‘I’ve got you now, bloody liar.’ Luke drilled his finger deeper into Dursley’s spongy chest, the journal discarded to the floor. ‘One visit to any respectable magistrate and Miss Smith’s testimony will tighten the noose around your neck. Even if you weasel out of a proper conviction, no one will welcome you in society. Your ruination will be my pleasure.’
‘Beating me to a pulp won’t solve a thing. Beside the fact I’ve helped you and freed you up by taking the little bastard, I knew sooner or later you’d make trouble.’ Dursley cast a fleeting glance to Ferguson over his shoulder. ‘But I’m not so stupid to walk into your hell without a witness.’
Ferguson cleared his throat and leaned a shoulder against the wall. Rapt with interest, he made no move to intervene.
‘His witness is a gift. I can take both of you without effort. I have a boot knife, a lethal left hook and absolute privacy. Best of all, I have proof of your perfidy. Tell me where Nate is and I’ll allow you to keep your teeth. It’s as simple as that.’
Dursley’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. ‘It’s two against one.’
‘You have… had Ferguson.’
Dursley glanced over his shoulder in time to see the door click closed. When he turned back his eyes flared, from fear or the fast tightening of his neckcloth. Luke didn’t care.
‘I need an heir.’
‘What?’ Luke kept his fingers wrapped in Dursley’s limp cravat. ‘You need an heir so you stole my son?’ Nate was safe. A switch clicked inside him. Something akin to comfort, infinite and sure, sent a surge of unadulterated relief to every cell of his body. His son was safe.
‘Your mother stole my father, his attention and affection. Nothing was the same after that. Your mother captured his heart and robbed my family of happiness. Now I’ll do what I need in order to restore peace in my home.’ Perspiration dotted Dursley’s upper lip, his brow shiny with sweat.
‘This is about retribution?’ Luke gathered the remaining slack in the damp cloth. It all sounded incredulous, but Dursley couldn’t be lying. The strange collection of facts actually made sense.
‘It’s not as easy as that.’ The words choked out. ‘My wife won’t permit me into her chambers. She suffered another miscarriage only a few months ago. With two babes lost in succession, she refuses to risk another miscarriage and, bitter with misery and unshed tears, she’s disallowed me entrance in her bed.’
‘And?’ Luke breathed deep but he would not relinquish his hold. In the back of his mind he realized Georgina watched from above, still he wouldn’t hesitate. His half-brother deserved worse than the beating he was about to receive. Dursley continued to ramble, his nervous jabbering a full confession.
‘Nate looks like Father. He has our colouring. It’s the perfect solution. With him stowed away, society will believe the lad’s my own, birthed and raised at our country seat, none the wiser. No one will question his legitimacy when we bring him out in London years from now.’
‘You’re insane. Nate will identify me as his father. You won’t have a chance in court.’ Luke’s control and patience were depleted as Dursley continued.
‘Nay. I’ll take the risk. No one will believe the word of a bastard and I’ve already told the lad you’re dead. The way you live your life, I’ll risk the gamble you’ll not make your thirtieth year.’
An unholy fury raked through Luke at these final remarks. ‘You told Nate I died.’ He lifted Dursley from the floor and pinned him against the wall, the viscount’s pasty complexion mottled and splotchy with fear.
‘Riding accident. Clean snap.’ He muttered a harsh whisper. ‘You didn’t suffer.’
‘You will.’ Luke spat the promise through clenched teeth.
‘Wait. Listen to me.’ Dursley’s eyes bulged with the added pressure, his words faster than water from an open tap. ‘I’ve told you everything. There’s nothing for it now. I’ve spent months shuffling the boy all over England to at last deposit him out in the countryside, and my wife won’t give him back. It’s of no consequence. Society has a fickle memory, the scandal of the morning often overshadowed by the gossip of the afternoon. You can marry and have another child with no consequence.’
‘That’s not how I see it. Besides, I thought I was dead to you.’ He’d heard enough and had his answers. Time for talking was done.
The first punch connected with Dursley’s midsection, forcing the air from his lungs with a sharp jab that cleaved the viscount by half. Luke delivered another to his jaw, the combination causing his half-brother to stumble with the impact of the strike before he toppled to the rug, in a lifeless, unconscious heap.
‘That was hardly any fun.’ Luke gave a sharp whistle and two men dressed in black entered from the door, which led to the adjacent alleyway. With a nod that communicated everything necessary, Luke turned away. He’d apologize to Georgina for what she’d witnessed, though he held not a single regret for the beating, confident she’d understand his actions. She should know what kind of man he was, what kind of man he would continue to be.
Intent now on seeing her, he crossed the room and opened the panel leading to the stairwell, but she was there. Had she thought to help or rescue him? Dursley proved no challenge. Luke had always had the upper hand.
‘Georgina, I –’
‘It’s all fine, isn’t it? I heard what the viscount said. You should go at once.’
