The Earl That Overruled My Destiny

by Hanna Hamilton

  Lord Noah shook his head, his expression filled with mock pity. “After all your attempts at uncovering the truth, you still remain so ignorant,” he said. “It really is a pity. I thought you’d be a little cleverer than this.”

  When Gwendoline took a step back, Lord Noah took a step forward. Part of Gwendoline wanted to flee into the trees, but she knew that if she did, Lord Noah could easily catch her. And another part of her still longed to stay and listen. Lord Noah’s words caught her like a snare. Here was the chance for her to learn everything, all those years of secrets that she and Caspian had tried so hard to unravel.

  “It was you!” Gwendoline burst out. “You were the one who threatened me. You hurt Caspian! How could you?”

  “He was in my way,” Lord Noah said, with such conviction and coldness that Gwendoline shivered.

  “In your way?” she whispered.

  Lord Noah nodded. “Your uncle Lord Charles loved Lady Helena very much, but Lady Helena’s father refused to let her break her engagement. He resolved to lock her in her room until her wedding day, so he could ensure that Lady Helena had no intentions of jeopardizing her good match. But your uncle refused to let that happen.”

  Gwendoline swallowed hard. She had an inkling of how these pieces might fit together, and it frightened her.

  “Small wonder that Lord Elderdale is so cold,” she murmured, thinking of Caspian’s distant father.

  Lord Noah smiled tightly. “They eloped and resolved to run away together,” he continued. “They knew they would be abandoning their family and their comfortable lives, but they felt that it was a small price to pay if it meant spending the rest of their lives together.”

  “How romantic,” Gwendoline muttered.

  She’d already guessed something like that, though.

  Lord Noah smiled cruelly. “It was more difficult for Lady Helena, though. She loved her family too much, and she worried about them, especially her brother. So even after she and Lord Charles eloped, Lady Helena kept in contact with her sister-in-law Lady Elderdale in secret. They always had a very sisterly relationship. In fact, they were so close that Lady Helena even told her about the pregnancy.”

  A child!

  Gwendoline felt as though she’d been electrified. Not only had her uncle and Lady Helena eloped together, but they’d had a child!

  But I would know if there was a child. Maybe she lost it.

  “And what happened, then?” Gwendoline asked.

  “Oh, everything was wonderful,” Lord Noah replied. “Lady Helena was delighted to be with child. It seemed as though everything had worked out for the best, as if she’d gotten a happily ever after. Like something from a fairy tale. But it wasn’t mean to last.”

  When Lord Noah took a step toward her, Gwendoline flinched but held her ground. Already, her mind was racing, reeling and lurching from the revelations. A child. She’d never imagined anything like this might have occurred.

  “Shortly after Lady Helena learned she was with child, her beloved Lord Charles died of consumption, leaving her alone and with child.”

  Gwendoline breathed in sharply. Her heart ached. All these years of wondering, all the lies and the rumors, and now, she knew what had really happened to her uncle. It was horrible, and she winced when she imagined poor Lady Helena, alone in the world with a baby growing in her belly.

  “A couple of months into the pregnancy, she grew weaker, and as the pregnancy progressed, the poor Lady’s health declined more and more. So,” Lord Noah said, “Lady Helena did the only thing she could think of to do. She contacted Lady Elderdale, who she knew she could trust, and she arranged to send her the baby once it was born.”

  “Lady Elderdale took the baby in?” Gwendoline asked.

  Why had she never heard of such a thing? Maybe she’d taken in the child and given him or her a position in the household.

  “So she did. Lady Elderdale always was a bleeding heart, an exceedingly sensitive soul.” Lord Noah made the comment as if it was a venomous insult, though.

  “But how did she manage that?” Gwendoline asked. “Surely, Lord Elderdale would notice if his wife had a child. Did he agree as well?”

  Gwendoline remembered that Lord Caspian had called Lord Elderdale a cold man, so it was difficult to imagine him being privy to any scandal of his wife’s.

  “Oh, no. Lord Elderdale would never agree to be part of something like that, and his wife knew it. So Lady Elderdale did something very dangerous. She lied. Lady Elderdale hadn’t married for love, and she knew more of Lord Elderdale’s character than anyone else. So she claimed that she was with child, and Lord Elderdale—thankfully for her—wanted nothing to do with the pregnancy.”

  Gwendoline’s heart ached at such an awful thing being said. She’d given a great deal of thought to her own eventual marriage, and it was painful to imagine that it might be something so frigid and heartless.

  “I’m sure it wounded Lady Elderdale deeply, but when he learned, Lord Elderdale began sleeping in another room. And with the help of her lady’s maid, who used to be a midwife, Lady Elderdale managed to stage a pregnancy.”

  “But she couldn’t have pretended forever,” Gwendoline said.

  “No, and she knew it. So after a couple of months, Lady Elderdale requested to spend some time on an estate in Scotland. She said the fresh air would do her good, and Lord Elderdale let her do as she pleased. Thus, Lady Elderdale went to Scotland, where she had a nurse tending to sick and pregnant Lady Helena on her orders. And Lady Helena weathered through the illness for the sake of the baby, but tragically, she died in childbirth.”

