Song Of The Nightingale (DeWinter's Song 1)

by Constance O'Banyon

  “Kassidy, I feel as if I know you.”

  Her eyes went to the door, and she wondered if she could make it to safety before he caught her. Should she yell out for Ambrose? Surely this man and his mother would not attempt to harm her or her unborn child with so many servants about. Kassidy knew she was not thinking rationally, but she couldn’t ignore the fear that threatened to close off her breathing.

  Hugh saw the apprehension in his sister-in-law’s eyes and stepped back several paces. “I suppose ... I should have waited to be introduced by Raile. I merely came to see my daughter—what’s her name?—I don’t even know.”

  Kassidy’s voice came out in a trembling whisper. “No, I’ll never allow you to see her. Please leave now, and if you must return, do so when Raile is at home.”

  Hugh saw her swaying on her feet and reached out to steady her, when she cried out, “No, don’t touch me ... don’t ever touch me ... I won’t have you near Arrian or my unborn baby. After what you did to my sister, how can you think I would want to see you?”

  Hugh was shocked. He had not expected such a violent reaction to his visit. “I can assure you—“

  “Hugh, what in the hell are you doing here?” Raile said, rushing toward Kassidy. She turned into his arms, and he could feel her trembling. “You dare upset my wife, Hugh,” Raile said in an angry voice. He led Kassidy toward the door so he could take her to her room.

  Raile called over his shoulder to his brother. “Wait for me in the study. I want to talk to you.”

  Kassidy could not stop trembling, so Raile picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs.

  Elspeth was waiting for her in the bedroom, and she rushed forward when she saw Kassidy’s white face.

  “Stay with her,” Raile said, laying Kassidy on the bed. “I’ll return later.”

  Kassidy grabbed Raile’s hand. “Don’t let him take Arrian. Please don’t let him have her.”

  Raile took her small hands in his. “I won’t allow him near her if you don’t want me to, and I certainly would never allow him to take her away from you.”

  “Why is he here? Did his mother come with him?”

  Raile glanced up at Elspeth, who placed a coverlet on Kassidy that she had just warmed at the fireplace. “No, Kassidy, Lavinia would never dare to come here.”

  She turned her face into the pillow, her body racked with fear.

  “See to her, Elspeth. Try to calm her,” Raile said. “I will return in a few moments.”

  The maid nodded. “I take it your half brother’s here, your grace?”

  “I never thought his appearance would frighten Kassidy so much.”

  Elspeth stared into his eyes. “That’s because you don’t know how she suffered because of him.”

  Raile looked back to his wife. “Hugh will be gone within the hour, Kassidy. And I shall leave instructions with Ambrose that he is not to be admitted again. Will that make you feel better?”

  “They will find me, Raile. No matter where I go, they will find me.”

  He touched her forehead and found it burning hot. “Elspeth, have Oliver send for Doctor Worthington,” he said, in a worried voice. He left abruptly, making his way to his study where he knew he’d find Hugh waiting.

  “Why in the hell are you here, Hugh? You know I have forbidden you to come to the castle.”

  “I swear to you, Raile, I never intended to frighten your wife. I never had a woman so afraid of me before and I can tell you, it isn’t a pleasant experience.”

  “For once in your life, Hugh, think of others’ feelings and not your own. I could thrash you for what you did to Kassidy.”

  Hugh looked deflated. “My mother did it to her, Raile— not me. I am guilty only in not stopping her when I could have.” There was earnestness in his eyes. “The reason I am here now is to warn you that my mother is completely mad, Raile. Even faithful Meg has left her because she fears her.”

  Raile was skeptical. “How do I know this isn’t just another of your schemes?”

  “You don’t. But I swear to you that I’m telling the truth, Raile. I need your help to stop her before she harms anyone else.” Hugh’s eyes snapped with fire. “She has to be stopped, Raile. My mother is insisting that she will destroy your child before it’s born.”

  “Like hell, she will, Hugh. Do you think I’ll let her near my wife?”

