She blinked away dark memories of the past and returned to the moment. “Two in the morning,” she said. “That was inconvenient.”
“I also was a large baby. Just shy of ten pounds.” He smiled proudly, as though claiming credit for the accomplishment.
“Oh, my,” she said, wide eyed. “Your poor mother.”
His smile dimmed as he averted his eyes.
The tension in his countenance should have kept her from pressing, but she longed to know more about the woman he’d never spoken of. “Tell me about her,” Gia said.
He turned to face her. “What have you heard?”
The memory of Clara’s grim words echoed through Gia’s ears. God rest her pitiful soul. Gia shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything, really,” she said truthfully. “That’s why I’d like you to tell me about her.”
“She was ill.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Mentally unstable.” He watched her closely, as though to gauge her reaction.
“Oh,” she uttered, unable to hide her surprise.
“For as long as I can remember, she behaved erratically. Calm and serene one moment, restless and aggressive the next.”
“That must have been difficult for you.”
Dark memories shadowed his face. “For my father, as well. I’m told they were happy for years before things started changing. Before she began hearing those damn voices.”
“Voices?”
“In her head,” he said with a tap to his temple. “Voices that told her to do things.”
Gia swallowed hard. “What kind of things?”
“Irrational things, inappropriate things. Violent things.”
“How awful.” Gia’s heart ached as she imagined his painful childhood and what it must have been like to grow up with an unstable parent. To grow up trying to make sense of something so difficult to understand. Something so scandalous. Society had little tolerance for the mentally disturbed, and for a brief moment, Gia almost pitied her parents for their frightening belief that their daughter was insane.
Her heart stilled. What might Landen think of her if he knew her secret? If she told him of her visions? Even worse than deeming her insane, he’d deem himself doomed to relive the misery of his past. The thought sent a chill of cold fear down her spine.
“Through it all, though, my father loved her. He never gave up hoping she’d wake up one day and be well.”
“That was admirable.”
“It was foolish.”
She flinched at his sudden hostility.
“He should have accepted her condition. Prepared for it.” He gave a thump to his chest. “Prepared me for it.” His dark eyes glazed with anger. “She hanged herself.”
Gia’s breath caught in her throat.
He shook his head. “My father never told me outright that she took her own life, but I overheard the help talking. I was nine years old at the time and didn’t want to believe it. I never asked him about it, but years later, Aunt Clara confirmed it.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“My mother ended her life with no thought to me and my father.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s untrue.”
“She left us. No warning, no good-bye. Nothing.”
Gia stared, not knowing what to say.
“I will never forgive her for that.”
“She was ill.”
“Yes. But somehow reminding myself of that fact does little to temper my anger.”
Gia blinked back her welling emotion.
“Some say mental illness is passed on through the bloodline.”
She glanced up in surprise. “Is that something you fear?”
“Wouldn’t you?” He took a deep breath, and his taut features softened. “I fear it not for myself.”
She assumed he referred to his siblings, but then she remembered they shared only a father. “For your children?”
“Yes.”
Although she dreaded hearing the answer, she asked anyway. “Is that why you avoided marriage for so long?”
“One of the reasons, yes. I didn’t learn the truth about my mother until after Isobel broke off our engagement,” he said. “But our situation, yours and mine, left no choice in the matter.” He shrugged. “Not that I gave a damn about sparing you from the truth at the time.”
She nodded, lowering her eyes in the face of his bitterness. Her shame.
“But I thought it fair to tell you now,” he said. “About the risk.”
His heartfelt fear for his children, his blunt honesty, touched her deeply. She swallowed hard, understanding suddenly how much she had forced upon him with her trickery.
“Thank you for telling me.” She placed her hand atop his. “The best things in life are often well worth the risk.”
She stared into his handsome face. While he might not ever trust her enough to believe this, beneath all the pain and resentment in his troubled eyes, she could see that he wanted to. His fingers splayed, entwining with hers. The simple move became the grandest of gestures. With the clasp of his hand, he’d accepted her comfort with no intent to seduce—no approach to his lust.
She glanced down at their interlocked hands, and she knew that she loved him.
* * * *
On her way to breakfast the next morning, Gia noticed a message addressed to Landen on the tray in the foyer. She stopped in her tracks, her mind coursing with more than simple curiosity. Could the note be from Mr. Whithers? Disregarding the prick of guilt she felt for snooping into Landen’s private correspondence, she snatched up the message. She opened the envelope carefully, then pulled out the page folded inside. She glanced around quickly, then scanned the bold print.
Dearest Denny,
I must see you at once. I’ll be walking at Sandy Cove this morning. Please meet me there.
Charlotte.
Gia’s heart sank to her feet. She’d rather the note be from Whithers than Charlotte. Angry at herself for the bitter thought, she returned the note to the envelope, then dropped it back onto the tray.
The memory of Landen and Charlotte together at the garden party scraped like thorns against her tattered pride. Jealousy bled from her pores. Was it Charlotte he thought of when he made love to Gia? Charlotte’s face he saw when his eyes closed in that moment of rapture—in that moment he clung to Gia’s body, unleashing everything inside him?
