“Eh, she woke up, milord.”
“Yes, I see that she did. You may go keep watch, Bernard. Oh, by the way, did you kill Thomas?”
Bernard Leach grunted, not looking at Lord Kipper.
“Did you, Bernard? While he was sleeping? While it was so easy since he was helpless, at your mercy?”
Bernard Leach darted a look at Lord Kipper, then his eyes slid away again. He was shaking his head, back and forth. “Oh no, my lord, I jest couldn’t do that. Known him all his life, little Thomas. A fine boy, an excellent man. Only her, my lord, only her, and here she is. Not Thomas, I’ll never kill Thomas. I’ll jest not do it.”
Lord Kipper sighed deeply. “We will speak of this later, Bernard. Go keep guard.”
Thomas was alive. Meggie was so relieved, so very grateful to Bernard Leach that she would have given him everything she owned. Because he’d refused to kill Thomas even though Lord Kipper had ordered him to.
Bernard Leach nodded and took himself out of the room. It was a single room, rude, bare boards forming the walls and ceiling. A cottage of some sort, likely abandoned given the filth she now saw. It was dawn and gray light was seeping through the dirty windows. Years upon years of dirt.
“Where is this place?”
“Actually, you are in a storeroom just behind my stables. No, don’t think you’ll be rescued. No one ever comes here, particularly the men searching for Jenny MacGraff. Why would they? I am Lord Kipper, you know.”
“Why do you want both Thomas and me dead?”
Lord Kipper shrugged. “I realized yesterday when Thomas and your father went around to ask each of us why we believed someone was trying to kill you that everything was collapsing about me. Someone, sooner now rather than later, would realize it had to be me.”
“Someone?”
“Yes, Libby, of course. Even though I have her in my bed again, I knew I couldn’t completely trust her to keep quiet if she did realize what I was doing. She’s got an odd streak of honor. It only shows itself on rare occasion, but I really couldn’t take the chance.”
“I don’t understand. Why did you think Libby in particular would realize the truth?”
He only smiled at her. “It’s been a very long night, a night that has kept me quite on edge. I’m really not used to that. But the night is over and soon all this will be as well.”
Meggie heard a noise. It was a soft moan, just a soft whisper really, the sound of someone barely conscious, moving around just a bit. Meggie tried to sit up, but her shoulder hurt very badly and she fell back. The dizziness hit her again, hard, made her feel as if she were floating for a moment. When the dizziness finally eased, when she saw him clearly again, Lord Kipper no longer looked remotely beautiful. His eyes looked dark and flat, he looked a bit mad. Lord Kipper, the person responsible for all this misery. At least it wasn’t either of the mothers, thank God.
She licked her dry lips. “Who was that?”
“That was Jenny MacGraff.”
Thank God was all she could think, Thank God. Jenny was still alive. “Why did you take her? Why is she here? Did Jenny discover what you were doing and you were afraid she would tell everyone?”
Lord Kipper laughed. He pinched out the candle because the room was filled with the dirty light filtered through the filthy windows. “Jenny MacGraff is incapable of finding out anything, as you mean it. No, she is merely a simple merchant’s daughter. She knows nothing, she is nothing. Nothing at all. Well, she is reasonably pretty and clean, her brain not too dulled by her breeding, and that does surprise me. No, she didn’t discover anything. I merely wished to kill both of you together, when all the damned searching was finally over. I even plan to bury you together. I think that is quite fitting.”
No, she wouldn’t let his words freeze her, terrify her into madness, she wouldn’t, but the paralyzing fear was there, deep inside her, taking hold, growing, getting stronger. Thomas knew she was missing. He would figure it out. She just had to stay alive. She had to use her wits. What were wits anyway? She had to try. Meggie drew a deep breath, said, “I don’t understand, Lord Kipper. Why the two of us? Was William right? For some reason, you don’t want either of the men of the house to be married?”
“William was close enough, actually too close, which surprised me, and perhaps, even remotely worried me. Yes, it was just a matter of time until the truth was out. But now, your time, my dear, has finally come to an end. As has Jenny MacGraff’s.”
