by Jane Charles
“A man likes to know the woman he’s marrying loves him, especially when he loves her as well.”
“Don’t ever put yourself in danger again. Do you understand me?”
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
Claudia stared into his green eyes. There were so many reasons why she shouldn’t. Two being his sisters, who needed someone to navigate Society in the next year, and so many other reasons, but none of them mattered. Not right now and even though she may regret this in the future, or perhaps Gabe would, she could not find it in herself to reject him. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Gabe!” someone cried.
His head jerked up, and he pushed Claudia out of the way. She didn’t have a chance to react before another pistol fired and then another, and Gabe dropped back to the sand.
The scream sounded as if it was coming from somewhere else, but it was from her as blood spread across his thigh.
Men rushed around them, hauling Lord Norbright back to the stone entrance of the cave and relieving him of his pistol. The gentleman winced and glared at Gabe. A hand was over his stomach, blood seeping through his fingers. He wasn’t dead?
Chapter 17
It will be remembered that it was said that the devil invisibly lures a man to sin, not only by means of persuasion, as has been said, but also by the means of disposition. Although this is not very pertinent, yet be it said that by a similar admonition of the disposition and humors of men, he renders some more disposed to anger, or concupiscence, or other passions.
~ Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger
Olivia and Victoria ran toward him crying and sank into the sand beside Gabe. He winced at any movement, but he couldn’t let them know how badly he was hurt. They were already going to lose one brother today. They didn’t need to worry about losing him.
Claudia tore off a piece of her petticoat and handed it to Wesley who tied it securely around Gabe’s leg. She tore another piece and Wesley wrapped it around his arm. “I’ll go for Dr. Conrad,” he announced after dusting off his hands.
She then looked up at Atwood, tears in her eyes. “Could you search for my father and brothers?”
He frowned in confusion and glanced at Gabe.
“You go,” Gabe squeezed her hand.
“I won’t leave you,” she insisted and then looked at the men lying on the beach. “I’m afraid of what I might find.”
If they’d been lost in the encounter, Claudia would truly be alone in the world. He held her hand tightly then looked over at Peter from where he sat. His brother wasn’t so far away, but Gabe had no desire to get even an inch closer.
“Why?”
“For France.”
“You’re English. A damned earl.”
Peter snorted. “My father was French. Mother knew she carried me when she seduced your Father into marriage.”
Olivia and Victoria gasped.
“Are any of us Father’s children?” His mother had lied to him about so much, he wasn’t certain anything she’d ever said was true at this point.
“Everyone but me.” A weak smile pulled at Peter’s lips. “Such a bloody, stupid arse, your father. Mother didn’t take lovers until a few years after the twins were born, until then, she just enjoyed making your father believe she did and kept him from her bed as often as she could. Her true and only love, my father, died at the hands of the English, and she did the only duty required. Seduced your father and made a home in England so she could help France.”
“How do you know this?” Gabe demanded.
“Mother and I were closer than anyone ever realized. Our little secret.” He coughed and blood-stained spittle tinged his lips. “She groomed me to follow in her footsteps. My public hatred for her was all for show.”
Olivia and Victoria moved closer to Gabe and held onto each other.
“She groomed us both, you know. Me for the French and you for England. Her plan was to remain as close to you as possible so she could learn your secrets. Mother knew the moment you’d been chosen by the Home Office.”
Which meant, Mother had seduced the information out of Oscar Goodling. The man who had recruited the eight students who would become the Devils of Dalston.
Peter narrowed his hate-filled eyes on Gabe. “But you never told her a blasted thing. So much for being the precious, dutiful son she thought she was getting.”
“No, apparently that was you.” So many times he’d almost shared the truth with her. She’d appear on his doorstep demanding that he behave properly, goading him into proving that he wasn’t the wretch he’d apparently turned out to be, but Gabe had held his tongue. Secrecy meant everything in his line of work, and he’d come so close to telling her so many times. If he had, it would have put men in danger and would have brought France closer to England, not that he knew that at the time. He would have told her because he wished for her approval.
“If Father hadn’t learned, we’d still be one happy family.” Peter sneered as he winced, pressing a hand against his belly.
It wouldn’t be long now. A man could not survive a bullet wound to the belly. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always a quick death either.
“What? The lovers?”
“You thought he killed Mother because of her infidelities?” Peter laughed, but it turned to a cough and more blood seeped from his lips. “He didn’t care about that. He went into a rage when he learned I wasn’t his son but that you were. He caught her writing a letter to her contact in France and demanded answers. She provided them and then tried to stab him with a knife.”
“So he threw her down the stairs?” Victoria asked in a whisper.
Peter shook his head. “That was an accident. They were fighting at the top of the stairs.”
“You were there?” Gabe blinked at his brother. How had he not known that?
“Of course. Who do you think killed your father?”
Gabe sucked in a breath right along with Victoria and Olivia.
