How to Wake a Sleeping Lady

by Wolf, Bree

  “What truth?” Grant demanded, a clear challenge in his voice now as he came to realize that he would have to openly confront his mother about his suspicions or she would forever pretend that nothing was amiss, pointing a finger at Nessa instead of herself. “What do you think could possibly have happened that would make Mr. Darby innocent while at the same time giving Nessa the opposite impression?”

  His mother shrugged, wringing her hands. “That I cannot say. Perhaps whatever it is she thinks she remembers only ever happened in her head. Is that not possible?”

  In theory, yes. In truth, no.

  Not for a second would Grant believe that Nessa’s memory was false. Not the way she had spoken to him, her eyes distant as the events of that day had returned to her, her face pale and fear in her eyes.

  Knowing that there was no way around a direct approach, Grant steeled himself for what lay ahead, his mind frantically searching for the right words…when the door opened and Nessa walked in.

  A part of Grant breathed a sigh of relief for he had always felt braver with his wife by his side. The mere sight of her gave him strength that otherwise eluded him. Still, he also feared what the truth of this revelation would do to her. How would she feel once she found out that it had been his own mother who had, in all likelihood, plotted to…what? Had she truly meant to kill her? To end her life?

  The mere thought of it made blind panic and overwhelming rage surge to his heart, holding him in an iron vise.

  Nessa’s eyes were soft as they met his, and Grant held his hand out to her and pulled her to his side…where she belonged. Still, the moment she turned her attention to his mother, her gaze narrowed and the muscles in her jaw hardened.

  Grant’s heart stilled as he realized that his wife already knew.

  “It was her,” Nessa whispered, her eyes fixed on his mother as she spoke to him, her voice gentle and without anger. “I don’t know why, but I know it was her. She wanted me gone.” Swallowing, Nessa turned to look at him, her hazel eyes full of sorrow as she placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

  Only out of the corner of his eye did Grant notice the way his mother turned alternately red with anger and white with fear as she stammered her objection to be accused like this. His eyes, however, were focused on Nessa, and he was swept away by her kindness and compassion, by the regret he saw on her face and the fear that her revelation would hurt him. After everything she’d been through, she thought of him first.

  As his mother should have.

  Swallowing, Grant pulled her closer. “I know,” he whispered to his wife. “Or I suspected.”

  A soft curl came to Nessa’s lips. “You didn’t say anything.”

  “Neither did you.”

  “I wanted to be certain,” she replied, brushing the pad of her thumb over his cheekbone in a gentle caress. “I hated the thought of what this might do to you.”

  Smiling down at her, Grant nodded. “So did I.”

  For a long moment, his eyes lingered on hers, and they bathed in the knowledge that they were not alone in this, that they had each other. No matter what. He saw a gentle shift come to her warm gaze, away from their intimate encounter and toward what needed to be addressed. Her jaw hardened, and she inhaled a fortifying breath.

  Nodding to her, Grant did the same before he turned to face his mother. “Now tell me the truth. What did you do?”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Together as One

  Nessa felt her heart hammering in her chest as she stood hand in hand with her husband, her eyes on the very woman who had stolen years of their life together.

  White as a sheet, the dowager countess shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I will not stand for this,” she hissed, her eyes narrowing as she regarded Nessa with utter disgust. “I’ve done nothing wrong, and I will not be accused of any wrongdoing in my own house.”

  “This is my house,” Grant snapped, his eyes hard as he regarded his mother. Still, his hand closed more tightly around Nessa’s, and she squeezed it in return, assuring him that she was there and always would be. “You will answer me. Do you hear?”

  His mother tensed as her eyes darted around the room as though looking for a way out. “I’ve said all I could. I know nothing of what you speak. I—”

  “She was the one who took the letter from my chamber,” Nessa interrupted, seeing the strain on her husband’s face deepen. He may not hold the kind of love in his heart for his mother that Nessa felt toward her father, but the dowager countess was still his mother and Nessa could see how much it pained him to have to accuse her of such a deed. “Milly saw her through her telescope,” Nessa told her husband as he turned to her with wide eyes. “She didn’t think anything of it. She was merely curious because there were no stars out for her to watch.”

