Once Upon A Diamond (A sweet Regency Historical Romance)

by Teresa McCarthy

  Kate clanked her fork against her plate.

  The duchess turned toward Tristan. “And, my dear boy, I believe you had an interest in the lady last Season?"

  Startled, Tristan arched an amused brow Kate’s way, then shifted his gaze back to the duchess. “Indeed, that is to say, yes, I have met the lady, Your Grace.”

  Devin let out a snort.

  Met the lady? Kate jerked her chin up a notch. Ha!

  The duchess sent her son a stifling stare. “La, it seems that the lady is in no longer looking for a husband. Viscount Rushting has proposed, and Lady Helen has accepted. They are to be married next week by special license.” She picked up her glass of red wine and sipped. “A rather short engagement if you ask me."

  The duke laughed. “I presume she wants to spend the gentleman's money as soon as possible."

  The duchess threw her husband an icy glare, and the duke slowly sank back into his chair.

  Kate lifted a delicate brow. So Lady Helen was getting married? Had that been what the woman confessed to Tristan in the park. He had said the lady meant nothing to him.

  But there was still the diamond that stood between them. Could Tristan ever love her?

  The duchess motioned to the servant for the next course. “For dessert, the cook has made us delightful French pastries. I hope you all enjoy them."

  Kate looked up and caught Tristan winking at her. Winking? A blush stole across her face.

  “Lady Lancewood,” Kate said, trying to keep her mind off the mischief she detected in her husband’s eyes. “Have you been enjoying the Season thus far?”

  Tristan’s mother lowered her glass of wine. “It has not been the best of London Seasons, but the weather has been most accommodating, has it not?"

  “Yes, it has been beautiful,” Charlotte joined in.

  Kate felt an embarrassing heat crawl up her neck at the lady’s curt answer. Tristan’s mother was obviously fuming over Lady Helen’s marriage to Viscount Rushting and not her son. However, the lady was going to be in for an even bigger surprise when she discovered her firstborn was already married to Kate!

  The thought gave Kate little comfort. The sudden realization that the countess would be living with Kate if she stayed married to Tristan turned her stomach.

  Later when everyone assembled in the drawing room, Kate knew something was about when Devin moved to stand behind his mother. He only did that when he knew the lady was going to swoon.

  “A toast," Tristan said, launching a smile her way.

  Kate clutched her crystal glass in her hands when Tristan raised his drink in her direction.

  “To my wife."

  The duchess gasped. “Your wife?”

  Matthew peered at his sister. “Who is it to be?”

  “It’s not the question of who it is to be,” Tristan offered with pride as he turned a firm gaze toward Kate. “The question is, who is it? For I was married a week ago."

  “Goodness, who the dev–I mean who is it?" the duchess asked, her hands wringing against her skirt in excitement.

  Tristan lifted his glass toward Kate. “To my wife. Katherine, the new Countess of Lancewood.”

  The duchess swooned into Devin’s arms.

  Robert hugged his daughter. “I knew there was something between you two. But I had no idea it had gone this far."

  Far? Kate thought wryly. It was as if she weren’t married to Tristan at all. They had not been alone as man and wife except for a few kisses. She was furious. It was her right to tell her family about her marriage, not Tristan’s.

  Edward walked over to Tristan. “I believe our dear mother handled the news quite poorly,” he whispered. “Must be shock. I fear she’s left the premises."

  Tristan’s lips thinned. “What else is new? I never thought she would be happy for me. She never has."

  “Son,” Robert said as he shook Tristan’s hand and smiled. “You do know you’ve married a true gem. She’s independent, headstrong, and most of all, full of life at every turn. She’ll love you with her whole heart and soul.” Kate’s father laughed and gave Tristan a hardy slap on the back. “But keep a keen eye on her."

  Tristan returned the laugh. “I’ll try."

  Kate’s jaw was clenched so tight she thought she might break a tooth. Tristan had not let her tell her own father. While everyone congratulated her, she smiled, but her brown eyes blazed a path directly to her husband.

