Duchess Beware (Secrets & Scandals Book 2)

by Tiffany Green

  Shuffling closer, he found a jagged hole in the center of her chest. The heart had been carved out. His entire body jerked convulsively. He staggered to her side and fell onto his knees. Several rose petals fluttered from the bed. Tears stung his eyes as he beheld her blood-sprayed face. Her life’s fluid had drained from the deep laceration around the slender column of her throat. It encompassed her pale shoulders in a wreath of red-black. That had kept her quiet while he removed her heart.

  He hung his head and took in deep gulps of air, his body numb with the grisly images. Glancing at his trembling hands, he found them coated with the sticky, rust-hued liquid. And on the palm of his right hand, the deadly knife, his Vengeance. Between the blood stains, the sharp steel glinted wickedly, even in the low lamp light.

  The punishment had been necessary. His fingers tightened around the cold, ivory handle. He lifted his head and brought the six-inch blade up to the woman’s hair. After removing one of the long, ruby tresses, he leaned forward. “Ah, Fran,” he whispered, “you did it again.” He gritted his teeth against the rage flowing through him. “How many times must I punish you before you remain faithful to me?”

  He straightened and lifted the burning lamp from the nearby table. After one last glance at his wife, he hurled it at her. Flames erupted, the ravenous blazes engulfing the entire bed. The room filled with thick black smoke and emanated ghastly odors of singed flesh and burnt wood.

  Scrambling from the cottage, he inhaled deeply, placidity returning to him. Peace always settled into him after punishing his wife for her disloyalty. But the feeling wouldn’t last. It never did. Each time it grew in intensity…and more frequently. The searing urgency to conciliate his raging need to avenge. Even now, his tranquility ebbed somewhat.

  Stroking the ruby tuft of hair within his pocket, the tuft he’d add to the others, he glanced over his shoulder. A deep red rose petal fell from his shoulder to the muddy ground at his feet. Observing the yellow-orange flames licking up the cottage, something tickled his memory. Something about Fran. He squinted into the flickering light and struck his head with the heel of his hand, trying to remember. It had been important. He struck again. And again.

  Then he went still. He knew.

  Fran had tried escaping. She had changed her name to Silver. Yes, he remembered all of it now.

  Straightening his shoulders, he patted the blade in his pocket. “We have more work to do, Vengeance.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “What about the Marquess of Amersleigh?” Anne inquired.

  “Megan’s brother? I-I don’t know, Grandmamma,” Torie said softly.

  Silver looked up from her book and watched Anne frown over at Torie.

  “The marquess would make an excellent husband. You cannot wait forever, Victoria.” Anne cut her gaze to Prudence. “The shelf is a lonely place to reside.”

  Prudence didn’t look up but continued to work on the sampler in her lap. “I chose not to wed, Anne. It wasn’t for the lack of opportunity.”

  Silver removed her spectacles as she continued to listen. So wrapped up in her own problems of late, she’d forgotten to ask her aunt about previously knowing Anne.

  “Ha! It’s because no one would have you after your scheme to ensnare Thomas failed to work.”

  The needle stilled, then Prudence slowly looked up. “You thought I was trying to steal your fiancé from you?”

  Silver’s jaw dropped.

  “Of course you were trying to steal Thomas from me. Everyone knows that.”

  Closing her eyes, her aunt clamped a hand over her mouth, then her shoulders started to shake.

  Silver closed her book. She would go comfort the poor dear but halted when Prudence erupted in a fit of laughter.

  “You thought I wanted the duke?” her aunt asked as she wiped the wetness from her eyes.

  She glanced at Anne, who glared murderously at Prudence.

  “I was in love, but not with the duke. I was in love with his brother.”

  “George?” Anne’s brows shot up.

  “Yes, you silly old goose. I loved George.”

  Anne leaned back in her chair. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

  Folding her arms, Prudence sniffed. “I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “All this time I thought you were using George to try and send messages to Thomas. It never occurred to me you had your cap set on the younger brother.”