Thomas wanted to kill the man who was shaking him so hard he knew his brains would fly right out of his head. He knew it was a man; the bastard had big hands and he was strong. Nausea rose in his throat, momentarily choking him. His belly was on fire. And then there was the damned voice that nearly sent him back into oblivion—too loud, too loud, that voice.
“Thomas, dammit, wake up! Someone struck you. Oh please, Thomas, open your eyes!”
Finally, giving it up, Thomas managed to open his eyes. He stared up at William.
“Stop pounding me or I will kill you.”
“I have to pound you. Wake up. You must wake up, Thomas. Now.”
Reason seeped back into his brain. He said, his voice raw, his words slurred, “What’s wrong?” What the devil had happened to him?
“You’re what’s wrong, dammit. There’s blood on your head. There’s this cloth on the floor that smells like something vile and sweet—some sort of drug. No, Thomas, get yourself together. Meggie’s gone. Do you want me to get Reverend Sherbrooke?”
“Yes. No. Just a moment. Help me sit up. Oh God, Meggie. She’s gone? How is that possible?”
“It’s the truth. She’s gone, I just told you that.”
His head ached like the very devil, but now who cared? Nothing mattered but Meggie. Gone? Someone had come into the White Room, struck him, and taken her? Then he knew, of course. It was because of yesterday at tea, because he’d scared the person responsible into acting immediately.
“Damnation. What time is it?”
“It’s just past dawn. I was awake, just couldn’t go back to sleep. I’ve been thinking and thinking about all this, and I wanted to see if you were awake so we could discuss it. God, Thomas, and here you were unconscious and bloody and Meggie was gone. What shall we do?”
“I’m going to dress. Get Meggie’s father. Quickly, William.”
William was out the door on a dead run, slamming it behind him. Thomas managed to pull himself out of the bed. He stood there a moment, realized he had blood on his head and face, and walked to the commode. He gingerly washed the wound with the cold water in the basin. At least now the blood was clotted and wouldn’t run down his face anymore.
He closed his eyes a moment, Meggie’s laughing face in his mind’s eye. Oh God—she’d been taken, right out of their bed, and it was his fault that it happened. He hadn’t been vigilant, taking not a single precaution, even though he’d known he’d stirred the viper’s nest. Maybe she was already dead, maybe shot again, hurled over the cliffs. No, no, dammit. He had to stop it. She was alive, he knew it to his soul.
Why hadn’t the person killed or taken him as well? Had the person who’d struck him believed him dead and just left him be in the bed? Why take Meggie?
Thank God William had come.
A few moments later the door burst open and Tysen Sherbrooke ran into the room, Mary Rose and William at his heels. Thomas had just fastened his breeches. He sat down to pull on his boots. He said, cold, calm, in control now, “I was struck down while I was sleeping. Meggie was taken. During our afternoon tea yesterday, someone said something that was close enough to the truth, so that person was forced to act immediately. Now, I think I know who it was and why he’s doing this. I think William does, too. Let’s go see my mother and Aunt Libby.”
“No, Thomas, I don’t know, not really.”
“I think someplace deep inside you, William, you know. It’s simply too painful to admit it. Everything is going to come clear soon enough.” He took his half-brother’s
hand. “It will be all right. No matter what the truth is, I won’t let you stand alone. Trust me.”
William looked pale as death; slowly he nodded.
Tysen awakened Jeremy, helped Mary Rose fasten her gown, then herded the three of them to the dining room. Barnacle, Cook, and Mrs. Black were there as well, lined up like troops ready to be deployed.
Thomas said without preamble, “Aunt Libby, who is William’s father?”
“His father was the earl of Lancaster, Thomas. He is a Malcombe, just as you are a Malcombe. The only pity here is that he is the younger, not you. He could have been the earl, not you, but Madeleine came along too quickly. That was an impertinent question. You will apologize.”
“Mother, it’s too late now,” William said quietly and laid his hand on her shoulder. He was ready to face it now, had to be ready. He added, his voice thick, “Mother, please, it’s time for the truth. If for no one else, then for me.”
“My dear boy, Thomas is lying. Your father is the earl of Lancaster.”
