The next thing Julian knew he was standing in his old bedchamber and several footmen were rushing around preparing a bath for him. He could hear people hurrying around outside and occasionally heard his mother and sisters. Shaking his head in surprise over how quickly his mother had fallen in with his demands and how few questions she had asked concerning his claim that Chloe had visions, he stripped off his filthy clothes and climbed into the tub.
He lingered in the heated water just long enough to ease the aches caused by his mad ride and then began to dress in some of Nigel’s clothes. By the time he stepped out of his room, ready to leave, he saw his mother hurrying toward the stairs attired in her traveling clothes. He hurried to catch up with her.
“Ah, Julian, you do look a great deal better,” she said when he reached her side at the foot of the stairs. “Everything is already strapped to the carriages and the girls are tucked in one along with my maid. I assumed you would ride with me in the other. I called for two carriages because it is so late I know we will probably sleep a little, and that requires room.”
“You are a wonder,” he said and kissed her on the cheek before leading her to the carriage. “I imagine the girls are not very pleased with this sudden journey.”
“No, they are not,” Lady Evelyn said as he helped her into the carriage and then climbed in to sit on the seat across from her.
When the carriage started to move, Julian felt the tight knot of fear that had gripped him so many hours ago begin to loosen. “I am sorry for that, but it is necessary. You will be safer at Colinsmoor, with us and the men we have gathered there.”
“Julian, about these visions you say Chloe has. I do think some people know things that we cannot, but—” She fell silent when he held up his hand.
“I swear to you, they are real. Frighteningly so.” He shook his head. “When she first told me that it was a vision that led her to join her sister and be ready to help my son when Beatrice left him to die, I did not believe it. I do believe it now. It is just not something I can talk you into believing. It is something you have to live with for a while, to see how they come to her, before you can believe.”
“Very well. A part of me does believe in it all, but I hope I will not insult her or hurt her feelings if my belief is not wholehearted.”
“No. As she and her cousin say, a lack of belief, or doubt, does not trouble them. It is the fear that does. And fear is also dangerous, so that is why they keep the truth about the gifts so many of their family has to themselves.”
Lady Evelyn stared at Julian in surprise. “Lord Sir Leopold has visions, too?”
“No.” Julian explained what Leo could do. “I am not sure I will believe all the gifts they claim in their family, but I do believe in Leo and Chloe.”
“And so you should. You would not be alive without them and neither would Anthony. Who do you think planned to,” she hesitated and then took a deep breath before saying, “kill me and the girls?”
“Either Arthur or Beatrice.” He shrugged. “Mayhap both. As I said, they have grown reckless, striking out in ways they never have done before. Each attack against me was obviously carefully planned so that no suspicion would turn their way. Now? Now they just attack. That they do when everyone is now watching them with suspicion only adds to my belief that they, or one of them, has lost control and is acting out of fury. That would be much like Beatrice, but it could also be Arthur in a fury. He must see that his plans to be earl are going awry faster than he can fix the problem or protect himself from blame.”
“I have never liked Arthur,” Lady Evelyn said quietly, “but I never thought him a danger. I hope Lord Sir Leopold finds Mildred and her girls safe.”
“So do I, Mama. Aunt Mildred is as innocent as the rest of us. She and her daughters do not deserve to suffer for my uncle’s ambition.”
“It will be very late before we get to Colinsmoor,” she said and quickly covered a yawn with her hand.
“Rest, Mama. You will need your strength to get the girls settled once we are there.”
“Have you seen the place since you walked away from Beatrice?”
“No. In truth, I have not seen it since long before I left my wife. Beatrice preferred London. We rarely spent much time at Colinsmoor when we were married. The reports I have gotten from the men Leo sent there imply that it is in good shape but that work needs to be done. Uncle obviously did not wish to waste his coin on it for all he seems to covet the title.”
Lady Evelyn closed her eyes. “I think Lady Marston is right. Shoot them both.”
Julian laughed softly and then stared out the window as his mother dozed on the other seat. He was calmer now but he would not relax completely until he got his family tucked safely behind the thick walls of Colinsmoor. The final confrontation with his enemies was coming; he could feel it. He just wished he could find out which one of them was going to hunt him down.
Chloe sighed as strong, lightly calloused hands stroked her breasts. “Is that you, Julian?” She laughed when one of those hands slapped her hip.
“Wretched brat.” He brushed a kiss over her mouth. “You felt sure we would all arrive safely?” he asked as he tugged her nightgown off and tossed it aside.
“Aye and nay. I stayed awake long enough to see your aunt and cousins settled, but Leo sent me to bed when he caught me sleeping on the bench in the hall. I was simply too tired to argue. Did your mother protest too much?”
“Not much. After all, the threat was not just to her, was it? I am afraid my sisters are not very happy, but they know when to just do what their mother tells them and not waste their breath arguing with her.”
Chloe stroked his back, trailing her fingers up and down his spine. “She did not believe the source of the warning, did she?”
“She is doubtful, but not so doubtful that she would risk staying in London.”
“That is good enough.”
