by Leela Ash
“I think we had better make the introductions. Albert Adams please let me introduce your brother, Mr. Andrew Crawley.”
The two men looked at each other in awe as if glancing at their own reflection; both not quite believing what each other where seeing. The gun dropped from Andrew’s hand, the unexpected turn of events knocking all the former conviction from him.
Christabel gasped. She had known immediately which one was ’her’ Mr. Crawley, she had felt it in her heart almost straight away.
“You see. I forgot to mention that when Pearl gave birth it was to twins. Whilst her sister could cope with one boy, she didn’t want the two and so they were split at birth and have never known of each other’s existence until this moment. Andrew seemed to have all of the goodness that was in me, and Albert all of the badness. Where Albert got in with the wrong crowd, Andrew was sent away to school and did well. It’s unfortunate that no one else knows about the two. You see our little plan means that we can substitute Albert for Andrew and no one will ever know but for Pearl and myself.”
“And what about Andrew, he is your own son?” Christabel spoke where the poor young man could not.
“I’m afraid that he will meet the same sticky end as you, my dear. They say that blood is thicker than water, but not money I’m afraid, in my case. Besides, what would dear Anne say? She knows nothing of this. Why did you think I had to put on such an act at the solicitor’s office? I thought I was most convincing, don’t you?”
“But I thought that you were contesting the will?”
“Only as a red herring. I was only reacting as other people thought I might in such circumstances! Who would ever suspect me?”
Andrew came to his senses, realizing that he had dropped his gun and that it was now lying at his feet, yet before he could react, Albert pounced forward and wrestled his brother to the ground. The two men fought for the weapon and as Edward tried to grab hold of Christabel there was a loud bang as the gun was fired and a smell of sulphur filled the air.
The two men stopped fighting and all seemed still for a moment. Mrs. Hudson who had been on the edge of a drunken sleep came suddenly to life and clutched at her bosom with the shock.
At first Christabel feared that Andrew had been shot. Edward had just reached her and his arm was wrapped around her shoulder. Suddenly, she felt his hold slacken; a surprised glaze blinding his vision as he fell back against the table and onto the floor. Edward was dead.
Pearl Hudson let out a scream as both men looked on in horror.
“Why didn’t you tell me I had a brother?” The young man walked accusingly over to the housekeeper, his eyes full of hate. “Why didn’t you tell me mother?”
Their eyes locked for a second as Pearl stepped forward towards her son. “Kill them both Albert, and then we can have the money for ourselves.”
Albert shook his head, his face white. “Why didn’t you tell me mother?”
His finger pulled the trigger and Mrs. Hudson staggered towards them, her red eyes bulging as a dribble of blood appeared in the corner of her mouth and she fell forward onto the floor to join Edward.
Another noise penetrated the air. This time it was the shrill and piercing tone of a police whistle. Standing in fear, Albert stood paralyzed for a second; the gun wavering in his hands.
Christabel edged towards Andrew as all three stood in silence.
Footsteps clattered on the stairs as three policemen burst into the room. Stepping forward towards his brother, Andrew Crawley held out his hand for the gun. Albert reached across with his empty hand to touch his brother for a brief second before turning the gun and shooting himself dead.
Epilogue
The inquest was a harrowing affair for all concerned. The grim facts concerning the murder of the late Lord Charles Montgomery were soon known and subsequently plastered all over the daily headlines, but would soon be forgotten by all, except for those involved.
It had been a ghastly affair and the subsequent murder of Hannah and the violent killings of Edward, Mrs. Hudson, and Albert were simply down to greed and one man’s hatred and jealousy for his own brother.
Christabel looked out of the window, hardly believing the events of the last few weeks. Her sorrow for the demise of poor Charles and Hannah lay heavy on her heart. Even Albert Adams had been a pawn in the dangerous game that Edward and Pearl had been playing. She shivered to think of the cold eyes of Edward looking into hers, the same cold heart that had no room for even his own offspring; only money and riches.
She had known that Pearl Hudson was a hard woman, but it was difficult to believe that any woman could abandon her own children for the sake of money, using them in a vicious game even against each other. In the end, it had been her undoing.
Christabel could see now why the woman had fainted in Mr. Lewis’s office; seeing her boy for the first time in years had made even the hard-nosed Pearl weaken. Yet any feeling that remained for her sons was outshone by the promise of wealth from Edward Montgomery. Once Andrew had inherited Charles’ estate it would have been easy to kill Andrew and replace him with Albert. What Pearl and Edward hadn’t expected was the effect that the two boys meeting each other face to face would have.
Maybe, blood was thicker than water in the end?
There was a knock at the door and Stephens entered; his face solemn and perhaps a little wearier than before. The news of Mrs. Hudson had shaken him deeply and Christabel wondered if he had secretly carried a flame for the hard woman all these years.
“You have a visitor madam.”