  A soft chuckle rumbled in Grant’s throat as his hand squeezed hers. “She once helped me find a ledger I’d misplaced.”

  Nessa returned his smile, and her heart swelled with joy that here was a man who loved his daughter as much as her own father loved her. Milly would never know what it felt like to be regarded with such a cold, calculated distance that Grant had felt from his mother all his life. “She asked me if her grandmother was a pirate,” she told her husband, feeling his hand tighten on hers once more as their conversation turned from the joy of discussing their beloved daughter to the suspicions that had found them that day. “Milly said she saw her hide the letter in a treasure chest under her bed.”

  “That is not true,” the dowager countess wailed, her arms waving about as though to shoo away a bothersome fly. “The girl must have misunderstood. She—”

  “Why did you take the letter?” Grant demanded as he took a threatening step toward his mother; his hand remained safe and warm in his wife’s grasp. “Why?”

  His mother clamped her mouth shut as red spots rose on her pale cheeks.

  “I suspect,” Nessa answered, her gaze daring her mother-in-law to contradict her, “she took it because she was the one who wrote it. I suppose she was afraid that if I were to show you the letter,” she looked into her husband’s tortured gaze, “you might recognize her handwriting.”

  “Is it true?” Grant demanded as he fixed his mother with a penetrating stare. “Did you take the letter? Did you write it in the first place?”

  Nessa swallowed. “You never wanted me here, did you?” she asked her mother-in-law, determined to have everything out in the open on this day. For tomorrow, Nessa wanted no more of her energy wasted on this. She had a life to live, and she wanted it to be filled with joy and laughter. “You never wanted me to marry your son. The day he told you I had accepted his proposal was the darkest day of your life, was it not?”

  The dowager’s jaw clenched painfully. There was a slight quiver, telling Nessa even before the older woman opened her mouth that she would not be able to remain quiet. “You were never good enough for him,” her mother-in-law hissed at her. “You were never good enough for our family. Yes, I thought Wentford was making a monumental mistake when he chose you.” She glanced at her son. “However, I swallowed my objections and gave you a chance, seeing how insistent my son was.” Blowing out a long, arduous sigh, she shook her head. “I did, and I had hope when Amelia was born and you conceived again shortly after. I truly hoped that all would be well, but then my son’s heir was stillborn and I knew that I should have acted sooner. Your union was not meant to be.”

  Beside Nessa, Grant suddenly came alive. Anger radiated off him as he thundered toward his mother. “How dare you lay that at her feet?” he snarled into her face. “We all were heartbroken when Oliver didn’t live. It was no one’s fault.”

  “Of course, it was,” his mother objected before she turned accusing eyes on Nessa. “She was old when you married her, too old. You ought to have chosen a young bride like Lady Remsemere.” She shook her head in complete incomprehension. “You had the perfect woman by your side. She would have given you a son, and you sent
her away. What a fool you are!”

  Shaking his head, Grant stared at his mother. “I cannot believe I never saw what darkness lived in your heart,” he mumbled before he took a step back and drew Nessa back into his arms. “I did not want to believe it, but now I have no doubt that everything Nessa remembers is true.”

  “How can you say that?” his mother demanded, taking a step forward. However, she stopped instantly when Grant turned on her again.

  “Then tell me, honestly, did you write the letter to lure Nessa away? Did you pay Mr. Darby to orchestrate the accident to…?” Nessa felt him tense beside her and saw a shudder go through him. “Did you truly wish to end her life, Mother? Tell me this, and let it be the truth.”

  For a long moment, the dowager countess remained quiet, yet her face showed a myriad of emotions as she no doubt considered her options. In the end, she shook her head and made for the door. “I don’t have to stand here and listen to these outrageous lies,” she hissed, rushing from the room and down the corridor.

  “What now?” Nessa asked as she put her arms around her husband, feeling the tension that held him in its tight grip. “What will we do?”

