Wicked Proposition (52 page)

“I see a stubborn ass of a man who refuses to
see the truth!”

“And I see a woman who will always make her
husband play second in her life until she begins to see things as
they are,” Nicholas replied and shrugged. “Admit it, Catherine. You
blame me for taking you away that night you were shot. You begin to
imagine I interfered with Gabriel’s heroic efforts at coming to
your rescue. Am I right?”

Catherine stared at him with growing unease, for
those were the deepest, most troubling thoughts she had of late. He
knew what she was thinking before she did. He anticipated her every
emotion in regard to Gabriel.

“Why do you insist on dragging him between us
now?”

“He is always there, Catherine!” Nicholas
snapped, his blue eyes darkening with anger. “You refuse to see
things as they are, even now. There was never a happy ending for
you and Gabriel, even then. Until you see that in your mind, you
will continue to harbor such thoughts of him.”

Catherine looked down at her hands. “I know that
you are right. I know I must have known that then too. What do you
want of me, Nicholas?”

“Accept what you know, and look no further,
Catherine,” he stated with a look she knew well. “He has agreed to
allow you time with your son. Let it be enough.”

“I will never give up on trying to get my son
back, Nicholas.”

“Then you will be disappointed, Catherine.
Gabriel will not give him to you. The only way you will ever get
your son back is if you return to him,” Nicholas concluded with a
sad expression.

“How can you say such things?”

“It is the truth,” he scoffed with an angry
look. “He holds the boy over your head like a prize to be won
now.”

“He could change his mind.”

“He won’t, and if you wonder how I know that, he
already told me as much when he insisted these visits be at his
residence and not here.”

Catherine had wondered why he wouldn’t allow the
child to be brought to her. She assumed it was because she was a
stranger to the boy. Now she saw Gabriel was luring her into his
lair, separating her from Nicholas and using their son to do
it.

“People do change, Nicholas,” she said quietly,
her green eyes meeting his. “I have.”

“You didn’t have much choice in it, love.”

“I have a choice now, Nicholas,” she whispered
softly. “I choose you.”

“Prove it to me,” he said as he leaned upon the
desk and folded his arms across his chest. “Send the man a message
and ask the child be brought here. Use your condition as the
excuse. If he refuses you, you have your answer. There will always
be conditions to you having your child with him, Catherine. You
need to see that now, or you will be hurt. We will be hurt!”

She nodded sadly feeling like her heart would
rupture. Gabriel dictating the terms of her reuniting with her
child was only a means to undermine her marriage. She saw that
now.

Nicholas watched her write the message and send
the footman off. He was pleased as he drew her into the curve of
his arms. He looked down at her approvingly.

“If I know him as I do, he will be here within
the hour,” he said dryly and dropped a kiss on her brow. “And he
will not be happy.”

###

Gabriel and his small entourage arrived in under
an hour. He appeared slightly annoyed as he crossed the foyer.
Hennessey took his coat and directed him to the salon. Gabriel,
with the nurse in tow, entered the salon.

Nicholas was lounging in a chair, appearing
pleased with himself. Catherine rose unsteadily as she stared at
the toddler held by the nanny.

Catherine stared at the small boy in
fascination. Nicholas could see she only had eyes for her son. He
eyed Gabriel deliberately.

“Why do we not allow them some privacy,
Gabriel?” he offered as he rose. “I have matters to discuss with
you.”

Gabriel glared at Nicholas as they retreated
from the salon while Catherine reacquainted herself with her son.
Nicholas could see Gabriel was disgusted he had lost control of the
situation. The two men arrived to his study and Nicholas handed him
a brandy, knowing that would soften him up.

“You will send the boy here from now on,
Gabriel,” Nicholas said and eyed him closely, seeing him bristle
with being told to do anything. “She is too far along with child to
be running back and forth to see her son. There is also the matter
of your wife and Sullivan wanting her dead. Expecting my wife to
endanger herself to see her child is unreasonable, you will
agree?”

“When you put it that way, how could I argue it,
Nicholas?” the Earl snapped.

“Good, I am glad we agree on that,” Nicholas
said with a grin. “Where are her brothers?”

