Memories of Belle came roaring back to him. Just the thought of her kiss made his lips tingle. He could almost feel the weight of her in his arms.
He’d never have that again. He’d made certain of it. But he could help Husher find happiness. “Ben Nevis. They’re in the mountains. I’ll draw you a map of how to find them.”
Husher looked at him. “Thank you.”
“I planned to escort everyone back to London before winter, but I’ve other duties that would delay the trip. If you want to wait, I can go with you.”
Husher shook his head. “I’ll go myself.” He’d waited long enough. Oliver could see that truth in his eyes.
“Very well. There are a dozen people up there,” Oliver said.
“Why so many?” Husher’s eyes widened as he came to the answer on his own. “You didn’t kill the people Gregory sent you to kill, did you?”
Oliver shook his head. “I’ve more hidden on my property. They all agreed that if I saved them they would wait until a year had passed after Gregory’s death before returning home.” Actually, Oliver had threatened everyone into the agreement. He often had cold premonitions that trumped sound reasoning.
“Why did they hide for a year after Gregory’s death?” Husher asked.
“Gregory set some things in motion should he die for any reason other than his ailment. As a precaution, we decided to wait it out and see what took place.” Even still, he worried about the thing that could trigger what Gregory called The Black Plague, but Oliver was setting his speculations aside for what he knew to be the right thing.
Gregory’s enemies deserved their freedom. The Hurrells had been hiding longer than most.
“Thank you.” The sincerity in his eyes made Oliver turn away.
He knew Husher was thanking him for more than telling him where to find the woman and the child he’d fathered. He was being thanked for sparing their lives.
But he was no hero. He just hid his darkness better than others.
∫ ∫ ∫
3 4
* * *
There was another unexpected guest at dinner. Belle curtsied to the Earl of Landcastle. He had strange eyes. A true brandy with a red tint in the center. It made him nearly menacing to behold, especially since he insisted on being the stiffest man in the room.
“Good evening, my lord.”
The words had barely left her lips and already she could see him dissecting them, looking for the meaning within the meaning. She wondered how he’d react if she asked him about his day? Would he think she meant to threaten him?
She was able to think of such humorous nonsense because Oliver had not arrived. It was almost time for the meal and Belle hoped marquess would change his mind about attending.
When she’d dressed for the evening, she’d first pulled out a bold red gown with a low cut. Then she’d remembered what Shepard had said and changed her mind.
She decided on a simple pale yellow gown instead with a high collar. She was able to relax in this garment since her corset could be a bit looser. She wore no jewelry. Nothing to draw attention.
Tonight would not be a performance. Tonight, she would be herself.
Strangely, it was Oliver who’d helped her find herself.
You were different then. His claim that she was another woman whenever they were alone was what guided her style of dress tonight.
Landcastle stared at her as though he was waiting for her to say more, but he said, “I spoke to Lord Urnish. I interrogated him actually. I wanted to know what he and Lord Venmont had spoken about the other day.”
Everyone in the room stopped to listen. Everyone feared what Urnish had revealed.
“He said it was you he offended,” Landcastle said. “He said he called you deplorable names.”
Belle sighed with relief. “Yes, well tell Lord Urnish that he has been forgiven. I harbor no ill will against him.” She was certain Cassius would deal with him later.
“How benevolent of you, my lady. I will deliver your message. ” He bowed and Belle wondered how he kept his hair so stiff as well. The blond locks curled to the side and didn’t move no matter how much their owner did.
He moved on, speaking to Mr. Kennicot and Milly, who were on the other side of the room. Belle went to stand by Cassius.
“How are you?” the duke asked.
She grinned up at him. “Alive, which is more than I can say for our enemies.”
He chuckled.
“How are you?” She glanced over in his cousin’s direction.
“I have every faith that Milly will get him to at least tolerate me,” the duke said.
That was what Milly did, get people to trust her husband. She was good at it. “Is that what you want?” Belle asked. “You want to know your cousin?”
“I do,” Cassius admitted. “Though I wasn’t his father, part of me feels responsible for the way his life turned out. I know it is irrational and I keep telling myself this, but it will not change. Irene feels the same.”
Irene and her husband Lord Clive were close to Milly. Irene was a woman with an unusual face, but she worked her strong features well. Her hair was dark where Clive’s was blond. He was very handsome and from the small touches he offered his wife, very much in love.
Irene was carrying. Her stomach was large enough for twins.
“He’s coming, you know?” Cassius said. “He might arrive late, but he’ll be here even if he had to ride through the day.”
She felt ill at the subject of Oliver. She didn’t ask Cassius about where the marquess had gone even though she wanted to. Instead, she asked, “Who told you?”
Cassius lifted a brow. “Belle, I once asked a man to tell me something I didn’t know. He failed.”
She grunted. Of course. Cassius had his people who told him everything. The building Oliver rented from was full of his staff. Anyone could have spoken.
Was there no privacy anywhere?
“He’ll come back around,” Cassius said. He hadn’t been the first to offer her reassurance.
