Broken Legacy (Secret Lives Series)

by Colleen Connally

  “The certificate of marriage,” Lenister said. “But, of course, I should have thought you might have obtained it. I underestimated you. If what I suspected was true, Luc would not have had time to do anything but hide it here. I thought perhaps it was lost with the demise of the marquis, but I should have known smugglers are notoriously good at hiding items.”

  “You are clever, my lord. Quite clever,” Andre admitted frankly. “I realized it the moment I met you. Extremely quick to decipher a problem as with Eloise when we first met.” Andre smiled as he nodded to Lenister. Then he turned and bowed his head in acknowledgement to the duke. “Rotheward, you did well in choosing for my cousin. You held to our agreement, Your Grace. I wish I could do the same, but alas I have no choice.”

  “Andre, what are you saying?” Eloise asked in a whisper.

  “Eloise, there is so much to say…to beg forgiveness, but know in the end I looked after you. I was the one who sent for your father urgently that fateful night, but,” Andre gestured toward Edmund, “it was your brother who came. Do not judge harshly, my cousin. It is ironic because it was here at this cottage that we reached our agreement. All was in confusion, but we both understood the need for the secrecy. Your brother has held to it.”

  “Agreement…to see you set. It was his concern when I asked for your hand. He also insisted you not enter France.” Lenister said the words to Eloise, but seemed to be processing the thought to himself. His attention turned back to Edmund. “You would see to Eloise’s welfare and in turn, Andre would keep the secret of her birth.”

  “It was deemed the best solution to avoid scandal,” Edmund reasoned out loud. “There wasn’t another way. Father had no desire for Eloise to return with us. But after meeting with Andre, he threatened to expose the whole of the story unless I agreed to his conditions.”

  Lenister’s brows lifted briefly, contemplating the story. Openly confused, he asked, “Answer me this—who began this conspiracy? Who held the proof of the marriage?”

  “Father,” Andre responded, drawing the attention back with the statement.

  Eloise watched her uncle draw himself up in outrage.

  “Enough!” Orville D’Arcy cried angrily. “I will not listen to such speculation!”

  “I believe that not only will you listen, but you will confess all.” Marc Pierre’s voice carried in the small cottage. An eerie silence ensued. His eyes flashed fire. His simmering anger exploded. “It was you. You were the one who visited Giarden. You were the one to betray Eloise. It was the only way to keep up the façade you had created.”

  He made a step toward the man, and then another. His heavy footsteps resonated in the stillness as all eyes turned to D’Arcy. “You have betrayed your own, Citizen D’Arcy. The walls were closing in on you. The Republic eyes had turned to several suspicious activities of yours. You had become careless and the Republic had caught wind of you taking bribes and God knows what else you have done. With the interest Giarden held about Eloise, he sent for you.

  “When Eloise showed up unannounced, with plans to save her husband’s children, you saw an opportunity. For years, you have hidden behind others, blaming them for your misdeeds. She was going to Paris. You knew well she was the White Rose, along with Andre and me. To save yourself, you gave Giarden Eloise, once more wangling out of the consequences of your actions. You must have sent a note ahead of Lenister, giving Giarden warning. Giarden had plans for Eloise. He would use all he had to get her to comply with his wishes.

  “When she escaped, Giarden didn’t panic, especially when Eloise came to him to plead for the children. He had more than enough to blackmail her to compliance, but in the end, it would have been a death sentence not only to her, but myself and…your son. It is not the first time you have used another’s death. Luc.”

  “You fools! You poor pitiful fools,” Orville recoiled. Reaching to his waist, he pulled out a pistol and held it firmly before him, aiming directly at Marc Pierre. “Do you think I would come in blindly? I have men who have followed. Now, pray, back away.”

  A shiver of apprehension curled in Eloise’s stomach. Immediately, Lenister was by her side, pushing her back behind him. She gripped tightly to his coat.

