; my wife will be a wealthy widow
soon.”

Devlin was angry the man was throwing
himself to the wolves and not trying to remain with Catherine. His
green eyes were raging as they saw his determination. “So, ye are
just going to let these men kill ye, and leave my niece a widow, is
that the way of it?”Devlin asked with an angry snort. “Ye give in
rather easily, Van Ryker!”

“
These men have more power
than you know. They won’t stop until I’m dead. I won’t risk my
family, Devlin. It is better I allow them to kill me than seek to
hurt my wife. I can do nothing more about it. I have argued this
with Gabriel for months. When I’m gone, she will be safe,” Nicholas
argued defensively, seeing the derision in the man’s gaze. “What
would you have me do? They circle like sharks! You do not know
these men. They would hurt my wife to get at me.”

“
I know she loves ye, ye
stupid man!”Devlin snapped and sat forward.”Ye think she will thank
ye for makin’ her a widow? I’m sorry for sayin’ it, but your plan
is a wee bit flawed!”

“
Flawed, how so?” Nicholas
asked quietly, angry the man argued his course.

“
For one, how do you know
they will leave her be with you dead?”Devlin pointed out. “Ye don’t
know at all.”

“
They have no reason to harm
her with me out of her life,” Nicholas argued, aware the man had a
point. Dartmouth had an obvious interest in his wife. His death
would leave her vulnerable to him out of all.

“
Men like them don’t need
reasons, Nicholas,” Devlin said and sighed in disgust. “Ye have to
come up with another plan, or ye risk more than just yourself here.
My niece wants ye back. She won’t take no for an answer. Ye either
come home where ye belong, or ye got me at your backside to make
sure ye don’t fall prey to these fiends. Which would ye have
snuggled up to ye at night?”He chuckled at Nicholas’s scornful
look. “No, ye aren’t leavin’ Catherine a widow. I mean to keep ye
alive, so ye might as well get used to it.”

“
You will end up getting us
all killed!”Nicholas raged furiously, his blue eyes filled with
anger. “I have planned it all to the very last detail. My wife will
be safe with Lord Iverleigh. They wouldn’t dare go after her
then.”

“
I’m thinkin’ ye hold to
much stock in what ye think she wants, Nicholas,” Devlin said
softly and saw the pain in the man’s eyes. “She doesn’t want the
Earl. I know my niece. If it were him she wanted; she would be with
him now. Yer just sore she has some feelin’ left for the man
still.”

“
I see she told you the
whole story?”Nicholas asked, looking anywhere but the man’s
perceptive gaze.

“
Aye, she told me all of it
before ye got here.” Devlin whistled, grinning widely. “What a tale
it was. I find it hard to think a man who would go so far to win my
niece’s heart would throw himself on his sword rather than stay
with her.”

“
She loves Gabriel,”
Nicholas insisted, seeing the man’s smirk and becoming enraged by
it. “If not for me they would be together, and none of this would
have happened.”

“
Ye can also argue if the
bastard hadn’t taken my niece for his mistress, she wouldn’t have
wound up dumped in the harbor too,” Devlin snapped, still dismayed
to hear Iverleigh’s wife tried to kill Catherine. “No, ye won’t be
meetin’ your maker on my watch, Nicholas, so ye may as well clue me
into the rest of your plan. I’m not going anywhere until I know my
niece’s happiness is secure.”

“
Happy? You think I can make
her happy? I have seen my wife unraveling for a year because of
what I did. You think you know what is best for her, but I insist
you’re wrong. Gabriel will take care of her when I’m gone,”
Nicholas said stubbornly and refused to speak more of it when his
wife arrived back. Catherine looked between both men in concern,
grateful her husband didn’t wear more bruises from her
Uncle.

“
Ah, there ye are, Cat,”
Devlin said with a smile of pleasure. “I was just tellin’ your
husband here what I expect of him now. He’s agreeable, if not a bit
stubborn.”

Nicholas glared at his smug look as he
rose and kissed his wife’s cheek before he left them alone. She sat
in her Uncle’s spot and saw his displeasure. Her lips compressed.
He could see she was angry. He met her gaze with a weary
frown.

“
Why are you doing this,
Catherine?” he asked and saw her eyes widen in dismay. “You think
if I move back in it will change anything between us?”

“
You’re my husband, like it
or not!”Catherine snapped and flung him a look that spoke volumes
as she poured a cup of tea for herself and gazed up at him under
her lashes. “Your place is here with me and the children. I don’t
care what you say of it.”

“
You say that now but weeks
ago you were lusting for Gabriel,” Nicholas spat and enjoyed the
color riding high in her cheeks at his accusation. “Don’t tell me
that you have gotten over your feelings for him because we both
know you would lie.”

“
I will not deny that a part
of me will always love Gabriel, but that part is in the past,”
Catherine whispered furiously, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re
my present and my future. I will not stand meekly by why you throw
all away for your need for vengeance. I deserve better than wearing
widow’s weeds. I will not allow you to leave me again. You will
move back in here and you will give me what you promised or you
have more to fear than Rudd or Dartmouth, Nicholas.”

Nicholas could see the light of
determination in her angry expression and sighed sorrowfully. She
had no idea how Dartmouth would react if he moved back in, or Rudd.
They would not hesitate to include her in their plans for him
now.

“
You will regret pushing
this issue, wife,” Nicholas muttered, looking at her again and
feeling a stab of longing so strong it nearly made him rise and
drag her to their room. “Forcing me back home will not change
anything.”

“
It appears you need some
incentive, husband,” she challenged, her eyes meeting his over the
delicate china cup, the look in her eyes obvious. He felt heat
gather in his loins as she met his look with invitation in her
gaze, smiling in such a predatory way he felt undressed in her
elegant salon. He was disgusted at the affect she had on him. The
power the dainty woman had over him always amazed him. She crooked
her finger and he leapt to her.

“
It appears you need only my
cock, wife,” he scoffed with a glare, and delighted in her flush of
embarrassment at his crudity. “You will have it, but do not think
it will change my mind. I mean to see this done.” He rose and
stalked from the room.