Could it be true?
There were times, she remembered, when he seemed suddenly stiff, indifferent or distant, she wasn’t sure. There were times, too, when it seemed he didn’t really want to be there—or that there was some sort of battle going on inside him. The knot of tension in Diana’s chest tightened. Her breath quickened.
And then, with sudden rage that filled her heart and soul, she roared and kicked out, causing the chair to rock on its legs. For a moment, she thought it was going to tip over and she would hit the floor with a thud, but she managed to steady it.
She glared at Thomas with such hatred and he merely shrugged in reply.
“The truth is often hurtful,” he said, as though they discussed nothing more than the color of her gown. “But truth it is. I would apologize, but…” he grinned at her, his yellowing teeth on display, and she turned her face away in disgust, “I am not in the slightest bit sorry. If anything, your pain is a salve on my soul.”
“Even if what you say is true,” she snapped, “you are a brute and a mad man.”
“Perhaps,” he said with a shrug. “But to be honest, Lady, I care not what you think, nor what you say.”
She fell into a desperate silence, her mind reeling. She had been so certain of Isaac’s love. They were the romance story she had longed for, the partnership she had dreamed of for so long. And now she was lost in the thought…the realization that he had never loved her at all.
But didn’t the madman tell me I wasn’t supposed to make him fall in love with me?
There was more to this than she knew. She was quiet for a moment, letting her thoughts wash through her, and then she said, “What changed?”
“What do you mean, what changed?” he asked, seemingly confused by her question.
“I mean…why has the plan changed?”
He leapt from his place on the table and pushed his face into hers, until they were mere inches apart. She could smell his rancid breath, and she turned her nose away in disgust.
“You are the reason it changed. He’s fallen in love with you, although why is anybody’s guess. You are nothing worth having.”
How can he love me when he was so keen on torturing me?
She whimpered, unable to stop herself. She loved Isaac more than anything in the world and now, it seemed he was a brute and madman, just as his brother clearly was. She didn’t know what to think anymore, she couldn’t put it all straight in her head, and she wanted to break down and cry.
But I will not give him the satisfaction.
He looked her up and down as though appraising a piece of meat, just as the double doors burst open, clattering against the opposing walls. The noise made them both jump. And then she heard Isaac’s voice, and she didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.
“Diana!”
Isaac’s voice echoed through the manufactory, and Diana closed her eyes. Despite all that Thomas had said, and despite the doubts now running through her mind, her heart still leapt at his presence. She cursed herself for it. She couldn’t allow herself to fall for his sweet charms after what he had done.
“Diana!” he called again, closer now. The scream was primal, desperate.
To save me, or to ensure his secret remains hidden?
“Aren’t you a clever boy?” Thomas shouted back, sneering. “You worked out where we were.”
“Thomas, please,” Isaac cried, just as he turned onto another aisle and found them. He looked briefly at Diana, but he focused mostly on Thomas.
“Please,” Thomas said, mimicking Isaac’s voice. “Please, what? You are a traitor, why should I give anything to you?”
“Please,” Isaac repeated, “we don’t need to do this anymore. Our need for revenge, it was childish. It is childish.”
“You may not need it, but I do,” Thomas spat. “I cannot live until I right the wrongs that were done to me.”
“Thomas,” Isaac said. He took a step forward, hands held out as though calming a horse. “If Diana has taught me anything—”
“Don’t even say my name,” Diana spat. “Your Brother is a mad man but you…you are a liar.”
Chapter 33
Diana’s words hit him in the gut, making him want to double over, breathless and devastated. He looked at her, at the hurt in her eyes, and he knew in that instant that Thomas had told her all of their plan.
“I—” he began, but then he stopped himself. He could see Thomas sneering beside him, and then he saw Diana turn her face away. He felt his heart crack, but he knew he had to get Diana to safety before he could even begin to explain anything to her.
“Thomas,” Isaac tried again, “you are a good Brother. You must believe me when I say we do not need to avenge the family name. We can live with Father’s memory without committing atrocities for him.”
“Believe you?” Thomas asked. He took a step towards Diana, but he didn’t take his eyes off Isaac. “And why exactly should I believe you? You’ve done nothing but let me down.”
“No, Thomas. I am trying to help you.” Isaac took another tentative step forward, risked another quick glance at Diana.
“I don’t need your help,” Thomas snarled. “You shunned me once. You do not get a second chance.”
“I did not shun you. I only wanted you to see the error of our ways—and I am including myself in that. I do not blame you, Brother.”
“There is nothing to blame me for!” Thomas cried, his voice high pitched in disbelief. He let his hands fall to his sides, slapping them loudly. Isaac could see, in the corner of his eye, Diana rocking gently in the chair, as though she pulled at something behind her back.
She’s trying to force her way out of her bindings.
