McNeely, Rachel - The Marquis' Mystical Witch (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Rachel McNeely

  As they sat sipping tea, his mother looked at him.

  “We decided the engagement announcement should be made here at the estate.”

  Wulf placed his tea cup carefully on the tea caddy and went across the room to pour a stronger drink. Crowds of people were about to descend on Radford Hall for several days. Inwardly, he shuddered. Women loved these occasions. There wasn’t a chance of changing their minds.

  Jane glowed, and he enjoyed seeing her happy, even when it meant she'd move away from home for good. They were close and he wasn’t sure how marriage would change their relationship.

  Marriage changed everything. Look at all his plans for a convenient marriage. The feelings swirling around Thea and him had nothing convenient about them.

  “Give me a list of the guests,” Thea said to Lady Radford and Jane, ignoring her husband’s dismay. “We will send out invitations right away. Elvie," she nodded her head at her sister, "and I can help with addressing the envelopes and with any decorations. Your brother,” she glanced at Wulf, “and I want this to be the most special of days for you.”

  Jane grabbed Thea’s hands. “Thank you. I am so excited. I know you will see what a wonderful man he is when you meet.” She looked across the room at her brother. “Wulf met him in London. Don’t you agree, Wulf, that he is most handsome and pleasing?”

  “Not exactly the words I'd use to describe a man. I think it's time I went out to do some work. I shall see you ladies at dinner. Mother,” he inclined his head and fled the room. The crackle of laughter followed him.

  Wulf walked right past his study and strode outside, going toward the stable. A ride on Batair might help clear his head. This was not the best time for a house full of people and a party. With all the problems facing him this added more complications. Still, he wouldn’t disappoint Jane. If it was his mother and Jane wasn’t involved, he would have sent her back to town.

  The stable boy led Batair out of his stall. Wulf put the saddle on Batair. The proud stallion let few people touch him. Wulf put his foot in the stirrup and swung his leg over, then motioned with the reins, and Batair moved out of the barn and down the lane toward the pasture. Wulf's thoughts intruded even as he settled in for a ride.

  He'd struggled late into the night with his desire to shift into the wolf. Since coming home he’d let the seduction, the temptation lure him into changing more frequently. And when he was in wolf form the desire for his lovely wife became almost unbearable.

  He wanted to feel her in his arms again, to bury himself deep inside her warmth. Since his marriage, he constantly fought his desire to make love to his wife. Fighting those feelings weakened his other defenses, thus the wolf became stronger.

  Shock still lingered over the discovery that Thea's relative caused his family’s misery. She probably thought he stayed away because of that. If it wasn't for the chance of having a son who would carry on the curse, he'd have gone to her the very next night. He must keep his distance from Thea. Let her think he didn’t care. But, seeing the hurt in her eyes almost broke through his determination. Now he had all this other commotion to deal with. His head throbbed.

  Wulf rode Batair across the open pasture land. He urged the stallion forward. Batair didn’t need any encouragement to take off flying across the rolling hills.

  Finally reaching the edge of his property, Wulf stopped to let his horse drink from the creek that curved between two estates. Lord Abbott, his mother's faithful suitor, had property that started on the other side. How much did his mother know of the family's past? She’d always avoided questions.

  He pulled on Batair’s reins. Maybe during this visit he'd find out. Wulf turned and rode home. Leaving Batair in good hands, he slipped into the house, hoping to avoid the women.

  Closed in his study, away from all the clamor of a house preparing for visitors, Wulf lit his pipe and leaned back in his chair. Almost unconsciously, he rubbed his scarred face. His study was quiet and shadowy with the drapes pulled shut. He'd close his eyes and let his mind rest.

  The door crack open. Someone with less acute hearing would not have heard it. He knew his mother’s fragrance. He waited to see what she sought.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lady Radford had glanced out the window just in time to see Wulf riding Batair. She lost valuable time waiting for her daughter and Thea to go for a walk. Hopefully, Wulf went for a long ride. This seemed as good a time as any to search his study. Slipping inside the room, she stood for a second, listening for any footsteps. Her heart raced. What she needed to find had to be here. No matter how many times she’d looked before and been unsuccessful. She’d hunted through both houses and the town house. Her husband had kept a diary. She’d caught him writing in it once. Every day Wulf became more like the husband she’d grown to hate. She'd use the diary to bargain with him. She didn’t like Wulf’s previous threats. He did have control of her finances. Hurriedly, she yanked out drawers and pulled books from the shelves behind the desk.

  “Mother, perhaps I can help you find whatever you're so frantically looking for.”

  Her heart seemed to jump into her throat. She spun around. Her legs weakened, and she sank into the chair behind his desk.

  “I didn't see you.”

  “So I gathered. What is it you're looking for that is so valuable you would chance invading my privacy?”

  “Don’t be dramatic, Ulric. I simply needed some letterhead paper and a book I had on planning family celebrations.” She glanced back at the book shelves. “I thought it was in here somewhere. I don't see it, and I need to go join the others. We have decisions to make about this important occasion.” She stared at him in defiance.