The thought sucked the air from her lungs, and she stiffened against her painful insecurities. Her fear she was merely a substitute for the woman whom Landen truly wanted. For the woman he could not have because of Gia’s interference.
Gia bit back a curse. Landen was her husband, and Charlotte had no right to make demands upon him. No matter what had transpired between the couple before Gia and Landen married, the fact remained, they were married now, and Charlotte had no claims to him.
Smoothing her skirts, she did her utmost to compose herself, then started down the hall. The sound of footsteps heading toward her quickened her heart as she hurried on to the dining room.
“Good morning, Mrs. Elmsworth,” Florence said as she rounded the corner.
“Good morning, Florence.” Exhaling a breath, Gia passed quickly, tossing a glance over her shoulder as Florence went about her daily task of collecting the messages.
Gia continued to the dining room, then took a seat at the empty table.
A few minutes later, Landen joined her. She poured him a cup of coffee as Florence entered the room, message in hand.
“You received a message, Mr. Elmsworth.”
“Thank you, Florence.” Landen read the message.
Gia sipped her coffee, doing her best to act nonchalant.
He stood. “I have to go into town.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes,” he said, stuffing the message into his coat pocket. “I have some business to attend to.”
She gazed at him, hoping he’d say more. Hoping he’d tell her wh
ere he was going. That this “business” with Charlotte was perfectly innocent.
He didn’t.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Gia nodded, swallowing a thick lump of disappointment. Charlotte had requested to see Landen, and he was all but running from the house to oblige.
Tears burned in Gia’s eyes, but she blinked them back. These past few weeks had led her to believe she and Landen were getting closer, and he was opening his heart to her. After last night, she’d felt sure he was beginning to care for her. She was a fool.
Lifting her chin, she staved off her tears as the man she loved turned his back on her, then hurried off to meet his mistress.
Chapter 18
Landen rode toward town, fighting the urge to turn his horse around and go back to the house. He couldn’t imagine what was so urgent Charlotte had to see him immediately, but he was more consumed with thoughts of Gia.
The medal she’d given him had surprised him. A gift he’d wear every day, beneath his clothing, where no one but she knew it was there, no one but she would ever see it, was an intimate choice that roused intimate feelings.
He inhaled a long breath, but the crisp morning air failed to clear the intoxicating memories of last night from his head. The more time he spent with his wife, the more time he wanted to spend with her. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing. They were bound together for eternity after all. But it was a confusing thing. He may not believe he could ever truly forgive her for forcing him into marriage, but over the past weeks, he’d discovered he could live with what she’d done. He could care for her.
How could he not? Everything about her aroused him. The feel of her skin, the scent of her hair, the sounds she made when he touched her—when he carried her over the edge. He’d never experienced such an insatiable desire for a woman. Never felt from another woman Gia’s insatiable desire for him.
And it wasn’t just in bed that she captivated him. She was compassionate and smart with a keen sense of humor. She made him laugh. Made him think. Made him feel.
Which led him to his current dilemma. He was sneaking off to meet his former mistress behind his wife’s back. Not only did Landen feel guilty for meeting Charlotte, but truth be told, he didn’t want to meet her. He’d barely given the woman a thought since he’d married Gia, and he couldn’t deny the reason for this.
His mind had been occupied with thoughts of Gia.
“Denny!” The man in front of the Lakeside Hotel waved his arms.
Landen squinted against the sun. “Alex?” He slowed the horse, craning his neck for a better look. Smiling, he snapped the reins and turned the horse into the drive of the hotel. He hopped from the horse, greeting his brother with a bear hug.
“When did you get here?” Landen asked.
“Less than an hour ago.” Alex smiled. “It’s good to see you, Brother.” He slapped Landen on the shoulder. “How are Alice and Aunt Clara?” He waggled his brows. “Your wife?”
This last question was aimed to provoke some expected response, but Landen refused to be baited. He was too pleased by his brother’s arrival to be miffed at him already. There’d be plenty of time for that, as Landen was certain Alex’s incessant need to goad him hadn’t waned during the months since they’d parted.
“They’re all well. Looking forward to seeing you.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing them too. Where are you headed?”
“I have business in town.”
“For a minute I was afraid Aunt Clara got wind of our early arrival and sent you here to deliver us straight to the house.”
Landen laughed. “You have the entire day to settle in. Though I must warn you, Aunt Clara wants Miss Richardson to stay with us at the house.”
Alex nodded. “I’m sure Sissy would prefer that as well. I’d better inform her of the change of plans before she finishes unpacking the tower of trunks piled in her room.” He shrugged. “She wants to make a good impression,” he said with a smile that made him look as young as a schoolboy. “Wait until you meet her.”
Landen could see in his brother’s eyes his adoration for Miss Richardson. Of course, Alex had displayed this same lovesick expression before. Several times with several women. A part of Landen admired Alex’s ability to live for the moment. To flit from one woman to the next like a bee buzzing through flowers in a garden. “We’ll see you tonight for supper, then,” Landen said, feigning interest in meeting Alex’s latest rose.
