by Bobbi Smith
Blade’s nerves were stretched taut as he waited with Blanche in the parlor of the Windsor home for Angel’s and Sarah’s return. Letting Angel take the risk of facing Marsden by herself unsettled him. Everything she’d said made sense, but he’d still wanted to go with her. He wanted to protect her and to confront the cause of her misery. Since they’d left, Blanche had distracted him with small talk, but nothing helped to ease the agony of the wait.
More than half an hour had passed and Blade was getting ready to take action, when a knock came at the front door, bringing them both to their feet. Blanche reached the door before the maid and threw it open. A stranger stood before her.
“Is this the Windsor residence? Are Sarah and Christopher here?” Steve asked intently as he faced the diminutive, gray-haired woman. At a movement in the background, he looked up to see a tall, dark-haired man step into the hallway.
Blanche blinked in confusion at the stranger’s questions, but Blade recognized him immediately from Sarah’s description and came forward to greet him.
“You must be Steve.” Blade offered his hand in friendship. “I’m Blade Masters, and this is Blanche Windsor, Sarah and Angel’s aunt.”
Steve’s dark eyes lit up with hope. If this man knew who he was, Sarah had to be there. He smiled at the old lady as he shook hands with Blade.
“Come in,” Blanche welcomed. “We’re waiting for Sarah and Angel.”
“You mean, Angel’s here too?”
Blade nodded.
“What about Christopher? Is he all right?”
“Angel and Sarah have gone to Marsden to get Christopher and Lucky back.”
“You let them go alone?!” Steve exploded at the news.
Blade’s silver gaze hardened at his reaction. “I gave them an hour alone with Marsden.”
Steve saw the deadliness in Blade’s eyes. “One hour, and then I’m after him.”
They shared a look of understanding and were about to sit down when a carriage drew up and John Hayden strode up the front walk with another man.
“It’s the lawyer Sarah sent for,” Blanche told Blade as she hurried to the door. She opened the portal before Hayden had time to knock. “Mr. Hayden, please, come in. I’m glad you’re here. So much has happened.”
“Indeed, it has. I have news for you and Sarah.”
“You do?” Her eyes widened in fearful expectation.
“Yes, let me introduce you to Lee Jackson. Mr. Jackson has some information that might prove helpful to us.”
They settled in the parlor once more. Blanche brought the lawyer up to date, ending with how the women had gone to face Michael.
Hayden looked uncomfortable. “They’re there now?”
“Yes,” Blade answered. “Is there something more we should be concerned about?”
The lawyer glanced at Lee Jackson and then told Blanche, Steve, and Blade how he’d begun checking into Michael’s past right after the girls had run away with Christopher. “To my horror, I discovered that his marriage to Elizabeth was not his first. When he lived in Richmond, he was married to a young woman named Helene Jackson.”
“What?” Blanche was clearly shocked.
Hayden nodded, then let Jackson tell the heartbreaking story of his sister’s death. When Jackson had finished, Blade, Steve, and Blanche were all silent. Their expressions mirrored a grim hatred.
“If this Michael Marsden is the same one I know, he’s a cold-blooded murderer. I could never prove it, but I know in my heart that my sister died at his hand,” Lee told them.
Suspecting Marsden only of Elizabeth’s tragic accident was one thing. Finding out that he’d murdered another woman before her was something else. Blade and Steve both came to their feet as outrage filled them. The two women they loved most in all the world were alone with a killer. They had to get to them right away.
“I’ve been looking for Marsden for years,” Lee went on. “I’d almost given up hope of ever finding him when I heard from Mr. Hayden. I want to get a look at this man to make sure it’s him.”
“What can we do if Michael is the same man?” Blanche asked. “We still have no real proof.”
“The authorities believed one accident could happen, but the two timely accidental deaths of his wives might convince them to take a closer look,” the attorney explained.
“How long have Angel and Sarah been gone?” Lee asked. The weight of the gun he wore strapped to his waist comforted him as he anticipated confronting the man who’d killed his sister all those years ago.