  Tristan glanced over his shoulder, and instead of anger, she felt his green eyes devour her. Behind her smile, she gritted her teeth and bided her time. Although she had to admit, she could not dismiss the tiny fluttering inside her. But the gall of him, making the wedding announcement without her!

  A minute later, no one had noticed her father's departure until she started to search for him. “Where’s Papa?"

  “Here I am.” Robert’s voice came from around the corner as he descended the stairs. “I needed to retrieve part of your wedding gift. Since the earl hasn’t asked for a dowry as of yet, I hoped this would do, at least for part of it."

  Robert held out a small brown leather bag with a bright red ribbon tied around the top. “It’s your husband’s now."

  Kate’s gaze lit with surprise as her father handed the small gift to Tristan.

  “It’s yours by right," Robert said.

  Tristan passed the bag to Kate. “My wife shall open it."

  A hushed silence filled the room as Kate accepted the gift and pulled the red ribbon from the pouch. All eyes were fixed upon her as she her buried hand into the sack. Even the duchess had conveniently recovered enough from her swoon to watch.

  As Kate dropped her fingers into the bag, she froze when she felt something cool and slick. She pulled the object from its pouch. Perched in the palm of her hand was the largest diamond she had ever seen. There was a gasp of awe from the group.

  Devin peeked over her shoulder, his eyes growing wide. “Jupiter! That’s at least a couple hundred karats."

  Kate moved the diamond toward the flickering candles as she passed it to Tristan. “I believe this is yours.”

  Tristan’s hand shook as he cradled the precious gem in his palm. He turned to Robert. “I don’t know what to say. Where did you find it?”

  Robert smiled. “Today, when I went back to the scene of Gaston’s death, I thought I would take a look inside his carriage. There was a secret compartment beneath the seat. I was surprised as anybody to find the diamond there.”

  With a shuddering breath, Tristan passed the diamond to Edward. Edward’s fingers caressed the gem as if it were made of the finest cloth. “It’s as beautiful as father said it was.”

  Devin touched Tristan’s shoulder. “It’s what you dreamed of, Trist. Your quest is finished."

  Tears pricked Kate’s eyes. Tristan had found his diamond, now what? His expression told her that finding the diamond meant more to him than anything, even her love. Oh, she knew in some way she was being silly. But she wanted him to love her more than anything else in the world.

  Would he become more obsessed with the diamond now that it would be under his roof?

  The answer to her question was in his eyes. They gleamed with such delight, she knew she had lost him. She wanted him to be happy, but in her heart she knew she could not live with a man that loved a gem more than her.

  The man shoved the pistols into his coat pockets and laughed. It was going to be too easy. All that money would be his. He deserved every penny. He had worked too hard to let the earl move in on his treasure.

  First, that little wife of his had to go. That was his main concern. After that, things would fall into place. Everyone would be heartbroken. Then he could make his move.

  He would take that diamond too. Kill two birds with one stone.

  Yes, indeed. In the beginning, he’d had other plans. But he could see it all clearly now. It was meant to happen this way. People would believe someone had stolen the diamond and murdered the new countess in one blow. No one would know the truth
. And if the earl bothered to interfere, he would be dead too.

  Kate wrinkled her nose in disgust as she sat next to Tristan in the carriage ride home. All that fuss about a diamond. She couldn’t get a word in edgewise as her husband ranted and raved about the gem. She wanted nothing to do but to box up that stupid stone and send it away.

  As soon as the carriage stopped in front of Tristan’s townhouse, she swiped her birdcage off the floor, departed the carriage, and strode toward the door.

  Once inside, she continued to close her ears to her husband’s one-sided conversation and clenched her teeth in frustration. She loved Tristan, but enough was enough.

  Smiling like a fool, Tristan raced ahead of her and opened the door to his bedchamber. He flashed her a charming smile that made most ladies swoon, but Kate was not impressed.

  She grabbed the key on his bureau and continued to strut toward the adjoining bedchamber, swaying her hips as she moved, knowing that her husband’s eyes were locked on her backside, devouring her with every step she took. Let him see if a diamond could do that!