  Slowly, Grant inhaled a deep breath, his chest rising and falling with the effort it took to reach a decision. “The only thing we can do,” he told Nessa. His eyes lingered on her face before he grasped her chin and kissed her. “I love you. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  Nessa smiled. “Only a fool would.”

  Taking her by the hand, Grant strode from the room and Nessa hastened to keep up as they went down the corridor and then up the stairs to the upper floor. She could hear her mother-in-law close the door to her bedchamber the moment she and Grant walked around the corner. Not bothering to knock, let alone wait for a reply, Grant stormed into the room.

  His mother spun around, a small box in her hands. “How dare you barge in here?” she hissed. Her voice, however, wavered with uncertainty, before she glanced down at the object in her hands.

  Grant paused as his eyes took in the ornately decorated chest. “Is this it? Is this where you stash your keepsakes to remind you of all the plots you’ve devised? Of all the harm you’ve caused?” Releasing Nessa’s hand, he stepped forward and snatched the item from his mother’s hands.

  “You cannot do this!” she all but pleaded. “These are my private belongings. You have no right—”

  “You had no right to interfere in my life!” Grant growled at her. “How dare you rob me of the woman I love?” Staring at her, he shook his head. “A true mother would never have done what you did. A mother would not do something so awful to her own child, harm her own child in order to further her own selfish goals.” Then he looked down at the box in his hands and with a snarl tearing from his lips, he hurled it at the nearest wall.

  The dowager countess screamed as the chest broke upon impact.

  Nessa flinched. Never had she seen her husband in such a state of mind. Rage radiated off him, and she could see the pain that lingered beneath the surface.

  Judging from the look on her mother-in-law’s face, the dowager countess finally understood that she had crossed a line, that her son’s anger could not be dispelled. Resignation descended upon her features. Still, no word of apology crossed her lips.

  Drawing in a deep breath to calm his trembling limbs, Grant stepped toward his mother, his jaw clenched as he met her gaze with an unflinching one of his own. “You’re no longer my mother,” he told her calmly. His voice resonated with all the pain and disappointment she had brought upon her family. “I do not know you, nor do I care to.” Shaking his head, he took a step back, his hand reaching for Nessa.

  Immediately, Nessa stepped forward and stood by his side, her chilled hand clasping his, almost hot with the anger that had gripped him.

  “You have one hour,” he told his mother, who stared at him in disbelief as she came to understand what he was about to say. “One hour to pack your precious belongings. I’ll have the carriage readied, and it will take you wherever you wish to go as long as it is away from here.” He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. “You are no longer welcome in this house.” Then he pulled Nessa’s hand through the crook of his arm and guided her toward the door.

  “You cannot do this,” his mother pleaded, panic now clear in her voice. “Where am I supposed to go?”

  Grant stopped and turned to look at his mother, his face immobile as he said, “Give me one good reason why I should care.”

  His mother stared at him, not even trying to justify her deeds.

  “Goodbye, Mother,” Grant said before he turned for the last time and they walked from the room arm in arm.

  The moment they crossed the threshold and stepped out into the hall, Nessa felt all strength fall from her husband. His arm hung rather limply at his side, and she could sense that he knew not where to go or what to do in that moment.

  Gently tightening her hold on him, Nessa guided his feet to her own chamber. She opened the door and urged him inside. After closing the door behind her, Nessa turned to find her husband standing only a few feet away from her, his gaze directed into nothing. Misery hung on his features, and the green of his eyes looked bleak and desolate.

  Never before had she seen him like this.

  “I’m sorry,” he suddenly whispered into the stillness. “I should have seen it before. I should have protected you from her.” Swallowing, he turned to face her, guilt and anger at himself burning in his eyes now brimming with tears. “I failed you. You went through hell because of me. I’m so sorry.” Defeated, he hung his head.

  Feeling her own limbs tremble with the events of the past hours, Nessa stepped toward her husband, placing her hands on his shoulders and resting her forehead against his. She felt his arms rise and embrace her and, for long moments, they simply stood there, clinging to one another quietly, breathing the same air.