“Too long,” Blade declared, his hand reaching for his sidearm, making sure it was ready just in case it was needed.
“Let’s go after them.” As much pain as Marsden had caused Sarah and Christopher, Steve was more than anxious to face him down. He, too, wore a gun.
They left the Windsor house and climbed into Hayden’s carriage for the ride to Michael’s house.
Lucky had picked many a difficult lock in his time, but this one tested his abilities. Hours had passed since Marsden had left him there, and he had had enough of being caged like an animal. He hadn’t liked it when he’d been shut in the closet at the orphanage for imagined infractions of the rules, and he didn’t like it now. He knew Angel and Blade would be coming for him as soon as they could, but that didn’t mean he had to wait to be rescued. He’d taken charge of his fate before, and he would do it again. He was determined to get out of Marsden’s house as quickly and as quietly as he could.
For what seemed like the hundredth time, Lucky tackled the stubborn lock. His concentration was fierce as he once again worked at freeing himself. When at long last he heard the bolt click and he was freed, his excitement was immense. He opened the door and peeked into the hallway. To his relief, it was deserted, and without so much as a look backward, he charged down the hall toward the staircase that led to freedom.
Creeping down the steps, Lucky kept a close eye out for trouble. The second-floor hallway was wide and carpeted and he made his way down it, wondering how he was going to get out of the house without being seen if this were the only way downstairs. He moved passed several bedrooms with doors standing open and had just passed one that had the door closed, when he heard someone inside turning the doorknob.
Lucky flattened himself against the wall, waiting and listening. After a moment the doorknob stopped jiggling, and he heard a resounding curse from inside. Lucky could not imagine why anyone else would be locked in a room here, so he decided to investigate. It was far easier to pick the lock from the outside. Done, he turned the knob and cautiously pushed the door open, slipping inside.
“Who are you?” Christopher demanded in surprise as he whirled to find himself facing a boy of about his own age.
“Are you Christopher?” Lucky asked.
“Yes, but who are you?”
“My name’s Lucky. Your father thought I was you.”
“What?”
“I was traveling with your Aunt Anget—”
“Aunt Angel’s here?” Christopher was suddenly excited. His Aunt Angel could help him.
“Not yet. But she will be. You know the rest of the house. Can we sneak out of here without anybody catching us?”
“We can try. I want to get as far away from him as I can,” Christopher said, hatred in his voice.
“Is there another way downstairs?”
“No. There’s only the front steps. Do we risk it?”
Lucky nodded and followed Christopher’s lead.
Michael faced Angel from across the room. He smiled smugly. His goal was within reach. It was only a matter of minutes.
“Your ploy was clever, Angel.”
“Too bad it didn’t work,” she countered. She felt uncomfortable being alone there with Michael, but she was not about to let it show. She knew she couldn’t reveal any weakness before him.
“You always were a challenge,” he murmured, closing the distance between them. “But then I love challenges.”
“Get to the point,
Michael. What was so important that you had to talk to me in private?”
“The point is this,” he shot back, suddenly serious. “If you think for one moment that I’m going to let you take my son away from me, you’ve greatly misjudged me.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve never done, Michael, it’s misjudge you. From the very beginning, I was the only one who saw through you and knew what you really were.”
Angel’s eyes were flashing emerald fire as they boldly met Michael’s. What she saw in the depths of his cold, blue-eyed gaze sent a chill through her confirming everything she’d ever believed about him. He was amoral. A man without a soul or conscience. The devil incarnate. He took what he wanted and gave no thought to the consequences. He cared only for his own gratification and nothing more.
“That’s what’s always intrigued me about you, Angel.” His voice was mesmerizing as he moved within arm’s reach of her. He raised one hand to caress her cheek and smiled when she flinched from his touch. No other woman had ever dared treat him as she had, and he looked forward to breaking her to his will.
“The fact that I find you repulsive intrigues you?”