  Tristan drew in a heavy breath. “Sweetheart, I have a special bottle of wine in my–”

  The door slammed in his face. Tristan’s grin vanished, the thud hitting his ears like a crashing tidal wave. But when the key clicked in the lock, he ground his teeth and counted to ten. “Stubborn mule,” he muttered. What was the matter with her? He had every right to speak of their marriage to her father. He had given her one week. He was her husband.

  Cursing the female mind, Tristan strode across the room, and not waiting for his valet, he ripped off his jacket and waistcoat. Two pearl buttons hit the floor and rolled beneath the bed.

  He dropped his gaze. His bed. His marriage bed.

  He yanked off his shirt and cravat, threw them onto the floor, and glared at his wife’s locked door, as if it would melt beneath his burning glare. His bare chest heaved up and down as his palms opened into a stiff, flat pose against his sides.

  Hell and spitfire! There were some things Kate might get away with, but this was not one of them. He would tame that shrew if it took the rest of his life.

  He took in another torturing breath. Matthew’s warning did little to comfort him now. But Kate would not win this one. She may try to stay his advances with her stiff and unyielding will, however, he distinctly recalled the way she had melted his arms every time he held her.

  This was not the Duke of Ridgewater’s home, and she was not the duchess. Perhaps she had learned this feminine trick from her Aunt Georgiana, but he would have it out with this little shrew. And then, well, hell. He smiled. Then, they would make up.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kate fell onto her bed, wondering what Tristan would do next.

  Perhaps she should not have been so hasty. She could almost see his green eyes flickering like tiny flames, igniting the fire between them.

  She chewed her lip in unease at the numbing silence on the other side of the door. Had she pushed him past the brink any normal man could stand?

  She jumped when she heard footsteps in the hallway. Had Tristan been sneaking into the hall while she had been rethinking her plans? How could she have forgotten to lock that other door?

  Clutching her pillow against her breast, she eyed the adjoining room, wondering if she could make it through that door and down the stairs before Tristan knew otherwise. Determined, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

  But before she could move another muscle, the door to the hall flung open. She blinked in shock at the sight of Tristan’s mother standing before her. With a sneer, the lady slammed the door shut. The chill between them grew.

  “Good evening,” Kate said, trying to gather her emotions and keep her voice calm. “I hope we can get along now that I’m part of the family. I’m sorry you had to leave so early.”

  “Pompous windbag!” Kate swallowed a laugh at her parrot’s unseemly timing.

  But the lady appeared disoriented and Kate instantly felt remorse. “He’s an addlepated bird. Don’t pay him any attention.”

  “I’m not what you think,” the lady said, her lips quivering. “I love Tristan even though I might not show it. I only wanted the best for him.”

  Kate frowned. “Have you told him?”

  The lady looked around the room like a child afraid of her own shadow. “No.”

  Kate’s heart twisted. “Why are you telling me now? Why not Tristan?”

  “I’m ashamed. I can’t tell him now. He would never forgive me.”

  “Never forgive you?” Kate replied hotly. “What kind of mother would deny her firstborn?”

  “I’m dying,” the lady said in a raw whisper. “The doctor says it’s only a matter of months, maybe days. A lump in my stomach.”

  Kate reached out to the woman. “You have time now. Tell your son you love him.”

  “But I’ve given him nothing all these years. I should have stood up to my husband. I couldn’t show my love for my son, don’t you see?”

  No, I don’t see, Kate wanted to scream.

  Tristan’s mother threw her trembling hands to her face and began to sob. “I’m so ashamed. My son hates me. I tried to make things up with Edward, but it wasn’t enough.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “My husband was of the mind that the firstborn must not be coddled. I couldn’t fight him. I tried a few times, but was beaten. I feared for the very safety of my children. Don’t you see? I had to comply. Gambling seemed to fill the void in my heart for a while, and then I was stuck. I fell into debt and sold the family diamond. The boys were young and never saw the diamond. My husband never knew what I had done. Tristan will hate me now. He’ll never forgive me for that.”