  “It was no one’s fault,” Nessa finally whispered, uttering the same words he had used to defend her. “Not yours and not mine.” Her hand settled under his chin and urged him to look at her. “You need to believe that or I will lose you all over again.”

  Her words seemed to startle him awake. His eyes widened in shock, and he surged forward, all but slamming into her as his arms pulled her tightly against him. “I’ll never lose you again,” he growled, and his green eyes sparked with life once more. “You’re mine, Nessa. Now and forever.” Desperate longing burned in his eyes, and his lips sought hers in a passionate kiss, fueled as much by love as it was by the overwhelming thought of how close they’d come to losing one another for good.

  The same desire to touch him burned in Nessa’s veins, and she returned his kiss with equal fervor, understanding his need to feel her warm and alive in his arms.

  For too long, they’d been separated, their lives a black void missing the love and warmth they’d given each other before. Even once they’d found each other again, doubt and fear had burdened them, holding at bay the happiness they’d once shared.

  Now, everything was different. Never before had Nessa felt so safe and at peace in her husband’s arms, in her home, in her family. Always had her mother-in-law’s presence been a dark cloud on the horizon. But no more.

  Never again would she be allowed to meddle in their lives and darken the days they had with each other. Precious days. Days never again taken for granted.

  Still, in the back of her mind, Nessa knew that life was not as simple as that.

  Deviously, her mother-in-law had conspired to end Nessa’s life, uncaring whether or not that act would plunge her son and granddaughter into darkness, bringing them pain and sorrow. Even now, when all had been revealed, there had been not the slightest offer of an apology, no whisper of regret and remorse. Indeed, her act had been meticulously planned. It had not happened in the heat of the moment, a moment of weakness that had overcome her.

  No, she had planned Nessa’s death, finding justification in her own aspirations and how Nessa had thwarted t
hem. Now that Grant had sent her from this house, cutting all ties to the woman he’d called mother, there was no telling what she might do.

  What she might feel compelled to do.

  What she might feel justified to do.

  Nessa felt a cold shiver crawl over her skin at the thought of her mother-in-law’s wrath. Would she once more plot to regain her position in the family? Would she move against Nessa once again? Or perhaps even Milly for spying on her and revealing her possession of the letter? There was no telling what was going on in a twisted mind like her mother-in-law’s. All Nessa knew with certainty was that they’d need to be cautious.

  As soon as the dowager countess left this house, Nessa would ensure that the rest of their family learned of the woman’s deeds. They, too, needed to be warned. And yet, it would not be enough. For them all to be able to sleep well, they needed to be aware of her whereabouts, her plans, her intentions.

  They needed to have her watched.

  As much as she regretted it, Nessa knew there was no other way. Still, for now, she simply wanted to bask in the knowledge that she had finally come home.

  Where she belonged.

  Where she was safe.

  Where she was loved.

  One look into her husband’s eyes told her that he felt the same.

  Passion coursed through their veins, and they sank into each other’s arms. Her hands slipped up the back of his neck and into his hair as she felt his knuckles brushing gently over her cheeks down to her chin and then back along the line of her jaw. Nessa sensed his desperate need to feel her, but also the utter tenderness within him that spoke of his deep love for her.

  The same love she felt in her own heart.

  “I’ll never let you go again,” he whispered, trailing kisses over her forehead and down her right temple. “I’ll never leave your side ever again.”

  Fear clung to his words, and Nessa felt something dark looming on the horizon. Unwilling to concede even the smallest bit of her happiness, she willed a teasing chuckle from her lips as her hands trailed down from the back of his neck and then gently cupped his face. “You’ll suffocate me,” she teased, a warm smile on her lips as she met his eyes, dark and fearful. His arms held her tightly in his embrace, and she could sense his reluctance to release her…even if only to take a small step back. “We cannot live our lives in fear. Especially for Milly’s sake, but also for our own. What happened happened. There is no changing that.”