  There was anguish in Hugh’s eyes. “You can’t stop her, Raile—no one can. She won’t hesitate to crush anyone who stands in the way of what she wants. Your wife and baby stand in the way, Raile.”

  Raile looked into Hugh’s eyes which had turned wild with fear. “Oh, God, you cannot imagine some of the things she’s done.”

  “I’m listening, Hugh. Suppose you tell me.”

  “It’s not pretty, Raile. She went out of her head when she learned your wife was with child and told me things. He shuddered. “If only I had known what she was capable of, perhaps I could have stopped her.”

  “Go on, Hugh,” Raile said grimly.

  “First of all, there’s what she did to John. I would never have believed my mother was evil. I always thought her misguided and ambitious, but never capable of murder.”

  Raile listened, sickened by what Hugh was telling him. He was filled with rage when Hugh told him how Lavinia had hired the Beale brothers to kill their cousin.

  “Where is Lavinia?” Raile asked. “It’s time I put an end to her evil.”

  Hugh shook his head. “I don’t know where to find her. But I feel she’s nearby watching the castle for a chance to get to you and your wife. You should guard Kassidy day and night.”

  “How do you guard against a madwoman, Hugh? She could be anywhere.”

  “I don’t know, Raile, but I had to warn you.” He looked into his brother’s eyes. “And I am most sincerely sorry I frightened your wife. I would like to have come to know her because Abigail loved her dearly. I would also like to become acquainted with my daughter.”

  “Neither will be possible at this time. I still don’t know that I can trust you, Hugh.”

  “I deserve that. But if you don’t believe anything I’ve ever said, Raile, believe my mother is dangerous.” “You’d better leave. I promised Kassidy I would send you away.”

  “I’ll go, but I will only be as far as the village. You watch for my mother here, and I’ll watch for her there. Surely between us, we can find her.”

  Kassidy’s fever had returned. Raile stayed at her side day and night, feeling powerless to help her, and worrying that this siege might harm his unborn child.

  Around dawn on the third day, Kassidy’s fever broke. As she began to recover, she felt ashamed of how emotionally she had received Raile’s brother. But she was not sorry that Raile had sent Hugh away. She would never allow him near Arrian.

  John Fielding, known as the Blind Magistrate of the Bow Street Runners, listened attentively to a letter from the duke of Ravenworth.

  “And in conclusion, Mr. Fielding, I believe you will find evidence to bring the Beale brothers to trial for the murder of my cousin, the late Lord John DeWinter. I will have more information forthcoming when next I come to London,” the secretary read.

  John Fielding nodded. “I’ll see those two hang,” he said with feeling. “I always knew they were up to no good, but until the duke of Ravenworth became our ally, I could prove nothing on them.”

  “I wonder why he’s so anxious to help?” his secretary asked.

  “He helped us put them in Newgate. Now he helps us hang them. Never mind the reason, we got ‘em now.”

  33

  Cold March winds gave way to warmer April sunshine. Kassidy and Arrian often visited the stables or the kennel. Arrian would squeal with delight as the pups licked her face, jumped in her lap, and rolled her on the ground.

  Kassidy began to suspect she was being watched—or guarded would be more likely. While she was in the castle, either Elspeth or Mrs. Fitzwilliams was always nearby. If she went out to the stables, Atkins o
r Oliver remained at her side.

  She decided to face Raile and demand to know why her every movement was being monitored.

  That night when Kassidy climbed into bed, Raile came in and draped his coat across the chair.

  “Oliver has gone to London, and I find myself without a valet. I suspect I’ll have to undress myself.”

  “That’s the third time in as many weeks that Oliver has gone to London. I am not a child that I don’t know something has occurred that you are all keeping from me. Why do Oliver and Atkins take turns going to London? And why does Elspeth sleep in my room when you are late?”

  “You were very ill, you know, and you are going to have my baby,” Raile said evasively.

  “Your words are not convincing, Raile. 1 know you are keeping something from me, and I want to know what it is.”

  He feigned surprise. “Why do you think such a thing?”

  “Don’t condescend. I will not have this secrecy, where everyone knows what’s happening, save myself.”