  That was it, then. Lady Helena and Lord Charles were both dead, their grand and happy romance torn asunder so quickly. Gwendoline nodded. “Lady Elderdale brought the baby back,” she said slowly, trying to sort through her thoughts. “She said it was her own.”

  “Indeed, she did. Lady Elderdale returned with a healthy baby boy, and Lord Elderdale was none the wiser.”

  Gwendoline’s head spun. She could scarcely draw breath. Everything she was hearing seemed so bizarre, like something from a novel, that she could scarcely believe it or make sense of it all. “H—how did you find out?” she asked, her voice scarcely rising above a whisper.

  And why is he here? What has he done?

  Lord Noah looked suddenly dangerous to her, in a way that he never had before. And Gwendoline knew how perilous her position was. She was alone in the dark with Lord Noah, and no one knew where she’d gone. A shiver torn through her. She glanced desperately around, hoping beyond hope that someone might happen by.

  “I learned by chance. One night, I heard the sounds of my mother crying, and I went to comfort her. But before I could, Betsy did. She’s Lady Elderdale’s maid and has been in our family’s service for decades now. And I heard Lady Elderdale speak of Lady Helena’s pregnancy and her baby, and she—Lady Elderdale—said that no one must ever know the truth, for fear it would ruin our family.”

  He’d likely known for a long time. For longer, perhaps, than Lord Caspian and Gwendoline had known about the romance between Lord Charles and Lady Helena.

  But that can’t be all this is. There must be some reason for him meeting me here, but what is it? I doubt it is anything good.

  “I researched this for months. I looked through the family tree and searched all the letters and records my family have, but I could find nothing. I kept a close watch on Lady Elderdale, too. I felt that she would reveal something eventually, and I was correct. She did. I saw her sneak into Lady Helena’s old room, and after she left, I snuck in myself to look around.”

  Just like Lord Caspian did when he found my uncle’s locket.

  “After searching for a while, I noticed an irregularity in the bedsheets. One corner of them was not ironed as well as the others. Curious, I lifted the mattress, and that was where I found Lady Helena’s letter to Lady Elderdale, pleading for her to take care of her baby. It was then that I really began piecing everything together.�
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  He paused, and Gwendoline’s mind whirled. She felt faint, as if she wanted to collapse into the grass, but she forced herself to remain upright and strong. “So if that’s all true,” she said softly, “What do you want with me? All I wanted to do was end the fighting between our families. Isn’t that something you would desire, too?”

  Lord Noah laughed harshly. “Oh, I don’t care if you know the truth. Isn’t that obvious to you? But what I want is really quite simple. I want what is rightfully mine.”

  “The inheritance.”

  Gwendoline scarcely dared to breathe.

  Lord Noah smirked. “Figuring it out, are you? This ridiculous feud drove both the lord and lady away and led to both of them dying young and early. It led to a secret child and the deprival of what is rightfully mine.”

  “But they did leave,” Gwendoline said.

  This conversation was going to a dark and treacherous place, and Gwendoline had a suspicion that it wouldn’t end well for her. She’d been tricked into coming here, alone and in the dead of night. And while she’d never felt unsafe with Lord Noah before, now, he was like a stranger to her.

  “Unfortunately, Lady Gwendoline, that means you are now in my way. You were too close to learning the truth, and I suspect you would have eventually realized my involvement. I can’t have that.”

  The threat explicit in his words made Gwendoline’s pulse quicken, but any fear she might have felt was swallowed by the angry reminder that Lord Noah had, by his own admission, also tried to kill Lord Caspian.

  Or had he done it?

  Gwendoline felt as though icy claws squeezed at the heart. What if Lord Noah had hurt Lord Caspian during the night?

  “And is that why you tried to kill Lord Caspian, too?” she asked.

  No, surely, not. Lord Caspian must be alive and as well as he could be, everything considered.

  But if I escape here, I must go at once and warn him.

  Gwendoline’s eyes darted to the horse she’d ridden to the lakeside, but Lord Noah remained between herself and it.

  Lord Noah sighed. “I have nothing personally against Caspian. He has the misfortune, though, of being born to the wrong family, Lady Gwendoline, and there is nothing I can do to remedy that. I can tolerate no obstacles, and because Caspian is the oldest, he would be the son to inherit the Elderdale titles and estates.”

  “He loves you,” Gwendoline said, scarcely able to force the words out. “He loves you so much. I don’t understand still how you can do this to him.”

  “He won’t have to worry about it long,” Lord Noah replied. “I thought it would be easy. I know of my brother’s fondness for riding, so I followed him. And when he neared the cliffs, I fired a shot, spooking his horse. Everyone would have believed it simply to be some terrible accident. By some stroke of ill fortune, he survived. But I’ll not be so careless again.”

  “But why do all this if your parentage is so easily proven?” Gwendoline asked. “If you can prove both titles belong to you, there’s no need for this. The law would be on your side.”

