She spurred her horse forward, not waiting to see his reaction. She had no doubt that Zeus could easily overtake her mount, so Nicholas must have held him back. She didn’t mind. The sun was setting earlier these days, but there was only a slight nip in the autumn air. The feel of the breeze on her face and of the powerful animal beneath her was exhilarating. She hadn’t realized how much she missed riding.
She had just turned onto the road that approached the manor house when she realized something was wrong. Her saddle slipped ever so slightly, setting off warning bells in her mind. She pulled back on the reins, but the sideways motion didn’t stop. The saddle slipped even farther and she found herself falling from the mare’s back. Spooked, her horse picked up speed instead of coming to a stop. She closed her eyes in horror and tried to brace herself for the impact, but nothing could prepare her for the feel of her body slamming into the hard ground. She’d had the presence of mind to remove her foot from the stirrup and release her hold on the reins and was glad of that fact when she opened her eyes and saw her mare galloping down the road, the saddle hanging at a precarious angle.
“Louisa!”
She could hear the worry in Nicholas’s voice, but couldn’t catch her breath to reply. He brought Zeus to a halt, leapt from his back, and kneeled beside her. His face came into focus above hers.
“Sweetheart?”
She liked the sound of that. Nicholas had never called her that before.
“Louisa, stay with me.”
She realized that her thoughts were drifting. She tried to focus on her husband’s face and voice.
“That’s right,” he said, laying a hand on her cheek. “Keep your attention on me.”
He ran his hands over her arms and her legs. It took her several moments to realize he was checking for broken bones. When he asked her to wiggle her fingers and move her legs, she had finally managed to catch her breath and her head was clearing. She didn’t think she was hurt, only dazed, but she did what he asked.
“Can you turn your head?”
She turned it to one side, then the other, wincing at the stiffness. Relief crossed his face.
“Can I sit up now?”
He helped her into a sitting position, then dragged her into his lap. He held her like that for some time, just cradling her.
When she pulled back, she saw his anguish.
“I’m not hurt,” she said, needing to ease his worry.
“When I saw you fall off that horse…” He shook his head as if to clear the memory from his mind. “My heart almost stopped.”
“The saddle,” she said, her voice still shaky. “I could feel it slipping.”
His jaw hardened. “I’m going to take you home now.”
He stood, but instead of helping her to stand as she expected, he lifted her into his arms.
“I can walk,” she said.
He ignored her and carried her over to his horse. He released her then to climb into the saddle before pulling her up to sit sideways before him. It was a little uncomfortable, but she felt safe being so close to Nicholas. She wrapped her hands around his waist and settled against his chest, trying to draw some of his strength into her.
* * * * *
After insisting Louisa rest after her fall, Nicholas returned to the stables to speak to the grooms. They had no explanation for what had happened, but what he discovered when he examined Athena’s saddle made the blood freeze in his veins.
Now back in his study, he paced before the fire, trying to come to terms with what he had learned. He wrestled with the urge to have a drink from the bottle of brandy his valet had hidden away for him, but in the end he resisted, knowing he couldn’t risk having another episode. He had to keep a clear head and his wits about him now. Both his and Louisa’s lives could very well depend on it.
He couldn’t keep the memory of watching, helplessly, while she pulled on her mare’s reins before sliding off the animal’s back from playing over and over again in his mind. He shuddered as he remembered seeing her on the ground, pale and motionless. He’d been struck forcefully by his fear that she was seriously injured.
Kerrick entered the study, not bothering to knock. “What’s this I hear about Louisa having an accident?”
Nicholas stopped his pacing and turned to faced him. He was going to need an ally in this and Kerrick was just the man for the job.
“Close the door and sit down,” he said.
Kerrick did so before turning back to his friend. “I get nervous when you tell me to do that. The last time you needed to speak to me in private you wanted me to bed your wife.”
“You can rest assured we won’t be revisiting that subject.” He went to his desk and bent to pick up the saddle he’d placed on the floor next to his chair. He dropped it onto the desk with a loud thunk. “This is the saddle from Louisa’s horse. Tell me what you think.”
Kerrick raised his brows but didn’t speak as he examined the saddle. It didn’t take him long to discover the problem.
“The billets broke? Both of them? How old is this saddle?”
“I purchased it when I was last in London. It’s never been used before today.”
Kerrick shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t understand. How could they have frayed so soon? And why wouldn’t a groom have noticed their condition?”
“Look at the underside of the billets.”
Kerrick flipped them over and frowned. “The fray is smoother,” he said, running a finger along the edge where the leather had torn.
Nicholas remained silent, waiting to see if Kerrick would confirm what he suspected.
After examining all the edges, Kerrick swore. “These were cut.”
Nicholas nodded. “I believe so. Not all the way through. The underside was sliced, but enough of the leather was left intact that it wasn’t visible from the right side of the straps. It was a new saddle. The stable master examined it when it was first delivered, but not again since it was only used for the first time today.”
“So it looked fine from the surface,” Kerrick said. He examined the depth of the cut again. “It would have held for a time, but then start to fray the longer Louisa rode.”