“You have a sharp tongue. If you were smart, you’d be careful not to abuse my good nature right now. You see, I determine whether or not you’ll ever see Christopher or Lucky again. It would behoove you to be kind to me.”
Angel had no intention of groveling before him. “What was it you wanted to talk about?” She changed the topic back to their original reason for being alone together.
“I have an offer I’d like to make to you. One I think you might find to your liking.”
“Oh?”
Michael let his gaze wander over her again, taking in every lovely detail of her body. “Yes, I will allow you full access to Christopher, if . . .”
“If?”
“If you move into the house with us.”
“You want me to marry you?” The thought set her stomach churning and made her want to retch.
Michael threw back his head and laughed out loud. “Hardly, my dear. I never intend to marry again. I thought perhaps we could come to an agreement between us, a barter of sorts.”
“Such as?” she ground out, her temper rising.
“You come to my bed willingly and openly as my mistress, and I’ll let the boy named Lucky go and allow you to have a hand in raising Christopher. If you refuse, I will make certain that you never see either of them again. Well? What do you say?” He was confident and smug, leering at her. He was certain he had her cornered and that she would accept his offer without question. He stepped closer, meaning to take her in his arms and kiss her. He did not expect her reaction.
Angel was livid. This man was even lower than she’d ever imagined. Her rage knew no bounds as she pulled herself together. “I would rather be dead than go to bed with you!” she seethed. She slapped him as hard as she could, then turned for the door. She managed to get one hand on the knob and started to open the door before he caught up with her.
“You little slut! Who the hell do you think you are?” Snaring her by the arm, he jerked her around to him, dragged her to his chest, and kissed her violently.
Angel bit down on his lip as hard as she could, drawing blood. When he yelped in pain, she tore herself from him and ran into the hallway. Michael lunged for her and caught her by the arm, unaware that Blade, Steve, and the others had just been admitted to the house by the butler and were standing in the foyer with Sarah and the officer just a short distance away.
“I’ll never be your mistress, Michael! Never!” Angel swore as she fought to be free of him.
“You’ll pay for this!” Michael was in a rage as his hands tightened upon her.
“Why you!!!” Blade had been talking quietly with Sarah and Steve when Angel came running out of the study. The sight of Michael’s hands upon her and his vile threat shattered his calm. “Let her go!” Blade charged down the hall ready to throttle Michael with his bare hands.
“Blade!” Angel cried his name, thrilled that he was there.
Michael looked up to see the big, angry man coming at him with a lethal look on his face. With all the strength he could muster, he shoved Angel straight at him and ran for the steps.
“Hold it, Marsden!!”
At the sound of that voice from his past, Michael looked into the deadly eyes of Lee Jackson, who looked up at him gun in hand. All color drained from Michael’s face. He knew he was trapped, caught with no way to escape. His world was crashing down around him. A minute ago his life had been nearly perfect. Now, things were happening so fast, he had no time to think. He was desperate as he barged up the steps, but he stopped as voices from below called out to him.
“Mr. Marsden, wait.” Officer Davenport didn’t get to say another word as Lucky and Christopher came running down the steps heading straight for Michael.
Michael took advantage of the one chance he had. Grabbing Lucky because he was the closest to him, Michael drew the small derringer he was carrying in his pocket and pointed it at Lucky’s head.
“If you want this boy to live, you’ll all get out of here right now.”
“Michael. Please, No. Don’t hurt him.” Angel begged.
“Let Lucky go,” Blade demanded as he set Angel from him and moved toward the bottom of the stairs. His own heart was pounding as he approached the madman. He could see the terror in Lucky’s expression as Marsden held him captive and deeply feared what might happen if they weren’t careful.
Lee edged closer, too, his gun still aimed straight at Michael’s heart. “I’ve finally found you, and you’re hiding behind a child. Somehow that fits, Marsden, that truly fits.”
“I think you both should put the guns away,” Davenport tried to take control of the situation.