  “Papers can be forged, and ladies lie. I have a letter and the word of Lady Elderdale and an old woman,” Lord Noah said, “And I have no doubt that your own father would fight a claim on his title, especially coming from me. My own father might dissuade me, too. I’m certain he’d prefer not to have this all in the open, so everyone can know his beloved sister wed our family’s mortal foe. But if Lord Elderdale has no other son, he might feel more inclined to support my claims. And with you gone, Lord Newhost may not feel inclined to fight so strongly.”

  “And me?” she asked. “How did you find my letter?”

  Noah shrugged. “Oh, that was easy. You shouldn’t have sent it with Lady Florence. That was rather brazen a gesture for a young lady trying to conceal a forbidden friendship. I caught her trying to slip it beneath Caspian’s pillow and confronted her. Caught in the act, she was forced to reveal the truth, and I pretended to understand. I insisted that I’d deliver the letter to Caspian but begged her to keep quiet about my involvement until I could speak to my brother regarding the matter.”

  “And then, what? After tricking my dearest friend into silence, you pretended to give her a note Lord Caspian had written?” Heat rose to Gwendoline’s face. “And you brought me here? All over an inheritance. Are you truly willing to throw away all the people who love and cherish you over this matter? You must realize that if Lord Caspian learns—”

  “He’ll be terribly distraught,” Lord Noah said. “I’m sure. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll make quick work of him, just as I’ll make quick work of you.”

  In a quick, fluid motion, Lord Noah swept aside his coat and drew a pistol. Gwendoline felt as if her heart had stopped. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, as the world seemed to freeze around her.

  Her mind went through thousands of thoughts in a second. She’d never told Lord Caspian that she loved him, and now, she wished that she’d been quicker with it. There were so many times that she could have done it, but she’d naively assumed that she’d have more time.

  And she wished that she and Lord Caspian could have married and been together and been happy, like Lord Charles and Lady Helena had never gotten to.

  “Farewell, Lady Gwendoline,” Lord Noah said.

  He cocked the pistol and aimed the barrel directly at Gwendoline’s heart.

  “Even if Lord Caspian is the child of Lord Charles and Lady Helena, he loves you! And you ought to love him! Can you truly do this? Can you really kill your cousin? The son of your beloved aunt?”

  Lord Noah laughed. “Oh, I know Caspian loves me, but you have made a mistake, My Lady. Lady Helena wasn’t my aunt. She was my mother.”

  Chapter 28

  The click of the pistol reverberated through the air, the small sound as loud as if the shot had already been made. Caspian’s heartbeat thundered in his chest, and he spurred his mare onward, through the bushes and the brambles. Lady Gwendoline screamed. Then Caspian’s mare collided with Noah, who fell to the ground and howled in rage.

  Bang! The gunshot split the air, and the pistol went flying. It shined in the moonlight like a falling star, and then, it dropped into the cool surface of the lake, disappearing in a spread of ripples.

  “Are you all right?” Caspian asked, his head snapping toward Lady Gwendoline.

  The lady’s face was flushed and her eyes wide and bright, and even with the distance between them, Caspian saw that she trembled like a leaf caught in an autumn gale. She nodded but remained silent.

  Caspian kept his horse between Noah and her. He had a half-formed thought that she might flee on it if the matter became too dangerous, but really, it was difficult to think of anything except for the anger scorching his veins.

  Noah, who he’d trusted, had pointed a pistol at her. Had tried to shoot her. Noah was still on the ground, likely disoriented by being struck by Caspian’s horse. Caspian dismounted and sprinted to the ground, and as his brother tried to regain his footing, Caspian kicked him once more on to the ground.

  “How could you?” Caspian asked. “After all the years of me loving you; you are my precious brother, how could you betray me like this?”

  Noah clenched his jaw and glared defiantly at Caspian, who remained standing over him. Caspian was filled with the urge to scream and throw things, to force some sense into his brother. And because he’d never been quick to anger, Caspian had scarcely an inkling of what to do with the fury that rose inside of him.

  Dimly, he heard the soft footfalls of Lady Gwendoline’s slippers whistling on the grass, but he didn’t dare tear his gaze away from Noah to see what she was doing.

  “What have you done?” Caspian asked. “I want the truth, and I want it now.”

  “You’d have done the same!” Noah retorted, his face becoming red.

  “Done the same?” Caspian asked. “I’d have never pointed a pistol at a young lady! What possessed you to do it?”

  “He’s the child of Uncle
Charles and Lady Helena.” Gwendoline’s voice came soft but even.

  When Caspian dared glance at her, he found that she’d clasped his mare’s reins and pulled herself close to the massive animal, as if its presence might shield her from harm. Perhaps, it would. Caspian clenched his jaw.

  To think that she’d ever need protection from a member of my own family!

  And then, the significance of that revelation struck him. Noah was the child of Lord Charles and Lady Helena. Their child. He’d never expected to find anything like this.

  “Is that true?” Caspian asked.

  Noah pulled himself onto his forearms, but he remained still on the ground. “Yes,” he said, through gritted teeth. “It’s true.”