Loving the Marquess

by Suzanna Medeiros

  Brantford considered that possibility before finally shaking his head. “Not yet. You said that she passed a note to Harrison. If it was sealed, the maid may not even be aware of what it contained. No, it would be better if we had Harrison first. He administered the poison, so we know he has the information we need.”

  Nicholas ground his teeth together in frustration.

  Kerrick clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Brantford knows what he’s about. And with Tate already in pursuit, we have a head start in tracking him down. It’s a good thing he thought to send word back. From the sound of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is already on his way back with the bastard as we speak.”

  Nicholas nodded, his mood bleak. This whole ordeal could not be over soon enough. He was right at the edge of his patience and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to sit back and do nothing.

  * * * * *

  Louisa looked up from her embroidery and stared at her husband, who was sitting behind his desk reading more reports. Her heart expanded as she took in his dark good looks. Lines of fatigue bracketed his mouth, the only evidence that he’d stayed up all night watching over her, but he’d refused her suggestion that he rest. She knew she’d be able to tempt him into bed if she promised to join him, but she was still enduring the aftereffects of her recent poisoning. Her head throbbed and her entire body was leaden. She shuddered again as she thought about how close she may have come to dying. After all those weeks she’d spent worrying about Nicholas’s health, it would have been the height of irony if she’d been the one to succumb to his supposed illness.

  She smiled when Nicholas looked up from his reading and met her gaze.

  “You should rest,” he said, concern etched on his face.

  “I was just thinking the same of you.”

  He pushed his chair back from the desk, stood, and walked over to where she sat.

  “Fine, you win,” he said, holding out his hand to her. “We will ask Catherine to oversee the preparation of dinner and retire for an afternoon nap.”

  She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “You’re going to wait until I fall asleep and come back downstairs.”

  He placed a hand over his heart and widened his eyes, appearing very much like a contrite child. “You wound me with your distrust.”

  Louisa couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of her. The day had been a difficult one, and not only because of the lasting physical effects from the night before. The knowledge that someone, Nicholas’s own cousin no less, had tried to hurt the two of them—had, in fact, succeeded in killing Nicholas’s parents and his brother—hung like a dark cloud over everything. She found it almost impossible to believe. Nicholas smiled at her and her breath hitched. Even if he didn’t return her love, she told herself they were good together. If they could stop the poisonings, it was possible the two of them could have a long, happy life together. She had to cling to that hope.

  She placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her up. Nicholas opened the study door but stopped, his head tilted to one side.

  “What is the matter?” she asked.

  She heard it then. The sound of several angry voices carrying from the front of the house. Their eyes met.

  “Do you think…?”

  “I intend to find out.”

  Nicholas strode from the room. She was only a step behind him.

  Her first impression was one of chaos. The front hall was filled with people, and several voices vied to be heard above the others. Edward Manning was cursing profusely, his face red with rage. His mother’s voice, shrill with indignation, matched his in volume. Mary was the sole member of that family who remained quiet. She hung back from the crowd, her face serene. The group included Nicholas’s grandmother, the Earl of Brantford, and Kerrick.

  Silence descended when the group noticed Nicholas and Louisa’s entrance, but only for a moment.

  “What are you playing at, Cousin?” Edward asked.

  “I demand an apology,” Elizabeth Manning screeched. “How dare you have my son dragged here like a common criminal—”

  “Enough.”

  Nicholas’s voice was barely raised, but the command in his tone brought instant obedience. Looking at him now, Louisa found it hard to believe he hadn’t been raised from the cradle to be the next Marquess of Overlea. The silence was absolute as all eyes fixed on Nicholas, who stood tall and unyielding, his demeanor that of someone who would brook no defiance.

  Nicholas turned to face Brantford. “What happened?”

  Elizabeth took a step forward and interrupted before the other man could reply.

  “This… this person accosted your cousin—”

  Her voice died when Nicholas turned the full brunt of his icy anger on her.