Nicholas barely controlled the anger that seethed under his skin, making him desperate to lash out at someone.
“This makes no sense. Why would anyone want to hurt your wife?”
“That isn’t all of it.”
Nicholas went on to explain what had happened on the night Louisa had destroyed all his brandy. How he’d gone to the village to drink and hadn’t fallen ill. He also told Kerrick about how he’d started having symptoms when he was in the conservatory after touching some of the flowers that Catherine had informed him were poisonous.
“It was in the brandy, damn it. I am all but sure of it. Someone has been adding something from one of those plants to make me ill.”
Kerrick was clearly stunned. “I’ve had some of that brandy.”
“As have I, and I’ve not always fallen ill. I suspect whoever’s been doing this is acting selectively, making sure I am the only one who drinks from the bottles that have been laced with the poison.”
“Do you know what you’re implying? Your father and your brother experienced the same illness as you, which means they, too, were poisoned.”
“They were murdered.”
Kerrick came to the same conclusion as Nicholas. “You believe Edward is behind this.”
“Who else has anything to gain? We all know he’s an unscrupulous bastard, and with all the men in my family out of the way he stands to inherit.”
“But why would he want to hurt Louisa?”
“The household staff has no doubt realized that Louisa and I have consummated our marriage. Word must have reached Edward. He wouldn’t want to risk that she might be carrying my child. If she were to fall pregnant with a boy, he wouldn’t be as close to inheriting as he believes he now is.”
Kerrick was silent for a moment before speaking. “I’m sorry, Nichol
as. To learn that your father and brother were murdered…” He shook his head, at a loss for words.
Nicholas’s hands clenched into fists. “I want to go over there right now and strangle the bastard.”
“We’ll have to call in the authorities.”
“I know. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to speak to you. I believe you have friends who are uniquely qualified to help us.” Nicholas had suspected for some time that Kerrick had ties to the government’s Home Office. He’d even wondered if some of his friend’s mysterious absences could be attributed to him engaging in spy work. He’d never come out and asked him about it, but Kerrick’s response now seemed to confirm his suspicions.
“Of course,” Kerrick said, not bothering to pretend innocence about his connections. “I know just the man. He’ll ferret out Edward’s guilt.”
Nicholas nodded his thanks.
“I’ll leave today and will return as soon as I can. Try to be careful until then. I’ve grown rather fond of your wife, and much as I’d like to throttle you at times for your stubbornness, I’d rather not return to find you’ve become another victim of your cousin’s greed.”
Chapter Seventeen
This was the first outright argument they’d had since marrying and Louisa couldn’t understand why Nicholas had chosen that moment, when they were expected soon for his aunt’s dinner, to dig in his heels. She’d been dismayed to learn he hadn’t yet dressed and had finally cornered him in his study, where she now stood facing him across his desk while he reclined in his chair.
“If we cancel now, the rift between you and your cousins will never be mended.”
“Good,” he said, his scowl deepening. “They can all go to the devil. I care not if I ever see any of them again.”
While she agreed wholeheartedly when it came to Edward Manning, she couldn’t help but feel Mary didn’t deserve such censure from her husband.
“If you won’t attend for your grandmother’s sake, will you do it for me?”
“I am doing this for you. I don’t want you anywhere near my cousin. I don’t care how many people are in the room at the time.”
She thought they’d already settled this matter and couldn’t understand why he was arguing about it yet again. She’d have to give him extra incentive. With careful calculation, she placed her palms on his desk and leaned forward, giving him a tantalizing view of her breasts which now threatened to spill forward. She hid her smile when his eyes dropped.
“Do you remember that thing you wanted to do in bed the other night?”
His scowl lifted and a gleam of interest entered his eyes. “What are you proposing?”
“Do this one thing for your grandmother, one evening at your aunt’s house. In exchange, I will agree to try what you suggested.”
He frowned. “That’s blackmail.”
“I’d rather think of it as negotiation.”
He rose swiftly and rounded the desk. When she straightened to face him, he cupped the back of her neck with his hand, his thumb stroking along the column of her throat. “Maybe we can try my thing first and then we can go to the dinner.”
His voice was low and husky and despite her misgivings, a thrill of anticipation went through her.
She shook her head and spun out of his reach to press her advantage.
“No. You’ll have no reason then to keep up your end of the bargain.”
His eyes narrowed. “What is my guarantee that after the dinner you won’t change your mind?”
“You’ll have to trust me.”
He stalked toward her. “Not good enough. I think I’ll need a small down payment first.”
“We’ve left it too late to cancel, and we don’t have time to… you know.” She could feel herself blushing.
“I didn’t leave it too late. You decided to ignore my wishes about sending our regrets.” He captured one of her hands and pulled her to him. “I think, given the circumstances, you owe me some compensation.”
Her pulse quickened when he trailed his hand down the outside of her thigh and began to drag her dress up. She buried her head against his shoulder. She knew her protest was weak, but she had to make it.
“We don’t have time…”
“Aunt Elizabeth has waited this long to set up her little reconciliation dinner. She can wait a while longer.”