“Aunt Libby,” Thomas said patiently, “you know that neither William nor I in any way resemble the earl of Lancaster. Both of us look more like our mothers than anyone else. It is up to you, ma’am. Who is William’s father, Aunt Libby? Tell us now. Tell William now. There’s really not much time. Meggie’s gone and we must find her before it is too late.”
She stubbornly shook her head.
“Madam,” Tysen said, rising from his chair. “My daughter is in grave danger. You will tell us the truth now or I will do something I will probably regret. Now, madam, the truth, if you please.”
William said very quietly, pain and dread mixed in his voice, “It is Lord Kipper, isn’t it, Mother?”
She turned utterly white, froze in her place, her eyes fastened on her folded hands.
“Lord Kipper,” Tysen repeated slowly.
“Yes, William,” Thomas said, “I believe he is your father and that explains everything, now doesn’t it?”
Madeleine said, “But William is not beautiful like Lord Kipper is. What a wretched thing. How very unfair.”
“But, Thomas,” William said, ignoring her, “I was with him, I swear it to you, when Jenny was taken. That’s why I believed I must be wrong. You see, I was beginning to wonder why he gave me so much attention, wonder why he always inquired so closely into what I wanted to do, how I felt about things. He was acting like—a man who was related to me, like a man who wanted to claim me somehow, to teach me, to guide me.”
“Like a father,” Thomas said.
“Yes, and it scared me to my toes. That’s why I came to your bedchamber early this morning. I knew I couldn’t wait. But I wanted you to tell me it was nonsense, I really did.”
“Yes,” Thomas said, “I know Lord Kipper was with you. That just means that he hired someone else to help him.”
Libby said very quietly, “I didn’t want to believe it, truly, I didn’t. I forced myself not to think about it. When Jenny MacGraff disappeared, I was relieved, pleased that she was gone, that she wouldn’t drag your name down by marrying you. I wanted her to have run off to Dublin. I prayed it was true. I was lying to myself. And look at what has happened. I’m very sorry.” She looked up at her son, closed her hand over his. “I’m very, very sorry.”
William was shaking his head, not looking at his mother.
Libby said, “Niles has had Bernard Leach here for a good long time now.”
Thomas said, cocking his head to the side, his voice puzzled, “But Lord Kipper bedded Marie Leach, he said so, said that Bernard was a sot and a clod. It was obvious to me that Lord Kipper had nothing but contempt for Bernard Leach. Why would he let Bernard stay with him?”
Libby shrugged. “I saw Bernard. I wasn’t supposed to, but I did, out by the stables one morning when I was leaving. Why was he there? I don’t know.”
“He was there as Lord Kipper’s tool,” Thomas said. “That’s it, then. We know enough. William, sir, Jeremy, are you ready?”
35
THOMAS WOULD COME, her father with him. Perhaps even Jeremy. She had to keep herself alive, just had to. She remembered she’d sworn to Thomas she would never leave him. She wasn’t about to break that promise.
Lord Kipper had fallen silent. He was standing over Jenny MacGraff, a thoughtful expression on his face. He looked suddenly vicious. She watched him lift one of his riding boots and kick her in the ribs.
Meggie saw red, reared up onto her elbows. It hurt, but she didn’t care. “You bastard, don’t do that again. Damn you, you miserable coward!”
Lord Kipper ignored her. He said, both his voice and his expression utterly dismissive, and listened to Jenny moan, “She is so very common. I could not allow her to marry William. A travesty, that’s what it would have been.”
Meggie saw that Jenny was lying on her side, huddled in on herself on the bare floor. She was slight, her hair pale, her skin very white. She was very young and very pretty. She was also alarmingly pale. She was wearing a simple muslin gown that was twisted about her knees, woolen stockings, and one black slipper. The other one had come off her foot and was lying several feet away from her.