  Orville waved the pistol in the air at the one blocking his exit. “Come. Be reasonable, General Bernard. You will back away and I will leave. I can see it is time to retreat. I have long had a plan in place just for a time as now.” He smiled smugly and shrugged. “But before I retreat, I will tell to you the whole of the truth. Do you believe that Marguerite came up with the scheme on her own? Truly?”

  His eyebrows raised while his eyes gleamed. “No, it was I…and the Marquis de Mortiere. Surprised? You need not be. Long before the duke, Marguerite was under the marquis’ protection. They remained friends after it ended. He was the one, when he heard of Marguerite’s impending marriage, who scoffed at the idea. No aristocrat would ever lower himself to marry a lowly actress…no matter her beauty.

  “The marquis used his influence to arrange that the marriage would be an official ceremony. I’m certain the marquis did so as a joke against the arrogant British duke. There was little love lost between the two. They knew each other well. Never did the marquis dream that the duke would have gone through with the ceremony. Nor did he foresee the magnitude of the marriage. Neither did poor Marguerite. Shortly after the ceremony, the duke informed Marguerite that their marriage was a fake. He assumed she would accept the life he set up for her.

  “Why would she not? He gave her everything. The marquis sat back and waited until the time he could use his knowledge to his utmost benefit. He could not believe his fortune when Marguerite came back expecting. He had long known the title would be the child’s no matter the gender. The rest played into his hands. The duke was played from the moment Marguerite stepped back on French soil, carrying the heir to his dukedom.

  “The marquis was a patient man. The moment Eloise was born, he laid out plans. The only obstacle in his path was the marriage paper. Marguerite held the piece of paper.”

  “So Marguerite, not trusting another soul, trusted you. Trusted you with her child. That if something happened to her, you would look after the child’s welfare. She left the certificate with you for safekeeping,” Lenister demanded. “It was you who started the rumors that Marguerite married the duke while he was over dealing with the threat against him. It must have been you. The duke’s English wife had only recently passed. A secret marriage would not have been dismissed, but you had not proof of that marriage. But you didn’t need it. You held the proof of the real marriage that would have destroyed the duke. You held Eloise in limbo. You kept the real certificate and blackmailed Eloise’s father. Then you used it to sell her to the marquis. He already knew the marriage to be true. How then did Andre obtain the certificate? I would assume it would have been the first thing the marquis required.”

  “My lord, my lord. I did only what a poor man could do in the situation. The duke wanted nothing to do with Eloise or Marguerite. He wanted both to disappear. I did that. The marquis…well, he held the trump card against the duke. All was arranged concerning Eloise before she left to live with Mame Castel. The marquis was well pleased with my handling of the situation. Well pleased when he met Eloise. I believe his only disappointment was she was set to become his son’s bride for his plan to be successful and control the dukedom. Lord Lenister, you should know by now the lure of your wife. The marquis determined her to be well worth the price.”

  Lenister charged at Orville, but Marc Pierre seized hold of him. Despite his struggle, Marc Pierre would not relinquish his grasp.

  “Unnecessary.” Andre stepped up and directed Lenister to calm himself. “Nothing happened to Eloise. The marriage was sought after. Traditions held. Calognac did not want his bride tainted. Father produced the certificate at the marriage contract signing. The marquis validated it. Father kept it to exchange it at the ceremony.”

  “But Luc foiled the plan,” Marc Pierre gritted
his clenched teeth. “When Eloise ran after the contract signing, Luc began to question your treatment of her.” His eyes flared at Orville.

  “Stay back.” Orville waved the pistol. “I had nothing to do with your brother’s death.”

  “Really, Father?” Andre contradicted, flaring his hand out toward the man. “Then explain to everyone who informed Calognac where to look for Eloise. Who led Calognac to Luc?”

  “Only after you stole the certificate. The marquis was going to kill me…”

  Orville’s words dwindled as Marc Pierre lunged, blind fury overwhelmed him. Orville had no time to react. Marc Pierre wrestled him down. The next instant, a shot rang out.

