“Of course not.” Dillon paused. “Well, not exactly. Henrietta is twisting the truth.”
“Why don’t you tell me exactly what happened?”
“For some reason Henrietta has made it appear that I would have married her if I had not wed Caitlin.”
“Is this not true?”
“Nay. I would never have married her. I do not understand how she got this school girl fantasy that there was ever anything between us.”
“’Tis easy when you are young.” Mrs. Johnson started to see the problem. “I guess no one questioned the truth when she started saying things about the two of you.”
“But why? That is what I do not understand. Why is Henrietta’s word worth more than Caitlin’s?”
Mrs. Johnson’s brows rose. “Perhaps because we have known Henrietta longer.”
“’Tis not fair to Caitlin. She is just as much a part of this town.”
“True, but, ‘tis my experience that rumors cannot go around unless there is a ring of truth to them.” Mrs. Johnson folded her arms across her chest, waiting for him to continue.
“Here is the truth.” Dillon took a deep breath and told the whole story. Why Caitlin didn’t want to be married. How they fell in love after the wedding. How Bernadine was trying to break them up. And, now Henrietta was telling lies.
“I was not holding Henrietta,” Dillon rebuked. “She fell into my arms and I had no choice but to catch her. I explained the situation to Caitlin and she understood. But now the whole town thinks I am betraying my wife.”
“’Tis why the bible commands us to avoid the appearance of evil,” Mrs. Johnson reprimanded, softly. “The fact that Henrietta was in your arms, and that you sent Johnny away, would lead any righteous person to that conclusion.”
“Aye, but Luke 37 tells us not to judge and we will not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” The battle of the bible was on.
“Very true.” Mrs. Johnson conceded. “However, the book of Matthew talks about a tree being known by its fruit. A good tree bears good fruit, and corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.” Her small eyes bore into him. “The rumors have been going around ever since you got hitched. A hasty wedding always breeds rumors. You gave Henrietta an open door in which she has been able use for her own agenda.”
“So how do I stop her?”
“You just did.” Mrs. Johnson smiled. “Telling people the truth will help. Truth is the only weapon we have against lies.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Johnson.” Dillon smiled. “I have some work to do.”
* * *
“Mr. Barclay, you have done it again,” Caitlin exclaimed. “This game room is exactly what I wanted.”
“Good work, son.” Roderick was once again impressed with details of this room. “The colors almost invite you to sit down and play cards.”
The red curtains and rugs offset the cream walls. Several square, cherry wood game tables were strategically placed around the room. Each table had four straight back chairs with bold blue, leather seats.
“I hate playing cards,” Bernadine sniffed.
“’Tis because you always lose.” Roderick laughed, which only earned him an icy stare.
“I cannot believe you completed the whole downstairs so quickly,” Caitlin commented.
“You said it was to be done by Christmas.” Mr. Barclay seemed a little confused.
“I know I said it, but I truly did not think it possible,” she confessed. “Now I will be able to have a Christmas celebration.” She twirled around the room, her yellow dress swirling like a cloud.
Roderick smiled as he watched her enthusiasm. He could understand why his son loved her so much.
Bernadine brightened at the idea of a party. “How wonderful to have a soirée right here in our own home.” She clasped her hands together. “Twill be the grandest celebration ever.”
Bernadine noticed the scowl Caitlin gave her. “Do not fret, dear.” She patted Caitlin on the arm like a pet. “I will show you how England throws a ball. You need not worry about anything. I will take care of every detail.”
Caitlin counted to ten then pasted a smile on her face, and as sweetly as possible replied, “’Tis very generous of you. However, this is my first Christmas in my new home, and I will need the experience of planning a party.” She patted Bernadine on the arm. “You are already an accomplished planner, therefore you do not need the skill as much as I.”
“Precisely my point,” Bernadine stated. “You can learn from me.”
Caitlin silently groaned. She wanted no help from this woman, yet she wanted some peace. Perhaps Bernadine would be so involved in the planning of the party that she would forget about making everyone’s life miserable.
Roderick’s pride grew as he watched Caitlin handle the situation with grace and dignity. But, he did concede to himself that a party may be just the thing to bring his wife out of this foul mood she’d been in. Since the women were busy talking about the party, he took this opportunity to talk with the contractor.
“Mr. Barclay, my good man.” Roderick slapped him on the back. “Would you be interested in coming to England and looking over my home? I like your work and I want to hire you to fix up my place.”
“England?” Mr. Barclay’s dark eyes went bigger than the frames of his glasses. “It is a long way to travel.”
“Aye, my boy.” Roderick smiled. “All expenses paid, of course.”
“A job of that magnitude would boost my credibility.”
Bernadine overheard the conversation and flew to Roderick’s side. “What do you mean come and do our place? It does not need redoing. ‘Twill be a waste of time and money.”
“It could use a little sprucing up. ‘Tis been a long time since any work was done to the house.”