  The room went silent for several moments, except for the loud ticks coming from the ugly gold clock on the mantle. Prudence resumed her sewing and calmly asked, “Did he ever marry?”

  “When we return to the country, you can ask him yourself. He resides at the old estate.”

  Once again, the needle stilled in Prudence’s fingers. She looked up sharply. “You mean he’s still alive?”

  Anne frowned and nodded. “He is, the confounded old goat.”

  Silver smiled as she perched her spectacles back onto her nose. She heard Anne’s soft words to Prudence as she opened her book.

  “If I had known it was George—”

  “Is that an apology, Anne?”

  A heavy sigh sounded. “I suppose it is.”

  “Then your apology is accepted.”

  Silver’s smile widened.

  “Daniel!” Torie said.

  Nearly upsetting her book, Silver drew in a deep breath. Slowly, she turned to the doorway and a jolt of varied emotions shot through her. Alarm, excitement, and dread were just a few of the things whirling through her when she found her husband standing there.

  Torie dashed across the room. “Oh, Daniel, I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Did you miss me that much?” he asked.

  Hearing his deep voice caused a shudder of delight to race through Silver’s body. Her eyes devoured every detail, and she noticed how his dark hair had grown beyond his collar. God, how could he be so handsome?

  “It has been an entire month since I last saw you,” Torie said, sounding muffled against his dark brown coat. She pulled away and frowned up at him. “The note you left said you were leaving to tour the other estates.” She gave him another cross look. “But did you have to leave the morning after the debut? I’ve spent very little time with you since you left for Scotland.”

  Silver turned away, trying hard not to want his arms around her so damn much. Removing her spectacles, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, wishing she could close her ears as well. She wanted to escape. She wanted to stand up and walk out of the room, but she couldn’t force her legs to obey. As painful as it was to be near Daniel, she couldn’t miss a second of it.

  “You haven’t been to Huntington at all since you left London last month?” Anne asked. “Haven’t spoken to anyone from the estate?”

  “No, Gran, I haven’t,” Daniel said at the end of a sigh. “Now, if everyone will please excuse us, I would like to speak to Silver alone.”

  She wrenched her eyes open, her heart thudding painfully behind her ribs. Daniel wanted to speak to her? Alone? She watched Prudence rise, give her a look of calm assurance, then depart with Anne and Torie.

  The door closed with a soft click and Silver swallowed hard. Daniel neared and she rose on trembling legs, slipping her spectacles into one of the pockets of her dress. With a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and faced her husband.

  Daniel halted three feet from her, his face void of any emotion. “I have spent the last month visiting my other estates for a reason.”

  Her insides wouldn’t stop shaking as she listened to his emotionless voice.

  He is going to abandon you. Silver gripped the sides of her dress, dreading his next words.

  “I have decided you and Prudence shall move to one of them. Clifton Castle.”

  Her eyes slid shut, knowing he was going to abandon her. She bowed her head, all hope she had been holding out for them reconciling now gone. There was nothing left.

  “Although it’s quite old,” he continued, “recent r
epairs have made it comfortable. It sits high on a cliff overlooking the sea—”

  “And the most distant estate of them all,” Silver interrupted, snapping her head up. She did have something left after all. Anger. A beautiful, fiery ball of anger. Her hands clenched at her sides, fingernails digging into her palms. How dare the man do this to her?

  His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t deny it.

  She took a step forward, about to tell her rotten husband to go to the devil, when a commotion sounded at the door. She turned just in time to see Jeremy strutting into the room wearing an enormous grin, followed by a disgruntled Jenkins who hadn’t had the opportunity to announce the marquess, as usual. “Silver, my delicious little pet…” Jeremy halted, his words tapering off when he noticed she was not alone.

  “Ah, my old friend, Lord Fielding.” Daniel’s voice held not a bit of welcome. “Still the biggest rake in the country, I see.” He dismissed Jenkins with a wave of his hand.