  He tried to lighten the mood. “Such malevolence. Only sweet words should come from those sweet lips.”

  Kassidy crawled under the covers and propped her head on a pillow. “I could easily be angry with you, Raile. Don’t you know my imagination is worse than anything you could tell me?”

  The bed swayed beneath his weight. He blew out the candle and the room was bathed in soft firelight. “It’s true I have been keeping something from you, Kassidy. But it’s only because I don’t want you upset.”

  “Then tell me,” she pleaded.

  He hesitated for only a moment, trying to decide how much to say. “I’m sleepy, Kassidy. Could we not talk about this tomorrow?”

  Kassidy’s hair swirled about her as she turned to face him. “No. Tell me now.”

  “Are you becoming a fishwife?”

  “Are you trying to distract me?”

  He traced the outline of her lips with his finger. “Are you truly angry with me?”

  “I... no ... I’m not mad at you.”

  He raised up and glanced at her with mockery dancing in his eyes. “Now that I know that, perhaps you would allow me to sleep?”

  “Indeed, I will not, Raile,” Kassidy said demandingly. “I want to know why I am never left alone.”

  He let out an impatient breath. “Very well, Kassidy.” He pulled her into his arms, hoping to keep her fear at bay. “Do you remember the day Hugh came to see me?”

  “Yes. How could I forget?”

  “He came to warn me about Lavinia. She is demented.”

  “There’s more to it than that.”

  “Lavinia has aspirations that Hugh should be the duke, rather than me.”

  Kassidy shivered, knowing very well how evil Raile’s stepmother was. “Do you trust Hugh?”

  “Not entirely. But in this I believe he was being honest.”

  “All I see is that you are taking precautions to guard me, Raile, but what about yourself?”

  “I am in no danger that I can’t handle.”

  Her eyes rounded in horror, and her hand went to her stomach. “It’s the baby she’s after, isn’t it? She wants to...” So horrible was her fear, that she could not continue.

  Raile held her tightly in his arms. “I’ll not let her harm you, Kassidy—I swear it. You do believe that, don’t you?”

  “Yes, Raile. I know I’m as safe as you can make me. I’m not frightened for myself, but for our baby.”

  She buried her face against his neck, refusing to give in to tears. She would be strong—she must. At last she raised her head and looked at him. “I will die before I let her harm our baby, Raile.”

  His arms tightened about her. “Everything is being done to find her, Kassidy.” He raised her chin and made her look at him. “Promise me when you are outside the castle you will do nothing foolish. Never go anywhere without either Elspeth, Atkins, or Oliver.”

  “I promise, Raile.”

  He was unaware that he was gently stroking her hair. “She will have to go through me and the devil to get to you, Kassidy. And I swear to you, she could more easily deal with the devil than with me.”

  * * *

  Lavinia had come once more to the village of Ravenworth in disguise. This time she wore a plain homespun gown. Her stockings were of thick cotton, and her shoes were heavy and uncomfortable like those worn by the village women. Her hair was tied back with a frayed scarf. No one suspected who she was, and she was able to walk among the villagers without anyone being suspicious of her.

  She had chosen farmer Thomas Creag as a means of getting to Raile’s wife. Thomas Creag was the farmer who delivered sweet cream and butter to Ravenworth Castle every Saturday. How easily she had convinced the unsuspecting man that she was a widow by the name of Betty Daniels, and in desperate need, and that she would work for him for the price of a bed at night and two meals a day.

  Lavinia had no aversion to hard work if it got her what she wanted in the end. She did the washing and mending—she scrubbed the floors and cooked the meals. She watched after the farmer’s five children and waited on his wife, who was about to deliver her sixth baby.

  Lavinia’s hands were chapped and bleeding, but it didn’t matter. She would do anything to obtain her final goal. When she lived in the castle, she would have servants grovel at her feet. She would one day be mistress there, she swore.

  She glanced out the thatched-roof cottage to the castle in the distance. Laughter escaped her throat. “You will never find me here, in the shadow of Ravenworth Castle, Raile,” she said, her eyes dull with madness.