“Why does everyone assume that?” she asked.
“I don’t know why others say anything,” Cassius said. “I’m only telling you what I know.”
She stared at Cassius and realized who she was talking to. Cassius didn’t say things he ‘hoped’ would happen as though they were facts. He said facts as fact, which meant he truly believed Oliver would change his mind.
“Well, when he does come around, he can keep going, because I won’t be waiting for him.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that happening.” Oliver’s cold reply from behind startled her.
She spun around and faced him. He looked good. He did not look like a man who’d spent half the day riding back from his estate. And she was certain that was where he’d gone. He tended to retreat to his woods whenever he got the chance.
That he’d decided to impress them all with a shaved face and tight cravat irritated her.
“No one was speaking about you,” she said. “We were talking about a flea-infested dog I once knew. If you’ll excuse me.” She spun away at the sound of Cassius choking.
How dare he speak to me! He’s supposed to be avoiding me and I him!
The irritation Belle felt turned to hot anger, but she regretted her reply seconds later. No more would she allow Oliver to control her character. She didn’t want to be the old distant and manipulative woman Gregory had made her.
She liked to make people happy. She didn’t have time for bitterness.
She was happy to discover Milly had placed her next to Irene during dinner.
Irene was one of the children’s greatest sponsors. She cared just as much as Belle did.
She was the very opposite of her father Gregory. They’d known one another for years but Irene had never known the truth about her father until after his death.
Even now, Irene was unaware of Belle’s connection to Gregory. In the past, Gregory had been there to threaten Belle into silence, but now Belle cho
se to say nothing because there was no point. Irene had loved the monster who fathered her and strived to make right what she could.
There was no reason to hurt her further.
As expected, Irene asked Belle about her latest project and without even asking, Belle was offered what she needed to get things done. They spoke of hosting a charity ball for the coming year.
Cassius volunteered his home for the event.
“I didn’t know your family engaged in so much charity work,” Landcastle said to Cassius. He sat at the duke’s side. He looked confused and skeptical. “Most families like yours simply give money. They don’t get as involved as you all here.”
“That would be Belle’s doing,” Cassius admitted.
Landcastle turned his intent gaze upon her. If possible, there was more skepticism than before. “And precisely what brought this about?”
Belle pressed her lips together to hold back a smart reply. This man knew her from her days with Gregory and now she sat at the current Van Dero’s table. He had good reason to question everything he saw and heard.
So Belle decided to be as honest as she could. “A young street boy once stepped in and saved my life. His act of kindness restored my hope in the world. I never asked for his assistance, but he did it because he knew I needed it. I want to give that hope to others.”
Landcastle’s gaze softened. “And did you save that boy?”
She smiled. “I think so. He’s my guard, Mr. Shepard.” No one at the table had known that story or her connection to Shepard until that moment.
Belle thought about the way Oliver had questioned her about her closeness with Shepard. It took great effort not to look in his direction. She wanted to know his reaction, but she remained focused on Landcastle.
“I didn’t know that,” Milly said. “What a wonderful story. We should keep the ones who give us hope close.”
Belle agreed.
Clive turned to Belle. “Lord Venmont told me that some of the older boys will be going to Venmont Hill for a month. A fortnight will be spent in the woods. He’s allowing me to join him, to chaperone.”
Belle stiffened. How had she forgotten about Noel and Oliver’s plan to take her boys? She still didn’t agree with the idea. What boy wanted to sleep in the woods when they’d been sleeping on brick and cobblestone? They needed beds and warmth. They needed kindness and someone who wouldn’t judge them for their past.
It was the last that truly bothered Belle, now more than before. She would not let her children anywhere near Oliver.
“Are you going?” Irene asked her.
“Lady Belle will not be coming along,” Oliver said.
She turned and glared at him, but he was ignoring her. His words and gaze were only for Irene. “This sort of trip is only for men.”
She could only imagine what Oliver would teach if she weren’t there.
Never forgive people for their mistakes.
Women can’t be trusted.
Blindly cleave to the past and let it rule your every decision.
“Sessions are over,” Landcastle said. “Would you mind if I came along? I find myself quite interested in this journey.”
Belle didn’t know if he wanted to go simply to spy or if he were truly interested, but Oliver didn’t seem to care.
“I would be delighted to host you, my lord.” He smiled at Landcastle and then his eyes finally turned to Belle.
The gloating was clear. She could no longer cancel the trip. Otherwise, she’d appear boring and bitter.
But there was one thing she could do.
“Actually, I am going,” Belle said. “The boys will need a familiar face. I want to make this time as comfortable for them as possible.”
“Your version of comfort does not align with the mission of this trip,” Oliver said. “There will be no featherdown beds. It would be best if you stayed home.”
“Anything my children endure I can endure.”
“They aren’t your children. They’re not even children. They’re men. Some of them could be dangerous. It would be unwise for you to come.”
