The Unknown Heir

by Anne Herries

  As she went in, she saw him at the far end of the room. He was looking through the books there, which she knew were family journals and should be of no interest to anyone outside the Shelbourne family.

  He turned as he saw her and frowned. ‘Hester? Has the ball ended?’

  ‘Yes, Mr Knighton, it has,’ she said. ‘Are you looking for something in particular? I do not think you will find much to interest you there—they are family journals.’

  ‘I was merely browsing,’ he said. ‘You are a great reader, I believe? Have you read all these family histories?’

  ‘No, not all of them,’ Hester replied. ‘Was there something you wished to know?’

  ‘Oh, no,’ he said, struggling to appear casual. ‘But I find family histories fascinating. One discovers so many secrets. The skeletons in the cupboard, so to speak.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘A family like this must have many secrets, bastards, tragic deaths. Do you not think so?’

  ‘Yes, perhaps,’ Hester said. ‘Excuse me, I came to retrieve a box.’ She picked it up. ‘Goodnight, sir.’

  Knighton’s eyes were intent on her now. ‘I suppose that contained the ring you are wearing. I have not seen you wear it before, Hester.’

  ‘It was a gift to me…for the work I have done helping to prepare for the ball.’

  ‘From him, I suppose?’ Now there was something almost frightening in the way he was looking at her. ‘You should be careful, Hester. He will hardly marry a girl like you when he can take his pick of society. As the duke’s heir, he will look higher.’

  ‘I dare say you may be right,’ Hester said, maintaining her dignity. She gave him a cool, proud look. ‘Goodnight, sir.’

  ‘You would not have been so proud a few months ago,’ Knighton said to her, suddenly vicious. ‘Be careful you do not fall into his trap, Hester.’

  She was so angry that she did not dare to reply, but walked from the room, her head high and her back straight. She had tried not to show her dislike, but it seemed that she had failed. He was aware of her preference for Jared and it had made him angry.

  Hester discovered that she was very tired as she undressed and got into bed. It had been a very long day, and she had danced for most of the night. She was on the verge of falling asleep when she thought of the journal in her drawer. She got up, went to the door leading to the hallway and locked it. She was not sure why she had done so, but some instinct told her that, if Mr Knighton was the man Jared thought him, she could be in danger.

  Hester slept well despite some worrying thoughts. She slept in a little later than usual, but because the maids had been told to leave her to rest, no one had discovered that her door was locked. She had unlocked it by the time her maid brought her a tray of chocolate and croissants with honey.

  ‘The viscount said you were to have breakfast in bed today, miss.’

  ‘Oh, thank you,’ Hester said, yawning as she sat up against the pillows. ‘I am a lazy stayabed this morning!’

  ‘It will do you good, miss,’ the maid told her with a smile. ‘Most of the ladies have slept in this morning, though some of the gentleman have gone out riding.’

  ‘Did the viscount go with them?’

  ‘Yes, miss. Him and some of your neighbours. I think he said he wanted some advice about the land, miss.’ The girl blushed. ‘I wasn’t listening, miss, but it was my job to take in the toast.’

  ‘You could not help overhearing, Maisie,’ Hester said. ‘Do you know if Mr Knighton went out at all?’

  ‘Not with the others, miss. I haven’t seen him this morning so I don’t know for certain.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Hester said. ‘Would you lay out the grey gown with the lace insets this morning please?’

  ‘Oh, yes, miss. I like that one. It’s pretty.’

  Hester drank a dish of chocolate as her maid did some tidying and then left her to finish her breakfast. She ate one of the croissants and then got up to wash and dress herself. As the grey gown fastened at the front she had no need of help, and she brushed her thick, glossy hair, winding it into a double knot at the back of her head. She loosened a couple of strands about her face, then glanced at herself once more before leaving the room. She would have liked to go riding, but there were still guests in the house, which meant that she ought to be on hand if she were needed.