  “My wife can handle the arrangements. You are not leaving this room until we talk.” Wulf’s voice, although soft and calm, left her in no doubt to his determination. He motioned for her to come and sit in the chair across from him, by the fireplace.

  Head held high, Lady Radford walked across the room and sat. She straightened her skirts and stared into the fire, trying to calm the fear creeping over her.

  Wulf got up. She ignored him until the lock on the door broke the silence.

  Her head swung around. “What is this all about? Unlock that door now!”

  “When you have answered a few long overdue questions, I will be glad to escort you back to the drawing room.”

  “Questions? I don’t know what you are talking about.” She jutted out her chin.

  * * * *

  But he saw the quick flash of fear before she recovered.

  “Mother, you have refused to talk with me about what you call my affliction. Because I also detest what has happened to me, I have allowed you to treat me with disrespect and not talk about what is of great concern to this family. Now I find you going through my personal papers. It is time we had a long overdue discussion.”

  “I do not intend to discuss any of this,” his mother snapped.

  “Then we will be in this room for a long time.”

  “You are acting crazy. Has that thing, that monster side of you run you mad?”

  “Would that please you, Mother? My cousin inherits the estate, if I have no heir. His blood is not tainted. Of course, I doubt he'd continue to support you in the style I do.”

  “You are like your father and his father,” she said. Her voice shook. “Evil, hateful men, who took what they wanted without remorse.”

  “And yet you stayed. Over the years, I overheard bits of conversation between you and father. I heard him offer to pay for separate houses, your own servants and a large income. What held you here?”

  “Do you think I wasn’t tempted? Lord Abbot would have taken me in regardless of the gossip.” She blinked.

  His mother in tears? Wulf was stunned speechless.

  She wrung her hands Head down, she whispered, “What do you want to know? I will answer your questions this one time. After Jane is married, I will go to Abbot.” She sighed. “He and I have waited long enough.”

&
nbsp; Wulf leaned forward, facing this woman he thought he knew so well. The person huddled in the chair before him was a stranger.

  She raised her face and looked at him with eyes shaped similar to his. He’d never thought about what traits he had inherited from her. They seldom gave the other more than a cursory glance.

  When had it all begun? As a small child he remembered her laughing and hugging him, until he began to change into a man and consequently a wolf.

  “Where shall I start?” she asked.

  “At the beginning,” he said softly. He found himself taking hold of her hands. They were small and made her seem vulnerable.

  “When I married your father, I was happy. He courted me so graciously and he was terribly handsome. My family said I'd made a good catch. I thought he'd be a wonderful husband.” She peered at Wulf. “You see I loved him, at first.”

  Wulf sat waiting as she took a breath. His guilt almost made him offer to let her go, let the words stay unsaid. No, they needed to discuss it for both their sakes.

  She hesitated and then continued. “All went well those first years. You were born and Evan. Jane was around three when it all came apart. I must admit there had been strange occurrences through the years. Your father always had a good explanation. But he began to change.” She lifted her head. “Like I see happening to you. He became harder, more successful and richer. He was more callous regarding who got hurt, when he went after something he wanted. May I have some water?”

  Wulf went to the cabinet. “Whiskey might be more sustaining.”

  “Thank you, yes.”

  He poured a generous amount and handed the glass to his mother. She took a big swallow and coughed.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I will be. Let’s see where did I leave off?”

  “Father changed,” Wulf reminded her.

  “Yes, and to my horror, I saw things beginning to happen with you. I confronted him and demanded the truth, much like you are doing today.”

  “You told me you didn’t know about the curse when you wed Father.”

  Her harsh laugh jarred him. “I did not even know such a thing was possible in my wildest nightmare.”

  “That is why you wanted me to tell Thea the truth?”

  “Partly, and I hoped if you did, she would tell you of her connection. But my guess is she did not know either.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Your wife looks exactly like the woman who put the curse on your family.”

  Stunned, Wulf fell back in his chair. “How could you know what that woman looked like?”

  “When your father told me the story, he showed me a painting of her that for some unknown reason your ancestor kept. Perhaps, he did love her in spite of what he did to her and she did to him.” Lady Radford sighed.

  “Althea has the same exotic green eyes and black hair, the high cheekbones and long slim figure.” She shrugged. “Part of me felt your marriage apropos.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I honestly don’t know. You and I lost the ability to communicate years ago.” She took another swallow of her drink. “I thought your father would tell you the story, but I suppose for his own reasons, he put it off and then died sooner than expected.”

  “Tell me what he said," Wulf asked in a soft voice.

  “Your great-great grandfather was taken with Althea’s great-great grandmother’s unusual beauty and sought her out.” She laughed. “Strange how things come around. He told her he loved her and she'd become his wife when he got the title. They had to hide their love until then, because his father would break them up. Later they would wed. He lied as men often do.

  “Your great-great grandfather went to town after his father’s death. He told her it was to get his affairs in order. When he returned, he brought home a wife.”

  His mother licked her lips and sighed. “She did not take the rejection well. She refused to be his whore and instead sent them a wedding gift.” She glanced out the window for several seconds before turning back to Wulf.

