Wicked Proposition (43 page)

Gabriel stilled at his words. “What does Yvetta
say?”

“She claims the girl ran off.”

Gabriel considered they had also said Nan ran
off and paled. He really needed to pay more attention to that
particular business.

“Felicity appeared quite content there,
Chumley,” Gabriel offered and couldn’t ignore the possibility of
foul play.

“Yes, I rather thought that too. She disappeared
the night after I questioned her,” Chumley informed him, his steely
eyes saddened. “I spoke with Constance. She claims Felicity left in
the night.”

“What else did she say?”

“She said she couldn’t blame her after she
became Lord Dartmouth’s newest favorite.”

###

“You haven’t heard the latest gossip about your
husband, my dear,” Farwell whispered, his eyes dilated and as round
as moons. He reeked of opium and Lilly sniffed in disgust as she
moved away from him. The nobleman stood discreetly behind her at
the edge of the buffet table at Mrs. Weston’s annual dinner.

“I’m sure I couldn’t care in the slightest,”
Lilly replied and rolled her eyes. Farwell was beginning to grow
tedious. The challenge of getting him into her bed was gone.

”It’s all over the city! He got into fisticuffs
in his study with Captain Van Ryker over a woman. I heard the room
has to be completely refurbished. They say both men appear to have
been thrashed severely.”

Lilly tossed a look over her shoulder at Farwell
in annoyance. He had said one thing to draw her interest. Nicholas
was home. She felt her pulses dance at the prospect of going to him
this night and surprising him, but Farwell’s words sent shock waves
through her.

“The woman they fought over was once Iverleigh’s
mistress. She is now married to Van Ryker. They have just returned
from their island home in the Caribbean.”

“Married you say?” Lilly asked and smiled
stiffly, but inwardly she was reeling.

Nicholas had married? It was absurd. Farwell was
smoking far too much opium of late.

“What is this woman’s name? Tell me it is not
the Farrand creature?”

“Catherine is her name, I believe, and she is
rumored to be quite beautiful. Iverleigh was out with her often
when they were together. Seaton says she is exquisite. He has seen
her up close at the theatre.”

Lilly felt lightheaded and claimed the room was
over warm. She needed air and excused herself from Farwell. She
went out on the terrace and let out the breath she was holding.

Her blue eyes grew murderous. It couldn’t be
true! Catherine was dead! She had killed her! She shot her in the
head and dumped her body into the harbor. This had to be a joke,
surely?

Nicholas couldn’t possibly have known Catherine.
Gabriel and Nicholas moved in too different of circles. There was
little chance the men even knew each other.

The rumors swirling around the ballroom were
false, of course. She returned to the party and eyed Farwell in
disgust. He was far too drunk to be any good to her in bed
tonight.

Lilly was going to see for herself if Nicholas
had indeed married. She would find out the truth of the matter. She
bristled to be gone from the party and made her excuses.

Fans flicked behind her back. Eyes lowered, and
heads swiveled together as the whispers continued. Her lips
tightened. They were all talking about her husband’s misadventure,
of course.

She forced a smile and nodded to some. Lilly was
keenly aware of the mockery in her direction. Her anger was
palpable when she retrieved her wrap and left to find her coach and
driver.

Lilly gave him the address to Nicholas’s house
and sat huffily within as her thoughts invariably turned to the
rumor. Who had started it? Had Thomas done it out of spite? He had
accused her of breaking into his office recently. She had denied
such a thing but he had been angry. He hadn’t disclosed anything
was missing, so she thought he was lying.

Thomas was angry he didn’t have any investors
except for Seaton and his father-in-law. That was shaky at best.
His worm was wiggling off the hook. Seaton’s father-in-law was
getting nervous none of his fellow peers seemed eager to throw in
with Thornton’s venture.

Thomas was getting far too greedy. If he wasn’t
careful, he would find himself at the bottom of the harbor with her
dear sister, Catherine. She stepped down with the assistance of her
driver and gazed up at the house with contempt, for her key no
longer worked.