  Jeremy’s lips quirked in amusement, then he gave a slight bow. “Without question.” He straightened and started forward.

  “Oh, Lord,” Silver whispered as trouble brewed in the air.

  Halting before them, Jeremy’s smile widened. “I’ve never known you to be the jealous sort, Huntington.”

  “Disgusted is the more accurate word.” Daniel glanced to her and back.

  “Come, old man, you have no cause to be jealous. Silver and I are merely friends.”

  A muscle ticked in her husband’s cheek just below his right eye. Rot! Silver had to do something to defuse the situation before he grew any more furious. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say that would help.

  “You haven’t had one female friend between the ages of twelve and fifty in your entire life, Fielding.” Daniel crossed his arms, his eyes daring Jeremy to deny the statement.

  “Quite true.”

  She could not believe it. Now she wanted to smack both of them.

  “But,” Jeremy said, his smile disappearing, “there is a first time for everything.”

  Daniel’s shoulder’s relaxed, the tight lines around his lips disappeared. He shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter. She’s leaving for Clifton Castle at first light. I’ll not have to look at her again.” Then he turned on his heel and marched from the room.

  Watching his swift retreat, Silver’s knees grew weak. The wall tilted sideways. She would have tumbled to the rug if not for Jeremy’s fast reflexes.

  “Easy, pet,” he stated softly in her ear as he held her up.

  After a minute and several deep breaths, the numbness left. She straightened, grateful her legs decided to support her. “Thank you.” Her words would not come out above a strained whisper. “If you don’t mind postponing today’s Russian lesson, Jeremy, I’ll excuse myself. I’ve suddenly developed a rather nasty headache.”

  “Of course,” he said, his brows crinkled in concern. “Are you going to be all right, Silver? You’re very pale.”

  She forced a tiny smile. “I’ll be fine.”

  Within the solace of her bedchamber a few minutes later, Silver moved to the windows. She sat on the cushioned seat and stared at the orange and gold leaves falling from the trees below. How did everything get so muddled? One minute she and Daniel were happy, the next…

  She shook her head, breaking off the thought. Truly, she couldn’t even bear to think of her disastrous marriage. Oh, my God, was he really sending me away?

  The door opened and Molly scuttled into the room holding a large tray. “Here, Your Grace. I know you haven’t eaten a thing since yesterday, so I brought you one of Cookie’s delicious meat pies.”

  As soon as the smell hit her, Silver’s stomach twisted, flipped over, and filled with nausea. And when her mouth began to water, she dashed for the chamber pot behind the privacy screen. After the ghastly deed, she rinsed her mouth then shuffled to the bed, completely drained. Thank God Molly had enough sense to remove the odious meat pie.

  Oh, what a mistake to think of food! With a groan, Silver squeezed her eyes shut and began to recite the Greek alphabet.

  A few minutes later, the little maid scuttled into the room wearing a face-splitting smile. “Why didn’t you tell me, Your Grace?”

  Fatigued, she closed her eyes. “Tell you what?”

  “That you’re with child,” Molly stated with a giggle.

  Silver popped her eyes open. “What?” She moaned when her stomach twisted.

  The smile slid from Molly’s face. “You mean you don’t know?” She sat down on the edge of the bed.

  Trying to keep the panic from exploding within her, Silver took a deep breath. “How does one know?” she asked, then thought that a ridiculous question to ask a young unmarried girl.

  “Two of my cousins have had babies. Mary is on her third.”

  “But why would you think I…” She stopped, unable to finish. No, she couldn’t be with child. The terrible things Daniel told her the night of her debut flooded her mind. Oh, God. She could not be with child. Not now. Her husband would divorce her, and it would be her fault since she’d confirmed his ludicrous accusation of taking lovers. She had been so angry at the time, she just wanted to strike back. Now, if she had a baby, he would not believe it his. Oh, why did she have to lose her temper and act so foolishly that night?