  “Have you found the amulet?” she asked.

  “Thea did, wrapped in a cloth and hidden deep in a trunk in the attic.”

  “Ah, so that is what has brought all these questions.”

  “Partially, and the cryptic note inside.”

  “You must be the first to find the note. Your father never mentioned it.”

  “Go on. Tell me the rest, please,” Wulf said.

  “All right. The newly wedded couple never suspected the package was not from one of their good friends. Once opened, the bride picked up the amulet, puzzled at both the shiny beauty on one side and scarred ugliness on the other. She put it around her neck.

  “When he saw the necklace, her husband instinctively knew the sender. He reached to snatch the amulet from around his wife’s neck. It glowed hot on one side and cut his hand from the marks on the other side. He dropped it to the ground. Swearing, he instructed the maid to take the damn thing away. His wife said she would take care of the amulet. Your great-great grandfather must have believed she did. There’s been no further mention of it until now.”

  “I suppose the cut was the start of the curse,” Wulf said.

  “That is what your father and the others before him believed.” She sat back, face pale, appearing drained of all energy. “I hated your father for keeping the secret from me. When he told me you were affected, I hated you both. All these years, I let the hate fill me where the love once was and I told myself I was right. Yet I decided to stay and be a mother to my children, help them, protect them.”

  “From father and me?”

  “Yes, I was wrong to treat you as I did, but it is done.” She stood and shook out her skirts. “There that is everything I know. May I go?”

  “How did you and father find out such detailed information, Mother?”

  She hesitated. He watched her glance around the room. “I was searching for a diary. Your father’s. Actually, it’s an ongoing diary from several generations. You’ll never find it. I thought you might when you were in your frenzy to find out how to stop the curse. But you’ve been no more successful than I. It’s gone. Perhaps your father’s last act before he died was to destroy the book."

  His haughty mother had returned. In his gut, he doubted she would ever again allow him to see the woman who talked freely and honestly with him today. Sadness swept over him.

  He unlocked the door and watched her walk out of sight. Snapping the door shut, he went to the curtains and opened them and the hidden door into his private sanctuary. She'd given him much to think about.

  * * * *

  Thea stopped the housekeeper on her way upstairs. “Mrs. Sanders, do you need any help in preparing for tomorrow’s guests?” “No, Lord Radford’s mother gave me a list of the expected guests. The cook would like to talk with you about menus.”

  “Good, thank you for being so prepared for the unexpected,” Thea said.

  Mrs. Sanders smiled. “It's nothing. A bit early for you to have to start having parties and no time for you to plan. Lady Radford always did like to surprise people.”

  Test them you mean.

  Thea had to know what Wulf was thinking. Hurrying to her room, she unpacked the special ointment her grandmother helped her prepare. Wrapping the jar in a shawl she hoped to get into Wulf’s study without anyone noticing.

  The room was empty. Thea crept to the curtains and pulled them back, then tried the closed door. The knob turned and she pushed inward. Wulf sat at his work table holding a wood block in his hand.

  “Do you visualize the animal before you carve?” Thea asked.

  His head jerked up. “What are you doing here?”

  She held out the jar. “This is special ointment for your scars. I believe they are bothering you more than usual.”

  He touched his face. “My whole body aches, not only this.” He tapped the scar's ridges.

  “Let me rub in the ointment while we talk.”
>
  He eyed the jar with skepticism. “Maybe. My mother said you look exactly like your grandmother who started all of this.”

  “But I am not the same. As you are not your father or your ancestors.”

  He rubbed his hand across the wood. “I am becoming more like them every day.”

  She rushed to his side and knelt down. “We can stop this if we work together. Let me help.” Thea waited, holding the jar tight to her chest and hoping he would accept her offer.

  Setting the block of wood down, Wulf slid his warm hands across her face. He captured a stray curl between his fingers and leaned his head down breathing in the fresh smell of her. Desire rippled over her body. Rising, he pulled her up with him and cupped her face before his lips claimed hers.

  Thea wrapped her arms around him. His lips trailed along her jaw to the tender skin of her throat. Groaning, he dropped his hands and stepped away from her.

  “What is it?”

  “We can not be together like this. I want you and I can’t have you. I will not take the chance of having a child like me.”

  She saw determination in his golden eyes as he motioned for her to go back into his study. He followed and sat in his chair. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes. “Forgive me, my love. It was most unfair of me to wed you without letting you know what I really was and how that would affect our lives together.”

  Thea stood behind him and opened the jar. A mixture of tangy and tart odors floated around them. She dipped her fingers into the creamy solution. First, she smoothed a light coat of the cream on the right side of his face. With her fingertips, she began to rub along the ridged scars. His shoulders relaxed.

  “You rescued me. That is enough.” At least until the curse has ended.

  Outside an occasional voice rang out as someone walked nearby. Inside, silence cloaked them in an intimate bubble. She concentrated her mind on the picture of the ointment seeping into the angry welts, cooling them, taking away the ache, and smoothing down the ridges. Unconsciously, she began to hum.