He flipped through the information Jessica
Atherton had given him before he began
to stalk his heiress. It took him less
than a couple of seconds to hit upon a
name: Samuel Whitlock. Are we, by any
chance," he asked gently, talking about
your stepfather?"
She jerked her head back, making a
visible effort to pull herself together. I
told you it was impossible. He is dead
and buried."
But you did not like him very much,
did you?"
Her eyes glittered in the moonlight. I
hated him for what he did to my mother
and for what he would have done to me if
he'd gotten the chance. My mother saved
me from that lecherous bastard by sending
me to live with my aunt for most of my
life. But she could not save herself. In the
end, he killed her."
You believe your stepfather killed your
mother?"
Lucas's voice sounded amazingly calm,
Victoria thought. It was the sort of voice
in which he might have asked if she would
care for a glass of sherry before dinner. As
he spoke he draped an arm around her
shoulder and resumed walking toward the
house.
Yes. Yes, I do, although I have never
said as much to anyone except my aunt."
Victoria felt the heavy weight around her
shoulders and was oddly reassured. He
was so very strong, she thought fleetingly.
Comfortingly so.
She was not certain why Lucas's arm
around her had such a soothing effect,
but she didn't question it just then. She
was too busy reminding herself to be very
careful about what she said next. She had
already blurted out a great deal more than
she had ever intended.
What does your aunt think?"
Victoria clutched at the edges of her
cloak. That tis very possible. She knows
the sort of man he was. A cruel drunkard
who lacked any shred of decency. She
did point out that if he murdered her, it
would be interesting to know why Samuel
Whitlock waited so many years to do it.
Why did he not simply get it over and
done soon after he married my mother
and had access to her fortune?"
There may have been no real reason
to kill her in the early years," Lucas
said reflectively, as though working out
a curious puzzle in his mind. After all,
as you said, he did have access to her
money. Why should he risk hanging for
murder?"
Victoria sighed. That was Aunt Cleo's
point. My mother not only sent me to live
with my aunt, she frequently came to stay
with us for weeks, sometimes months at a
time. After she realized what sort of man
she had married, she spent as little time
with him as possible. When he got drunk
he got violent."
In other words, in addition to turning
her money over to him, she obligingly
stayed out of his way. So why kill her
after all those years?" Lucas asked.
Perhaps he simply got tired of her,"
Victoria said tightly. Perhaps he got
especially angry at her one day and lost
his temper. He had a terrifying temper.
When he lost it, he lost his self-control
completely. He was like a madman."
/
Unlike Lucas, she thought fleetingly, who
was always controlled, even when he was
angry.
Your mother died in a riding accident,
I believe?"
Yes. Near his house in the country.
She had gone there to entertain his friends
that weekend. She had been staying with
Aunt Cleo and me for several weeks prior
to that, as usual, but Whitlock ordered
her to return for a few days to do her
duty as a wife, as he put it. My mother
was very beautiful, very charming, An
excellent hostess, in fact, and Whitlock
often used her to impress his friends,"
Victoria explained.
A riding accident sounds more like a
planned murder, not one done in the heat
of anger."
Victoria shrugged. You may be right. I
only know he did it."
How do you know that?"
Because he told me so, himself, she thought
wildly. He told me even as he plunged forward
to his death at the foot of those stairs.
But she could hardly tell Lucas why she
was so certain of her stepfather's guilt.
Lucas was entirely too shrewd. Once he
had that bit of information, he would
probe for more and she had already learned
she had a bad habit of becoming altogether
too trusting and vulnerable in his arms.
Besides, she reminded herself grimly,
while Lucas was a very unusual man
in some respects, he was not likely to
be so tolerant and understanding as to
welcome the news that he was married to
a murderess.
I have no real proof, of course," Victoria
said cautiously. But in my heart I am
certain of his guilt."
He let that go. Riding accidents happen
all the time, Vicky."
My mother was an excellent rider."
Victoria hoped this would close the
matter, but Lucas, in his inimitable
fashion, pushed on.
Did you confront Whitlock?"
This was getting too close to dangerous
territory. He knew I had no proof. He
laughed at me."
