“I would rather die than allow myself anywhere near either of you vile excuses for humanity,” Isobel’s voice rang with a cold finality that gave everyone within the room pause to consider her warily. She was vaguely aware of Edward and Sebastian watching from across the room but daren’t break her defiant gaze from the lecherous toad before her. She couldn’t lose sight of the risks they posed to her safety, and didn’t trust them not to do anything else equally as stupid.
“I can assure you, my dear, that the Vicar who married us will clarify on the certainty of the event, notwithstanding the entry in the Church register there for anyone to see.” Rupert’s voice oozed satisfaction as he meandered arrogantly around the room, fully aware, and pleased with, the consternation he had caused among the occupants of the room.
Isobel once again looked towards Dominic who had lapsed into silence at the far end of the fireplace, his gaze locked upon the document in his hand. She wished he would shout and throw these two out of the house, but knew as he stared blankly down at the words contained in the document that he was lost to her. Pain clenched in her chest as she gazed at his face. So severe and forbidding, she knew he had made his mind up on the truth of the documents set out before him. He made no attempt to look at her, and it broke her heart.
“Dominic?” Isobel gasped, horrified that he doubted her.
“What a touching display my dear, but you cannot escape the fact that you are a bigamist. You have married this man knowing very well you were already married to my good friend here,” Rupert’s voice dripped venom.
“I have never married, before Dominic. I would have to be insane to commit myself to DeLisle, or any of your associates. You are a liar and a fraud, and if you consider for one moment you will get away with this, then I can assure you that I shall use every resource available to me to prove your guilt, and ensure you swing for your crimes,” Isobel whispered, fighting the hurt that threatened to swamp her. She couldn’t believe how easy it had been for Rupert to make Dominic doubt her. Her voice dropped to a cold menace as her tears dried and a cold cloak of grief settled over her, numbing all of the tumultuous emotions swirling within her.
“Whatever.” Rupert stifled a yawn as he lurched to his feet. “Get your cloak, your husband wants you in your rightful place.” He made to move towards her, spurring her into action.
“Go to hell,” Isobel snapped, shoving him hard in his stomach. She was vaguely aware of Edward moving to hold her shoulders, and Sebastian moving to stand before her in a protective stance in case Rupert was stupid enough to try to lunge for her.
“Go near her again, and I will gut you where you stand,” Sebastian’s low growl held a hard edge of intent that gave everyone no doubt that he would carry through with his threat. Rupert’s bravado diminished considerably, and he remained quiet as he staggered to his feet.
“Wait!” Isobel threw Peter a quick glance, as he moved to stand between Sebastian and Rupert. “I am her legal guardian and was when this marriage, as you call it, happened. I haven’t ever given permission for her to wed anyone, except Lord Havistock.” Peter glared darkly at DeLisle. “Unless you two forced her into it, there is no way she was legally in a position to marry you.”
“Of course she was able,” Rupert began, only for Peter to step forwards menacing with a snarl.
“Shut up and listen to me,” Peter’s voice was deadly with intended threat. “She has been entailed into marriage to Dominic for some years. I have the papers previously drawn up and signed, with magistrate witnesses confirming her betrothal to Dominic some three years ago. Long before you raised your head above the parapet.” Peter glared at both men with hatred. “You have no place forcing anyone into matrimony, who was not free to wed.” He raised a hand when DeLisle drew in a breath to argue. “If indeed this marriage did take place, which I fully intend to investigate thoroughly before Isobel goes anywhere.”
“She is coming with us now.” DeLisle rose to stand before the younger man, reaching behind him to try to grasp Isobel’s arm only to find Edward’s meaty fist planted squarely in his face.
“Over my dead body,” Isobel snapped, watching dispassionately as the man tried to stem the flow of blood.
“It can be arranged my dear,” Rupert’s cold threat hung in the air.
“You claim to be married to my wife,” Dominic said, eyeing the squalid little man with disdain that he made no attempt to disguise.