  Downstairs, the clearing up had begun. Servants were returning furniture to its proper position, and discovering crystal glasses that had been carelessly left in peculiar places the previous night. Hester went to inspect the flowers she had arranged the previous day. Some of them seemed to have drooped and she carried them to the flower room to refresh them. As she was carrying one large container filled with huge blooms, she almost collided with a young maid holding a pot of silver polish. Somehow, it splashed on her gown, making a large greasy stain on the skirt.

  ‘Oh, miss,’ the girl exclaimed, looking horrified. ‘I am so sorry. I’ve ruined your gown. Silver polish won’t come out.’

  Hester was a little disappointed that it should be one of her favourite dresses, but, seeing how upset and anxious the maid was, she smiled at her.

  ‘Do not look like that, Susie,’ she said. ‘It was as much my fault as yours. Please go and ask Mrs Mills if she knows what to do for the best. I shall go upstairs and change.’

  ‘Yes, miss. I am so sorry.’

  The girl ran off in a hurry and Hester went up the stairs and along the landing to her own room. The door was slightly open, and, hearing something inside, she paused for a moment before she entered. As she did so, she saw that a man was standing near the bed and he had a book in his hand. It was the journal she had put in one of the tallboy drawers, and he had obviously been hunting for it, pulling out her possessions and leaving them scattered about the room.

  ‘What are you doing here, sir?’ she asked coldly. ‘I did not give you permission to come to my room and that book belongs to the Shelbourne family. It is private. Please give it to me.’ She held out her hand for the journal, but he did not pass it to her.

  ‘You know what is written here, don’t you?’ Knighton said, turning to look at her. The expression in his eyes chilled her because it was so very odd. ‘You know that my father was named a bastard…the child of a man who would have been the master here had he not died.’

  ‘I suspected it,’ Hester said, because the time for deception was past. ‘I did not know for certain until you told me, sir.’ She raised her clear eyes to his. ‘You know that you have no claim here because your grandfather did not marry your grandmother.’

  ‘That isn’t true,’ Knighton told her, a flash of anger in his eyes. ‘My father told me that they were married secretly. Both families denied it because they quarrelled, but it was so.’ His gaze intensified. ‘My father was denied his birthright. He was bitter because of it and took to drink. He made my mother’s life a misery and mine.’

  ‘I am sorry,’ Hester said. ‘But if what he told you were true, there would be proof…do you not think so? If you have proof of the marriage, you should present it.’

  ‘The proof was lost,’ Knighton said. ‘That is why I have looked for it here, because he knew—my grandfather knew the truth. Why else would he have tried to buy my father off with a commission in the army? Besides, it isn’t the title I want. I would not be able to support a house like this.’ He glared at her. ‘He has all the money…that upstart from America!’

  Hester felt a chill at the nape of her neck, because in that moment she knew for certain what he had done. ‘What did you hope to achieve by trying to kill Viscount Sheldon? You could not hope to inherit his fortune?’

  ‘Damn you! I knew you had fallen under his spell,’ Knighton said, advancing on her with malicious intent. ‘I thought you would marry me. If the others were dead, the old man would have left the place to you. I should have had my revenge then. I was going to wait until you gave me a child. Imagine his face when I told him who I was, Hester.’ His mouth twisted with bitterness. ‘If he survived the sho
ck, he would have had to live with the knowledge that he had no right to all this…his life has been a lie. My father should have inherited the title when his father died and my child would be the master here one day. The perfect revenge, do you not think so?’

  ‘Grandfather would not have cheated you,’ Hester said, too angry now to care what she said. ‘I do not believe that your grandparents were married. You have been fed on lies and supposition. Your father had no right to the title and nor do you.’

  ‘Damn you!’ Knighton raised his fist, advancing on her, his purpose obvious. ‘I was waiting for Stephen Grant to come so that I could get rid of him, but he changed his mind.’ His eyes glittered with something dark and dangerous. ‘But I’ll have my revenge now and be damned to this place! Your death will hurt them both more than anything else.’ He reached out to grab her by the throat. ‘With you dead, the old man won’t have the heart to live.’