  “When I am ready to hear you speak, madam, I will ask for your version of events.”

  His aunt took a breath to reply, but she changed her mind and wisely chose to remain silent. Given her husband’s current mood, Louisa wouldn’t have been surprised if Nicholas locked her away in one of the manor’s many rooms to keep her silent.

  The Earl of Brantford had been leaning against a wall, an expression of extreme boredom on his face. He straightened when Nicholas turned his attention back to him. Louisa was surprised to see that he was almost as tall as her husband. That, however, was where the similarity between the two men ended. Whereas Nicholas had dark hair and dark eyes, Brantford was fair. Light to her husband’s darkness. His hair was cut fashionably short and his eyes were the palest of blue. Louisa had no doubt that those eyes could cut right through a person.

  “Your cousin’s residence was quiet until noon, at which time I observed the servants carrying trunks from the house. As there were two carriages prepared, one for the family and one for the luggage that was being stowed for travel. I could only surmise that a very long absence was planned. When your cousin and his family entered their carriage I had them brought here instead.”

  Nicholas raised a brow at that, but Brantford replied before he could ask the question.

  “I had a pleasant discussion with the coachman and he agreed to let me drive the coach.”

  Nicholas nodded.

  Edward had remained silent long enough. “Now see here, Overlea,” he began, his face still red with rage. “This is taking our family disagreement a little far. We do not have to beg for your approval to move about.”

  Nicholas’s voice was unnaturally calm when he replied, and Louisa knew he was keeping his anger tightly in check. “Where were you going?”

  Edward sputtered. “I don’t have to answer to you—”

  Her husband moved so quickly Edward did not have a chance to evade him. Nicholas was nose to nose with his cousin, his arms grabbing the edges of the other man’s coat to hold him in place.

  “My patience with you is at an end,” he said, his voice a low growl.

  Aunt Elizabeth broke in. “If you must know, we were going to town,” she said, disdain lacing each word. “Edward has been bored here and we must start making arrangements for a new wardrobe for Mary’s Season next spring.”

  It was several moments before Nicholas released his cousin and took a step back.

  “I thought you had no place to stay while in town.”

  “We are not totally without connections,” his aunt replied.

  “Would you care to explain why you were having our house watched by this ruffian?” Edward asked.

  The man in question took a step forward. “The Earl of Brantford,” he said, bowing with a flourish. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance.

  Edward’s eyes bulged slightly, which made Louisa very curious. Whereas before he’d been the picture of indignant anger, he now seemed clearly uneasy.

  “Why have you decided that we be kept a prisoner here in Kent?” Edward asked.

  Nicholas ignored him and turned, instead, to Lord Kerrick. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”

  “Indeed,” Kerrick said. “I wouldn’t be
here now if not for your footman. By the time I’d managed to track him down, Tate was already on his way back with Harrison.”

  Louisa’s eyes were on Edward as Lord Kerrick spoke, but if Nicholas’s cousin was worried about that piece of news he betrayed nothing by his expression. If anything, he seemed completely confused.

  “And?” Nicholas prodded.

  “And the man was most cooperative. After telling us everything, Tate took him to the local magistrate.” Kerrick paused only briefly before continuing. “You were right, Nicholas, about the poisoning.”

  Louisa sucked in her breath. Intellectually, after what had happened to her, she’d known her husband was correct in his suspicions, but to have them confirmed… A part of her hadn’t wanted to believe it was true. To know without a doubt that such evil and jealousy existed in the world.

  She hadn’t realized that Catherine had come into the hallway until that moment. Her sister came to her side and squeezed her hand. Louisa could see that she was also very troubled by what she was witnessing.

  “Damn it all,” Edward said. “Will someone tell me what in blazes is going on?”

  Nicholas turned back to Edward. The corners of his mouth curved up, but there was no satisfaction on his face, only grim determination. Louisa wanted so much to go to him, but she held back, knowing he had to do this on his own.