  Gabrielle Candeur felt her heart racing as she stepped out of her coach and moved up the steps of Ravenworth Castle. She had been so certain she would never see Raile again until the letter had arrived from him begging her to come to the castle at once, and in the letter he had proclaimed his love and devotion for her.

  She had been too happy to question why Raile would invite her to his ancestral home, and she didn’t care what had happened to his wife—she only knew he had asked her to come, and she was there.

  The butler who answered her knock was polite but reserved. “I’m sorry, miss, but his grace did not mention to me that he was expecting anyone. If you will wait in here,” he said, showing her into the formal sitting room, “I’ll inform him you are here.”

  She glanced about the room that was decorated in sunny yellows. There was an aura of tradition here, of nobility, and of ancient ancestry.

  Would Raile ask her to be a part of this world? Happiness burst within her breast. She was sure he would never let her go again. Perhaps he would want her to give up acting to be at his beck and call—and she would gladly do it for him.

  Raile stared at Ambrose, thinking he must have misunderstood. “What name did the woman give you?”

  The butler wondered why his grace seemed disturbed. “The lady said her name is Gabrielle Candeur.”

  Raile brushed past Ambrose, his anger simmering. “If this is someone’s notion of a jest, I don’t find it amusing.”

  When he entered the sitting room, Gabrielle rushed to him, throwing herself into his arms.

  “Raile, I came as soon as I could.” She looked into his face. “I am so happy you missed me as much as I missed you.”

  He gripped her shoulders and pushed her away from him. “What nonsense is this, Gabrielle? Why are you here?”

  Her bottom lip trembled, and her large eyes filled with tears. “But the letter you sent... I thought...”

  Raile turned away from her. “I sent you no letter.”

  Gabrielle picked up her muff and moved with jerky steps toward the door. “Obviously, I made a mistake.” She brushed the tears from her eyes. “I won’t trouble you further, Raile.”

  He reached for her hand, feeling sorry that she had obviously been a victim of Lavinia’s cruelty. “Don’t go just yet, Gabrielle. Tell me about the letter, and I’ll try to explain to you what I think happened.”

  She shook her head, feel
ing foolish and humiliated. “I realize by your reaction that you did not send for me. But who would do such a thing to me?”

  He pulled her near the fireplace and took her muff, laying it on a chair. “It was sent by a demented mind that used you to hurt me.”

  “Your stepmother?” Gabrielle said without hesitation.

  “Why would you guess it was she?”

  “Because Mrs. DeWinter came to see me just after ... your marriage. It was apparent she hated you, and I had a feeling she wanted to enlist my help to hurt you in some way.”

  “But you didn’t help her?”

  “Of course not, Raile. I would never do that. Although at the time I wanted to hurt you.”

  He felt responsible for the humiliation she was suffering. “Are you faring well, Gabrielle?”

  She raised tear-bright eyes to him. “Not very, Raile.” She smiled slightly, not wanting him to know how she had suffered without him. “For a time now, I have been unable to work. I vacated the house and have been living in a smaller place outside of London. I have been thinking about returning to France.”

  Guilt lay heavily on Raile’s shoulders. He had to help her. Obviously she had no money, and now she had been shamefully manipulated by Lavinia.

  On her way back from the stables, Kassidy saw the carriage, and wondered who had come to call. With Elspeth beside her, she pushed open the door and handed her cape to Ambrose.

  “Do we have guests, Ambrose?” she asked.

  “Yes, your grace,” Ambrose informed her, not knowing he was about to make a mistake. “It’s a Miss Gabrielle Candeur. She is in the formal sitting room with his grace.”

  Angrily, Kassidy moved in that direction. How dare Raile have his mistress come to Ravenworth Castle!

  Kassidy stood in the open doorway, watching Raile embrace the actress. Her heart felt bruised when she heard him speak to the woman tenderly.

  “I will make arrangements for you to move back into the house on Action Street. In fact, I’ll have it deeded to you to do with as you will. Have your bills sent to me, and I’ll see that they are paid.”