  ‘No!’ Hester put out her hands, trying to push him off as he came at her. He looked so strange, and had a queer, blind look in his eyes. At this moment he was not capable of rational thought. ‘No! Stay away from me! Do not touch me! Help me…help me!’ Hester struggled against him, but he had her by the throat. His hands closed about her throat as she tried desperately to throw him off, but he was very strong and she knew that she did not stand much chance against him. ‘Help me!’ she screamed again in desperation. Surely someone must hear her!

  ‘Miss Hester!’ The shout from behind her alerted her that Mrs Mills had arrived, clearly come to see the damage to Hester’s gown in person. ‘What do you think you are doing, sir? Take your hands off Miss Hester…’

  Hester screamed again, struggling to throw him off, but he seemed impervious to the fact that his attempt to murder her was being watched by the housekeeper. He had lost all control and she doubted that he truly knew what he was doing. She did not see what was happening in the room until Mrs Mills loomed up behind him with a large, heavy brass candlestick taken from the desk in the window. She launched herself at his back, striking him a blow on the side of the head. It was not sufficient to floor him, but it threw him off balance and Hester managed to break free. She moved away from him as Mrs Mills brandished her weapon. For a moment he held his hand to his head as if surprised and then his eyes fixed on the housekeeper, narrowed and angry.

  ‘Now don’t you try anything, sir,’ Mrs Mills warned. She brandished her weapon determinedly. ‘I saw what you were doing to Miss Sheldon and I’ll swear to it in a court of law. I shouldn’t wonder they’ll hang you. At the least you’ll be transported.’

  ‘Damn you,’ Knighton snarled. His malicious gaze came back to Hester, who was holding her throat, which felt tender where his fingers had pressed into her flesh. ‘I haven’t finished with you or this cursed family yet…’

  Hester drew a breath of relief as he turned and rushed from the room. She sank down on the edge of the bed, beginning to tremble as the horror of what might have happened overcame her. The housekeeper put down the candlestick and came towards her.

  ‘Are you all right, miss?’ she asked in concern. ‘What was wrong with him? He didn’t seem the sort of man to drink too much. Did he hurt you badly?’

  ‘Not very much,’ Hester said. ‘I think you were in time. If you hadn’t come…’ She drew a sobbing breath. ‘Thank you so much.’

  ‘It’s just as well Susie spilled that polish on your gown, miss,’ Mrs Mills said with a look of satisfaction. ‘Not that it excuses her for her carelessness—and that dress one of your favourites as well.’

  Hester gave her a faint smile. ‘I think it is of very little consequence in the circumstances, Mrs Mills. Mr Knighton has tried to have Lord Sheldon killed twice now and he might have killed me but for the accident to my gown that brought you here.’

  ‘Oh, my lord!’ the housekeeper cried, horrified. ‘I never heard of such a thing! The wicked man! And him a guest in this house.’

  ‘I think he was not entirely in his right mind. I cannot thank you enough for helping me so bravely. It was fortunate that you came when you did.’

  ‘I was cross with Susie,’ the housekeeper said, shaking her head. ‘I came to see what I could do, Miss Hester, though I cannot hold out much hope of rescuing the gown.’

  ‘It really doesn’t matter, because I dare say I may have another made like it in another colour,’ Hester told her. She touched the woman’s hand. ‘I am very grateful for what you did—but could you keep it to yourself for the moment, please? Mama will be very distressed when she discovers what Knighton did. He is her cousin by marriage and she thought him a man she could turn to in need.’

  ‘She will be distressed, miss—but more because of what he did to you than any feeling for him. I dare not think what the master will say.’ Mrs Mills shook her head. ‘If anything had happened to you…’

  ‘His Grace must not be told,’ Hester said. ‘Please keep this to yourself, Mrs Mills.’

  ‘I was speaking of the viscount, miss,’ Mrs Mills told her. ‘Strictly speaking, his Grace is the master here, but the viscount has done so much that we’ve started to think of him as being in charge here.’

  ‘Yes, of course, he is,’ Hester said, realising that it was true. The duke had as good as acknowledged it the previous night. ‘I believe he has gone out, and I shall tell him when he returns—but until then I must ask you to say nothing.’