“No,” Lord Kipper said, his voice meditative now, as if he were speaking to himself, “I could not allow her to marry William.” Then he looked over at Meggie. “Don’t you understand yet? This merchant’s daughter couldn’t be the next countess of Lancaster. Any fool in his right mind would realize what a bitter jest that would be. Thomas forced my hand when he ordered William to marry her on Sunday. I had to do something, and so I did. And then yesterday at the damned tea party your husband set up—William was so very close. And I saw that everyone else was now thinking about that. Everything would soon come down on my head and I couldn’t have that, not until I’d fixed everything.”
Meggie said slowly, “You are willing to kill three innocent people because you want William to be the next earl of Lancaster? Blessed Hell, why would you care who is the earl of Lancaster? It’s nothing to do with you.”
“What a stupid question, Meggie. Haven’t you yet realized that I am William’s father?”
Meggie said nothing for a full minute, then quietly, nodding slowly, “You should be ever so pleased then that he got Jenny pregnant. He also got another girl in Glenclose-on-Rowan pregnant. He is just like you, isn’t he? Like father like son. Do you hate the women you have despoiled?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Women are women, they are to be used, to be enjoyed. All of you are silly creatures, at least most of you are. As for my son, in that William much likes to bed women, yes, he is like me, actually like practically all men, truth be told. Some of us are masters at it, most aren’t. Unfortunately, William is one of the latter. He does not have my charm or my brain, but I will teach him. Surely he will improve once he knows that I am his father, once he knows what I have given him. Yes, once William knows that the old earl of Lancaster was so obsessed, so gripped with the belief that he could not trust a woman to bear his son and not another man’s, he will thank me, he will bless fate that gave me him as his father and not that miserable old man. Interesting, isn’t it? The old earl sewed the seeds of his own destruction. His father was the same way, I understand.”
“Evidently, the old earl was right not to trust Libby, wasn’t he?”
“He shouldn’t have distrusted her, she never gave him a reason. Our brief liaison was discreet, William the result. No, Titus Malcombe was a mad, stupid man. At least I had Libby come here to Pendragon after he booted her and William out. I’ve looked after both her and William over the years. I expect William will be so relieved that Lord Lancaster isn’t his father that he will fall upon my neck.” Lord Kipper grinned at that thought, and for just an instant, there was a warmth in his eyes. “I will bring him to live with me for a while, to complete his education.”
“The earl of Lancaster was Thomas’s father, wasn’t he?”
Lord Kipper shrugged, eyes dead again. “I know that Madeleine played him false
one time. Was he Thomas’s father or was his father Madeleine’s lover? I don’t know. I don’t really care. Yes, William will learn everything from me, his real father. He is still very young. He will not disappoint me.”
Meggie said, “If he doesn’t learn, will you kill him, too?”
“Shut up, you stupid girl. You paint me as a monster, but I’m not. I want my son to have what should be his. I’ve been planning this for a very long time. Once he is the earl of Lancaster, I will marry Libby and adopt William, so that when I die, he will also gain my title and lands. No one will ever know that he is a bastard. It will be our little family secret.”
“Is William, I wonder, bereft of any sort of human decency, like you, his father?”
He stepped toward her, his fist raised, then stopped. He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what you think, what you say. I merely do what I must, no more, no less. Actually, as it turned out, it wasn’t such a bad thing that Thomas met you and fell in love with you—ah, that’s a stupidity, isn’t it? This love business that doesn’t exist in this benighted world. But that’s not at all to the point. You brought him a splendid dowry—that is what’s important—and that will mean all the more money for William and his heirs.”
“I will wager you that right this minute Thomas knows you are the evil behind all this. He is right now searching for you.”
“No, you’re wrong, not yet, not yet. But it will be close. I will mourn your loss, Meggie, you may count on that. Yes, I must move quickly now. I’m sorry for your death, but in the long run you’re not really important.” He saw that she was shaking her head at him, that she was so pale, she already looked dead. Such a pity, but no choice. “Listen to me,” he said. “I could not allow you to have a child, and the good Lord knows that would certainly be the outcome since the two of you are consumed with lust for each other. And imagine, you a vicar’s daughter. Yes, you having a child, that would have complicated matters far too much. You must die now, Meggie, common Jenny with you.
Catherine Coulter the Sherbrooke Series Novels 6-10 (9781101562123) Page 62
