Seducing the Ruthless Rogue

by Tammy Jo Burns

  “What else is there? I don’t know how I feel. I just know that, while I find I enjoy sexual congress with my husband, I’m beginning to feel…used,” she finally said. “At first, I was fine with the act. It was new and exciting. I had only ever read things in scientific texts, and what they had to say, well let’s just say that the actual act is amazingly better. But something has changed over the weeks.”

  “Your feelings have become involved,” Tessa said.

  “Yes.”

  “And his are not,” Mikala surmised.

  “Not other than lust.”

  “What is it you want from him, Cassie?” Tessa asked earnestly.

  “I want him to hold me. Sometimes it would be nice if that is all we did. We have agreed that there are no secrets and no lies between us. We talk, but only about the present and the past. Never do we talk about the future. It is like it is taboo. The only thing he has said is he is going to prove to me that I’m beautiful, and he promises to be faithful.”

  “Oh, Cassie, for a man like Mack who has to live in the here and now, that says so much. I don’t think you quite understand your husband. Mack’s position is dangerous. He has so many decisions he has to make that affect the future of the entire country,” Mikala said.

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Think about all the agents he has as well. All the men and women he is responsible for. Imagine for a moment what it is like when one of them never returns from an assignment. What that does to him. There is something else you should know,” Mikala continued.

  “I know about his birth.”

  “He told you?”

  “Yes.”

  Tessa watched the by-play with interest, but did not ask any questions, knowing the two women would tell her if they felt she needed to know.

  “Cassie, he never expected to marry or have a family. This entire concept is foreign to him. I would hesitate to guess that if anything was hindering him and keeping him from exposing his emotions, it is his parentage. I don’t know the man, but I understand Laird McKenzie did damage to Mack, not just physically, but emotionally as well. Gabe was no better to him when he first came back to the family when they were boys. Only after they were both grown and had gone their separate ways did they become friends, and even that was touch and go at times. If it had not been for their grandmother, they still might not be speaking to one another.”

  “So, I just need to be patient?”

  “That’s what it sounds like to me,” Tessa gave her opinion. “Cassie, none of us have had an easy go of it with our husbands. We have each had our own battles to face. But it has made us stronger and made our love that much sweeter.”

  “Very well said, Tessa,” Mikala agreed.

  “What can I do? Is there anything I can do?”

  “Show him that you care about him. Only tell him you love him when you are absolutely certain of yourself, for when you’re certain of yourself he will come around, as well.”

  “Mama and Papa made it look so easy, but this doesn’t seem easy at all,” Cassie said, worrying her lip.

  “When you finally figure it out, it is the easiest thing in the world. Not that you don’t still have things you will have to work through. You are two individuals trapped in a marriage, but love makes it a little bit easier to figure out. Just imagine all those poor people out there trapped in marriages, and they despise one another,” Tessa said.

  “Thank you, both of you,” Cassie said. The two women stood and went to her, giving her a hug she greatly needed. Tears slipped down Cassie’s cheeks.

  “Here now, what’s this?” Mikala asked. “There shouldn’t be any tears. We just solved all your problems.”

  “It has been so long since I’ve had a woman to talk to, to confide in. Sometimes, even Mama was more interested in the stars and planets than she was in me.”

  “Now you have an entire group of us to help you through times like this. There is Clarissa, whom you’ve met, my Aunt Dru, and Rebekah. Sometime we’ll have to tell you what we did to help Rebekah and her husband,” Mikala said, squeezing her tightly. “And you are going to have to tell me how you landed Mack flat on his back.”

  “Agreed,” Cassie giggled through her tears, hugging the other women tightly.

  Chapter 23

  The door to Sir Graham’s workshop eased open. His head was bent low over a project, tinkering with a gadget. A rattle finally penetrated through his concentration.

  “Chang, just leave the tray over there,” he waved towards an empty shelf. “I’ll eat later. I’ve almost got this,” he said excitedly.

  “It’s too bad you won’t see it finished,” an unfamiliar voice said.

  “What?” He looked up, blinking owlishly. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

  “Sending a message to your daughter.”

  “Cassie? What does Cassie have to do with this?”

  “Everything.” A shot rang out in the small building. The person turned and slipped into the darkness.

  ***

  Mr. Preston walked into Mack’s office.

  “Director McKenzie, Inspector Campbell is here to see you,” Preston said.

  “Send him in. Inspector Campbell,” Mack stood and held out his hand to the other man.

  “Director McKenzie.”

  Mack was impressed with the man’s grip. “What can I do for you, Inspector?” Mack offered him a chair. “Preston, please shut the door.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The door clicked shut, enclosing the two men.

  “Director, this is a personal visit, and unfortunately it is not a pleasant one.”

  “Cassie?” Mack’s mind immediately went to his wife. His heart began to race and sweat beaded his brow.

  “No, sir. It is about Sir Graham, your wife’s father, I believe. His body was found this morning by his servant.”

  “Bloody hell. He seemed in perfect health.”

  “He was shot.”

  “What?”

  “He was shot, Director.”