“This is good, too,” he murmured as he encircled her breasts with soft kisses and heated strokes of his tongue.
“After all that riding back and forth to London, are you sure you are not too exhausted for this play?” she teased.
He shifted so that his erection pressed against the soft curls at the juncture of her slim thighs. “Does this feel as if I am too exhausted?”
“Nay, it feels very nice.” She tugged at his hair until he lifted his head and then she kissed him. “However, now that so many of your family are gathered around us, are you certain we ought to be indulging ourselves like this?”
“We will be discreet, but I am not giving this up.”
She opened her mouth to argue but he kissed away her protests. Chloe gave herself over to his lovemaking. She had been afraid for him right up until the time Leo had told her to go to bed. Although she had had no further visions, she had known that he was on his way home and would soon return to her side. The taste of that fear still lingered, however, and she was more than willing to wash it away with the passion he could stir to life inside her.
By the time he finished kissing and nipping at her breasts, she was squirming beneath him, her need strong and greedy. She sighed with pleasure as his warm mouth trailed down to her stomach and his clever fingers teased and stroked her womanhood until she ached. Her passion abruptly hesitated when she felt the warmth of his mouth replace his fingers, however, shock pushing aside the need that had possessed her.
“Julian?” she squeaked and tried to move away from him.
“Hush,” he said and gripped her by the hips to hold her in place as he kissed her and licked her. “You will like this.”
Chloe wanted to argue with that command but her passion was already returning, flowing through her hotter and stronger than before. She closed her eyes and let herself be swept away by the magic of his intimate kiss. When she was sure she was going to shatter into small aching pieces if he did not join with her, she tugged at his shoulders. He slowly kissed his way back up her body and when his mouth touched her, he thrust inside he
r.
He rode her hard and Chloe reveled in it. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and hung on tight as he drove them both to the release they craved. Her body still trembling from the strength of her release, she barely flinched when, a few moments after, he cleaned them both off. He crawled back into bed and pulled her into his arms. Chloe rested her head on his chest and could hear his heart begin to slow its frantic beat.
Embarrassment over the intimacy they had just shared tried to creep over her, but she pushed it aside. Despite his year of debauchery, she doubted Julian was given to strange or forbidden practices in the bedchamber. Chloe was determined not to shy away from anything that brought them both that sweet pleasure they could find together.
“Rest, Julian,” she said and kissed his chest. “I can still feel the hint of concern in you. Put it aside for now. You will need your strength in the days to come.”
“True, if only because my house is now overrun with females.” He grunted and then chuckled sleepily when she pinched his waist.
Chloe peeked at him a moment later and saw that he was asleep. She settled herself against his chest again and closed her eyes. She had forgotten to tell him about Jake, but there would be time for that when he woke. Chloe’s last clear thought was that she was glad his family was safe with them now, but she hoped their presence would not rob her of the pleasure of sharing Julian’s bed.
Chapter 15
The branch creaked under the weight of the gently swaying body. Chloe could see it so clearly she was surprised that the tree in front of her held nothing on its branches. She wrapped her arms around herself in a vain attempt to still the shivers rippling through her. It was too late to save Beatrice. What she saw now was more a knowing than a vision. Whatever or whoever sent her the dark, chilling visions just wanted her to know where to find the body this time. She was not meant to save the woman.
“Chloe, dear, are you ill?” asked Lady Evelyn as she stepped up beside Chloe and lightly rubbed her back. “You look so pale.”
“Do you know if there is a large oak tree around here?” she asked Lady Evelyn instead of answering the question about her health. “One with big fat roots that run partly above the earth and trap two pale rocks within them? It sits upon a small hill and I think there is a small rose planted at its feet. Is there something like that around here somewhere?”
“Oh, my, you have had another one of those dreadful visions, have you not? Another warning?”
Seeing how frightened Lady Evelyn looked, Chloe took the older woman’s hands between hers. The doubt the woman had felt about Chloe’s gift had rapidly disappeared when a day after arriving at Colinsmoor her servants had arrived with her baggage and a tale of someone breaking into her home. There had been a battle between the intruders and the servants that had left two of her footmen badly injured. Chloe had seen belief in the woman’s eyes after that. It was a shame that only two days after that she was going to have to reveal more proof to her.
“It had naught to do with you or your daughters or anyone here,” she reassured the woman. “And it was not truly a vision, only a knowing.” That was mostly the truth even though she did not usually have a moment of knowing something complete with an image. “I fear I just saw Beatrice hanging from a tree.”
Lady Evelyn sighed with relief and then shook her head, her expression one of remorse. “I should not feel good about that. It was just that I was so relieved that you had not seen some dark fate for me and mine again.” She grimaced. “I never liked Beatrice or trusted her. I certainly will not pretend a grief I do not feel. Yet—” She hesitated.
“Yet she gave us Anthony,” Chloe said quietly, finally releasing the woman’s hands.
“And tried to kill him. No.” She held up a hand when Chloe started to speak. “You are right. It was Beatrice’s body, her womb, that birthed that bright little boy. All her other crimes aside, one must be grateful for that one good thing that came of her short, misspent life.”
