An idea formed in her head. It was another lie, a new a way to satisfy John’s fears, but before she could speak the words, John pulled his hands from her grasp and marched across the room away from her again.
“No, I will not let it happen.” He ran away and threw his arms down at his sides, wailing with anger.
“John. You are no longer a toddler. You should have grown out of such tantrums many years ago.”
“You are not listening to me!”
“When you grow up and start acting your age, I will. Now, if you have something you wish to tell me, you will lower your voice, and speak like a gentleman.”
“But…Cleopatra,” he attempted to lower his voice, but the endeavor did not last long at all. He pulled madly at his cravat, almost tearing it into two pieces before he turned on his sister and raised his voice once more. “You do not like him.”
“That has changed.”
“I want to go home!” He picked up one of his shoes from the floor and threw it across the room again. It narrowly missed ornaments and fell onto a rug with a soft thud.
“You said you liked it here.” Cleopatra calmly picked up the shoe from the carpet and followed him around the room. “You have changed your tune.”
“I like it here, but I do not like him.”
Cleopatra watched him march around for a minute, torn between her thoughts. Part of her wanted to storm around with John; the other part knew it was impossible.
Despite her warring feelings about the Earl, she knew she could no longer refuse to go ahead with the wedding. She had stayed awake for many hours the night before, looking at the stars above the gas lamps of the street, considering what their marriage would look like.
Ignoring the tension that the two of them shared, Alexander had made one very good point. She and John had no guardian, and no male protector. Their wealth was dwindling with the debts her brother had left them in and their future looked dim. With marriage to Alexander, she was securing the best future possible for John.
He would have an education, and a comfortable life. That was not something she could offer him any other way.
The opportunity for John was not something she could pass up. She loved him too much. She felt she had failed him thus far with the debt they were in. By marrying Alexander, she was giving her brother the best opportunity in life.
“Come here, John. Let us talk about this.” Her serene voice did little to dissuade his ire. “John, Dearest,” she continued to try but it fell on deaf ears.
The boy ran away from her and lifted a fine carafe of wine from a side table. He raised it above his head, threatening to smash it.
“John! Put that down this instant!” Cleopatra’s voice took on a tone she rarely liked to use with her brother. It was fierce and loud, but it worked. With the carafe aloft above his head, he froze, his dark eyes turned to his sister with uncertainty. “Replace it on the table, now.”
She pointed to the side table. He slowly followed her instructions, pushing the glass carafe across the surface with care until it sat in the center. Her voice had been so sharp that his eyes filled with tears, pulling at her chest with pain.
“Come here, John,” she ordered the boy forward and he hurried to her feet, reaching her just as the first tears began to fall.
“You shouted at me,” he complained as he cried.
“I did. You were about to break something that was, no doubt, extremely expensive and it did not belong to you. You must learn that is not acceptable.” She grabbed the boy under his arms and lifted him into a nearby chair. She knelt before him and pulled a handkerchief out from her sleeve to slowly mop up the boy’s tears.
John’s breath stuttered for a minute.
“I…I am sorry.”
“Apology accepted. Now, listen to me, dearest.” She continued to dry his tears. Through the pools of tears his chestnut eyes turned to find her face. “I know much has changed recently, I am sorry for it, but this marriage is a good thing.”
The boy tried to shake his head in response, but she gently held his cheeks and softly brushed his face with her thumbs.
“I know I complained about the Earl and professed not to like him, but all has changed. We are to be married.”
“But–”
“I love him, John.” The lie fell easily from her lips. She was surprised just how easy it was to form the words.
“You do?”
“Yes, Dearest.” She finished drying his tears as the boy regained his breath. “Those are the best marriages when they are for love. So, though things are a little strange now, trust me, John. This is for the best and I will be happy for it.”
She forced a smile onto her cheeks and was relieved when John mirrored her action.
“As long as you will be happy.”
“I promise. Come give me a hug.” She opened her arms and the boy fell in for an embrace. “I love you, dearest.”
“I love you, Sister.”
She stroked his back and hair, determined not to release the one part of her family that still remained in her grasp. She held him as tightly as possible while she considered her lies.
The marriage with Alexander was for the best, that was true. It would secure John a good future and protect her from becoming destitute. It was a shame though the man she had to marry was such a scoundrel.
But is he really a murderer?
The thought had been plaguing her more than any other. It was hard to believe someone who could touch her so, as he had done at the piano the night before, was capable of a violent act in any way. He had been so tender at times, then so passionate.