He quickly looked away, not wanting Thomas to follow his line of sight. Isaac knew, if Thomas saw Diana trying to escape, he would secure her more tightly. He stepped in front of Thomas, forcing him to turn with him so that his back was to Diana.
“You’re right,” Isaac said, his voice a poor attempt at calm. “There is nothing to blame you for. But Thomas, this is madness. Please stop this, Thomas. I beg you. It’s nothing short of horrific.”
“Horrific?”
Thomas’ face changed from an angry red to an enraged purple and Isaac stumbled back, away from the rage that radiated from him. He held his hands up again, higher this time.
“Please, Brother, do not do this.”
“Who are you to tell me anything?”
Thomas’ eyes were ringed in white, his nostrils flared, and he bared his teeth like a dog. Isaac’s heart raced even faster, and he tried desperately to search for an escape. He had always known Thomas to be troubled, but this was worse than he could have imagined.
Thomas whipped around to face Diana and Isaac saw her still instantly, every movement frozen.
“I’m going to kill you,” Thomas said, glaring at her, and her eyes widened in fear. She let out a whimper, and Isaac froze.
Kill her?
That was never part of the plan. She whimpered again, the most pitiful sound in the world, and Isaac felt a stab of pain in his heart. He couldn’t let this happen—he wouldn’t.
“Diana has done nothing wrong,” Isaac said over Thomas’ shoulder.
“Nothing wrong?” Thomas scoffed, Isaac’s words amusing him, and he half-spun around so he glanced at him. “Do you really think this little girl has done nothing wrong?”
“What have I done?” Diana asked, finding her voice, but it was a weak one, a squeak more than anything, and her chin quivered as she spoke. Thomas spun back to her.
“You have led my Brother astray,” he said simply. “It’s your fault he no longer agrees with me. It’s your fault he has turned against me!”
“No!” Isaac cried. He went to pull Thomas away, but he shrugged him off. “I have changed my mind thanks to my reasoning, and my reasoning alone.”
But Thomas didn’t listen. He didn’t turn back to Isaac, and he didn’t listen. Instead, he slid a dagger from the stra
p at his waist and held it high in the air.
“And so now,” he said, tilting his head at her, “you must die.”
With that final word, a roar ripped from Diana’s soul, and she leapt forward, the ropes that bound her hands dropping away. She pushed Thomas out of the way and ran to the right—not towards the door, which Thomas blocked, but towards the steps. She stumbled and landed heavily on the first one.
Thomas staggered back in shock, gasping for air, the knife still held high. Isaac jumped into sudden action. He leapt forward, grabbing Thomas from behind and pulling him down to the floor.
Diana screamed in terror. Isaac reached for the knife, grappling for it, but Thomas managed to slip out from under him and crawl quickly away. Isaac lunged after him, his eyes on the knife, his only thought rescuing the love of his life.
Thomas turned onto his back and scrambled further away, goading Isaac as he did.
“That’s right,” he sneered, “come closer. It’s your turn!”
“You’re killing no one, Thomas,” Isaac growled, edging slowly towards him. He could hear Diana’s whimpers in the background, but he didn’t dare take his eyes from Thomas.
“Killing you was always part of the plan,” Thomas said, jeering. He reached a workbench and used it to pull himself up, staring into Isaac’s eyes. Isaac leapt easily to his feet.
“No,” Isaac said, “you wanted to kill the Earl, not me.”
“You are a fool,” Thomas said, shrugging. “Killing the Earl was part of the plan, you are quite correct. But I never did get around to telling you the next stage, did I?”
He seemed to feed off their fear, his energy rising and his spirits high. Isaac took another tentative step forward. He was so close to the knife now, almost within reach. He forced himself to ignore his brother’s words, focus only on his actions.
“Thomas, give me the knife,” he said, his words soft, quiet. “Don’t do anything you will live to regret.”
“Don’t you realize, Brother? Are you really that stupid? Killing you was part of the plan all along, as I have said. However, could I become Duke, otherwise?”
“You’re lying,” Isaac said. Another tiny step closer.
“I’m not. The plan always was to use you to do the dirty work and then get rid of you, as well. But you couldn’t even manage that, could you?”
Isaac shook his head, not believing and yet, seeing the truth in it all at the same time. The realization stung.
“We’re Brothers, Thomas. You wouldn’t.”
“And I’ve always been the lesser though, haven’t I? In your eyes at least. And in Father’s.”
“No, Thomas, that’s not true, that’s—”
“It is true!” Thomas roared. “You’ve never respected me, nor have you given me the credit I deserve. You need me, Isaac.”
“For what?” Isaac asked, incredulous. “You do nothing all day. You have achieved nothing with your life.”