Lucas's hand tightened around her
shoulders. What did you do then?"
There was nothing I could do. He died
less than two months later and Aunt Cleo
and I decided it was rough justice."
He was found at the foot of a staircase,
I believe?"
She glanced up quickly. Where did you
hear that?"
Lucas's mouth curved wryly. Jessica
Atherton."
You certainly obtained a great deal of
information from Lady Atherton."
Let us not start that quarrel again. Did
your stepfather die that way?"
Yes." Victoria picked her words carefully.
He had apparently been drinking
very heavily that night, which was not
unusual for him. He tripped and fell at
the top of a long flight of stairs. That was
the end of the matter."
Not quite."
She started. What do you mean by
that?"
Merely that you are still upset by
the sight of his initial embroidered on
someone else's scarf or engraved on a
strange snuffbox. What's the matter, Vicky?
Are you beginning to wonder if there really
are such things as ghosts? Did you think
Whitlock had come back to haunt you?"
Do not say that, She got control of
herself instantly. Of course I don't believe
in ghosts. What bothered me about the
scarf and the snuffbox was that it appeared
<
br /> both had been left where I was the most
likely one to find each."
The location of the scarf is particularly
interesting, isn't it? It implies someone
knew you would be coming back into the
house late via the conservatory door."
Yes, that is exactly it, Lucas. Looking
back on it, it makes one wonder if someone
was spying on us the whole time. That
same someone apparently was watching so
closely that he or she saw me leave the
party that night and get into the carriage
you had hired," Victoria concluded.
And followed us to the inn? Tis
possible."
It could have been Jessica Atherton."
Lucas's tone lightened. I cannot envision
Lady Atherton climbing the garden wall at
midnight."
You have a point. So that means the
scarf and snuffbox were left by someone
else. Unless'
Unless what?"
Victoria was struck by an idea. Do you
suppose she hired a Bow Street runner to
follow us around?"
You, of all people, my dear, would
know how easy that is to do."
There was an acute silence following that
remark, a silence during which it occurred
to Victoria that if she'd been thinking
clearly, instead of following her heart, she
might have had the good sense to hire a
runner herself to obtain some information
on the mysterious Lord stone vale.
I wondered, myself, how long it would
take you to get around to doing just that,"
Lucas said.
She frowned, afraid he had read her
mind. Doing what?"
His teeth flashed in a wicked grin.
Hiring a runner to have me investigated.
It was one of the reasons I wanted to get
the courtship over and done as quickly as
possible."
You are perfectly despicable, stone vale."
I am also perfectly content with our
bargain, madam." He paused outside the
kitchen door to brush his mouth lightly
over hers. His eyes gleamed. And while
I would not have wanted you put in the
awkward position you were in that night
at the inn, I cannot say I am particularly
sorry things happened the way they did.
All in all, considering the risks we were
running, we got off lightly."
I do not see how we could have gotten
off much worse."
Then you lack imagination, madam. I
used to lie awake nights thinking about all
that could go wrong during our midnight
jaunts." He tipped up her chin. Are you
really so unhappy with me, Vicky?"
She wanted to rail at him for not loving
her as she loved him. She wanted to
accuse him of having manipulated her
into this marriage where her emotions
threatened to tear her apart while his
seemed under perfect control. She longed
to bring him to a more forceful realization
of his overwhelming guilt, to make him
grovel for her forgiveness and proclaim his
undying love and devotion.
In short, Victoria realized, she wanted
some vengeance for the situation in
which she found herself. However, she
was realistic enough to know she would
probably never get it.
But she had learned her lesson well,
Victoria vowed silently. She would keep
the secrets of her heart, just as she had
learned to keep other, darker secrets. If
the Earl of stone vale was content with his
marriage, she would strive to be satisfied
also. But she would not give him any more
than what he had set out to trap an
heiress who was obliged to accept the fact
that she had been married for her money
with relatively good grace.
I believe," Victoria said carefully, that
as husbands go, you are probably not such
a bad one."
You damn me with faint praise, madam,"
he complained softly. Surely you can do
better than that?"