Christabel winced at the possibility of Englebert. She had heard he had tried to see her many times while she had been kept ill by Edward. She was glad that his persistence in her had seemed to wan after he had found a new young thing to chase after. The marriage market was in full season and he was a wealthy man – though old – he would find a young miss for his bed. “Who is it Stevens?”
“Mr. Andrew Crawley, madam.”
Christabel smiled; at least one good thing had come of this whole affair. Smoothing down her dress, she stepped towards the door.
Andrew Crawley rushed into the room; some of the darkness and cloud now lifted from his brow. The same feeling of longing fluttered in her chest.
“Christabel, I have good news! Mr. Lewis has been in touch and I am due to sign the paperwork tomorrow, your home will be safe after all. You have no need to worry about the future.”
Almost on impulse she fled towards him, expecting his arms to open wide in greeting, but she had almost forgotten that he was not like the other men she knew and he looked awkwardly at the ground and she almost thought that she saw him blush.
She stopped in front of him, her arms quickly moving back to her side as she paused, embarrassed by her own presumptuous nature. It was not after all a ladylike way to act. “That is great news Mr. Crawley. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity.”
Shaking his head, he smiled wryly. “Please call me Andrew. This is your house now, Lady Montgomery and I am sure you would have been the main beneficiary of your late husband’s will had he not met such an untimely end. I am merely trying to address the balance, keep an order to such things.”
His eyes were clear and honest without a hint of malevolence or greed and her heart skipped a beat. Whereas she had been in lust with Charles, she had begun to fall in love with Mr. Crawley. Hopelessly and helplessly, and there seemed that there was nothing she could do about it. Other men seemed to throw themselves at her feet, or other parts of her anatomy, but the man she truly wanted was keeping himself at a distance. She wondered why.
“Please call me Christabel. I feel too young to be called Lady Montgomery. Perhaps you will call again, along with Mrs. Crawley?” Christabel held her breath. She had to find out his position and asking outright seemed the only way.
“There is no Mrs. Crawley. I am a bachelor I am afraid that up until now I haven’t had much to offer a prospective bride; perhaps that will change once I inherit Char
les’ money?” His words caused a little stab of pain inside her chest. She had not thought of that. Mr. Crawley with his looks and money would be the toast of London society.
Christabel sighed, “Yes, I’m afraid half of London’s eligible young ladies will be beating a way to your door Mr. Crawley. You will be a popular young man and will have that pleasurable dilemma of deciding which woman will grace your arm.”
The man looked at his feet, a little uncomfortable. “I’m afraid that does not sound at all pleasurable to me. I have little experience with women in general and I am afraid that I have already lost my heart but it is a hopeless case.” His face reddened as he spoke the words and he stopped abruptly as if he had said too much.
So he was in love with another woman; that would account for his aloofness. Christabel let her shoulders sag a little; at least she would have her own income and wouldn’t be subject to the mercy of Englebert Williams.
“Nothing is hopeless Mr. Crawley. I think that your young lady can hardly resist an offer; especially now that you are due to inherit; go to her Andrew and be happy.”
Stepping towards him she held out her hand in friendship. Her heart was aching, but there was little more she could do. If the man was in love, than best let him be. A true and honest man was hard to find and she envied the mysterious young lady.
Taking her hand gently in his, he paused, looking down at the slim fingers in his own. “I don’t believe it is as easy as you say Christabel. For you see the woman I have set my heart on does not even know of my intent and it would not seem proper in the circumstances.”
The young woman smiled at his earnest face. “Then tell her Andrew. Every woman wants to be loved and you must open up your heart, whatever the circumstances. If I were the young lady, then I would want to know.”
“Truly?” His face almost brightened for a moment as his blue eyes looked deeply into hers.
She smiled.
“Then I will try to do as you suggest Lady Montgomery-Christabel. You see the lady in question is still mourning the untimely death of her husband. How do you suggest that I approach the subject?”
The smile from Christabel’s lips slipped as he spoke, her eyes widening at his words. He was talking about her and she stood in shock for a few moments.
“You see, I knew it was not appropriate. Please forgive me.” Dropping her hand, he turned quickly and headed for the door.
“Andrew, please don’t go.” As he turned around she rushed into his arms, all protocol abandoned. He kissed her face with small, gentle kisses and she realized that she was crying. His arms wrapped strongly around her and a warmth spread across her heart.
“Oh Christabel, I have felt this way ever since I first saw you at the church. I never dreamed that you would feel the same way.”
He kissed her gently on the mouth and she almost swooned; her head lighter than air. So this was love; true love. Lust was one thing, but love was the thing she had been missing, and now she had finally found it.
A knock at the door interrupted their canoodling and as Stephens entered the couple moved apart. “I just wondered if you and Mr. Crawley would like tea, My Lady.”
Christabel could barely stifle a giggle as she nodded across to old Stephens.
“Will that be all, madam?”
The young girl grinned as she looked fondly on the old retainer. “I think that there will be two for dinner tonight Stephens.”