  Suddenly, fear ran bone-cold throughout Eloise. Andre stood with a stunned look on his face, clutching his side. She stared unbelieving at her cousin, whose hand held his stomach. A dark liquid began to ooze through his fingers and he simply sank to the floor.

  The next moments swirled around Eloise. Her eyes froze on Andre’s body lying in front of her, but strong arms pulled her down. Lenister slung himself over her. Around her, sounds resonated. Heavy footsteps burst through the door. Shouts and cries.

  Then all quieted and Lenister’s arms eased his hold. He rose in a slow manner and helped Eloise to her feet. The room had become quite crowded, but all within were friends…Seamus and Marc Pierre’s men. If her uncle had brought men with him, they were a threat no longer.

  Before her, Marc Pierre stood, blood-drenched…the blood of her uncle. His hands held a knife dripping in blood. Her eyes caught his. She could tell it was over. The revenge that gnawed within his soul—he had expunged the demons that haunted him of his brother’s death.

  Breaking her gaze, she sought out her cousin. Lenister gave her no resistance as she ran to Andre and knelt at his side. Frantically, she pressed her hands against his to halt the lifeblood ebbing from him.

  “It is useless,” Andre’s weak voice said. He reached across her hands and gripped them tightly. “Do not cry for me, Eloise. Take the paper…it is yours…but know…I tried…tried to do the best for you…what you needed...”

  “I know you did. Save your strength. We will send for a...”

  Gasping, he shook his head. “Forgive me…Eloise…forgive me…”

  “Andre, you have done nothing to forgive,” Eloise gulped. “It has been you who has always seen to my welfare. I need you...please…don’t leave me alone…”

  Andre glanced up at Lenister and back at Eloise. “You…aren’t alone…”

  His words faded, but his lips still moved. Eloise edged upward and leaned her ear to his lips, grasping hard to understand his dying words. She leaned back and through the blur of tears, she uttered, “I will.”

  He said nothing more, but his eyes…told he understood. A slight smile formed on his lips and he breathed no more. Eloise collapsed on top of him and wept.

  It was time. The rowboat awaited her. Soon Eloise would be aboard her brother’s schooner, along with the children and Miranda, and head back to England. Her husband said that the pain would ease in time. She supposed it would, but never would she forget Andre and his deed. He gave to her the power that would free her soul.

  On Lenister’s insistence, they stayed only until the morning broke over the horizon. Marc Pierre said he would see to Andre’s burial. Her uncle…she assumed Marc Pierre would leave his body to rot.

  From the edge of the water, Seamus gestured it was time to depart. She felt Lenister’s hand on her waist, urging her forward.

  “No,” she said gently. “Give me but a moment more.”

  Her eyes softened, turning to Marc Pierre. “I wish you would take Lenister’s offer and use it to go to America.”

  “I told you, my dear sister. My life is here. As soon as I return to Paris, I am requesting to be reassigned to the Italian front. I do not believe Paris will be the place for me in the next few months. Changes are coming once more.”

  “It is the reason…”

  Marc Pierre smiled broadly at her. “Go now and do not look back. The network may be finished, but do not let it play upon your conscience. You have done…well. I will always be proud to claim you for my sister.”

  “And I you as my brother,” she said, choking back tears. She refused to cry anymore. “But there is one thing more I want you to know before we depart.”

  A slight breeze caught her face and a calm descended upon her. She glanced over at Lenister. Biting her lip in a nervous habit, she looked at the others who stood among them. “Edmund, this concerns you as well.”

  She took a deep breath in. “I am not good at elegant speeches. So I will make it simple.” She reached in and drew out the blood-soaked paper. “My husband tells me that I can present this in England as a claim to the dukedom of Rotheward. He says I have a valid right to do so…but…”

  She paused and looked around the faces she loved. “Before the Revolution, I believed the words that all men are equal. That status and birth should not dictate one’s life. Luc and Andre felt strongly about these rights, as do you, Marc Pierre. I have not changed my belief.