“But I am coming, for where they go, I go.” She kept her anger back though it tried to push to the surface. “I know them. I know their needs. I thank you for your concern, but there’s no need.”
The table fell silent.
Oliver’s eyes burned into her and eventually, she turned away.
Let him be angry. But she would not allow the boys to go without her.
∫ ∫ ∫
3 5
* * *
“The nights are cold. You won’t have the luxury of hot water and fine meals,” Oliver said when the group returned to the drawing-room after the meal. He had done the one thing he’d said he’d not do: He’d intentionally sought Belle out.
She’d gone back to her old ways, he realized. She was making matters complicated for no reason, irritating him just to gain a reaction.
But he would not lose his temper with her. Not again.
She turned around slowly. Her face was set into a frown. There was no hint of her usual snarky charm. Everything about her appearance was subdued. No jewelry, no hint of paints. Her curves were covered, but her shape could not be hidden.
She was a natural beauty, and she was letting it shine.
That irritated him further. “You’ll hate it out there. Stay home. Stay in the comfort of your silk sheets.”
In a blink, her old expression rose. Her lips curled with faux glee. She opened her mouth.
And then shut it. Her smile fell, as did her shoulders. “I almost made a sensual comment about my silk sheets.” She laughed more to herself than him. “But I won’t. Instead, I’ll tell you the truth. I don’t trust you with my boys. Therefore, I’m going and unless you plan to pick me up and toss me off your land, I will be there even if I have to take my own carriage to get there.”
She walked away.
Unaware of how hard she’d left Oliver. Her comment about silk sheets, while not intended to stimulate, did. He wondered if she were aware of her effect on him. Likely. He was on to her innocent game.
She was trying to remind him of how they’d been long ago. She, a wounded woman who was far more shy than she let on. It wasn’t confidence that made her the woman she was. It was bravery. She had a great amount of courage, but she never showed just how nervous she was.
Had she been nervous with Lord Urnish?
When she’d lured him into her bed, had she cared about the people she could hurt?
She wasn’t wearing his mother’s jewel. He’d been prepared to see her without it, but still, he wondered if she’d ever wear it again.
“I’m not one to step into the affairs of others,” Cassius said at his back. “But I would like to offer you some advice.”
Oliver turned his gaze away from Belle’s and looked at the duke. “Cassius, I don’t know what you’re going on about. You’re in everyone’s business. That is what you do.”
Cassius shrugged. “Yes, but this is different.”
Oliver crossed his arms. He already knew what this was about. Belle. Everything was about Belle. He’d gone home, disappeared for days, and the memory of her tears followed him. He thought he’d return to the weeping woman he’d sent away but should have known better.
This was no weeping lily. This was Belle. She was a rose. Strong and brilliant.
Had she run to Cassius about what was going on between them? Told him that he’d called her out for the treacherous ways?
He hadn’t heard their entire conversation earlier, but he spoke before Cassius could. “If you’re about to warn me against going after her, don’t bother. I have no desire to be with her.”
“Hm,” Cassius said. “I would think ‘desire’ inaccurate. You clearly desire her and I have no intention of warning you against going after her. But her happiness is important to me.” The duke’s expression turned hard. “So, I would be mindful of what you do and say to her.”
Oliver chuckled.
“Are you threatening me?” A few months ago, Oliver might have been troubled, but Cassius had grown soft. It was unlikely he’d try and take Oliver out now.
“She is family to me,” Cassius said. “As are you. However, you seem to have forgotten something important. You, more than me, are supposed to protect her. Her body belongs to you. Or is that not what the contract entailed? Honestly, I can’t remember every word.”
“You’ve seen the contract?” Cassius tried to hide the tension and worry growing in him.
“Oh, yes,” Cassius said. “I’ve seen a duplicate of every contract Gregory ever signed. And knowing the man that you are…”
“What do you know about me?”
Cassius blinked. “You like to be in control yet lose it every time you’re around a certain woman. You pretend to abhor worldly possessions yet wish to possess the one thing you can’t. Strangely, that thing, that woman, was signed over to you in exchange for your soul. You don’t think you deserve her.” Cassius leaned in close. “And when you take all that into account, you are left with one final fact.”
Oliver said nothing. His heart raced. Cassius had him figured out in a way that Oliver hadn’t even figured out himself.
Cassius whispered, “You still have your contract, don’t you?”
He did have the contract for all the reasons Cassius just named.
Cassius swallowed. “Don’t tell her.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Cassius said. “Though in truth, were it Milly, I’d have done the same. I know you, Oliver, because I am you. I don’t deserve Milly, yet make no mistake, she is mine. She will always be mine. Even when my body has turned to ash and the world has forgotten me, she will be my everlasting soulmate and I would never give her up.”
Oliver looked away. “You don’t know what she did.”
“What did she do?”
Oliver was silent again.
Cassius smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t say. Still protecting her? Very well. You may go after her but be aware. I have issued you a warning. Don’t upset her again.” He then turned around and started for his wife.
The Marquess Who Kissed Me: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 18