And before he left the room, Christabel thought she saw the old man smile.
THE END
MC Romance
What the Outlaw Demands
Samantha Leal
Copyright ©2015 by Samantha Leal. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Thank you so much for your interest in my work!
1.
Kristin watched the hands of the clock ticking opposite her. Every second seemed to drag and she bit the edge of her pen as she turned to look out of the office window. After working so hard to get there, now all she wanted to do was run. The thought of spending another week in that place was making her skin crawl.
Outside, in the corridor, she could see the male partners all patting each other on the back and boosting each other’s egos. She was never invited into their little office chats, ones where she could be a part of the boys club. In the center of it was Pete, grinning from ear to ear, taking the odd glance back to her office because he knew she would be watching.
Fucking Pete, she thought.
She knew at home later he would be full of it. He’d swagger in, puffing his chest and try to make her feel inferior. It was how it always went… She got ignored and he made her feel like crap about it. She knew she needed to change firms…and boyfriends…but she had wanted to be a partner at Anderson and Coleridge Law so much that she just didn’t think she had it in her to walk away.
She realized she was holding the pen so tight, it was almost snapping in her hand.
“Shit,” she breathed out and dropped it on the desk. She was going to have to calm down. She didn’t need to work herself up like this… She was bigger than them and she wasn’t going to rise to it. Instead, she got to her feet, walked over to the door and lowered the blind so the pane of glass allowing her to see the little boys club grooming each other in the hallway was blocked out. She went back to her desk, sat down and closed her eyes.
She was reaching her limit. She and Pete had been together for almost a year, and while it had started out really well, it had rapidly declined into something rather sinister. Pete was a control freak. He loved making her feel inferior, and even though she was a strong woman who could see right through him, there were times when she was afraid of what he was capable of. She could hear him out in the hallway, laughing and joking with the other male partners. She was the only female partner at the firm and was regularly left out, and although she was used to it, she was still struggling to accept it. Deep down she knew it was time to move on.
Her phone rang and made her jump. “Hello?” she answered.
“Hi, Kristin,” her PA Sally said from the other end. “Did you finish with the paperwork for the Green Case?”
“Just give me five more minutes and I’ll bring it out to you,” she said with a sigh. She hated to admit it, but her work really was starting to suffer. She could never seem to keep her mind on the job.
She looked down and scanned the explosion of files on the desk in front of her and wanted to scream. She rubbed her eyes and massaged her temples with her fingers.
“I need to get out of here,” she whispered.
She got to her feet and looked out across the skyline. It was almost five and the sun looked like it was already on its way down, which was impossible for summer, but she felt it all the same.
“I guess it’s always night somewhere,” she said to herself.
Her telephone rang again and she jumped. She turned around and grabbed the receiver. “Just five more minutes, Sally,” she snapped.
“No,” Sally said quietly, clearly taken aback by her boss’s tone. “It’s a call from the police department. They have someone in custody who wants to talk to you.”
“What?” she said rubbing her temples again. “Can’t it wait? We have a duty lawyer who could deal with that.”
“They asked for you specifically,” she said nervously. “The cop said his name was Dan Lockhart.”
Kristin paused for a moment, her heart rising into her throat at the sound of the name… A name she hadn’t heard for years.
“Did you say Dan Lockhart?” she repeated as she sat back down at her desk.
“That’s what the cop told me, yeah,” Sally confirmed.
“Okay,” Kristin said quietly, “Put him on.”
The line beeped, and there was a click before Kristin
could hear shallow breathing on the other end of the line.
“Dan?” she whispered, still unsure of whether she believed it.
“Kristin?” he replied.
Her skin went cold when she heard his voice, but she instantly found herself smiling.
“How the heck are you?” he asked, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“I’m wonderful,” she smiled. “I take it things aren’t so great for you?”
“Haha,” he chuckled. “They’re certainly not… I could do with your expertise.”
“Which station are you at?” she asked as she grabbed a pen.
“South,” he sounded as if he was smoking. “I would normally deal with this sort of thing myself, but I thought it might be a nice excuse to see you again after all these years.”
“Just stay put and don’t say anything. You can explain to me when I get there.” She hung up the phone and grabbed her jacket.
The Green case file would have to wait…
2.
Dan Lockhart… she hadn’t heard a word from him in over ten years, and here he was calling her as if it were only yesterday. She was a fool for going down there. She should have told him she was busy, or that she didn’t deal with criminal cases anymore… He was probably in hot water, after all. Hell, she should have told him anything. But there was something drawing her to him. Just hearing his voice again after all that time had instantly struck a chord.
She slid into the driver’s seat of her Mercedes and fastened her seat belt. It was dark in the firm’s underground parking lot, and the summer heat was intense and stuffy. She started the engine and put the AC on full blast before she looked at herself in the review mirror. Her heart was pounding and her pupils were dilated. In a rush of memory she recalled the last time she had seen him… She remembered it all…
***