  “Game over, Cousin,” he said, his voice almost weary. “We know about the poison. You’ll hang for this. You’ve murdered not one, but two marquesses and attempted to kill a third.”

  The color drained from Elizabeth Manning’s face, but Edward continued to protest his innocence. “You are insane,” he said, the first hint of fear touching his eyes. “You can’t possibly hope to make people believe I poisoned anyone, and especially not my own uncle and cousins.”

  “We have proof that Nicholas was being poisoned,” Kerrick said. “We have the poison itself. Harrison, being the fool that he is, still had it on him. He was hoping to dispose of it once he left Kent. And he confessed that he was paid handsomely to add a small quantity to Nicholas’s brandy so that everyone would believe he was ill. His eventual death would, therefore, be attributed to that mysterious illness.”

  Edward’s gaze swung wildly between Kerrick and Nicholas.

  “You are both mad. I didn’t poison anyone.”

  “Actually,” Kerrick said, “I already know that.”

  Now it was Nicholas and Louisa’s turn to stare at him in confusion.

  “You just said that Harrison confessed,” Nicholas said.

  “He did, but he wasn’t being paid by Edward.”

  At that explosive piece of news all eyes turned to Elizabeth Manning. The woman’s anger flared higher still and she made no pretense of hiding her hatred.

  “I had nothing to do with any poisonings. If this person hopes to pin the blame for his own actions on me, he is sadly mistaken.”

  Kerrick shook his head. “No, not you. I know you are innocent. Your daughter, however, is not.”

  “Mary? That is preposterous!”

  Mary had been standing silently in the background, taking in the whole scene as though she was merely a spectator. Now that she was thrust into the spotlight, however, her entire bearing changed. Louisa could only stare in horrified fascination as the formerly meek woman transformed right before their eyes. She took a step forward and stood with her head held high. Her voice rang out in a volume they had never before heard from her.

  “I obviously dallied much too long. I should have finished you off months ago,” she said, hatred and something else blazing in her eyes.

  It took few seconds for Louisa to recognize it. Madness. From the expressions on the faces of Mary’s mother and brother, it was clear they were equally shocked.

  “What are you saying, Mary?” Elizabeth’s voice was unsteady. “Stop this nonsense at once.”

  Mary laughed and the sound caused a frisson of disquiet to race down Louisa’s spine.

  “Nonsense? You didn’t think bartering me off to a hated cousin, then attempting to do the same with a second one, was nonsense. Oh no, I’m the meek, mild Mary. I’m supposed to stand back and allow you to sell me off so you can have more spending money.”

  “Mary!”

  Edward was stunned at his sister’s words. She turned to face him, her composure back in place.

  “You should thank me, brother dear. With this family out of the way, you were next in line to inherit. We’d both have been free then. You to do whatever you wish without monetary restraint and me from being forced to marry.”

  “You did this horrible thing for me? Murder? What the hell were you thinking?”

  “Don’t be stupid, Edward, I did it for me. Don’t look at me that way, Mother. When Nicholas slipped out of your grasp and married someone else, we both know you were intending to marry me off to the next highest bidder once we hit town. No doubt some old goat who would maul me.”

  After her stunning outburst, Mary turned to leave, but Brantford had moved behind her while she spoke and now barred her exit.

  “I’m going to have to insist that you accompany me to the magistrate,” he said. His tone was even, but even in her madness Mary could see that he was not a man to be crossed. She said nothing further as the earl led her from the house. Louisa couldn’t tell if she failed to recognize the consequences that lay ahead for her or if she simply didn’t care.

  Nicholas turned to Louisa and took hold of her hands, squeezing them lightly. She could tell from his expression that the revelation it was mild-mannered Mary who’d been behind the poisonings had shaken him.

  “Kerrick and I need to go with them,” he said.