  “Damn. I had men guarding him.”

  “Do you know of anyone who would want him dead?”

  “Sir Graham was an inventor. He was constantly working on something to improve our efforts in the war. We had him in protective custody, so to speak, for almost a year.”

  “So you’re saying that any one of our enemies would want to see him dead.”

  “Yes.”

  “Anyone else?”

  Mack sat for a moment, contemplating what he should and should not tell this man in front of him.

  “Director McKenzie, as you know, anything that will assist us with this investigation would be most appreciated.”

  “This does not leave this room except for what is needed for your investigation. Is that understood?”

  “I will do my best, Director.”

  Mack nodded then took a deep breath. “My wife has an enemy.”

  “And how is that?”

  “She has received two threatening notes since our marriage.”

  “Do you have any idea why?”

  “Have you read any of the articles in The Times by C. E. Jones?”

  “Yes, sir. Excellent articles. I couldn’t agree more with what he writes, especially about the plight of soldiers’s families. My brother is a soldier, and it is worrisome.”

  “C. E. Jones is my wife.”

  “Pardon?”

  “My wife writes those articles under a false identity.” Mack let the news sink in before continuing. “You see the implications here.”

  “Yes. Anyone who has taken offense to her articles is going to be angry. How easy is it to find out she is the true author?”

  “I was able to discover it in half a day.”

  “That does not bode well for your wife. Why not come right after her though? Why target her father?”

  “The notes keep referencing wanting her to suffer. They threaten those around her.”

  “Yes. Well, Director, if you think of anyth
ing else that might be useful, please contact me. I hope that I can call on you or your wife should I have any further questions that need to be answered.”

  “Of course, Inspector.”

  “If you are correct, you will want to keep a close eye on your wife, Director.”

  “Yes,” Mack succinctly agreed. “I would like to be kept informed of any new discoveries.”

  “Certainly. Good day, Director.”

  “Good day.” Mack sat in a stupor for a long while. How was he going to tell Cassie about her father? Perhaps Chang had already relayed the news to her. No. Chang will not leave his master and friend, dead or alive. Mack stood and rubbed his hands over his face. He and Cassie had come to a sort of truce, were even enjoying their marriage for the most part, and now this happened. He moved across his office and crossed the threshold of the doorway Campbell had just walked through. “Preston, I need to see Hanks immediately.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Within minutes, Hanks stood in his office.

  “I thought I instructed you to have men posted at Sir Graham’s house,” anger laced Mack’s voice.

  “You did, sir.”

  “Sir Graham is dead. Shot last night in his workshop.”

  “That’s not possible. My men would have seen something.”

  “Are you suggesting some sort of apparition killed him?”

  “No, sir. I’ll look into the situation personally.”

  “See that you do. I expect a full report in the morning.”

  “Yes, sir.” Hanks turned and left the office. Mack followed him.

  “Preston, I’ll be out the rest of the day.”

  “But sir, you have several meetings this afternoon including one with Lord Bathurst.”

  “He will have to wait. I have a family crisis I must deal with.”

  “Yes, sir,” the secretary replied positively but had a note of disapproval in his voice.

  Most times Mack would have gone on and not explained himself, expecting Preston to take him at his word, but he had begun to change. He had started to become more perceptive as to others’ thoughts and feelings. Mainly, because if he didn’t, Cassie ranted at him for hours on end about his lack of feelings and compassion.

  “Preston, Mrs. McKenzie’s father has been murdered, and I must deal with that and break the news to her.” Mack immediately saw the change in Preston go from disapproving to forgiving in the blink of an eye.

  “Of course, Director. I will see to everything and reschedule all your appointments for not only today, but the next several days.”

  “That won’t be necessary, Preston.”

  “Of course it will. You will need to be with Mrs. McKenzie at this time. I will deliver anything that cannot wait to your house each evening on my way home.”

  “Thank you, Preston.” Mack found himself a bit shocked at how accommodating the secretary was being.

  “You best be on your way, sir.”

  “Yes. Again, thank you.”

  The secretary merely nodded and gathered up blank sheets of paper to begin scribbling notices of changes to appointments. Mack shook his head and exited the office. When he stepped outside, the sun shone brightly, belying the severity of the job that lay before him. He was thankful for the long carriage ride today, because he would have time to practice breaking the news to Cassie. No matter how he said it, or how many times, nothing sounded right. How did one go about telling one’s wife that her father had been murdered, and the assailant was still at large?

  When he arrived home, it was to find the small house empty. Mack felt both relief and anxiety. Where was she? Was Bartlett with her or had she snuck past him, and the man was trying to find her? Was she, too, lying dead somewhere? With each question he paced faster. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his stomach knotted tightly. He stepped into the hall, when the door flew open allowing sunshine to spill inside. Cassie looked ethereal.

  “Mack, what are you doing home? Did you see the dead adder by the street?” Cassie shivered as she dropped her reticule. She walked into his arms. “Couldn’t keep your hands off me, could you?” she whispered tantalizingly in his ear.

