Wicked Deception (33 page)

Gabriel raked a hand through his golden
hair in frustration, knowing he had little choice if what Lady
Atwell said was true. Lady Atwell was right. He needed a wife and
his current track record with women made him an unpopular candidate
for anyone’s hand.

Annabel’s recent murder had also
dragged him through the gossip pages further. It was suggested he
threw her over to Dartmouth, implied he was responsible for her
being killed by the monster as a result. He wouldn’t be believed if
he defended himself in saying Annabel left him for Dartmouth. She
was right. Society wouldn’t forgive him. No sane and reputable
family would want to be linked to him now.

Hearing it made it no easier for his
pride, still wounded to lose Catherine. He had sensed much of this,
seeing the looks and hearing the whispers behind his back. If he
was determined to move ahead with his life now that Catherine made
her decision to leave; Lady Gillian was the best he could
do.

He consoled himself knowing he would
have more money than he knew what to do with. The truth he had no
other choice with his blackened reputation stung. He’d have to
think on it and said as much.

“
Cheer up, Lord Iverleigh.
I’m told Lady Gillian is as meek and as biddable a creature as you
could find,” she soothed, aware she injured his feelings by
pointing out his current status among their peers. “And one day,
everyone will forget about Francis and your wife’s sins. You will
see.”

Gabriel gave an ungentlemanly snort at
her words and smiled down at his hostess, who looked pleased even
when he hadn’t given her an answer yet. Lady Atwell knew he would
say yes.

“
Madame, let us hope the
girl is as uncomplicated as you say. I’ve had enough with
unmanageable women to last me a lifetime,” Gabriel disclosed with
some humor. The lady laughed delightedly at this.

“
Yes, you’ve had your share
of bad luck, my lord,” she agreed with a relieved smile. “But
mayhap that will all change now?”

~ ~ ~

Gabriel left the Atwell residence in a
sour mood. The news Clarissa gave wasn’t what he wished to hear. He
made his way for home, wondering about Lady Gillian Wingate. How
the gentle creature would survive arriving on the heels of such a
scandal was anyone’s guess. He pitied her if he was the best she
could do now in finding a husband.

He arrived home to learn Dartmouth was
in custody. Chumley and Tieghan were awaiting him. The somber looks
on both their faces made him stiffen. Surely the madman being
caught was a cause for a celebration? He bade them both join him in
his study, a feeling of foreboding as he faced them both. He was
annoyed. Could his day get no worse?

“
Why do I suspect you have
more bad news?” Gabriel asked dryly, rubbing his aching temples,
eyeing the dwarf knowingly. “Can I at least pour a drink first? I
fear after how my day has begun, I need one.” He poured a snifter,
and waited to hear what disaster was now brewing, for both looked
quite shaken.

“
Dartmouth had an
accomplice, it seems. Catherine is still not safe, as are you, Lord
Iverleigh,” Chumley said quietly, dodging the look of accusation in
those dark eyes.

“
Why am I not surprised?”
Gabriel barked with laughter before he downed the brandy in one
gulp. “This day has been a wash, gentlemen, and it just keeps
getting better. Who do you suppose has been working with Dartmouth?
His friends are all dead.”

“
We do not know. I took the
liberty of moving Mrs. Van Ryker and her children,” Chumley said
softly, aware of the dark look he received for acting without his
authority. “There was no choice. It was imperative she go into
hiding at once until she sails.”

“
I see, well, it is best for
her safety, is it not?” Gabriel agreed wearily. “Has he said
anything since he was arrested?”

“
No and he refuses to help
us, as you can expect,” Chumley reported, looking decidedly
worried. “We came to warn you to be careful. Until we find this
man, take no chances.”

It was agreed Tieghan would stay there.
Gabriel chuckled as he met the giant’s emotionless stare. “You’re
to be my bodyguard, Tieghan?” he asked in amusement and shook his
head. “I hardly need a protector.”

“
That’s what Nicholas used
to say,” Tieghan countered in a clipped tone that made Gabriel
scowl at his words. He was disgusted Tieghan was now his designated
shadow. His expression spoke volumes as the two men left. He sat in
his study and cursed his luck to be beset with problems at every
turn.

~ ~ ~

Elise glared at Tieghan as she watched
him pack a bag to leave for Lord Iverleigh’s residence. He said he
would stay there for only a few days, leaving her to stay alone in
their rented room. The thought of being without him and the danger
involved made her hazel eyes narrow. “Don’t you dare take any
chances, Tieghan,” she warned him.

He looked up in surprise and saw the
concern in her eyes and smiled. “It is nearly done. I will take
care.”

Elise felt tears prick her lids,
knowing she was being silly. Tieghan had not tracked her down these
many months to abandon her now. She wiped her tears and sniffled.
“You will not be happy unless you’re helping him. I should have
known that when I worked for Catherine.”

“
They don’t blame you for
what happened, Elise,” he told her softly. “You could go and stay
with Catherine now if you wish.”

Elise shook her head and bit her lip.
“No, I can’t face them yet. It is my fault this is happening. Had I
not shot Sullivan, none of this would be an issue.”

He sighed and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re not to blame for my friend’s desire for vengeance, Elise.
You of all should know that. He won’t be satisfied until they’re
all destroyed. You wouldn’t have been satisfied had you walked away
back then and you know it. No one blames you.”

Elise wasn’t convinced and cringed to
know what further pain Catherine endured thinking her husband dead.
She knew he would wish for it when his wife got her hands upon him.
It was necessary, Tieghan told her.

The powerful men connected to Lord Rudd
would have never let him live, even with the Duke now dead. She
shivered to think of how matters would have ended had he not faked
his own death. Imagining Catherine and her children hurt made her
agree to stay on in London with Tieghan now.