“They will arrive within the hour,” he said
tightly, “I wanted to allow her time with Giles first. She need
only deal with one thing at a time.”

“That was very considerate of you, Gabriel.”

“Why do I get the feeling you are enjoying all
of this, Nicholas?”

“I merely want what is best for my wife,
Gabriel,” Nicholas contended with an innocent look.

“You wanted to keep an eye upon us both,” he
said in disgust.

“That too,” Nicholas admitted with a smile as he
sipped from his snifter. “My wife doesn’t know you the way I
do.”

“She doesn’t know you as well,” Gabriel
acknowledged grudgingly, conceding Nicholas outmaneuvered him in
getting Catherine alone on his own terms.

“I pity us both when she figures us out on her
own,” Nicholas agreed. “For now I refuse to give you any edge with
my wife’s emotions, Gabriel. She is fragile, and I will not allow
you to play that against her.”

Gabriel glared at him and changed the subject.
“Has Chumley found out anything new?”

“No, nothing new,” Nicholas lied smoothly and
met his dark eyes unwaveringly. He wasn’t about to tell him Chumley
looked for Catherine’s daughter. “He said Sullivan needs a rich
investor or he will run. There is nothing to keep him here now that
the diary is missing.”

“I can see that means I am to be that rich
investor?”

“He would probably doubt my sincerity.”

“Very well, I will send Hines to see him.”

“Do you have any influence with Lord Rudd?”
Nicholas asked casually.

Gabriel frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Rudd is
an influence all on his own, Nicholas. Why do you ask?”

“We need him to approach Sullivan, seek to get
in on his venture to buy more time,” Nicholas explained. “We don’t
want Sullivan fleeing too soon.”

“I can speak with him certainly,” Gabriel
agreed. “Francis was a friend of my father’s. That should count for
something.”

Nicholas refused to explain his reasons for
wanting Lord Rudd to approach Sullivan. Gabriel was annoyed the man
continued to keep him in the dark as he did to his wife.

“This will be over soon,” Nicholas said stiffly,
avoiding Gabriel’s searching look.

“What are you up to now, Nicholas?”

“I’m trying to catch and beat Sullivan at his
own game,” Nicholas said defensively.

Gabriel sensed there was more, but knew he would
learn nothing. Nicholas would tell him only what he wished him to
know. He told himself he helped Nicholas now for Catherine, but
knew he did it for himself as well. He wanted justice for what a
mess was made of his life.

“Nicholas, if this goes badly and she is hurt
or…,” Gabriel said and couldn’t go on. “I just hope you know what
you are doing.”

“I need Rudd and his cronies to keep Sullivan
here, no more,” Nicholas replied. “If he thinks he is to get a big
payment, he is likely to delay running. I need more time. He grows
restless.”

“How is it you know how the man feels?”

“I have followed him ever since I stepped foot
upon English soil, that is how.”

“What have I hired Chumley for?” Gabriel
complained sourly.

“We need him as well,” Nicholas said and grinned
maddeningly. “Do not think you pay the man for nothing. I know how
you dearly hate wasting money. He is skilled at forgeries, and not
just detecting them. We must convince Sullivan these papers are
real, as well as the drafts. He will know the minute he tries to
cash them, and we will have him.”

Gabriel was amazed at Nicholas’s plan, his
admiration obvious. “What do you plan for my wife?”

Nicholas’s expression hardened. “I would kill
the bitch if I thought I would get away with it. I will not lie to
you. The thought has crossed my mind.”

“She will get away with all of this, won’t she?”
Gabriel said depressively.

“She is very clever, our Lilly,” Nicholas mused
and saw Gabriel stiffen as he continued to call her by her
nickname. He smirked and shrugged. “Chumley cannot find proof
against her. Sullivan will talk. He will not like the idea of going
to the gallows alone.”

“You realize it is her word against his?
Catherine’s accounting would never be accepted in court.”

Nicholas revealed nothing, knowing Gabriel did
not know of Mrs. Gates. Tieghan and Chumley were looking for her.
The midwife was their only witness against Lilly. He didn’t dare
reveal that to Gabriel. He would only take Catherine’s daughter
too, and have two children to hold over her head.