Her voice, strained and emotional, delivered a punch he wasn’t prepared for and he paused. ‘What will you do?
‘I’ll go home, of course.’
She bowed her eyes and her soft-spoken answer had taken on a peculiar quiver. He searched her face for understanding. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Don’t you dare waste worry on me. You’ve searched for nearly a year. Go and reclaim your son, Luke.’ Her voice sounded stronger now and there was no mistaking her words.
‘Have the carriage return you to Manchester Square.’ He paused, though his heels barely touched the floor in his haste to be off. She appeared so beautiful and vulnerable in the fractured light from the wall lantern. He wanted to wait, to tell her the depth of his feelings and explain his vision for their future together. But no, not like this. Not in a hurry. He had too much to say. It would do so when he returned. Regret, familiar and comfortable, accompanied that decision, and with a murmured word of thanks he left and didn’t look back. Nate waited.
Chapter Twenty
Georgina tried not to think about Luke, an impossible task, and entered St James’s Park with a brisk stride. She did her best to conceal her identity under a drab beige bonnet and matching cloak borrowed from one of the Sinclair servants. Lord Ferguson’s unexpected sighting this morning served to remind her of prudence and the severe cost of discovery.
She hardly understood the circumstances that surrounded her parents’ insistence she accept Lord Muller’s suit. Now she sat on the wrought-iron bench and watched for her sister, the one person who could unriddle her thoughts. The clock post at the park gate read half past two. With any luck, Joy would arrive promptly.
And so she did. Her sister skittered over to the bench and settled, partially turned so they no longer looked like strangers sharing a seat, but friends engrossed in conversation, though the desire to pull her sister forward into a tight embrace was near overwhelming.
‘Everything went as planned. I dispatched Ella on a long list of errands with instructions to return to the garden suburb where I like to collect feathers. I despise the dishonesty, but at least this guarantees us a bit of privacy.’
Georgina reached over and clasped her sister’s gloved hands in a tight squeeze. ‘I’ve missed you terribly. Nine months, nine long months I’ve been away. It wasn’t until I returned and walked through the city that I realized the depth of my misery. I suppose I encapsulated my despair and deceived myself into believing I was better off far away.’ Still, distance had not clarified her thinking and she remained more confused than ever. She defied better sense and soug
ht a hug after all.
‘Has it been dreadful all alone?’ Joy’s words were muffled. ‘Oh, how is Biscuit?’ Her sister returned her affection and released her hold. ‘I never thought I’d say these words but I miss the noisy nuisance.’
‘When I left him in care of the town butcher he seemed fine.’ Georgina huffed an impatient breath. ‘But let’s not waste our time on simple matters. Before we’re discovered, tell me everything that has transpired since I left so I can understand what has happened.’
‘Nothing’s been the same and it’s all a right mess.’ Joy wiggled back on the bench and drew her shoulders straight, as if facing a daunting task. ‘After it was discovered you’d left, Mother and Father argued. They were locked inside their bedchambers, but I listened easily enough through the door. It turned out, after I’d gone through all the trouble of eavesdropping, they emerged and asked to speak to me in the salon to succinctly relay everything I’d struggled to hear. Of course, I couldn’t ask questions at that time.’
‘What?’ Georgina gritted her teeth with impatience. ‘What is it?’
‘Yes. As I was saying…’ Joy’s eyes widened in response to her rigorous insistence. ‘In an astounding economy of words, Father explained that we are penniless and, while this would not be complete hardship as we’ve property to sell and investments, solvency is not an automatic resolution. Our cousin has a codicil to Grandfather’s will. No one is alive to attest to its validity, and despite Father has pursued several avenues, both solicitor and investigator, in an attempt to prove Cousin’s intentions should not be upheld, the codicil stands. Sadly, Lord Muller holds the purse strings now.’
‘I don’t understand. What do you mean, we are penniless? I assumed Father had substantial savings. This can’t be true.’ Doubt, fear and a fair share of panic winnowed through Georgina to settle in her stomach.
‘As you know, our wealth has always been dependent on Uncle’s endowment to Father. According to the codicil, in order for Father to continue to receive funds, the very monies to maintain our way of life, you or I must marry Muller. Uncle wished to keep his wealth in the family despite wedding one’s first cousin is deplorable.’
‘Oh dear. I never imagined this.’ Georgina sighed. ‘I couldn’t have imagined this. And let me guess, if one of us does not comply, Cousin will turn our family out and cut off all funds?’
‘Yes.’ Joy’s exasperation mirrored her own. ‘It’s the very reason Father was so desperate to see you at least attempt to accept his proposal.’
‘By leaving, I’ve now condemned you to this fate.’ Her heart withered at realizing the despicable consequence of her actions. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘Oh, there’s no need.’ Joy gave a blithe wave as the gesture itself dismissed the effort needed to make it. ‘I’ve succeeded in thwarting his best attempts to corner me. I keep a smile on my face while secretly I pray for his demise. I’ve even feigned carriage sickness to rebuff his advances.’