  Louisa nodded. Of course. The magistrate would need to know everything Nicholas had experienced over the past months and what had led to his suspicions he was being poisoned. And there were also the two attempts on her life.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Try to get some rest while I am gone. I know you’re still not feeling well.”

  He dropped a quick kiss on her lips before releasing her, and Louisa watched him leave without a word. She’d thought she would be relieved when the danger they faced was over, but she wasn’t. New doubts flooded her mind and her heart. Now that Nicholas knew he was healthy, would he regret his hasty decision to marry her? Her mood sank as she contemplated that possibility.

  * * * * *

  So much had happened over the past few months that it was almost impossible for Louisa to take it all in. After Mary’s dramatic confession and exit, Edward and Elizabeth had left without another word. Along with the now-deceased Henry Manning, their family had resented Nicholas’s branch of the family with a hatred that went beyond reason. It was clear, however, that no one had imagined their hatred would infect Mary, the most fragile member of the family, in such a manner.

  When Nicholas returned, he told Louisa that Mary had confessed to everything. How she’d learned of the poisonous qualities of the flower she liked so much from a friend’s casual remark shortly before the two sides of the Manning family finalized the agreement for Mary and Nicholas’s brother, James, to marry. What they hadn’t known was that Mary had fallen in love with the youngest son of an impoverished baronet during her first Season, but her mother had forbidden the match. She had watched, brokenhearted, as he courted and then wed another.

  The seeds of her madness had been planted and they grew rapidly. She’d attempted to kill herself by consuming a tea brewed from the leaves of the plant. Instead of dying, however, she had merely fallen ill. She then conceived the idea of giving the poison to her uncle, hoping that his resulting illness would cause the Overleas to postpone her wedding to James.

  She hadn’t intended to kill him, but the effects from ingesting the plant weren’t instantaneous if only a small amount was used. When Nicholas’s father suffered a delayed attack while driving into the village, he lost control of the carriage, killing him and his wife instantly. Instead of feeling guilt, however, Mary had b
een relieved. Her betrothal to James had not yet been officially announced, and she hoped that he would change his mind during the mourning period.

  She’d been disappointed when she learned he intended to go through with their union after the period of mourning was over and had moved forward with a more aggressive timetable for James, not caring that she was playing an active role in another’s death. In her desperation, he was given much larger doses and his swift death from the poison had been inevitable. She was so deep into it at that point that she couldn’t stop. She’d decided that she would only be free from her mother’s matchmaking schemes by ensuring her brother became the Marquess of Overlea.

  They were preparing for bed when Louisa told Nicholas that she felt sorry for Mary.

  Nicholas scoffed at her softheartedness. “That ‘poor girl’ killed my family and almost succeeded in killing me. And lest you forget, she did the same to you. Not once, but twice. The first when she ordered Harrison to sabotage your saddle so you’d fall from your horse.”

  Louisa gasped. “She caused my accident? When did you learn that?”

  “I knew your saddle had been tampered with almost immediately.”

  “And you never said anything?”

  “I didn’t wish to frighten you.” Nicholas reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “I already suspected the poisoning but didn’t suspect you’d also be in danger. I believe by that time Mary wasn’t thinking clearly at all.”

  “I don’t believe she was ever thinking clearly,” Louisa said, shaking her head. “What will happen to her?”

  “It’s likely she’ll be committed to an asylum.”

  Louisa shuddered at the thought. Death would be more merciful.

  “I don’t understand Harrison’s part in all this. You said Mary’s maid didn’t know what she was delivering to him, but Harrison clearly knew exactly what he was doing.”

  “He did it for the money,” Nicholas said. She frowned in disbelief and he continued. “Apparently he fathered a son in his youth. When the boy reached his majority he developed a liking for cards, but he had no affinity for it and quickly amassed a rather large amount of gaming debts. Of course, he made his situation worse by borrowing money from the wrong people.” Nicholas paused as he struggled to keep his voice even. “If Harrison had gone to my father instead of accepting payment from Mary to poison him, I’m sure he would have helped him.”