Darian’s lips tightened. He drew her tighter against his shoulder. “Apparently, my mother is still alive, but perhaps not for long. She just tried to kill you.”
Chassy stiffened. “What? Where’s my father?”
It was his turn to stiffen. “Chassy, don’t you remember? Your father is dead.”
She avoided his concerned eyes. “Yeah, well…he’s about as dead as your mom is.” She cringed at his stony expression. “I can explain…”
He nodded, lips folded in a disapproving line. “Later. Right now, I need to check on my father. He took the shot meant for you when he pushed you out of the way.”
“Oh, my goodness,” she gasped. “Does this mean I can’t hate him any longer?”
That surprised a smile out of him. “No. He’s still worthy of hate. Come on.” He took her hand and pulled her after him.
She held back. “Wait. I want to ask the priest something.”
She walked over to the prelate and tugged his sleeve. He bent to her, listening with a growing expression of shock and doubt. When she finished, he laughed out loud and nodded his head. “Well why not, milady? Stranger things have happened in this church.”
Epilogue
“I am so sorry about your mother.” Chassy came and sat beside her new husband and slipped her hand in his. He squeezed hers feeling a mix of emotions hard to put a name to.
“Thank you darling. She was truly insane. I never dreamed she’d try to kill you again. When she came at us, the serpents thought she was attacking me. At least it was quick, if painful. Being struck by so many angel-serpents--the venom acted blindingly fast.”
“She wasn’t really to blame for her actions. Our father drove her out of her mind with all his infidelities.” C.C. lounged on the couch opposite them, sipping brandy and recovering from the wild events of the day.
“At least he wasn’t to blame for our brother’s fiancée’s death. According to what Mom confessed, he was blind drunk when Eschell crawled into his bed and never knew he’d slept with her. Her mistake was bragging to Mom about the pregnancy. When Daniel discovered Mom after she’d drowned Eschell she begged him not to turn her in. You remember how he was?” he asked C.C., sorrow welling in him as he recalled the brother he’d worshiped growing up.
“I remember. Straight as an arrow, but lamentably narrow in thought.”
That gave Dare pause. “That’s a pretty dead-on evaluation, C.C. Anyway, the only alternative for him was to end his own life. She killed a maid and faked her death in that chamber fire so she could disappear and start a new life away from father and her guilt over Daniel. Strange,” he mused almost to himself, “she killed several people and suffered no remorse. Daniel kills himself and she can’t live with that. I wonder if she ever loved me?”
Chassy leaned up and kissed him, peppered soft kisses all over his face. “I love you. That’s all that matters.”
Everyone was quiet for a while. After a few more sips, Chezann broke the silence. “I didn’t catch how your father came into this, Chassy.”
She turned her face toward him but didn’t lift her head from Dare’s shoulder. “Simple. Father caught sight of her in New India and recognized her. He and the Earl had been drinking buddies and she hated him almost as much as she hated her husband. She blamed dad for some of your father’s excesses. She had no way of knowing Dad had changed. Thinking he would contact your father and tell him her whereabouts, she came to our plantation and tried to kill him.” She shrugged. “We decided I’d come to New Britain and pretend she’d succeeded to give father a chance to recuperate. The day I visited Lady Lucynda was the day he revealed this plot to flush your mother. He figured she wouldn’t, couldn’t allow your father to remarry as long as she lived.”
Chastity looked up and Dare saw her beautiful brown eyes were swimming with tears. “It almost killed me to hurt you like I did. I told father if I lost you, the murderer might as well have shot me, too, for I would be dead in side.”
“You can’t lose me.”
“Unless he’d buried in angel-serpents,” C.C. chortled. He pointed over to the mantle where two serpents lazed, their wings furled along their backs, drowsing in the heat of the fireplace.
“I think you taught them about windows, C.C.” Dare’s accusation made Chassy smile. “When we came home, we found all the windows ajar and over twenty serpents checking out the house. I’m worried over what you’ve started.”
“Then my work here is done!” With a laugh, C.C. jumped to his feet and placed his empty glass on the tea table. “He touched Dare’s shoulder in a fleeting brotherly caress and leaned over him to kiss Chassy on the mouth.
“Hey, none of that, young buck!”
He chuckled at Dare’s not-so-fake grimace. “Relax bro. I’m just kissing the bride…and my new sister.” He opened the door. “I imagine I won’t see you again until you two lovebirds decide to emerge from your nest.”
Before he could close the door, a serpent zipped out the narrow opening and fluttered above his head, chittering madly. Eyes widening, C.C. tentatively raised his arm, offering the angel-serpent a perch. Moisture added a luster to the blueness of his eyes when the dainty creature settled carefully on her new friend.
“Did you see that?” he asked, his voice hushed with awe.
The serpents on the mantle giggled and trilled, their amusement so obvious Dare wondered how he had missed seeing their high level of intelligence for so long.
“C.C.”
“Yeah?”
“Congratulations. Now get the hell out of here. I have to relieve my wife of her virginity and you are cramping my style.”
“But…”
His little lady serpent took to the air, grabbed his earlobe between her two tiny forefeet and tugged just as Chastity reared up and threw a couch pillow at him. It missed him by an inch.
With a resigned sigh, Darian untangled his limbs and climbed to his feet. Stalking over to the still open door, he pushed his brother through, whispering, “C.C., I can’t name what I can’t make.”
“Huh? Oh…oh! Okay.” Dare shook his head as his sibling finally caught on. For a rakehell, C.C. was awfully slow sometimes. “Crofton, remember, not Chezann!”
He placed his hands behind his back and leaned against the door. “You know, it occurs to me that C.C. needs to settle down.”
“You men are all alike. Once you get married, you can’t stand for your friends or brothers to remain single.” Chassy sat up and tossed off her gown, baring her lush breasts. “Enough about C.C. Come fuck me!”
Dare hid a grin. “Oh, I don’t think he’s ready for marriage. I was thinking along the lines of him finding a good woman willing to offer him carte blanche!”
The beginning
Carte Blanche Page 10