“’Tis because I have it the way I want it. No work shall be done unless it goes through me.” She folded her arms across her small chest.
“’Tis my house and I will hire anyone I please to do any work I wish. I have lived with the awful color schemes you chose long enough. You redid the entire house without permission and I let it go. I have come to a point where I am tired of your gaudy, overdone look. I want the elegant, quiet serenity that used to be there.”
“Are you suggesting that your beloved Mary had better taste than I?” She advanced toward him, her entire body shaking with rage. “I could kill you right now!”
Roderick ducked as the fist came at him. Bernadine stumbled, but regained her balance. “I have done nothing but care for you and your son for the past seventeen years, and this is how you repay me? Humiliate me in front of everyone? Criticize everything I do?” Her blue eyes blazed. “I swear, Roderick, if it is the last thing I ever do, I will repay you for this outrage.” In a cloud of anger, she left.
“I am sorry about that,” he apologized. “Caitlin, I do not wish to subject you to any more of her behavior. We will leave posthaste.”
“Please stay,” Caitlin begged. “I am sorry for your sake that she behaves so badly, but do not fret over me. I can handle her.”
“I am beginning to notice that.” Roderick laughed. “You are a very strong willed woman, yet gentle and caring. “’Tis the perfect combination. “
“Thank you, sir.” Caitlin curtsied. “Now I beg you to go make amends with Bernadine, and to stay for as long as you like.”
“It is nice getting to know my son after all these years apart. I would value more time with him.”
“Then stay and do not give Bernadine another thought.”
* * *
Dillon held up the diamond necklace. “Do you think she will like it?”
“Why not? ‘Tis a beautiful piece.”
“I am worried that she will be offended if I buy her too many gifts. She scolded me once already for thinking that she cared about money. She promptly informed me that she loved me, not things.” He laid the necklace back in the box.
“You, my boy, are a very lucky m
an.” Roderick placed a hand on Dillon’s shoulder. “Caitlin loves you very much.” His usually strong, powerful voice seemed subdued, almost melancholy.
“What about you, father? Does not Bernadine love you also?”
His laugh was harsh. “Your stepmother loves the title and wealth.”
Dillon did not know how to respond. He was glad, however, that his father was not as blind as he thought him to be.
“Caitlin reminds me of your mother. Her strength and love was beyond measure.”
The sudden nostalgic moment caught Dillon off guard. “Do you miss Mother?”
“Everyday. Why would you ask?”
“I did not think you cared at all. You never mentioned her. You married Bernadine so quickly it felt like you forgot about my mother.” Dillon’s throat constricted.
“I could not talk about Mary for a long time because it hurt too much. You were a mere lad, and I had no idea how to communicate with you. As for Bernadine, I married her for your sake.”
“My sake?”
“Dillon, I had no idea how to be a father, or how to take care you. Your mother always took care of everything. I thought by marrying again I would find someone to step into that role.” Lord Roderick shook his white head.
“In truth, you married her so you could be discharged of the burden left to you.” The hurt rang through Dillon’s tone like a bell. He’d always felt like a burden. His father had been a mere stranger to him.
“I did not mean it that way.” Roderick’s brown eyes turned soft. “My biggest regret is that I was never involved in your childhood. The truth is I was scared to death when you were born. You were so tiny, and squirmed all over the place. I didn’t want to drop you, so I never picked you up.
“I remember watching while you slept in your cradle, or standing across the room, looking on as your mother tended you.” The memories were so overwhelming, that he almost felt faint. He walked over to a wing chair in the corner of the study and sat down, heavily. “But always watching from afar.”
“I was not a baby all my life.”
“No. The next thing I knew, you were toddling all around. Your mother and your toys seemed all you were interested in. That made it easy to believe that I was not needed. I allowed myself to get absorbed in my work, thinking that I would always have time for my family later. I would have time next week, or after this important bill passed in parliament.” His bushy brows drew together. “Then, suddenly you were a young boy, and your mother taken away from me. In my grief and despair I married Bernadine, hoping to get some kind of normal routine back in my life.” Tears slipped out the corner of his eyes. “If only I would have known the truth.”
“Truth about what?”
“Bernadine.” His mellow tone turned hard. “She destroyed what little was left of my life.”
Dillon finally saw his father in a new light, not as an uncaring husband and father, but, as a confused, grief stricken man with nowhere to turn. “Has life with her really been that bad?”
“You have to ask?”
“And you had not any idea about her before you married?”
“I cannot complain overly much. I did not propose out of love. I knew I would never love another woman as I loved Mary. I only saw a need and thought Bernadine would be the solution.”
Dillon walked over to Roderick, squeezing his shoulder in comfort. “I am truly sorry Father.”
“No, son, I am the one who is sorry. I made the choice to marry her. At the time I had no way of knowing how much of my life she could destroy.” Roderick stood and walked over to the window. “’Tis not even the affairs that bother me, ‘tis the fact that she drove you away.”