She licked her lower lip as she looked
up at him. He was a menacing figure
by moonlight. Large and powerful, he
loomed over her. The stark lines of his
face were etched with palest silver and
deepest shadow. His eyes glittered with a
sensual threat that made her recently sated
senses flicker back to life. She ought to be
afraid of him, she told herself instead, she
always felt ridiculously safe in his presence.
Damn the man.
Her instinct was to throw her arms
around him and confess her love. But
her sense of self-protection and her pride
stepped in to cut off such a rash and
useless course of action. She would not
make herself totally vulnerable to Lucas
ever again the way she had that fateful
night at the inn.
I believe, my lord, that I have already
explained to you I will do my best to live
up to my part of our bargain."
Lucas shook his head ruefully and kissed
the tip of her nose. So proud. And so
determined not to give an inch more than
you must. How can you be so cruel,
Vicky?"
I hardly think tis being cruel to say I
am willing to accept the situation in which
I find myself. What more can you rightfully
demand of me, Lucas?"
Everything."
You sound as if you talk of my complete
surrender, my lord."
Perhaps I do."
For that I vow you will have to wait
until the world allows women to wear
breeches in public," she shot back tartly.
In other words, forever."
Perhaps not quite so long. But we will
come back to the matter later. For now I
will be content with the progress we have
made tonight." He took her hand and led
her into the dark, slumbering house.
The vicar and his wife were nervous.
It was painfully obvious they were not
accustomed to taking tea in the great
house of stone vale. Victoria decided that
if she were to hazard a guess, she would
say they had never before been invited into
the house for any reason at all, let alone a
consultation about the charity needs of the
district. That irritated her. It was further
proof that the previous earl had not cared
about the people who lived on and near
his lands.
I cannot tell you how very happy we are
to have you and your lovely lady installed
here at the house, Lord stone vale." The
Reverend Worth, a ruddy-faced, solidly
built man in his fifties, spoke very
earnestly.
Yes, indeed. We're delighted to welcome
you," misses Worth, a sweet-faced little wren
of a woman who sat stiffly next to her
husband, said tremulously. The teacup in
her small hand trembled as she took a
very tiny s
ip. Every now and then she
would steal a quick, timid glance around
the drawing room, as if she could not
quite believe she was inside the great
house.
Thank you," Victoria said gently, smiling
at the uneasy woman. It was very kind of
you to arrange to be here on such short
notice."
Not at all, not at all," the woman
sputtered, and nearly spilled her tea. We
are ever so grateful for your interest in
local matters."
The vicar made a valiant effort to meet
his host's eyes in a man-to-man look.
Hope you don't mind my saying so,
sir, but your family's lands have been
neglected entirely too long. I am delighted
to say that I have already heard talk in
the village of the improvements you have
begun. Tis a great relief."
I am glad you are pleased, Reverend
Worth. I couldn't agree with you more
about the status of the estate and the
surrounding countryside." Lucas put down
his cup with a distinct snap that made
Victoria hide a quick grin. Her husband
was concealing his impatience well, but
she knew for a fact that he would have
much preferred to have been allowed to
escape this particular social function.
He was, he had told her in no uncertain
terms that morning, a busy man and he
did not have time to waste taking tea with
the vicar. Victoria had informed him that
he was not going to be let off the hook
and in the end she had won, much to
the interested surprise of one or two of
the new servants who had happened to
overhear the discussion in the hall. It was
not going unnoticed that the new Earl
of stone vale had a decided tendency to
indulge his bride.
There is a great deal to be done,"
Worth noted. The situation around here
was getting desperate."
Your ladyship has made a wonderful
impression on the local people," misses
Worth said shyly. When I went to visit
Betsy Hawkins this morning to take her
a petticoat for her daughter, she told me
quite proudly she wouldn't be needing any
more charity. Her daughter had a job up
here in the kitchens, she said, and her
husband was going to start work in the
stables. She was so happy, madam. You
cannot imagine. That poor lady has had
a hard time of it, as have many others."
We are grateful to have so many willing
workers. We shall need a great many
people to get this place in shape," Victoria
said, meaning every word. It had been
a harrowing chore getting the drawing
room in even halfway decent condition
Surrender Amanda Quick Page 31
