Masked Intentions [Unmasking Prometheus] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Diana Bold

  Morgan made a sound of angry frustration. “After everything she’s done? The blackmail? Finding out she was Roger’s wh—”

  “Shut up.” Adrian pinned his brother with a furious glare. “Don’t say it. You know nothing about it. Roger…he hurt her. That’s all you need to know. She was just a child, and he…hurt her.”

  Lucien sighed, and even Morgan had the good grace to look away.

  “You’re not Robin Hood,” Lucien told him quietly. “You can’t save everyone. I know you have strong feelings for this girl, but perhaps you could at least postpone the wedding? You’re not thinking clearly right now. I’ve never seen you this way.”

  Adrian ran his hand through his hair, wondering if he looked as distraught as he felt. No wonder they were worried about him. He didn’t know how to explain it to them. He didn’t fully understand it himself. “I have to marry her. I just…need her.”

  “You’re in love with her.” Morgan gave a huff of exasperated laughter, his entire demeanor changing. “Christ, I never thought I’d see the day.”

  Adrian clenched his jaw, refusing to admit it. Even to himself. “Let’s go downstairs. I have to check on Gabriel.”

  His brothers followed him without further comment. They might not agree with his choice, but one thing he knew for certain was that they’d support him, whatever their own reservations.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Roger stood on the sidewalk outside his stepbrother’s townhouse, shaking with fury. He couldn’t believe that he’d been thrown out by Morgan of all of them. He rubbed his throat, humiliated. He hadn’t thought the mealymouthed little twit had it in him.

  Squaring his shoulders, he straightened his cravat and headed for his coach.

  It didn’t matter. He’d achieved what he’d come for.

  Adrian would never marry Vanessa now that he knew she was one of Roger’s castoffs. His pride would never allow him to take his hated stepbrother’s leavings.

  “Bloomsbury Square,” he ordered his coachman as he swung up into his lavishly appointed vehicle.

  Adrian had somehow evaded the trap he’d set for him, but Roger’s certainty that his stepbrother was behind his lost business had been confirmed when Vanessa had entered with that boy…Gabriel.

  He’d been furious when that boy in particular had been stolen from him, as he’d been holding on to him as leverage on another matter. At least he knew where Gabriel was now, and he could put his mind to finding out a way to get him back. Or perhaps he’d just leave him with Adrian for now. That might prove more painful for everyone involved if he ever chose to give Gabriel back to his rightful parents.

  He shook his head, filing that thought away for later contemplation.

  One day soon, Adrian would find that stealing from Roger had even more dire consequences now than when they were children. Roger would not be happy until Prometheus’s broken body laid before him, and he could finally pull that mask away and see Adrian’s hideous scarred face beneath it.

  Until then, he would continue to take his frustrations out on Bridget, content with the thought that Adrian’s planned marriage was in shambles.

  * * * *

  Vanessa had just finished wiping the tears from her face when someone knocked discretely at the door. She took a deep breath, then went to answer it. To her surprise, she found Fiona waiting on the other side.

  “You look like hell,” the redhead said, entering the room and then shutting the door behind her. “Adrian told me you might need some help.” She held up a small bag filled with cosmetics.

  “Oh, thank God,” Vanessa cried, clutching the bag to her chest. If there was one thing she was good at, it was making herself into something she was not. Today, she would be the happy, blushing bride.

  She turned back toward the mirror and began applying a thin coat of powder to her reddened, tear-ravaged cheeks,

  Fiona placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  Vanessa nodded, drawing from somewhere deep inside herself to keep from giving into tears once again. “I’m so glad you’re here, Fiona! I’m so sorry. I should have come to you and told you what was going on, but everything’s been such a mess.”

  “Adrian came and told me. I was so thrilled when he wanted to adopt Gabriel.” Fiona gave her a wan smile. “You can’t imagine how shocked I was when he finally showed his face to me and told me who he was. I’ve waited for that for so many years.”