“So, do you know where that tree might be?”
“Yes. It is about an hour’s ride from here, mayhap less. Since I am most often a passenger not a rider, I am not good with the distances from one place to the next. It was Julian’s favorite place when he was a boy. When Beatrice was with child Julian confided in me that he hoped to be able to show his son his favorite place someday. When he thought his son dead, he planted a rose there. I am surprised it has survived.”
“Oh, that is rather sweet.” Then a horrible thought struck Chloe. “Nay, please do not tell me that he has taken Anthony there today?”
“No, no. Be at ease. Anthony was playing some game with the girls in the long gallery when I last saw him. That was but a few moments before I came out here and found you.”
Chloe slumped a little in relief. The mere thought that Anthony might see something so horrible had terrified her. What made it truly chilling was that someday he would have to be told that that woman hanging from a tree had been his mother. It was one of the things many people would say she should never tell him, but she would not keep it a secret from him. Too many people would know and could accidentally tell him, if nothing else.
Shaking off that moment of fear, she asked, “Do you know where Julian and Leo might be, then?”
“In Julian’s office,” replied Lady Evelyn. “They returned from their search for signs of Arthur just a little while ago.”
“Since they have not spoken to me, I have to assume that they did not find Beatrice’s body. There would have been a small uproar since they would have brought the body here.” She sighed. “I had best go tell them that I think I know where at least one sign of Arthur’s presence is.” When she realized Lady Evelyn was walking beside her as she started back to the house, she said, “You do not need to come with me, m’lady. I did not mean to ruin your walk in the garden.”
“S’truth, talk of Beatrice’s body hanging from a tree did briefly dim the beauty of the garden, but I do not flee that. No, I have a sudden need to see my family, my girls, and my darling grandson. All of them. Even poor Mildred.”
“Is Mildred unwell?” Chloe had seen little of Julian’s aunt and wondered if the woman was one of those who felt it was almost a lady’s duty to be weak and ailing at all times. Somehow she doubted it, but there seemed no other reason for the woman to spend so much time in her room.
“No, just sad. She has to know that all this will end with Arthur’s death. It will pass, for she lost her love for her husband a long time ago.”
“Oh. Well, that loss and the understanding that there will never be a chance to make it right may be what has made her so unhappy.”
“True, but I think it is time for speaking bluntly to the woman. She is usually much stronger than this. Cheerful even. This is so unlike her.”
“Is it possible that she somehow thinks she bears some blame for all of this? That mayhap she feels she should have seen what Arthur was doing and warned someone?” When Lady Evelyn just stared at her, Chloe felt a blush creep over her cheeks. “It was just a thought.”
Lady Evelyn kissed her on the cheek. “And an excellent one. That sounds very much like Mildred. Now I know what to say to pull her out of this melancholia.”
Chloe watched as Lady Evelyn hurried up the stairs with the energy and grace of a much younger woman. She thought of the vision she had had of the lady embracing a man on a beach and smiled. It was going to be interesting to see just what sort of man caught the woman’s attention.
Straightening her shoulders she went in search of Julian. She was feeling uneasy, for it seemed as if her visions were coming from Arthur’s twisted mind. It terrified her to think that she might have become tied to him in some strange way. If that was true, then they needed to find Arthur not simply to stop him from killing anyone else but to preserve her sanity. She could not endure many more of these visions of death, not when they came so frequently and clearly.
“The man is near at hand. I know it,” said Julian as he poured himsel
f a brandy. “I swear I can almost smell the bastard.” He handed a drink to Leo and took a sip of his own.
Leo took a drink and then nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. It is no longer just you and Anthony in danger, either. I still think that Arthur now plans to eradicate your whole family. And his own. From what that fellow Jake said when we talked to him, Arthur and Beatrice had become far worse in the last few weeks before you banished them than they had ever been before. He felt sure that the only thing that kept him and the other servants from being killed was that the pair spent so much time in London. Others share his opinion.”
“It has all fallen apart on him, all his plans turning to dust, and now he strikes out in pure fury. We are dealing with a madman now and not just some coldhearted bastard who wanted to be earl and was willing to kill off a few heirs to gain the title and the wealth that came with it. I just know it in my gut. I also do not like how Chloe is having one dark vision after another. It is almost as if my uncle is sending them to her, and that is a damned frightening thought.”
“It will be over soon.”
“Are you certain of that?”
“As certain as one can be of anything. He is losing or has lost all of his allies, the ones who were just fooled into following his lead and the ones who were being threatened into helping him. Simone has disappeared again and is rumored to be back in France, so he has lost all the aid and money she could give him. I think he had promised her something and could not get it. Perhaps the information he wanted the good doctor to get for him. That means he has not only lost her help but could well have someone hunting him down to make him pay for that failure. The people she works for do not tolerate failure. You still live and so does Anthony. He has lost the prestige he had gained through deceit or, again, blackmail. He has also lost the running of this place and the money that put into his pocket. Arthur could now be thinking of killing as many of you as possible before he just disappears.”
If He’s Wicked Page 20