She smiled slightly as a new thought occurred to her.
At least, as his wife, I will be able to cause him more trouble than I had ever imagined before.
If he truly was the killer that she considered him to be, then perhaps her revenge was still possible after all.
Cleopatra is a poor liar.
This was the thought that consumed Alexander as he leaned on the other side of the door, listening to the conversation that passed between Cleopatra and John.
Despite Cleopatra’s obvious lie that she loved Alexander, John had not seen it. He was too young to pick up on such cues.
Alexander had learned at an incredibly young age what a lie looked like. He had seen his mother tell lies. He had to witness the aftermath of her betrayal too.
Alexander waited on the other side of the door, attempting to push the thoughts of his mother away as he listened to the cries of John while his sister soothed him. He listened for many minutes, admiring how she had handled the tantrum and calmed the boy.
She would make a good mother. Unlike my own.
Cleopatra had given up on her objections to the marriage. The thought brought relief to Alexander, yet also a little disappointment. She was agreeing to the marriage out of financial position, yet there was a part of him that wished she would say yes for what had passed between them at the piano.
The tension between the two of them was something Alexander could not fathom.
He pushed away from the door and trod a path to leave, determined to stop thinking of her and their moment at the piano, yet he could not. Every time he forced her from his mind, she walked in again. As though a thread connected them. Frayed it might be, taut from their number of arguments, yet they were still connected. Completely bound together despite either one of their protests.
“My Lord?” Pip’s high-pitched voice broke through his reverie as he neared the door.
“Yes, Pip?”
“The special license has been secured.” Pip waved it in the air with triumph. Alexander took it quickly from his hands, scanning the paperwork to insure all was correct.
It bore their names and the seal from the Archbishop for approval. All was in order and the marriage could go ahead as planned.
“Excellent, we will marry tomorrow.” He moved to leave the hall again, pushing the license into an inside pocket of his jacket. “Tomorrow my name
can be drudged out of the mud a little and rescued somewhat from the damage that lady has caused. As a married man, I can escape the gossip of being the philanderer that she so easily lied about to sell to the newspaper.”
“My Lord, do you not wish to tell her the good news?” Pip gestured behind him up the stairs, not needing to say Cleopatra’s name. “I worry to think of her reaction to discover she is to be married so soon.”
Alexander hesitated in the doorway with a smirk.
“I’ll leave that particular piece of news for you to tell, Pip.”
“You are so kind, My Lord,” Pip rolled his eyes as he moved toward the stairs. “When she asks where you are, what should I tell her?”
“Larson Manor. She will see soon enough for herself where I am gone. After the wedding, we shall move her and her brother there.” Alexander gestured to their surroundings. “A gaming hall is no place to live a married life after all.”
“I expect you are right. Have a good day, My Lord.”
“Make sure to run when you tell her the good news. I know from experience that she has a good punch,” Alexander jested, earning a single laugh from his friend in reply.
He hurried from the gaming hall, finding his feet made their own path down the street away from the hall toward the tailor and seamstress shops. He was going to head back to Larson Manor, to visit that same someone who always brought a smile to his face, yet his feet appeared to have a mind of their own.
Well, there is no harm in making one stop before I see her.
Chapter Thirteen
“Tomorrow?” Cleopatra repeated the word with incredulity. “You are telling me, Pip, that I am to be married…tomorrow?”
She had spent the morning and afternoon playing games with John, partly to calm him down and partly to push thoughts of the marriage out of her mind. This news was an unwelcome intrusion on her peace.
“Yes, My Lady.” Pip nodded with steps retreating from the room.
“Do I have no say in this matter?”
“I believe not, My Lady.” Pip left the room, but Cleopatra followed him.
“This is unacceptable. Where is the Earl?”
“At Larson Manor, My Lady. He did return earlier to deliver something. I believe he has left it in your room as a surprise.”
“Do not change the subject, Pip. I am to be married to the Earl tomorrow? Why have I not been consulted?” She continued to follow Pip, with anger in her every step.
“I am merely the messenger, My Lady. Not the orchestrator.”
“You are reminding me of that old adage of ‘do not shoot the messenger’?”
“I am.” His chuckle only made her heels clip the floor louder with firmer steps. He stopped when his feet reached her chamber. “May I recommend you look in your room, My Lady?”
“What is in there?” she folded her arms with suspicion.
In reply, Pip merely opened the door and ushered her inside.
“See for yourself, My Lady. I must attend to the gaming hall.” He scampered quickly away, leaving her watching him.