  “Did he tell you all of it?” Vanessa asked, swallowing dryly, so ashamed of everything she’d done that had led her to this moment, but still wanting Adrian with every breath in her body. He had to feel something, or he wouldn’t be going through with this, not after what had just happened.

  Fiona frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I found out who he was, and I begged him to take off the mask, but he wouldn’t. And then he stopped coming to see me. So I went to his house and told him I knew who he was and if he didn’t marry me, I’d tell the authorities who he was.”

  Fiona’s lovely green eyes widened. “Oh, Vanessa. He must be so angry!”

  Vanessa nodded numbly. “That’s not even the worst of it. When we arrived, Adrian’s stepbrother was here. He was the man I told you about. The one from my past. The whole thing was awkward, to say the least.”

  “Awkward?” Fiona reached out and brushed Vanessa’s puffy cheek. “I’d say it was a little more than that, love.”

  “Adrian’s so hurt. Even though he didn’t call off the wedding, I’m afraid we’ll never work past this.” She deftly ran a stick of kohl across her lashes, bringing out her dark eyes.

  “What happened with that man was not your fault,” Fiona said, hugging her fiercely from behind. “You can’t let your past define you. I think Adrian understands that better than most people. He’ll come around. Just give him time. When he came to arrange for Gabriel’s adoption, I could tell how much he cared for you.”

  “You were right about him being damaged,” Vanessa admitted softly. “I was willing to go to such lengths to make him mine. I thought I could fix him. But perhaps I underestimated my own…damage.”

  Fiona laughed and stepped away. “Don’t sell yourself short. You got him to reveal himself, something I tried to do for nearly a decade without success. As long as you don’t give up on him, I know he’ll never give up on you.”

  A small smile curved Vanessa’s lips at her friend’s words, and she realized the girl in the mirror no longer looked as though she’d just been crying. She turned and handed the cosmetics back, the smile lingering. “Have I told you how much your friendship means to me, Fiona?” Her relief that Fiona had not turned against her too was absolute. She couldn’t have borne that, not on top of everything else.

  “Well, you’re pretty important to me, too,” Fiona assured her. “Now let’s go downstairs and get you married to that lovely, troubled man. Maybe the two of you can fix each other.”

  * * * *

  Adrian caught his breath when Vanessa entered the conservatory on Lucien’s arm. She looked stunning, all signs of her earlier breakdown erased as though it had never happened. He didn’t know whether to be pleased or frightened by that fact. Truth be told, he hadn’t been entirely sure she’d go through with it.

  Morgan, who stood at his side, gave him a rueful grin. “She’s beautiful. I’ll give you that.”

  “Yes,” Adrian murmured. “She certainly is.”

  Her dark hair was piled into an intricate knot atop her head, with satiny tendrils curling about her slim neck. The pale cream gown was cut low, and emeralds sparkled upon the upper curves of her magnificent chest. Her dark eyes met his, and what he saw there stilled his rioting emotions. Actress she may be, but he chose to believe the concern and care in her gaze were authentic.

  His mother had done wonders with Lucien’s conservatory, filling it with flowers, candles, and ribbons. Less than fifty guests were in attendance, sitting in five rows of chairs on either side of the aisle. There were stil
l too many, as far as he was concerned, but they were all family or old friends, no one here to simply gawk. He’d caught a glimpse of Gabriel sitting beside Morgan’s wife, Anne, but had refused to meet his mother’s gaze. He’d deal with her later.

  At last, Lucien delivered Vanessa to his side, giving him an encouraging smile as he took his place beside Morgan. Vanessa lifted her gaze tremulously to his as he took her arm and turned to face the minister.

  The ceremony passed in a blur, and before he knew it, Vanessa Bourke was his wife.

  “Kiss her,” Morgan coaxed with a laugh, and Adrian realized he’d missed the minister’s prompt to do so.