“How did you know?” Dillon gasped
“I did not figure it out for a long time. Eventually I recalled all the touching, the hugging and caressing. At first, I thought she was just being motherly. ‘Twas not until after you left that I put two and two together.”
“Why not leave her?”
“I am just trying to make the best of the situation. A divorce would only cause another scandal. Besides ‘tis against the laws of the church.” Roderick gazed over the dead grass of the lawn. “It does not matter anyhow. You are better off here. You have done well, son.” His eyes were full of tears when he looked at Dillon. “I am proud of you.”
“I thought I would never hear those words from you.” Emotion welled up so fast that Dillon had no time to think, he grabbed his father in a bear hug and cried. Years of pent up anger and sorrow spilling forth.
Roderick felt dizzy. He stumbled against the windowsill.
“Are you feeling ill?” Dillon noticed how peaked he looked.
“Just a little light headed.” He looked into his son’s worried face. “Nothing to fret over, my boy.” However, he admitted, if only to himself, that he hadn’t felt well the past few months. Time may be running out.
* * *
“Can you believe that old fool?” Bernadine sputtered. “He thinks he is going to redecorate my house.” She paced across the floor. “I will show him who is in control.” A wicked smile spread across her face. “Caitlin, too.”
“But what can we do?” Henrietta asked. “We have already tried everything. Even the rumors have died down now. No one believes anything I say since Dillon went and spread those nasty lies about me, as if I made the whole relationship up.” She crossed her arms miffed. “I am starting to hate him more than I ever loved him.”
Bernadine was deep in thought. “There is only one thing left to do now.” Her blue eyes turned darker than the sky before a storm. “Kill her.”
“What?” Henrietta thought Bernadine had lost her mind completely.
“Think about it,” she cautioned. “’Tis the only way to get Caitlin out of the picture completely. Even if we are successful in ending the marriage, there will always be another woman who had been his wife. She will forever be competition for you.”
“I can handle rivalry,” Henrietta stated. “But murder?” She shook her head.
“Listen to me.” Bernadine’s tone was sharp. “’Tis the only way. You once told me you would do anything it took. Now is your chance. Quit sitting around on your hind end, whining. Go after the man you want.”
“I cannot murder someone.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “It is so repulsive. Besides, I have not the faintest idea how to kill someone.”
“You dimwit!” Bernadine admonished. “You do not have to actually kill her. You can arrange an accident if you do not want to get messy. You wouldn’t even have to be around when it happens.” Her voice grew more enthusiastic.
Henrietta thought a minute. “An accident would be nice and neat.”
“There you go.” Bernadine clapped. “An accident it will be. And Roderick shall join Caitlin on this ride of death.” Her eyes gleamed. “We shall kill two birds with one accident.”
“I will have no part in killing a Lord.” Henrietta stood.
“You worry about Caitlin and I will deal with my husband.”
“We will surly get arrested,” Henrietta scolded. “Perhaps we can get away with killing Caitlin, but Lord Roderick will draw more attention than we want.”
“Nonsense.” Bernadine sat down on the chair. “All we need now is a plan.”
* * *
Roderick entered the shop and blew on his hands to warm them up. “I think you need more wood on that fire. ‘Tis freezing in here.”
“Nay, father. You are merely cold from outside. You will warm up in a little while.” Dillon pulled the handle down on the press. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Aye.” Roderick smiled. “I need you and Johnny to help me unloaded something from the docks.”
“Bernadine does not have more clothing, I hope.” Dillon grimaced at the idea of her staying longer. Perhaps even moving here indefinitely. Although he would relish spending more time with his father, they were in essence a package deal and he couldn’t stomach much more of his stepmother.
“I will get Johnny.”
The three men walked against the small flurries. The wind pulled at their scarves, hats and coats, sending a chill through their bodies. However, the cold seemed to bother Roderick the most. Although he said not a word of complaint, Dillon noticed the ashen color of his cheeks, and heard his labored breathing.
“Perhaps we could sit and rest a minute,” Dillon suggested. “I am feeling a little winded.”
“Of course,” Roderick eagerly agreed. He sat in one of the wooden chairs placed alongside the main building of the docks.
“You know, sir, the ship isn’t far. I could go ahead and get some crew members to help,” Johnny offered.
“’Tis a good idea.” Dillon knew Johnny had noticed how sickly his father looked.
“No. No. I am rested now.” Roderick stubbornly stood, even though he still wheezed.
Dillon shook his head as he followed his father the rest of the way to the docks. When they arrived at the ship, Dillon was amazed at the size of the crate. “What is in here?” he grunted as he, Johnny and three sailors loaded it onto the flat bed of the wagon. “’Tis as heavy as a house.”
“Just a little something for Christmas, my boy.”
“’Tis the biggest present I have ever seen,” Johnny commented.
“And the heaviest.” Dillon added.
“Take it to the printing shop,” Roderick ordered the driver.
The Unwilling Bride Page 31