She didn’t resist when he shifted her around and started to walk her backward. When her bottom bumped against the edge of his desk, he lifted her so she could sit on the edge. He didn’t need to tell her what he wanted. Now almost as eager as he, she unbuttoned the fall of his trousers and reached in to wrap her hand around his hardness. His breath hissed out as she squeezed him.
“Vixen,” he said, lifting her skirts until she was bared from the waist down.
“I do believe you prefer me this way,” she said, drawing her hand up and down along his sizeable length.
“You cannot begin to imagine,” he said, spreading her legs apart and moving between them.
She helped to guide him, her body ready, and moaned in appreciation when he thrust into her with one sure stroke. The rhythm that he set was relentless, and she reached her peak twice before he allowed himself his own release.
* * * * *
In the end they were half an hour late. From the obvious relief on his grandmother’s face, Nicholas could tell she’d expected him to send her on alone. He still had major reservations about the wisdom of putting his wife in harm’s way. He’d allowed her to sway him, but only because part of him wanted the opportunity to observe his cousin. He prayed Edward wasn’t stupid enough to do anything with the whole family there, but he knew desperate men couldn’t be counted on to act rationally. The attempt on Louisa’s life was proof of that.
He was on edge and didn’t bother to try to mask his mood. The tension in the carriage ride over to his aunt’s house was palpable. Even Catherine, always willing to fill any silence with bright chatter, remained silent. He caught Louisa examining him a few times. He hated that he couldn’t be honest with her, but he didn’t want her to worry or have false hope about his illness until he had proof of his suspicions.
* * * * *
When they reached the house, the reservations Louisa had tried to ignore began to surface. Adding to her stress was the fact that this would be the first time she’d stepped foot in her former home since they were kicked out by Henry Manning all those years before. Catherine had been too young to remember their life before their father lost everything, but Louisa remembered all too well. Nicholas squeezed her hand in reassurance and she smiled up at him, grateful to have him at her side. If Lady Overlea had looked less hopeful, she would have changed her mind right then and returned home. However, she couldn’t disappoint Nicholas’s grandmother. Not after how quickly she had welcomed her and Catherine into the family. She experienced a pang of grief knowing John would also have been made to feel welcome if he had stayed.
Nicholas raised the knocker and rapped twice, the sound almost deafening in the silence that enshrouded them. The door was opened a moment later by a footman and they were shown into the drawing room.
Nicholas leaned toward her and said softly, “Are you sure you want to go through with this? We can still make good our escape.”
Before Louisa could admonish him, his grandmother cut in. “Don’t listen to him, my dear.” She turned back to Nicholas. “You will be on your best behavior tonight.”
“Or what, Grandmother? Do you have something else with which to force my hand?”
His question startled Louisa. What made it more unsettling, however, was the quick glance Lady Overlea cast in her direction. She would have to remember to ask him about their exchange later.
Elizabeth Manning entered the room at that moment and Louisa was glad she’d taken extra care with her appearance. The older woman was dressed in a gown of dazzling golden silk and jewels dripped from her throat and arms. Louisa wasn’t dressed as elaborately, but she knew no one would find fault with h
er attire.
She was followed by a sullen Edward and a demure Mary. Nicholas’s Aunt Elizabeth appeared to be the only person in the group looking forward to the evening. Even Lady Overlea, while clearly hoping for the best, appeared cautious.
“I am so happy you are all here,” Elizabeth exclaimed. “It has been far too long since our two sides of the family have been together.”
Nicholas’s grandmother accepted the kiss her daughter-in-law placed on her cheek. Louisa couldn’t help but notice that her smile was forced.
“You were invited to my grandson’s wedding,” she said, her voice carefully neutral.
Elizabeth waved her hand in dismissal.
“Given how hurt my poor Mary was at being deceived about her prospects, I’m sure everyone understands why she didn’t feel up to attending. And as her mother, it was my place to stay by her side during her time of great disappointment. We have decided, however, that the time has come to put our disagreements behind us. We are, after all, family.”
Louisa darted a quick glance at her husband, half expecting him to make a caustic remark about the falseness of his cousin’s hope. She was surprised when he remained silent. She was also grateful. The sooner the subject was finished, the sooner they could move on to less controversial subjects.
“I am very glad of this opportunity to get to know everyone better,” Louisa said.
She avoided looking at Edward as she spoke, remembering all too clearly that not too long ago he’d hoped to get to know her very well indeed.
Mary interrupted, speaking in her customary soft voice. “Mama, I believe dinner is ready to be served.”
“Of course, dear,” Elizabeth said. “We seem to be off to a late start this evening.”
Louisa could hear the censure in the woman’s voice and was surprised, again, when Nicholas said nothing. When she looked at him she could see why. Edward had moved over to the fireplace and was standing there, one foot on the hearth, gazing into the fire. Nicholas was examining him, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. She wasn’t surprised at the hint of anger in his expression, and she guessed then that it was either going to be a very long evening or a very short one if he allowed his anger free rein.
Loving the Marquess Page 20