  ‘Well, as long as you tell him what happened, I dare say he will know what to do for the best.’

  ‘Yes, I am sure he will,’ Hester told her, smiling inwardly.

  ‘Why don’t you pop into bed, miss? I’ll send one of the girls up with a nice soothing drink for your poor throat.’

  Hester went to the dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror. ‘He has bruised my neck, but otherwise I am not hurt,’ she said. ‘I shall change my gown and come down in a few moments.’

  ‘Make sure you lock your door, miss,’ the housekeeper said. ‘Not that he will dare to come here again, but it is best to be sure. Would you like me to wait while you change?’

  ‘I’ll take my gown off,’ Hester said, going behind the screen. She threw her dress over the side and Mrs Mills took it down. When Hester came out she discovered that the thoughtful housekeeper had put out a similar gown for her. She put it on, pleased to see that it had a high neck to hide the bruises on her throat. She would have to be careful what she wore for a day or two, because she did not wish to distress her mother or the duke.

  Having tidied her hair, she went out and began to walk along the landing just as Jared came racing up the stairs. His expression was harsh, his features set in grim lines. He stopped as he came up to her, his keen eyes going over her in such a way that she knew Mrs Mills must have seen him and told him of the incident.

  ‘Hester! Are you all right, my love?’

  Hester smiled at the endearment. ‘Yes, of course I am, Jared,’ she said. ‘Mrs Mills arrived in time. She very bravely attacked him with a candlestick and he ran off.’

  ‘Damn him!’ Jared said, looking rueful. ‘I have done my best to entice him to attack me; I have provoked him several times, but unhappily he chose you instead. I did not want that to happen, Hester, though I was afraid it might if he understood you would never marry him.’

  ‘It isn’t the title or the estate he wants,’ Hester said. ‘Though I dare say he would have taken them if his plan had worked—it was revenge. Just as you thought. He claims his grandfather married his grandmother. He says his father should have inherited the title after his grandfather died and he wanted revenge because this family refused to acknowledge the marriage.’

  ‘I doubt it ever took place,’ Jared said. ‘He was obviously obsessed with the desire for revenge, Hester. He wasn’t mad, but he had that strange intensity about him at times that made me think he wasn’t mentally stable.’ He reached out to touch her cheek with his fingertips. ‘I tried to hide my feelings for you, and I warned you to be careful, because I feared it might tip him
over the edge if he realised all his plans were doomed to failure…and it seems that it did, my poor love.’

  His words soothed Hester’s frayed nerves as nothing else could. She smiled at him, reassured by his presence. He was such a strong man, both physically and in character, and she knew that he would not fail her.

  ‘I am afraid that may have been my fault. I went to retrieve the box for my ring last night and discovered him going through the family journals. Something I said must have angered him. He came here to find the book I had hidden, hoping that it would give him the proof he needed, but of course it did not. His father had fed him on stories about his right to inherit Shelbourne, but it was all lies.’

  ‘Yes, it was a lie,’ Jared replied. ‘I have had the records checked thoroughly and I can assure you there is no record of a marriage having taken place. If there was one, it must have been clandestine and was probably not legal.’

  ‘I accused him of having tried to kill you and he did not deny it. When he knew his plans had no chance of succeeding, he tried to kill me in the hope of having his revenge that way.’

  ‘He would have succeeded had Mrs Mills not arrived when she did,’ Jared said. ‘You are much loved by us all, Hester. If he had murdered you, it would have killed your grandfather and destroyed this family.’

  ‘Oh…’ She blushed and looked down. ‘I know Grandfather and Mama…’

  He moved towards her, tipping her chin with his finger so that she looked up at him. ‘Surely you know that I would have felt your loss as much as anyone?’

  Hester’s eyes were very bright as she gazed up at him. ‘I have thought…but I wasn’t truly sure…’

  ‘Foolish Hester. Sometimes so wise and yet so foolish.’ He bent his head to kiss her softly on the mouth. Hester moaned as her body was pressed against him and she felt herself melting with a surge of fierce desire that raced through her. ‘You must have known how I felt when we kissed?’