“I couldn’t have him going to the authorities and telling them about Mother. About me.” He coughed again and slumped further. “He threatened to go to the Prime Minister, anyone who would listen, with accusations of treason and then he was going to find a way to denounce me as heir, even if it took a proclamation by the king.”
The servants had spoken of the rage and madness that had seemed to engulf his father that night before he closed himself off from everyone to what all had assumed was to commit suicide. Father was a proud man, and Gabe didn’t doubt that he would have moved heaven and earth to make sure the son that he did not father did not inherit. He would have found a way to see it done had Peter not ended his life.
“So you shot him,” Gabe said. His brother wasn’t only a traito, but a cold-hearted killer.
“Of course. I couldn’t have him ruin my life. Even though I had not yet come into the title, I’d just been asked to be a part of the committee that oversees the Home Office. That, dear brother, I owe to you.” Peter coughed then winced. “You being so bloody loyal to King and Country, they assumed you and I were of the same heart and mind. I couldn’t let Father ruin my victory once I had it within my grasp.”
Gabe knew some, but not all, of the committee members, and he most certainly did not know that Peter was one of them.
The implications of what could and may have already happened settled like a cold blanket across Gabe. That was nearly two years ago. How much damage had Peter already caused because of his position with the Home Office? How much did Peter know? What had he shared? How many men were in danger at this very moment?
Victoria and Olivia began whimpering. Gabe wished to shield his sisters from this, but he needed answers from his brother before he died and didn’t have the time to remove them.
A warm delicate hand came down on Gabe’s shoulder. He didn’t need to look to know that it was Claudia. Her simplest touch calmed him.
Peter looked into Gabe’s eyes. “And, once again, you’ve ruined everything.
”
“I’ve ruined nothing.” Gabe shook his head, still not believing all that had happened. “This, dear brother, is of your own doing.”
“Mother’s,” he whispered. “The wrong son won.” With those words, the last breath left his body, though his eyes still fixed on Gabe.
Claudia glanced out at the bodies littering the sand, her heart lodged in her throat. Atwood walked amongst them as those in the cave removed all weapons in case some were not dead, as they had first assumed the earl had been. She needed to know if her family was out there, but was too afraid to find out.
“Another boat!” Ashford shouted from his place upon the cliff.
Gabe’s men turned, weapons raised.
As they came closer to the beach, Claudia was better able to see them under the moonlight. One man rowed and the other two held up their hands as if they were surrendering. Why would they come to the beach? Why not sail away on their ship? They had to have known what happened, unless their ship was too far away.
As their faces became clearer, her heart soared, and Claudia raced past the men aiming guns at her father and brothers and waited for them to bring their boat onto the beach.
“Father.” Claudia cried and dashed forward once he stepped onto the sand. “I was so afraid for you.”
“I am well.” He kissed the top of her head like he used to when she was a little girl.
Her brothers came forward, and tears nearly blinded Claudia as she pulled them close. “Christophe and Louis, I am so glad to see you!”
“It has been too long, Claudette.” Louis, her oldest brother smiled down at her.
“It has.” She sniffed. “I cannot do this any longer. I abhor the secrets, and I’ve missed the three of you too much.”
“Claudia, perhaps you should introduce us,” Tess said from behind her.
She turned to find her closest friends, and their husbands, standing just a few feet away. At one time, they’d each kept secrets from the other, and Claudia could only pray that her friends forgave her for hers once they learned that she’d been in contact with her father and brothers since she first arrived at the school as a girl.
“Over tea,” she finally said. “Not here.”
They nodded, and thankfully, she only saw curiosity in their eyes and not betrayal. Surely, they would understand.
“Besides, there is a young gentleman I wish to meet,” her father said and strode in Gabe’s direction. “I understand he proposed without first asking my permission.”
Claudia pulled back and stared at her father in surprise. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I may not be visible much of the time daughter, but there is very little I don’t know or haven’t learned about you.”
“Who…?”
“Never you mind.” He patted her hand and looked past her and frowned. “Ah, there is Westbrook. It is time we had a much over-due discussion.”
Oh dear, she’d not foreseen this and hurried after her father and brothers. “Papa, wait,” she called. “He’s injured. Let them get him home and have a doctor tend his wounds.”
Her father paused and looked between Claudia and Gabe and back. “I will grant your wish, for now.”
Servants arrived with a litter and helped Gabe onto it since he couldn’t stand on his own. His face was deathly white, and Claudia feared his wounds were far more serious than she realized. She ran toward him, taking his hand in hers. “You’d better survive this.”
“The question is, will I survive an audience with your father and brothers?” With that he winked at her and love swelled in her chest.
“I’ll make them promise not to hurt you if you promise not to die on me.”
“You’ve just agreed to be my wife,” he said. “For that reason alone, I plan on living a very long life.”
Chapter 18
And this is the more easy for a lover to summon up the image of his love from his memory, and retain it pleasurably in his thoughts.
~ Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger
Gabe limped through Harrington Manor, taking in the greenery draped everywhere and mistletoe hanging in every entry, unable to settle despite the pain in his thigh. Every detail was to Wesley’s exact specification. The man had practically moved in as he prepared for the wedding. He’d also hired servants, real ones, because he knew better than Gabe what he needed.
Though Gabe had been raised with servants about the house, he’d never given much consideration to who or what was needed. Even the ones he brought with him hadn’t really served him unless others were about, though Ruth did cook for them all.
Perhaps he should have let Claudia hire the staff. She was going to be the mistress of the manor, but she claimed that she didn’t know any more than he did, which Gabe understood. The only life she remembered was living at a school, and she didn’t know the first thing about household management, even though it was supposed to have been taught at the school.
His future father-in-law had been living at Harrington since they’d brought Gabe up from the beach, as had her two brothers. None of them intended on leaving until after the first of the year. They wished to see Claudia married and then planned on spending Christmas with them. At the moment, they were in his library drinking his brandy, not that Gabe minded. He liked Claudia’s family. Well, he did now that they’d come to know him. Those first few days resembled more of the Spanish Inquisition as they interrogated him as to why they should allow him to marry someone as precious as Claudia. She was the one who had put a stop to their interference because Gabe had not wanted to offend them, though all three of them had quite gotten on his nerves.
“Is it true that we won’t be returning to Kent?” Victoria asked as she and Olivia came down the stairs, dressed for the wedding to take place in an hour.
The family estate held nothing but bad memories for him, and the girls as well. Though he was now the Earl of Norbright, Gabe had no desire to return home. “Perhaps when you’ve finished school,” he finally answered. “For now, I prefer Harrington Manor.”
Besides, there wasn’t a rule that required one to reside at one’s family estate. He’d sell it if it wasn’t entailed. There were too many memories there, too many lies to be forgotten. If he never stepped foot inside those walls again, he’d never miss it.
“We do too,” Olivia said and hugged him. “I’d rather you and Miss Morris were close.”
He’d been away from them for nearly a year, and Gabe wouldn’t do that again. They were too fragile and needed to be near the only family they had. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long.”
“We understand,” Victoria assured him. “It was necessary, especially now that we know what you were doing and aren’t the horrible gentleman Society gossiped about.”
He took their hands in his. “But, Society must never know that part. They must believe me reformed.”
They nodded, their eyes serious. “We understand.”
He hoped they did. His being reformed was one thing. The truth coming out could cast suspicion on the rest of the Devils of Dalston, and even though he’d resigned his post, they still had more work ahead of them. Each day Napoleon gained more power, and this wouldn’t be the last time he’d try to send spies into England. Of that, Gabe was certain.
“Well, old man, are you ready to be leg shackled?” Ashford asked as he came down the stairs. He and Keegan refused to leave once they realized the wedding was to take place sooner than any of them expected. Wesley had planned on a Christmas wedding but managed to have organized the event for two days before. Gabe would have been happy to just stand before a vicar the moment the Special License arrived, but Wesley refused such a crass suggestion, and Claudia’s father and brothers insisted on a real wedding, even if it was to take place in his home.
“Let’s have a last drink to mourn the loss of your bachelorhood,” Keegan said and turned toward the library.
“Why don’t you girls go see if Wesley needs any assistance?
” The man had been here since before the sun rose fussing over flowers, candles, and food.
“I believe he’s in the kitchen,” Victoria said right before the two ran off in that direction.
Gabe followed Ashford down the corridor, relying heavily on his cane. His thigh may still pain him, but he’d not let it get in the way of finally making Claudia his once they retired this night. He’d only known her a short time, but it seemed as if he’d waited his whole life for her.
The troublesome trio waited by the front door as Claudia descended the stairs to travel to Harrington where she would wed Gabriel. Beside her were Tess and Natalie, who’d helped her prepare for this day.
Eliza’s eyes went wide.
“That is the same cloak you were wearing when…” Rosemary started before Eliza slapped a hand over Rosemary’s mouth to silence her.
“When I was sacrificed?” Claudia finished.
Rosemary and Eliza shared a shocked look while Sophia smirked. Claudia should have realized Sophia would have figured it out, though she’d need to ask her how.
“We’d hoped to give you girls a good scare and teach you a lesson.” She pulled the cloak close. “But Wesley did have this made for me. Isn’t it lovely?”
“So Westbrook, I mean Lord Norbright, is not a warlock?” Eliza asked suspiciously.
“Of course not.” Claudia rolled her eyes.
“Are you sure?” Rosemary asked, and Sophia rolled her eyes.
“If you are so concerned, or afraid, perhaps you should remain here and not attend the wedding,” Tess said and moved past the girls. “I will not have the three of you disrupting this day for Miss Morris.”
“We promise we won’t.” Eliza made an “X” over her heart.
Natalie swept past them. “See that you don’t.”
Lord Atwood and Kazakov stood outside by the carriage and assisted Claudia inside. She sank against the squabs and took a steadying breath. Tess and Natalie followed her inside and took the bench across from her as Atwood closed the door.