“Before you go, come meet Sissy’s cousin.” Alex pointed across the lawn to a blond-haired man seated between two women on one of the large chairs facing the lake.
Landen started with Alex down the stone path that led to the sparkling water.
“He’s a kindred spirit and the best of men,” Alex said.
Shrugging off the childish sting of Alex’s admiration for his new friend, Landen wondered, as he often did, why he and Alex weren’t closer. Something more substantial than the difference in their ages and mothers supported the wall that stood between them, Landen was certain of it.
Alex regarded Landen with equal parts of love and resentment, and try as he might, Landen failed to understand why. Perhaps Landen had been too hard on Alex after their father died, too autocratic. But Alex had been young and in need of direction, and Landen had done his best to step into his father’s shoes and provide his siblings with the solid guidance he’d felt they both needed. Whatever the reason for the underlying discord between them, Landen doubted this visit would change things.
“Kit, here’s my brother,” Alex called to the man.
Kit turned to face them. Although Kit appeared older than Alex, he possessed the same striking good looks that made women swoon. Landen suppressed a smile as he imagined the trouble the pair could get into if given the opportunity to carouse about town.
With a tip of his hat, Kit excused himself to the ladies, then started up the stone path.
A memory flashed like a bolt of lightning through Landen’s mind. He blinked, dumbstruck, absorbing the strange coincidence as the finely attired man made his way slowly toward them.
Alex stepped to Kit’s side, placing an affectionate hand on his shoulder. “Landen, this is Kit Richardson,” Alex said. “Sissy’s cousin and my good friend.”
Alex’s introduction droned on, but in his distraction, Landen barely heard him.
“It’s good to finally meet this rascal’s brother,” Kit said, displaying teeth as perfect as the other features of his face.
“And it’s good to meet you.” Despite feeling a fool for the preposterous thoughts roiling in his head, Landen couldn’t temper his shaky reaction. His gaze dropped, fixing on the walking cane in Kit’s hand. And suddenly Gia’s amusing dream about the man she’d hoped to marry no longer struck him as funny.
* * * *
Gia decided to go for a walk. After obsessing about the morning’s painful turn of events, she had to do something to keep from driving herself mad. She donned her most comfortable slippers, then headed out the back door in search of the creek Alice had told her ran through the woods along the estate.
Gia’s heart raced with her rampant thoughts. If Landen thought Gia would stand idly by while he continued his relationship with Charlotte, he had another think coming, and she planned on telling him as much the moment she saw him.
Her heart panged with the humiliating thought of demanding he honor their vows. Vows she’d forced him to declare. How could she expect honesty from him when she’d been so dishonest? He would, no doubt, remind her of this fact, and now that she loved him, his defense of his ongoing affair with Charlotte would be too much too bear.
She blinked back her tears. While this was not the life she’d ever imagined for herself, this was her life. She shook off her self-pity. At least she had a life. Her brothers weren’t so fortunate. Neither was Prudence. Lifting her chin, she charged toward the tree line in the distance.
Her imagination wreaked hav
oc on her as she walked. She swatted at a swarm of gnats as she entered the woods. What were Landen and Charlotte discussing right now at Sandy Cove? What were they doing? The scenarios weakened her resolve, and tears prickled her eyes once again.
If Gia stepped aside, the lovers could be together. The alternate option hit her like a slap to the face, but she had to consider it. She could still do what she’d come here to do—save his life—and then she could disappear. As she had when she’d fled Boston. Divorce was becoming more common, that was also an option. The only thing that was not an option was standing by and doing nothing to prevent Landen’s death.
She needed another vision. She had to locate the place where she’d seen Landen floating in the water, and she had to prove the culprit was, indeed, Mr. Whithers.
She walked for what seemed like miles along the bank of the creek. Since arriving in Misty Lake, she’d kept her eyes honed for the site of her vision. Now that she’d located the creek, she hoped she’d recognize the place when she saw it.
Her feet were beginning to ache. Still she walked. She kept thinking about Landen and Charlotte together, and her anger and hurt kept her feet moving. The path she tread grew steeper, her feet sorer, but still she walked and she walked.
And then she was there. She knew it instantly. The row of towering pines. The narrow trail that widened into a flat ledge high above the water. The old, gnarled tree. Her skin prickled. She stared down the embankment at the shallow water flowing over the bedrocks.
This was it—the place where Landen would die.
* * * *
Landen drove down the road, unable to loosen the tense knot in his gut. While Alex’s presence usually caused a subtle tension in Landen, it was meeting Kit Richardson that had him on edge. Kit Richardson, the man Alex worshipped and Landen’s wife had dreamt of marrying. Landen shook the absurd thought from his head. He was being childish and irrational, and he knew it.
Pushing thoughts of Kit from his mind, he rode through the arched wooden structure that marked the entrance to the park that led to Sandy Cove. After dismounting, he walked the horse down one of the several worn paths toward the bench where Charlotte waited. He glanced around the park at the other people picnicking on the lawn and strolling about, feeling guiltier with each step he took.
The Lady Who Saw Too Much Page 14