  Vanessa stared up at him, her heart in her eyes, and he couldn’t resist. He bent his head and touched his lips to hers, catching his breath when she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe, turning the chaste kiss he’d meant to give her into something far more passionate.

  Laughter erupted around them, and then a smattering of applause. He finally forced himself to pull away, a little embarrassed.

  “We’re married,” Vanessa said softly.

  “Yes,” he said grimly. “We are.” God help us both.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The wedding brunch was served in the earl’s ornate dining room, a cavernous room decorated in green and gold, with extraordinary china atop a table that looked as though it could seat at least twenty. Vanessa prepared herself for it to be nearly as excruciating as the engagement party had been. Most of the wedding guests had already left, including Fiona, who needed to get back to Brookhaven. The twenty or so people who filed into the room seemed to be mostly Adrian’s family, but Vanessa still felt awkward and unwanted.

  Gabriel had been taken to the nursery with the other children, and Vanessa felt as though she hadn’t a soul on her side, not even Adrian, who, after that rather spectacular kiss, had proceeded to completely ignore her.

  However, when they finally sat down at the long table, a lovely blonde woman seated across from her smiled warmly. “I’m Anne, Morgan’s wife,” she introduced herself. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to meet you before today. This little one kept me from coming to your engagement ball.” She rested her hand upon her stomach, and Vanessa realized that she was heavily pregnant.

  “How much longer until the baby arrives?” Vanessa asked, unsure whether that was an acceptable thing to ask, but curious all the same and nearly desperate to keep the conversation going. This was the first time she’d felt welcomed all day.

  “A little more than a month, I should think,” Anne replied, not seeming to mind talking about the subject.

  “The boy and the girl are yours?” Vanessa asked, realizing that they were now her niece and nephew.

  “Stephen is four, and Hannah is two,” Anne supplied. “Your little boy, Gabriel, is an angel. He behaved himself beautifully during the ceremony.”

  “Thank you so much for keeping an eye on him today,” Vanessa said, some of her tension and fear dissipating in the wake of Anne’s kindness. “I’m afraid I can’t take credit for his good behavior yet, though. I’ve only recently adopted him.”

  “Oh, I thought…” Anne’s gaze flickered back and forth between Adrian and Vanessa a few times, as though she were trying to puzzle something out, but then she shrugged prettily. “Never mind.”

  Adrian had caught their conversation, and he gave his sister-in-law an exasperated look. “You thought what, Anne?”

  She flushed. “I just thought perhaps the boy was yours, Adrian. He looks so very much like you.” Vanessa would have been angry by the comment if she thought that Anne was being cruel, but there was no judgement or malice in Anne’s pale-blue eyes, just curiosity.

  The striking resemblance between Adrian and Gabriel had seemed sweet to her at first, but Anne’s words made her realize what everyone was thinking. All these people probably believed she’d been Adrian’s mistress for years.

  “He’s mine now,” Adrian said shortly, making Vanessa’s heart swell with emotion. She still couldn’t believe that he’d adopted Gabriel. Despite everything that had gone wrong today, that one thing had proven to her that he still cared for her, at least a little bit, enough that he didn’t care what these people believed. She clung to the thought, wishing she dared reach beneath the table and take his hand in hers.

  “What is that you say?” the countess loudly asked the earl, who sat next to her at the head of the table. “Do you mean to tell me that in addition to marrying an actress, your brother has adopted a beggar child?”

  The room fell silent, and Vanessa could feel the fury coursing through Adrian. Giving into temptation, she reached over and placed her hand over his. For a moment, she thought he’d pull away, but then he twined his fingers around hers so tightly it hurt.

  “I think it’s wonderful,” Anne spoke up, endearing her to Vanessa even more. “I’ve always thought Adrian would be an amazing father.”

  His grip on her hand eased a bit, and he cleared his throat. “Thank you, Anne. I can only hope to be half the husband and father that Morgan is.”