  He crushed her to him, holding her tightly. His breath came roughly against her long, slender neck.

  “Mack, what’s wrong?”

  He could feel her try to pull back to look at him, but he continued holding her tightly.

  “Mack, you’re frightening me.”

  He kicked the door shut and forced himself to let her go. Mack took her hand, and pulled her into the small study. “Cassie, I have some bad news,” Mack started. He looked down into her eyes and saw when her clever mind began to piece together his actions and his words.

  “What’s happened? Papa? Chang?”

  “It’s your father. He’s been murdered.” He watched as she took a step back, shaking her head as if that alone would change the outcome.

  “You’re lying,” Cassie accused. “I know you are, because there are so many things I haven’t told him. I need to apologize to him. I said so many horrible things to him about our marriage. I have to tell him it’s all right. So you see, you are wrong. It’s someone else.”

  “Inspector Campbell with the Bow Street Runners brought me the news.”

  “No!” she railed and flew at him. Mack stood there absorbing the blows, then pulled her tightly to him when she showed signs of tiring, wrapping his arms about her. Tears made silver tracks down her cheeks. “I want to see him.”

  “Cassie,” Mack hesitated.

  “I must see him. Do you understand, Mack?” she asked, leaning her head back so she could see him. “This is something I must do.”

  Mack looked down at her. The tears sparkled in the sunlight that filtered through the gauzy curtains. Her nose looked red, and her lips glistened from where her tongue had recently darted out and moistened them. Her eyes pleaded with him to understand. Finally he relented. “I’ll take you, but then we must sit down and discuss some very important things.”

  “Anything,” Cassie readily agreed.

  Mack pulled her close once more, dropping a kiss on the top of her head and thought she might regret agreeing so readily once she heard what he has to say.

  ***

  Cassie and Mack were unaware they were being watched. Outside the window a person lurked, wanting to see the former Miss Graham’s reaction to the sudden loss of her father. Disappointment mixed with ecstasy. She was crying for her poor father, but she still had someone to watch out for her and shoulder the burdens. Life was not fair.

  Well, it would seem that she would have to lose more. She needed to know what true loss felt like. What it felt like to go from a somebody to a nobody. What it felt like to have everything ripped from you, every wish, every dream, every hope. To lose everyone you cared about. By the end, Cassie Graham McKenzie would beg for death to end the miserable wretchedness her life had become. “And I will be there to deny her, to make her suffer.” The figure slipped away without ever being detected.

  ***

  Mack and Cassie arrived at the house she had shared with her father and Chang a short time later. As they approached the house, the door flew open and Chang rushed towards her.

  “Missy Cassie, Missy Cassie,” the little man called as he wrapped her in his arms.

  “Chang,” Cassie choked on his name and held him close.

  “I so sorry, Missy Cassie. I failed. I not protect him.”

  “You did what you could,” Cassie patted him as tears rolled down both their cheeks.

  “Not enough.”

  “Chang stop.”

  “Let’s go inside,” Mack said, directing both of them. When they were inside, Mack shut the door.

  “Where’s Papa?” Cassie asked Chang.

  “In his room.”

  “I want to see him.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Mack said.

  Cassie took his hand and squeezed it tightly as she led him down the hall. When they entered the room, her father la
y on the bed as if he were peacefully asleep. The only difference being the two coins that lay over his eyes. She walked over and took his hand. It felt cold and lifeless. Never in her life could she remember her father feeling cold. He was always so warm and full of life, his body radiated heat when he would hug her. “Papa, I’m so very sorry I didn’t talk to you, didn’t tell you that everything was all right.” Cassie gently squeezed his hand before letting it fall back to his side.

  “I’ll make arrangements for his burial,” Mack said, wrapping her in his arms.

  “No.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “He would want his body to go to science. He would want people to study it and learn from it. He should be sent to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.”

  “Are you certain about this, Cassie?”

  “Positive. We did the same thing with Mama.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Chang will have to come live with us.”

  “My…our house is too small for all of us.”

  “I suppose we could move here,” she stepped out of the room and walked to the front of the house, still holding tightly to Mack’s hand.

  “Or we could find a new house, perhaps in a better neighborhood.”

  “There is nothing wrong with this area of London,” Cassie argued. “The people are workers and friendly and look after each other.”

  “And the unsavory of London is beginning to creep in.” He raised his hand when she opened her mouth. “One thing at a time. First we take care of this situation, and then we decide what to do about the houses.”

  “Yes,” she agreed readily.

  Mack knew from her docile attitude that she was extremely affected by her father’s death. Cassie held onto him and lacked her fiery, independent nature. He found that he missed that side of her and much preferred it to the melancholy and listlessness she exhibited now.

  “Chang, pack a bag. You’re coming with us,” Mack ordered.

  “No, I not leave, Sir Graham.”

  “Chang, my men will take care of the body.”

  “It’s all right, Chang. Mack will see to everything,” Cassie seconded. Chang reluctantly left the room.

  Mack held her close. Her body felt stiff against his. She had a glazed expression on her face as if she were in shock. He dropped a kiss on her temple.