  “Gerard has told me it will take time for all that has happened to sink in, but this,” she squeezed tightly to the paper, “this needs no time to decide what needs to be done. All my life I have wanted only to belong and be loved. I wanted nothing more. Andre gave me the power to decide my fate. I don’t want wanton gain. This…this ruined many a life. I don’t want it to ruin mine.

  “The paper may give to me the right to claim a title, but it is not mine. It was done out of deception and manipulation. I have no moral claim to it. Edmund has shown himself to be a man of his word, a true gentleman. He kept his word to Andre. He has only shown me love and kindness. He could have chosen to leave me to certain death as my father would have done. He did not. He has lived with this constant threat. Yet, he saw to my welfare. He gave me Gerard.”

  She lost her words. She took the paper and ripped it to shreds. The winds gusted and swept the pieces into the ocean. She stood in silence, watched the waves ride in along the shore and out again.

  Marc Pierre walked to her. With his hands on her shoulders, he kissed the top of her head. Then he strolled to his horse, mounted and rode away.

  Lenister gestured to Edmund to leave them. He needed a moment with his wife. She hadn’t told him her intent, although he had strongly suspected her reaction. God, he loved this woman.

  Last night, he wanted to caution her. Much had happened within the borders of France that would be known in England. The backlash of her testimony would be intense. Certain scandal. How quickly the tongues would condemn her without questioning why she would have done so! There again, many would condemn her even if her actions that saved his children and Miranda were known. Were they not his illegitimate children and former mistress? Many would feel Eloise deserved to be spurned by Society.

  This beautiful woman…brave and courageous…loving and caring…who had saved hundreds of souls with her actions. She could have easily used her claim to vindicate herself. Thrown into the faces of all who shunned her that she was one of them.

  But to have done so would have hurt others, others she loved. The scandal that would have ensued would have destroyed Edmund…and his family…her family. Lenister well understood that the paper would have made a claim for the title, but a long battle would have ensued where there would have been no winners.

  Moreover her act…the destruction of the paper…gave to them their chance of happiness. He was tired. His one desire now was to retire back to his estate…with Eloise. He needed nothing else.

  He walked behind her and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Turning her to face him, he leaned down and kissed her. A kiss that told her more than words would ever convey.

  Breaking from her lips, he took her hand. “Let us go home, Lady Lenister.”

  EPILOGUE

  Laughter echoed throughout the hall. Giggles and shrieks carried into the drawing room as the little footsteps raced ar
ound the settee. Startled, Eloise’s head rose from her pillow. She smiled at the greeting before her. Two sets of small eyes gleamed at her from the arm’s rest.

  “Mama Eloise,” young Louie Frances said. “We are supposed to check on you to see if you are resting peacefully.”

  “She was until she was disturbed by your entrance, young man. Where is your nanny?” Cousin Beatrice placed her embroidery down by her side. Her gaze fell upon the small toddler. “Or your mama?”

  “Cousin Beatrice, I am fine. I am sure Nana Adele and Anne are preparing for our guests.”

  “Come, Mademoiselle Bridget, we will go and inform your mama,” Louie Frances reached over and took the girl’s tiny hand.

  Giggles ensued once more. Then the two children raced out of the room.

  “Do not run!” Cousin Beatrice cried to empty air.

  “Do not worry on my account,” Eloise assured the woman who sat across from her. “I should be up. Our first guests are supposed to arrive today and the house is not decorated. I told Anne I would help…”

  “Now, now, Eloise, please lay back down and rest. I will have the wrath of the earl descend upon me if you overextend yourself. I promised him I would care for you.”

  “You have, dear Cousin Beatrice,” Eloise said, breathing in deeply. “Everyone has. To the point I feel I cannot breathe. I may well suffocate under the care I have received. I assure you I feel much better than I did when I first discovered I was with child. The morning sickness has passed. I want only to enjoy my first Christmas here at Ashwin Manor. You cannot blame the children for being overly excited.”

  “Yes. Yes. I suppose you are right. I will admit I, too, am looking forward to the next couple of weeks. To have the whole of the family under one roof and enjoy the holidays. It is only with everything you have gone through…”