Resting a casual arm upon the mantle, he turned a scornful gaze upon the now bleeding guest. Despite the casual pose, Dominic was armed and ready for anything Rupert or DeLisle could throw at him. The blade tucked away snugly in his boot was mere inches away. His sword was hidden beside the hearth and could be in his hand within a heartbeat. He just hoped the idiotic little man would be arrogant enough to make another threatening move.
He studied the shorter man carefully, and was fully aware of the knife carried within the hidden pocket of his waistcoat. There was also an intriguing bulge within his boot that Dominic surmised was a second knife of some sort. Making a mental note to relieve him of both the first chance he got, he watched the smug smile sweep over Rupert face and fought the urge to punch it off of him.
“I don’t claim to be married to Isobel. I am. Despite what the addle-brained chit says, we were wed. You have seen the certificate for yourself. You are a fool if you believe her lies,” DeLisle’s voice was contemptuous as he flicked a spiteful glance at Isobel.
“Did you really think I would just accept your claim without questioning the validity?” Dominic saw the venom in the look DeLisle had given Isobel and fought to keep hold of his temper. “With a reputation such as yours, one would be foolhardy indeed to believe anything you claim without investigating it thoroughly.”
Dominic noted neither man raised issue with his questioning their honesty. “My wife, her welfare and her fortune, are well out of your reach. Your reign of terror against my wife is well and truly over.” Dominic flicked the smaller man a contemptuous look of mocking pity.
“Rein of terror?” Rupert’s voice was incredulous as he turned with raised brows to glare at Isobel before trying to bluster his way through. “What has the stupid woman been telling you?”
Dominic clenched his fists, reminding himself that it would do no good to grab the little man by the throat. “My wife is far from stupid,” Dominic’s tone was languid. “Indeed, I think she is anything but stupid. She has after all managed to evade you for nigh on two months!” He shot her a warm smile of reassurance before continuing. “She clearly has far more intelligence than either of you. A young woman on the streets - all alone - with little money, and only the clothing on her back,” Dominic snorted cynically. “Despite the odds stacked against her, she still managed to evade the two of you. In fact she walked right under your nose two months ago and you still couldn’t see her. It strikes me that it isn’t her who is the stupid one.”
He watched dispassionately as sweat began to form on Rupert’s brow, and his face mottled with rage. Despite the clenching of his fists there was no further outburst from him. No blistering put down, or signs of the vicious temper he had revealed so readily to Isobel.
Still tension rose in Dominic as he eyed the rage boiling within the rotund toad before him. He reminded himself that this man was ruthless and he couldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security. There was still the element of surprise that could catch them all out, if either man chose to take it.
“Again, I put into question your wisdom should you seriously consider anybody would blithely accept your pro-offered documents of marriage, betrothal or anything else without calling their validity into question.” Dominic knew he had struck a chord when Rupert shot him a narrow eyed glare at the mention of betrothal documents.
“It was you!” He snarled. The truth dawned upon him that his deceit over the marriage had been revealed. “You broke into my house!”
Dominic raised a condescending brow; he eyed the little man with cold disdain. �
�I have no idea what you mean.”
“You stole the documents from me,” Rupert turned toward the others in the room who all looked decidedly unconcerned.
“You are a thief. You are all thieves. I shall report you to the magistrate,” his voice shook as much as the finger he pointed towards Dominic, as his temper began to reveal itself.
“Please do so,” Dominic invited almost mockingly. “While you are there, you must tell him all about kidnapping your niece and attempting to embezzle her out of her fortune to clear your debts; debts you cannot hope to pay.”
“We have considerable evidence,” Peter replied briskly, taking over proceedings with officious precision. “Even if we discount the numerous debts you have run up with various money lenders in London, there are eyewitness accounts of your brutality in various forms. Isobel’s confirmation that you removed her from Willowbrook without her consent will convict you of kidnapping and holding her against her will constitutes as imprisonment. Physical assault on her, on more than one occasion; which I should kill you for by the way, in addition to my attempted murder. If you don’t spend the remainder of your days in Debtors’ prison, you will most certainly transported to jail to await the hangman’s noose.”