The damned Norwegian had the locks changed. No
matter, she would steal another key when Nicholas was asleep. She
could come and go as she pleased once more. Lilly saw lights on
inside and decided to spy in the windows on the ground floor. She
would satisfy herself that the rumor had been false.

She stepped off the walk and snuck around the
side of the house, approached the window to the dining room and saw
servants clearing dishes off the table. She moved on to Nicholas’s
study window. She cursed quietly when she tripped over a bush and
peered inside.

Nicholas sat alone in his study looking at some
papers. She was thrilled at the sight of him. Despite the bruises,
he still looked as handsome as ever. Lilly sighed and was about to
rap on the window pane when a woman walked into his study.

Lilly gasped and nearly fell back as she stared
at Catherine in shock. It couldn’t be! She was alive! She watched
with hatred spewing from every pore as her sister went to sit upon
Nicholas’s lap. Lilly watched in stunned horror as he kissed her
lingeringly.

Tears of rage sparkled in her gaze, seeing him
stroking the roundness protruding from her dressing gown beneath
his hand. Lilly covered her mouth and felt the bile rising in the
back of her throat.

Lilly ran back the way she came, snapping to her
driver as she approached. She was shaking in rage when the coach
moved on and she was free to vent. A shriek of fury rent the night
air as she realized she had been thwarted. How did Catherine
survive such an injury? She had seen the blood. She saw her die
before her eyes. But here she was, alive and married to Nicholas.
It made no sense. Her hands trembled at her sides.

Lilly realized Catherine was not back in London
for vengeance. The little twit would have notified the magistrate
of the attempted murder, otherwise. Curiously something was very
wrong, or Catherine was biding her time to expose her. She grimaced
in the darkness. The girl had to die once and for all.

###

Thomas Sullivan gazed unseeingly down at his
kippers and eggs and pushed the plate away. He stood and stared out
the window of his townhouse. His lips tightened in dismay as he
recalled his most recent failures.

Lord Rudd had notified him he was foregoing his
investment. Without Rudd, he had no edge to find any other
investors among the nobility. Rudd was considered quite astute when
it came to investments.

The other gentlemen within his sect followed him
like a herd of sheep. Rudd was one of the wealthiest nobles he had
ever lured into his schemes so far. The man backed out at the last
minute, his action signaling the others not to invest.

Iverleigh was a possibility. Lilly had
threatened him to stay away from the Earl’s coffers. Thomas’s lips
twisted. He owed that bitch nothing! Thomas had lied, cheated and
killed to preserve her damned position as the Earl’s wife. Once she
got everything she wanted, she flicked him off her shoe like a
bug.

Thomas found it highly coincidental Lady Mary’s
diary had disappeared from his office as Lord Rudd had pulled out
of the venture. The damning evidence in the diary could bury him.
He believed the Countess was out to eliminate him now he served his
purpose.

The diary was now in her hands, he knew. He
should have destroyed it when he found it, as he said he had.
Keeping it was a means of insuring she could not betray him. That
was before he had become Thornton. Now the diary incriminated him
far more than her now. Lilly had all she wanted now. She had her
lord’s heir, the inheritance, and her revenge.

Lilly no longer needed him and he felt sweat
bead upon his brow to know it. He felt he was sitting and waiting
to be pursued by the authorities. For all he knew of the whole
sordid plot from beginning to end, he had believed she would never
dare try to eliminate him.

Thomas was running out of time now. He just
needed to find one large mark to drain, and he could go to America
to hide. Lilly was seeking to blame him for everything now. The
missing diary insured he must leave sooner than he intended.

How had she learned of the diary’s continued
existence? He told her that he had destroyed it when he retrieved
it from Yvetta. Lilly believed him, knowing Thomas had as much to
lose, or did she? She feared the diary more than anything else.

The Countess betrayed him now. His eyes
glimmered in hatred when he thought of all he had done for her, and
for what? Lilly had brought him no new clients. She refused to use
her position to further his firm. Now she would not see him at all.
Desperation made him consider Iverleigh’s offer.