  Kate took the woman gently by her shoulders. “Here now. Don’t cry. Let’s go down to the library and get a drink to warm you. And then we can talk to your son.”

  Kate guided the woman into the hall and down the steps. After settling Tristan’s mother on the library sofa, Kate moved to the sideboard and poured her a good amount of brandy.

  All these years wasted! Had the earl truly forbidden his wife not to love their firstborn because he was afraid of coddling the boy? And had his wife sold the diamond that the man spent years trying to get back? Good heavens, what a mess!

  The sound of the library door snapping closed hit Kate’s ears. “Turn around, my dear. I can’t very well shoot you in the back.”

  Kate spun on her feet, the brandy sloshing over the edge of the glass. “Mr. Travis!”

  “That’s right. Now, where’s that diamond?”

  The man pointed a pistol straight at her heart.

  Shocked, Kate fell back a step. The blood drained from her face. She had known this man for years. He was almost part of the family. “The diamond? I don’t understand.”

  “Then let me enlighten you,” Mr. Travis said coolly. “Your father and brother were supposed to be dead by now. And you were supposed to marry my stepson. I had a soft spot for you, Katherine, that is, until you married the earl. I couldn’t very well let you get away with that! Found out about your quick wedding and the diamond’s timely appearance from a little spy I had at the duke’s. Poor boy broke his neck in the gardens only minutes ago. Quite a shame.”

  Kate could barely believe what this man was saying. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Tristan’s mother sliding lower on the sofa and was relieved the man hadn’t seen her.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t you? Your father didn’t die aboard ship, but he will die of heartbreak after you’re killed by an intruder, that’s me, of course. And if not heartbreak, it will be something else. Then your brother, well, he will die of some illness while traveling back to Boston. I’ve thought it all out.”

  Kate’s stomach turned at the man’s vicious plan. “You tried to kill my father? Why? You’re his good friend!”

  “Friend? I suppose in a way I was, but that, my dear, is
not what makes a man. It’s money, Katherine. And I aim to have a lot of it. But yes, I paid someone to push Robert overboard. I was taking a little money here and there from your father’s business. He would have discovered it eventually, don’t you see? I had to rid myself of him.”

  “And Captain Gaston?”

  “Ah, the captain, rest his soul. Ran him over with a hired hack, not me of course, paid for it, you see. Had to rid myself of him too. We were partners. It would have worked out perfectly if your father had died like he was supposed to and your brother hadn’t ventured to England with you. I would have done away with Matthew in a few weeks. But he surprised me. He left America before I even knew what was happening.”

  Kate needed to keep the man talking. She needed time. Tristan would be looking for her. “But Matthew left with me, and that spoiled your plans.”

  “Indeed it did. You were supposed to go to England alone and come back alone. I’m sorry, my dear. It wasn’t in my plans for you to die. But I do have to look out for myself. Can’t worry about any children from your union, now, can I? Have to get this done. With you not wed to Jake, the shipping line would have slipped from my hands.”

  “Jake? I have no feelings for your stepson! It would never–”

  “Katherine Josephine!" Kate’s head snapped up. Tristan was coming downstairs. “Hell’s teeth, answer me, woman!”

  “Don’t say a word,” Mr. Travis barked, waving the pistol. “Not yet, or I’ll have to shoot him. I’ve locked the door, but that only gives us a few minutes. Perhaps I’ll have to escape through the window like a thief after all.”

  The man was insane. Kate worried for Tristan’s life. “I see you made it in here without a problem, why don’t you just leave through that window and we can forget this ever happened.”

  “Ah, Katherine, you know I can’t do that. And it’s a pity I won’t be able to take that diamond now, but I think it will serve its purpose. A thief has to have a motive, after all. You caught me before I had a chance to rob you, eh? That’s how it will read in the papers. So, tell your husband, you’re going to be right up. Sweetly, my dear. Very sweetly. For it is your wedding night after all.”