“What evidence do you have?” DeLisle demanded, resuming his seat with a thud. He shot a contemptuous glare at his stout friend who seemed to have run out of threats they hadn’t already heard - and dismissed - before.
“Numerous witness statements; financial statements of your debts with various loan sharks and gaming houses; eyewitness accounts from two serving staff who saw you push your third wife down the stairs to her death,” Sebastian’s voice was so conversational as he recounted the evidence they had collected, Isobel nearly missed the significance of his words.
“You’re bluffing. I did no such thing,” DeLisle snarled pushing to his feet in outrage. “I demand you rescind the accusation immediately.”
“I won’t rescind anything. I do however have an arrest warrant for you, for the murder of Harriett Barnstable, your last wife.”
“I didn’t kill her, she fell.” Despite his denial, DeLisle began to look around the room nervously, as though he expected the ghost of his third wife to pop out from behind the curtain.
“Of course she did. You just happened to be standing beside her at the top of the stairs at the time, and had your bank account open enough to catch the cash when she hit the floor.” Dominic challenged coldly, moving to stand beside Isobel. Despite knowing the man was cornered, he was a murderer and at the moment, he was a murderer who was looking at the hangman’s noose. Dominic would have felt more comfortable if Isobel was in another part of the house entirely, but it was too late to ask her to leave now.
Carefully keeping himself between Isobel and DeLisle, Dominic watched as Sebastian slowly approached the man from the opposite side. Between them, they were ready for anything either Rupert or DeLisle could throw at them.
“You can either stand up, and allow Edward and his men to escort you to the magistrate, where you will be bound over to jail to await trial, or we can drag you out. Either way, your days of being a free man are over. I can promise you one thing. You will certainly not leave this house a free man.”
Isobel watched as DeLisle seemed to crumble before them. Despite his cruelty, he seemed to have the intelligence to realise the odds were significantly stacked against him.
“Damn your eyes,” he snarled at Isobel and Dominic as he passed them. He was stopped beside the door where he was checked for weapons before he was led out of the room by Edward, and two of the armed servants.
“Always remember Rupert, that the truth will have it’s day.” Dominic turned to watch the taller man disappear through the door.
Something wasn’t right, Dominic’s instincts warned him to remain wary but he wasn’t quick enough to prevent the flurry of movement beside him that drew his attention back to Rupert.
“Watch out!” Dominic barely heard Sebastian’s shout. He spun on his heel, fast enough to watch in horror as the squalid little man dragged Isobel before him, the pointed tip of a wickedly long knife held to her neck.
Isobel felt her stomach dip to her boots. She could feel the cold blade held against her skin. Unless she was much mistaken, the tickling on her throat was a trickle of blood from the sharpness of the weapon being pressed so harshly against her throat.
“Move away,” Rupert ordered, motioning towards Dominic.
“Edward!” Dominic bellowed at the top of his lungs, his eyes firmly fixed on Rupert. Moments later there was another flurry of movement, this time by the door as Edward returned, dragging DeLisle with him.
“You two are good, I’ll give you that. Your plan almost worked,” Dominic snarled, watching dispassionately as DeLisle was roughly shoved to the floor by Edward. He cursed himself for being such a fool, and allowing his attention to be diverted so easily.
“Let’s recap over events so far.” Dominic’s gaze flickered between DeLisle on the floor and Rupert standing a few feet away, before he continued. “You kidnapped Isobel from her home at Willowbrook, and held her against her will at Gosport Hall, which wasn’t your house, but one you had broken into. You then proceeded to beat her daily, and attempt to get her to sign a false betrothal document while claiming to be her guardian, knowing full well that you had no such legal entitlement.” Dominic’s voice rang clearly around the room, his voice clipped and almost businesslike as he stated the cold facts.
When everybody remained silent, he continued. “So that’s kidnap, false imprisonment, attempted embezzlement, breaking and entering, physical assault and now you, Rupert, are threatening murder.” Dominic’s eyes were coldly contemptuous as he tried hard not to allow his fear for his wife to show.