Lilly would not know until he bled Iverleigh
dry, as he had Dunleavy, and he would be gone again. It was to his
benefit that Lord and Lady Iverleigh continued to be estranged.

Lilly would have no idea her husband was being
fleeced until it was too late. That smug bastard Iverleigh would be
penniless. She could say nothing or risk her own exposure. His plan
was perfect and he had to move quickly. He would inform Edgar to
set up a meeting with the Earl of Iverleigh.

###

The tale spread as they invariably do. Soon the
stories grew to such a climactic proportion, the gossip below
stairs made it to the elegant salons upstairs. Such drew the
attention of the nobility.

The gentry began to whisper about the brawl that
had left both of the men looking like they had just left Gentleman
Jack’s boxing Saloon. The romantic melodrama had come at a time
when the ton was bored with its own and desired fodder for new
entertainments.

The Earl rarely went out, so the rumors could
not be substantiated with any credence. The talk spread rapidly
about the infamous love triangle. Soon everyone in society was
talking about the delicious scandal. Every hostess in the city
wanted to add either Lord Iverleigh or the Van Ryker couple to
their guest list.

Lady Billingsley had always enjoyed her petty
intrigues. She decided the woman who had created such a scandal was
worthy of being a guest under her roof. Given the fact she was
rumored to be the great love of Lord Iverleigh’s life, even more
so.

Lady Farwell had been her closest friend for
years. It delighted her with the possibility of making Lady
Iverleigh look the fool for a change. They discovered her liaisons
with Lord Farwell recently. Turnabout was fair play. Invitations
were sent and White’s had a wager staked none of the parties would
dare to show up.

Lady Billingsley had her husband place the wager
in his name. The one hundred pounds was well worth the notoriety it
would achieve for her event. She hummed under her breath as she
made sure the Countess was invited as well.

###

Catherine was taking tea when Hennessey arrived
with several envelopes in his hand. She opened the envelopes and
was stunned at the invitations to the various functions.

Catherine thought it a mistake until she saw
both her and Nicholas’s name upon the envelopes. She was brimming
with excitement. Surely Nicholas would take her? She had her ways
of persuasion. She hurriedly rose to seek him out.

Nicholas frowned at the stack of invitations in
Catherine’s hand. He thought her enthusiasm adorable as she whined,
wheedled and cajoled him to take her to the events, declaring she
was dying of boredom.

Nicholas wanted only to make her happy. He
agreed as long as she didn’t force him to dance with her. Catherine
had blinked at this.

“You do not know how to dance, Nicholas?” she
said in surprise. “It is very easy I will show you! By the time we
go you will be able to do a proper waltz.”

They had time to work on his dancing. He had no
excuses, she made sure of it. He agreed and she squealed with
delight and covered his face in kisses.

“I have nothing to wear!” she moaned and that
was soon rectified with his insistence she order new gowns.

Nicholas thought of hours watching her being
fitted for gowns a dull prospect indeed.

”You have not taken me anywhere since we got
here, my love!” Catherine said with an accusing look. “You owe me
this before I am too big to be effective at anything except lolling
around like a great sow!” she said laughingly and made loud oinking
noises that made him chuckle in delight.

“You would never resemble a sow, my love,” he
said and gazed down at her lovingly. “You are more beautiful now
than before to me. Shall I show you again this morning?”

“You made your point very well this morning,”
Catherine said with a soft laugh and reached up to touch the fading
bruises on his face. “I need to get out of this house before I go
mad!”

Nicholas nodded and promised to take her to get
fitted later that day as he had business down on the docks. She was
smiling happily as she went to start her lessons with Tieghan.

Nicholas groaned and stared heavenward. He was
not looking forward to parading his wife amongst the same people
who were possibly trying to have her killed.

Seeing Catherine alive would force their hands.
He wondered if Gabriel would be at any of the events. He froze when
he thought of Lilly. He had forgotten his former lover.

Catherine had pushed her out of his head and
heart the moment he dove into those icy waters to save her. He
regretted agreeing to take Catherine to these parties now.