She wanted to leave right away the day
he arrived to collect her at one of Caspian’s homes. Knowing the
man who played his pianoforte would not try to stop her almost made
her hesitate to leave with Tieghan then.

Her feelings for Caspian were confused.
He accepted what she did in her past, looking relieved to know she
hadn’t been a prostitute on the run from her pimp, she recalled
with a shake of her head.

He had quite a few misconceptions about
her those months she lived with him. He was delighted to know she’d
only been a con artist, something that stunned her. How could that
be something acceptable?

Elise was wounded from the loss of her
child and missing Tieghan. She believed he would never come for her
and got involved with Caspian to forget him. While she could hardly
regret his incredible lovemaking and his companionship those
months, she knew he was incapable of loving her.

Caspian would never let his guard down
to love anyone. They lived at a different house every other week,
changed servants and guards to keep his enemies from assassinating
him. Elise lived in fear of watching him die in front of her, never
to have a normal life with him. Then there was the truth that he
couldn’t have children.

He claimed a fever in his youth made
him unable to have a child. After months of gracing his bed and not
conceiving, she had to agree. She recalled her relief to know it,
not pain. She wanted to bring no child into his life of danger and
constant threat.

Elise liked to think she would have
been the one to make Caspian walk away from his underworld empire.
Sadly, she wasn’t. He could turn his emotions on and off for her in
an instant, those crystalline green eyes unmoved even when she
broke down and begged him to leave with her.

Tieghan finding her was a blessing. She
could no longer ignore how the crime lord filled her heart or the
devastation she was sure to know when one of his hirelings turned
on him. She loved him, she knew, enough to walk away.

He’d not shown the least bit of emotion
when she asked to leave with Tieghan, just kissed her cheek and
wished her well, returning to his music room. She watched the door
close behind him, shutting her out of his life as if she’d never
been there, and felt her heart break.

Ty insisted she stay. She ignored
Caspian’s most trusted friend and bodyguard and watched as the
servants packed her things. She was shown the door then. The
household was moving within the hour without her.

Tieghan arrived expecting a fight,
pistols and cutlass poised. He seemed confused to find her alone in
the foyer sitting on her trunk when he collected her. She’d been
crying, but not in joy to be leaving with the man she loved and
couldn’t forget. She cried for Caspian, who refused the love she
offered him.

“
When this is over we go to
my home,” he informed her with a tender smile, coming close and
lifting her off her feet, into his massive arms to brush a kiss
across her lips. “You should be warned my sister is there. She’s
left Eric. Perhaps you can convince her to dress like a woman for
once.”

“
Perhaps she can teach me to
use a sword,” Elise whispered pertly and her arms slid about his
neck. “That’s one skill I don’t have.”

“
Yes, you have many skills,
my lovely chameleon,” Tieghan told her with a tender smile. “I
particularly like it when you dress up like the maid. Do you think
we can go back to being just Tieghan and Miss Grey?”

Elise smiled, her heart beating
erratically every time he was near. “I would be anything for you,
Tieghan.”

“
Just be yourself, Elise.
Now that I’ve found you again, I want only the real you,” he
informed her with a voice thick with emotion. “No more disguises.
No more lies between us.”

Elise knew it was a lot for him to
concede to, as judgmental as he was. Accepting everything about her
was the hardest thing for him. She knew they had much work ahead of
them, but was confidant she made the right choice when his lips
took hers in a passionate kiss.

She broke the kiss and stared at him.
“Let me help you for one final performance, Tieghan. You need me
for this. You and Iverleigh cannot protect her.”

Tieghan set her down and glared at her,
the spell broken. “No, I won’t have you made up like Catherine to
lure Lilly into the open. It’s out of the question. If anything
happened to you, I wouldn’t want to live, Elise.”

“
It makes perfect sense!”
she cried and her hazel eyes lit up to participate. “With the use
of a wig and makeup, I could fool even Nicholas or Iverleigh and
you know it.”

“
Mayhap from a distance,” he
conceded and shook his head. “You’re too tall! Catherine is tiny.
Lilly would know it isn’t her.”

Elise refused to be left out. She owed
Catherine and Nicholas this. She avoided them both out of guilt
now, unable to face what she did to hamper their plans for
Sullivan. Tieghan said none blamed her for what followed, but she
was determined to do something to help.

“
Please, let me do this for
them, Tieghan,” she begged as she reached up to touch his rugged
cheek, tears in her eyes. “I owe them both more than I can ever
repay.”

“
If you do this; you will do
all I say,” he warned with a slight smile. “This deception must
end, Elise. My friend needs his wife and children back.”

Elise knew how Nicholas sacrificed all
to keep Catherine safe and was humbled to think of how much he
loved his wife. She realized he could sail alone when this was over
and felt sad. Out of all he plotted and planned, Nicholas couldn’t
know whether his wife would get on that ship. None of them were
sure anymore. With Iverleigh free to be with her, they all wondered
what she would do.

Elise privately thought Catherine would
be a fool to stay in this place where all these memories were sure
to haunt her. As a woman, she could predict Nicholas’s wife would
leave London six weeks from now. Whatever feelings she had for
Iverleigh were not enough to keep her here. She knew Tieghan
worried over it and she assured him her former mistress would be on
that ship.

~ ~ ~

Lilly almost crowed with delight when
she dug up the bag of money she hid over a year ago. She was
sneaking past the windows and peering inside, watching the movement
within the house for some time. She was disgusted after an hour to
realize Catherine wasn’t there.

She watched her husband dine with the
dwarf and Nicholas’s friend Tieghan and knew at once her sister was
no longer staying here. She was infuriated. It could only mean they
had moved her, possibly learned she wasn’t aboard The Morning
Glory.

Perhaps Nicky wasn’t as dense as she
thought.