After a minute, she turned her eyes back to the chamber. Strewn across the bed and chairs were her clothes from her house. All the dresses, shoes, bonnets and undergarments she owned had been delivered to her.
She warily walked inside and searched through her things, but everything was present and correct. She had not given them much thought since she was practically abducted, but it seemed the Earl had, and in doing so had sent for the contents of her wardrobe.
She hurried to change, relieved to be free of the green dress she had been trapped in for days. She opted for a dark-red dress, one of her favorites. High waisted, tied at the back with a ribbon, bearing a slim skirt and full sleeves, it contrasted her dark hair well, making the black color stand proud.
She hastened to the mirror to see her reflection but found it did not bring her as much happiness as it normally would. The last time she had worn that dress was when Robert had been alive.
She clutched her stomach, trying to ward off the ache that grew there as she thought of him.
How I miss him. What would he think of my marriage to Alexander?
She tried to shake off the feeling that she was betraying her brother.
The drop of her eyes in the reflection made her gaze fall on the chair behind her. On top of the seat cushion was a parcel, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a purple ribbon.
She carefully turned to examine the parcel. It had certainly not come from her wardrobe and it bore no name, but Pip’s words revisited her.
“He did return earlier to deliver something. I believe he has left it in your room as a surprise.”
Her fingers hurried to open the parcel. She tore the paper and pulled apart the ribbon to find something beneath wrapped in silk. On top of the silk was a single card with one line of calligraphy inscribed across the surface.
For the Wedding.
She placed the card to the side and unfolded the silk. Beneath its covering, a golden garment revealed itself. She lifted the dress by its ruffled shoulders, allowing a sheen of gold silk to unroll and drop to the floor.
It was a stunning wedding dress. The high-waisted bodice, was made of cream-and-gold linen, embroidered with beads. The skirt was made of layer upon layer of gold silk, bearing cream lace above the bottom hem crafted into flowers.
She turned to the mirror and held up the dress to her figure, trying to have a glimpse of what it would be like to wear the dress.
When she caught herself smiling in the reflection, she chastised herself and returned the dress to the parcel on the chair, hurrying to retie the paper and string.
“Do you like your gift?” The words from the doorway startled her, making her flick her head round to her intruder.
It was the Earl. He was leaning on the doorframe, watching her. She nodded after a minute. She was too unsure of her feelings to give a worded answer.
I love it. Yet I should not.
“You should not have bought it.” She turned away from him, pointing to her other dresses. “I have enough dresses.”
“Did you not sell any to repay some of your brother’s debts?”
“I did, but I still had some.” She turned her eyes back to him at the mention of her brother’s debts. “Did my brother still owe you many debts?”
“He did, but I do not wish to talk of that.” He folded his arms slowly, never tearing his eyes from her. “I like the red dress.” As his gaze wandered down her figure, she hurried to sit in a chair, uncertain if she liked or detested the way he watched her.
The thoughts of their moment atop the piano the night before invaded her mind again, making her fidget in the chair.
“Thank you for the new dress, but I cannot accept it.”
“You are welcome and I cannot return it. Besides, you must have a new dress for the wedding. Is it not traditional? I am told wearing an old dress is bad luck.”
“So is being forced into marriage.” She turned to him with rebuke, but her words did not have the desired effect. He only smiled.
“It is not forced. It is an arrangement. On the matter of arrangements, tomorrow, your things will be moved to the Manor.”
“To the Manor? To Larson Manor?” Cleopatra could not hide her excitement of finally being able to leave the gaming hall.
“Yes, after the ceremony you and John shall come to live at Larson Manor.”
She turned her eyes down to her dress and fiddled with the red skirt, trying to hide her smile. He intended to bring John to live with them in that fine Manor; there was some kindness in that. If he were truly a foul man, he would be sending John away to a boarding school.
Perhaps you are a kinder man than you pretend to be.
“You are smiling.” Alexander had seen her look, despite her efforts to hide it. She lifted her head and raised her eyebrows in challenge, having lost the smile.
“I was merely considering what trouble John and I could cause at your precious Larson Manor.”<
br />
“I can believe that.” He turned to leave, but she jumped to her feet.
“Wait.” Her word made him hover in the doorway and look back to her.
“Yes?”
“Tell me you did not do it.”
“Do what?”
“Tell me you did not kill him.” She walked across the room, closing the space between them until she was but a step away from him. “Make me believe you have nothing to do with his death.”
In Temptation and Damnation with the Earl: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 10