No, his wife deserved something from her ordeal.
He felt no guilt in what he did.

“Rest assured Lilly will pay,” Nicholas vowed.
“You should follow through on the banishment. She will question
matters if you keep her here.”

“I thought we wished to keep an eye on her?”

“She grows more suspicious the longer you
hesitate to follow through. She knows what you will do before you
do it. If you deviate, she will know.”

Gabriel was disgusted Nicholas knew his wife
better than him. He had never looked beyond what Lilly had done to
him to try to get any closer to her. No, he had run from her then.
She had succeeded in manipulating him from the start by knowing how
he would react to every given situation. Nicholas was right. Now
was not the time to act unpredictable.

“The arrangements to send her to Amberley have
not changed,” Gabriel replied.

“Move up her departure date. I do not need her
killing off Sullivan before we get to him.”

“She can pull these strings from there, you
realize? She could hire some thug to do the deed.”

“Dane and Eric guard the man day and night,”
Nicholas allowed with a smug smile. “They protect him against their
better judgment. He is quite safe from assassins. Lilly hasn’t made
a move upon him yet, or we would know of it by now.”

Gabriel was incensed to know they were
protecting Sullivan now, but it could not be helped. If Sullivan
died, his wife would get away with all.

“You seem sure they turn on one another
now.”

“I have the diary,” Nicholas pointed out.
“Sullivan knows it is the only thing keeping him alive. Lilly wants
it back. It is fair to say what she will do.”

Gabriel wanted the matter behind him. He was
eager to see it done. “I will call upon Lord Rudd. He will help us.
He enjoys such intrigue, as I recall.”

Nicholas nodded, wondering how his wife faired
down the hall with her son. He was grateful Gabriel wasn’t in a
hurry. He seemed content to allow her ample time with her son.

Catherine smiled, her eyes clinging to the
chubby fingers that played with the small boat. Nicholas gave it to
her son, a sign he accepted the boy despite his parentage.

Giles was a quiet boy, introverted. He was a
solemn child, reminding her of Gabriel. He was quick to smile, but
easy to wound. She was growing misty-eyed to see the toddler
playing upon the rug. He accepted her presence, as he did the other
females in his life. He was far too young to know her significance
yet. She told herself she would not cry and scare the boy.

The two years she had been denied him made her
hands shake as she held him upon her lap. He quickly sought to get
down, interested in everything but her. Catherine knew it would
take time for the child to get to know her. She told herself to be
patient. Had she really expected the baby to recognize her as his
mother? She bit her lip to think she had.

She was disappointed the child paid as much
attention to her as he did the nanny, who dozed upon the settee
during the visit. Giles was spoiled, she saw. He was used to having
his way. It was clear Gabriel indulged his son unrepentantly. As
the result, the boy now fussed for his father, his dark eyes
growing dark like Gabriel’s.

She was impressed with his show of temper. He
had much in common with his father. She smiled to recall Gabriel’s
expression when he arrived. Gabriel was no doubt angry he could not
dangle her son over her head. Nicholas was right in that. Gabriel
did expect some measure of control in this situation. She realized
how much her husband endured now for her benefit, and felt
decidedly guilty for blaming him for everything.

Giles began to fuss in earnest. The nanny gazed
at her questioningly as she sought to console the boy. Catherine
allowed it. Giles quieted in the girl’s arms, making Catherine
resentful.

The visit was over too soon, she felt. Gabriel
heard the boy fussing and arrived to take him from the nanny. Those
dark eyes met hers with compassion in them.

“He will learn to know you in time, Catherine,”
he said as his son settled in his arms. “I will send him with
Penelope for the remainder of the week.”

Catherine brightened at this. “You have been
most kind, Gabriel.”

“You are his mother,” Gabriel replied softly, a
smile curving his lips. “He is in need of one if you haven’t
noticed.”

Catherine felt some sort of enchantment fall
over her as she stood gazing up at him. She shook herself free of
his visual hold, knowing Nicholas looked on in the doorway. Gabriel
took Giles and the nanny followed. She felt a sense of loss as she
watched the little boy gaze back at her over his father’s shoulder,
his dark, inquisitive stare oblivious to her pain.