Gone was his calm demeanor, his attempts at soothing his brother. Now he was furious with Thomas’ claims and even angrier at his actions.
“I did not have the same opportunities as you, Brother. I was always second place, remember?”
With a roar of anger, Isaac leapt forward, arms out to grab hold Thomas.
Diana’s scream cut through the room, piercingly loud, and Isaac glanced at her. It was quick, barely even a second, but it was enough time for Thomas to lunge forward with the knife and slice through the flesh on Isaac’s upper arm.
Isaac screamed, his hand flying to his arm as the blood began to flow. He staggered back. Everything went silent, the edges of his vision went black. He could see Thomas’ mouth move, sneering and saying something, but Isaac could hear nothing but his pumping heart and his rage rushing through his ears.
He screamed his silent scream, the sound making his throat ache, and he charged towards Thomas, knocking him to the floor. Isaac had the benefit of surprise, and Thomas fell easily, knocking his head on the edge of the table as he went.
Thomas didn’t struggle. He didn’t even sneer any more. But he breathed slowly, glaring up at his brother, letting himself be taken.
“I’ll get my revenge eventually,” Thomas said, the words penetrating the silence that had engulfed Isaac.
The sound rushed back to him, and he could hear Diana’s screams, see her kneeling now, just in front of them, and he wondered idly when she got up from the steps.
When I was injured?
“Run!” he said. “Run to the street and scream at the top of your voice. Don’t stop screaming until the Bow Street Runners come. We can’t let him get away.”
Diana stared at him open mouthed, and time seemed to slow down, to stop. He could see all the uncertainty in her eyes, the fear and the worry. Even the hatred. But his breath was heavy and he struggled to keep Thomas beneath him.
“Go, now!”
She ran, her night-rail flying out behind her. She ran away from him and he hoped, he prayed, that would not be the last time he saw her, and that she would never run away from him again.
I have a lot to ask forgiveness for.
Chapter 34
As they staggered up to the door of Estnell Estate, Miller ran out, gasping at the state of them.
“Your Grace, My Lady, I—” He dashed forward, arms held out as though to embrace them, and he looked wildly around them, clearly unsure what to do. This was not a normal night for any of them.
“Miller,” Isaac said breathlessly, then he swallowed. He had lost a lot of blood, and between the shock and the exhaustion he could barely hold himself up.
He looked ragged and tired, and Diana knew she could not look any better, outside in a night-rail that had been torn at some point—she had no idea when—and hair that was matted and loose. She wondered what would become of her once it became known she was out in her underthings.
Isaac will protect me.
She wondered briefly if she even wanted him to, after what he had done, but she decided that was a thought for another time. Now, all she wanted to do was check on her father, and then sleep.
They staggered through the entrance hall, holding each other up. Diana had roughly bandaged Isaac’s arm at the manufactory—enough to stop the blood flow if nothing else, although it would need cleaning and possibly stitching.
She knew he was in as bad a state as her, even if he pretended he was not. He lumbered awkwardly, his eyelids drooping, but still he held himself proudly. Diana knew he did not like to be seen as weak, and although she was angry at what she had discovered and she would want a lot of answers, she still had a desire to look after him.
They stumbled their way into the drawing room where Henry still lay on the sofa, his valet puttering around him. Celine had moved to the chair, her legs curled beneath her and her head resting on the chair wing as she slept. She woke with a start when the door opened and she ran to Diana with a cry of relief, taking her from Isaac’s arms.
Without the support, Isaac stumbled forward in a daze. When the valet rushed to help him, he waved him away.
“I’m all right,” he said. “Tired, nothing more.”
“He has lost blood,” Diana said, nodding to the valet. “See to his wound—it needs dressing, certainly, and maybe more.”
Diana glanced back at Isaac to see him pulling himself up, groaning as he did so, wincing at the pain in his arm.
“I’ll shall fetch some water and the needle and thread,” the valet said, dashing out of the room.
Isaac looked around the room, one face after another, an almost lost expression on his face, and for a moment Diana worried that he would break down. All looked up to him, expectant and eager to hear the news, but his mouth fell open and then he stepped forward and collapsed into a chair. The shock and the exhaustion had got to him, Diana knew.
“What happened?” Celine asked. “Are you all right, Diana? Where have you been?”
She fluttered anxiously around Diana, pushing her down into a chair.
&n
bsp; “Can I get you anything? What happened?”
“Celine,” Diana said, closing her eyes with a sigh. “Please. We will tell you everything but please, give us a moment.”
“Yes,” Celine said, nodding and turning away. She moved to the seat opposite and sat on the very edge, eager to hear news of the night but demonstrating remarkable restraint in her silence.
Henry opened his eyes slowly and turned his head, his breath little more than a wheeze, but in the silent room it resonated loudly.
Games of Desire for Lady Hellion: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 26