  “Both of my cousins were dizzy, tired and ill, just like you have been, Your Grace,” Molly said. Her eyes turned questioning. “But they knew for certain when their monthly didn’t come.” Her cheeks flooded with color.

  Silver drew her brows, trying to recall her last cycle. As she counted back the days, her desperation grew. Dear God. She was with child.

  Her gaze flew to her maid’s. “Not a word of this to anyone, Molly.”

  The delight on the girl’s face altered to confusion. “Your Grace?”

  Silver sat up. “Promise me. Not a word of this to anyone.”

  “Of-of course, Your Grace. If that is your wish.”

  She nodded absently and rose from the bed, grateful her stomach had settled. Needing to think, she began to pace. Her mind raced furiously. If Daniel learned about the baby, he wouldn’t merely send her and Prudence to another estate. He’d throw them out entirely. She almost groaned. That couldn’t happen. Not until she found a place for them to live.

  Her heart protested the idea of never seeing Daniel again, but she pushed the thought aside. She had to think of Prudence and the baby right now. Closing her eyes, she sent up a silent prayer for guidance. And the second she finished the entreaty, a picture of her brothers flashed into her mind.

  Thank you, God. She turned to her maid. “I need your help, Molly.”

  The girl’s blue eyes grew round. “You need my help, Your Grace?”

  “Yes.”

  “Of course I’ll help.” Molly squared her shoulders. “What will you have me do?”

  “I need to leave the house without being noticed.” Prudence would try to stop her, and the interrogation would begin. Silver swallowed back a sigh. It wouldn’t take the keen lady very long to learn everything. And then her aunt would insist Daniel be told about the baby. She could not have that. No, she’d send for Prudence after arriving at her brothers’ estate. She also needed to make certain her brothers would allow them to stay.

  “Very well, Your Grace, I will help you. But I’m coming with you.”

  Silver snapped her gaze back to her maid. Molly had her chin raised, and her eyes sparkled with determination.

  She opened her mouth to argue, then recalled the girl could be intimidated quite easily. Undoubtedly when Prudence found her gone, the questions would come hard and fast. And in no time, the baby wouldn’t be a secret.

  “All right, you may come.” She had no alternative.

  Daniel sipped on his third brandy when a knock sounded at the study door. Seeing Silver had him rattled. He thought he could handle being near her. But he thought wrong. He gulped down more brandy. The knock came again and he scowled. �
��Go away.”

  Instead, the door opened and his grandmother entered.

  Watching her stalk forward, he heaved a great sigh, wondering why the deuce he didn’t lock the ruddy door earlier. His grandmother perched on one of the two chairs before the desk, her back board-straight, her lips pinched tight, and her grey eyes glistened with fury. Wonderful.

  He reached for the decanter he’d had the good sense to place on the desk and poured more brandy into his snifter. After draining half the liquor in his glass, he glanced up. “I have not seen Susanna Davenport, nor do I plan to, Grandmother, so you can cease the severe—”

  “This has nothing whatever to do with that woman. This is about your wife.”

  With a groan, he leaned back in his chair. “So, you’ve learned I’m sending her and Prudence to Clifton Castle? I thought you’d be pleased.”

  Her eyes flashed hotly. “Actually, Daniel, I had no idea. And the thought pleases me not at all.”

  He squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as a dull ache started to build behind his eyes. “Pray, madam, I do not understand.”

  “When you first brought Silver to the estate, I admit I behaved rather badly. From the very start, I decided I wasn’t going to like the girl and set out to…well, to torment her.”

  Daniel lowered his hand and looked at his grandmother, unable to believe his ears.

  After regret flashed across her face, she continued. “But now that I’ve come to know Silver better, I acknowledge my mistake.”

  He could only gape in silence. His lips and tongue would not form a single word. Anne Claiborne admitted to a mistake? Out loud? He didn’t think it possible.

  “Daniel,” she said, shifting in her chair, “if my actions have contributed to this rift between you and your wife…”