“Gosport Hall should be mine,” Rupert’s voice shook with fury as he bristled at the list of crimes Dominic recounted. “The stupid hag who called herself my mother should have willed it to me. She would have willed it to me, if it wasn’t for this greedy little bitch.”
Isobel winced, and fought hard not to whimper as Rupert jostled her, pushing the knife deeper into the soft flesh beneath her chin. Tears sprang into her eyes and as fear for her life began to build, she sought and found the reassuring gaze of her husband. His steady, almost calm gaze immediately settled her quivering nerves she took a deep breath to steady herself.
“Is that what this is all about? Gosport Hall?” Peter’s voice was incredulous as he thought about the events of the last few weeks.
“It should be mine - Gosport Hall. The lands, and the money, are all rightly mine.” Rupert’s voice held a manic edge that grew the more wild as his anger built.
“Do you really think I care that pox ridden despot wanted to drag the little whore off to bed?” He nodded to DeLisle, who cursed roundly from his position on the floor.
“But what did you hope to gain by forcing Isobel into marriage to DeLisle? Why try to get her to sign the betrothal document? It didn’t have any impact on the house or fortune,” Peter reasoned, struggling to understand Rupert’s logic.
Rupert’s laugh was almost wild as he sneered at his nephew. “He paid me for her! He actually paid me to take the little bitch to wife,” Rupert declared contemptuously, shooting a filthy glare at his partner in crime for his stupidity. He turned back to his audience almost proudly. “I needed the money to keep my debtors at bay while I got her to sign the transfer papers for the house and land. DeLisle was going to give me half of her worth once they were married, it was part of my payment for her.”
DeLisle began to swear fluidly at Rupert’s duplicity declaring, “We had planned for me to persuade her to sign over Gosport Hall, and control of her funds, once we were married. If she wasn’t with child in six months, she would go the way of the other useless bitches I married.” He glared at the man whom he had considered a comrade in arms. “You got greedy Rupert; greedy and stupid.”
Rupert scoffed at DeLisle. “You are calling me stupid? You’re
the one tied up like a chicken facing the gallows.” His mirth was high and unnatural. He mocked the flurry of insults DeLisle threw at him while he was dragged out of the room once more by Edward and Peter.
“I’m not greedy,” Rupert argued. “I just want what should rightly be mine.”
“No wonder you were cast out of the family,” Isobel snapped, turning her head sideways to stare contemptuously at the sweaty face of her uncle. “You are evil through and through.”
“Isobel,” Dominic’s voice held a tone of warning that was impossible to miss.
“Don’t think I won’t cut you girlie. You have cost me dear, and I demand retribution.” Rupert’s voice was snide; his eyes lit with a mix of greed and malice.
Isobel wondered briefly if he was sane. Could a madman be so calculating? She wasn’t certain, but she did know his logic wasn’t born out of reality.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BANG!
“What the hell?” Rupert swore and jumped. Everyone within the room jolted with surprise at the sound of gunfire coming from outside.
Rupert, momentarily distracted by the noise, eased his hold upon Isobel enough to give Sebastian the opportunity he needed. Grabbing Isobel tightly around the waist, he literally threw her over the back of the chaise lounge. She landed with a solid thump on the floor, with Sebastian beside her, still clutching Rupert’s knife in a shaky hand.
Ignoring Sebastian’s attempts to hold her back, Isobel pushed herself to her feet and peered over the back of the chaise.
Rupert’s face was purpled with rage. Without a weapon, or Isobel, his rage broke free and he launched himself at Dominic with a snarl of fury. The fists he threw at Dominic did little damage, even when they did hit. The volley of insults and epithets Rupert spat out were accompanied by the brutal sounds of flesh meeting flesh as Dominic’s punches landed home.
“Easy, Dominic,” Peter warned after several brief moments, when Dominic showed no signs of letting up. He eyed the bloodied face of his uncle with disdain, and wondered briefly if he could just leave Dominic to pound the odious creature into the ground. “We need to leave him alive for the gallows.”
If You Were Mine Page 21