“Never,” Michael hissed.
“Mr. Marsden, there’s really no need for this.” Again, the officer tried to make peace, but things had gone too far.
“This is about murder, officer,” Hayden told the lawman.
“That’s right,” Lee added. “This man killed his first wife, my sister, in Richmond, just as he murdered his second wife, Elizabeth Windsor, here. I’m not taking this gun off of him until you’ve arrested him and charged him with their murders.”
“Marsden?” Davenport glanced up at the man who, moments before, he’d believed to be innocent of any wrongdoing.
“I’ll never put my gun down! Never!” Michael seethed. “You can’t put me in jail! They deserved exactly what they got!!”
Michael’s hands tightened on Lucky as his own hysteria grew, and Lucky knew he was going to have to act fast if he was going to save himself. He swung back with his elbow as hard as he could, striking his captor in a vulnerable spot just as Christopher jumped on his father from behind.
In a desperate attempt to throw off Christopher, Michael loosened his hold on Lucky just enough so the boy managed to break free. Twisting sideways, Lucky jerked away just as Michael’s gun went off wildly. Lee fired back at his hated prey, but missed as Michael dove for cover.
Blade and Steve were racing for the stairs to give chase when Michael stood again and lunged for the boys. The look on his face changed from ugly determination to sudden confusion and horror as he lost his footing on the steep staircase and started to fall over backward. The last thing he saw as he lost his balance completely and tumbled out of control down the steps to his death was Elizabeth’s smiling face in her portrait on the wall.
Silence held everyone in its grip. Blade and Steve reached Michael first, but both men knew right away that he was dead.
“Dear God,” Blanche breathed, and her words broke the paralysis that held everyone.
“Aunt Angel! Aunt Sarah!” Christopher ran for the comfort and safety of their loving embraces, ignoring his father’s fallen form and the officer who was now hovering over him.
Steve rose and followed the boy. He took Sarah into his arms and kissed her, then hugged Christopher to him once the boy h
ad finished greeting Angel.
Lucky, alone, remained standing on the staircase, looking down on the scene below. He saw Angel hugging Christopher and felt a pang of unbidden jealousy. His gaze shifted to Blade just as Blade looked up at him. Without a word, the gunfighter rose from the dead man’s side and walked toward the steps, opening his arms to the boy. Lucky flew down the staircase and Blade’s arms closed around Lucky in a hug.
“Lucky!” Angel ran to Blade and the boy. The three of them stood together, wrapped in the warmth and protection of their love.
Epilogue
The sound of the wedding march swelled through the church, and Blade and Steve waited for their brides as the procession began. Seated in the front row with Aunt Blanche, Christopher and Lucky craned their necks to see Sarah and Angel.
“There she is.” Christopher whispered to Lucky as Sarah drew near.
The boys watched in awe as Sarah glided gracefully past them. She wore an ivory-satin gown trimmed in lace and pearls. Her veil trailed the floor. When she reached the altar, Steve stepped forward and she took his arm.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Spellbound, Lucky stared, enchanted, at Angel. Off-the-shoulder and full-skirted, her white gown was trimmed in ribbon and matching satin rosettes. She joined Blade at the altar and put her hand in his.
The ceremony began.
Lucky could never in his wildest dreams have imagined his new life. Angel and Blade had already taken the steps necessary to legally adopt him. For the first time in years, he knew he was loved and wanted. He had a ready-made family. He had Aunt Blanche, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Steve, not to mention Christopher, who would be his cousin.
Christopher watched the wedding with equal joy. Steve and Sarah had asked him to come and live with them; and, once they returned to Philadelphia from their honeymoon trip, they would become a family. Until then, he had Aunt Blanche and Lucky to keep him company, so he knew he would be all right.
As Christopher listened to the marriage ceremony, he thought of Elizabeth and tears misted his eyes. He’d loved his mother dearly and felt as he sat there in church that she was watching over him. Christopher smiled. Things would be better now, for they were all surrounded by love.