  The young blonde girl halfway down the table, who Vanessa had learned was Lady Allison, Adrian’s half-sister, gave them both a smile, though Vanessa wasn’t sure it reached her eyes. Quite a bit of their mother there, she feared. “Lovely,” she said. “That means I’m an auntie again.”

  Morgan grinned from his spot next to Anne, while the countess sulked, seeming angry that Anne had said anything.

  After a moment, Adrian released her hand so that he could eat, and she struggled not to let her disappointment show. The rest of the meal seemed interminable.

  * * * *

  When the meal had ended, Adrian went in search of his mother. He found her in the drawing room, surrounded by several of her catty friends, no doubt bemoaning the trials and tribulations of having a scarred monster for a son.

  Clearing his throat, he interrupted their conversation, causing all three of them to stare at him with thinly veiled disgust. “Mother, may I have a word with you?”

  She sniffed and inclined her head. “I suppose.” Rolling her eyes at her friends, she allowed Adrian to take her arm and lead her to a private sitting room down the hall. Once inside, he closed the door and turned to look at her.

  “Why did you invite Roger to my wedding when I specifically asked you not to?”

  She frowned, and seemed about to protest, but then thought better of it and shrugged prettily. “Well, he did not come, so what does it matter?”

  “He did come,” Adrian snarled, his patience gone. “We had quite a row, and he nearly ruined the entire day.”

  “What did you do?” she asked, her concern, as always, for Roger. “Why was he not there for the ceremony?”

  “Because I sent him away,” he said impatiently. “And you haven’t answered my question.”

  She refused to meet his gaze, instead pacing over to the window and staring out. “Well, I needed someone who is on my side here today. You and your brothers make no secret of your disdain for me, and Allison and I are having another of our spats. Roger loves me as though I am his real mother, and I love him!”

  “I am sorry you feel that none of us are on your side,” Adrian said, struggling for patience. “But you know how I feel about him, and I didn’t want him here.”

  She kept her back to him, offering no response.

  He sighed and scrubbed his hand across his face. He didn’t know why he was letting her hatred for him get to him so badly today. It had always been this way, and he’d thought he’d learned to live with it. Perhaps he’d just hoped that on this day, of all days, the woman who’d given birth to him would show him just an inkling of love or pride.

  He’d been wrong, and he hated himself for allowing himself to hope such a foolish thing. If his own mother couldn’t love him, how could he ever expect Vanessa to?

  “Why?” he asked softly, hating himself for his weakness but needing to hear her say it. “Why do you hate me so, Mother?”


  She whirled around and the fury in her eyes startled him into taking a step back. “Because you killed him! You killed the love of my life. If your father hadn’t gone back for you, he’d still be here with me!”

  That was what he’d thought, but it still stung to hear her say it. With a shake of his head, he turned and left the room.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Later that afternoon, Vanessa, Adrian, and Gabriel arrived back at Adrian’s townhouse. Gabriel had chatted nonstop during the trip from Lucien’s, full of commentary about the wedding and his new cousins. Vanessa had been grateful for the distraction, because Adrian hadn’t said a word.

  She had no idea what lay in store for her this evening. When he’d accepted her proposal, he’d promised to make use of her body. She’d been so certain the physical side of their relationship would help to bring them close in other ways. However, something in the tense set of his shoulders made her doubt that he had any intention of coming to her bed tonight.

  “Come see my new room, Mama,” Gabriel begged, as soon as they entered the house. “It’s bigger than your whole flat.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes upon hearing that word from the little boy’s lips, and she dropped to her knees beside him, hugging him tightly. “I love hearing you call me that,” she told him, tickling him a bit.

  “I like saying it,” Gabriel replied, looking happier than she’d ever seen him.

  “Do you mind?” she asked Adrian softly, growing more and more disturbed by his silence.

  “Of course not,” he said with a shrug. “Get the boy settled in. I’ll have dinner sent up for the two of you. I’m sure he’d love it if you read to him and tucked him in.”

  “Yes,” Gabriel said in glee, clapping his hands in excitement.