‘That’s horrible.’ Georgina couldn’t help but grin despite the contradictory exclamation, her sister cleverer than she’d anticipated.
Joy followed suit. ‘I know, but his clumsy advances are worse.’
‘Did Father show you this codicil? Did he have the document in hand?’
‘No, Lord Muller has the only copy, but Father has examined it, and the solicitor determined it’s legal and binding.’ Joy voice reflected her frown.
‘And without it, what would happen?’ Georgina’s mind worked feverishly to elucidate a way to keep their family in solvency and she and her sister out of Lord Muller’s clutches.
‘Without it, Muller would have nothing but the original will which kept us all in silk slippers. Cousin has bragged that the codicil is kept safe, though I wouldn’t be caught in the letch’s chambers.’
‘True enough. If only we weren’t dependent on Uncle’s generosity.’ Georgina offered a weak smile, the memory of Luke’s management of Dursley this morning offering her the smallest degree of hope that at least someone would be happy by day’s end. ‘Shall we meet here again tomorrow? Will you accompany me home? You must continue to feign sickness to avoid our cousin, but do tell Mother and Father I’m returning. No more than that. Can you manage?’
Her sister nodded vigorously.
‘Very well then. I need to write to Lord Tucker and explain my absence. I hope he isn’t terribly angry. He isn’t one to understand inconvenience.’ Georgina stood from the bench and prepared to take her leave, aware each moment spent in conversation presented further risk. ‘I will see you then.’ She bent and pressed a kiss to her sister’s cheek. ‘I’ve missed you terribly.’
Luke rode hard for two days straight. Forced to make the occasional stop to care for Snake Eyes or take food and sleep, he kept a punishing schedule with the intent to reach Dursley’s country seat before a messenger with instructions or otherwise untoward plans warned the estate in Watford.
Hours in the saddle translated into extended punishment, not for the riding but the lack of distraction from his thoughts, which alternated between anticipation of reclaiming Nate and provoked concern over leaving Georgina. Something hadn’t seemed right when he’d said goodbye, and while he knew without doubt the feelings in his heart, there existed no time to tell her. Her expression had flashed raw and desolate, if that was possible, and the memory would not diminish. He replayed the scene over and over, searching for some clue of undetected emotion in her words, but he failed to do little more than antagonize the misgiving already sparked to unrest.
He’d made no plan for his arrival at Elm Glen other than to storm his half-brother’s house and recover Nathaniel. He doubted any Dursley servant would stop him, but if one tried he was prepared for the confrontation. A day and a half to Watford. A day and a half return. He’d made the fruitless journey how many times in the past? Dursley had shuffled Nate from one place to the other immediately following the abduction: the Marine Society, rooms at an inn, and even a cottage in Ipswich. It explained why even the investigators Luke hired could find no trace of the boy despite persistent enquiry, and why his many secreted trips to Elm Glen yielded no result.
Still, a day and a half to Watford. A day and a half return. Would Georgina be waiting when he finally reorganized his life and sought her out in Manchester Square? Or would she already have left for Coventry, anxious to reunite with her treasured pug? A beat of despair followed the consideration. He would travel wherever his heart led him. He loved her. He would find her, just as he’d found Nate, and he’d return her to his arms.
This vow kept his emotions in check, the ride tedious, though Snake Eyes matched his master’s endurance, Luke impatient more than anything else. He longed to feel Nate’s little body against his chest, the sound of his laughter a haunting memory. After miles of travelling on the quiet roadway, his thoughts turned to building a family and finding elusive happiness.
Now all he need do was capture Georgina’s heart.
He didn’t pause when he finally took the dusty gravel drive which led to the large country estate. An enlarged portico at the centre of its strong framework and prominent stone stoop extended a formal welcome to declare its existence as quality despite its bucolic surroundings. Dursley was pretentious and overly concerned with reputation. It was the sole reason he feared rumours of his debt, or worse, his inability to produce an heir.
Luke had no plans to drop the knocker or greet the butler. He would offer no explanation or warning. In short, he didn’t need anyone’s permission to take what was already his, and his anger near blinded him to civility.
A stablehand near the front steps raised an arm to shade his eyes as Luke approached. A forgotten ball or other child’s toy rested near the bottom stair. With irrational assumption, it was all the evidence Luke needed to confirm Nate was on the property.
Snake Eyes closed the distance and, in what seemed like forever, Luke jumped from the saddle and gathered the servant by his shirt.
‘Where is he? Where
’s Nathaniel?’ His threatening growl caused the man to stutter as a flicker of alarmed hesitation clouded his expression. Yet the confrontation proved for naught. His son, his blissful, beautiful child, skipped around the corner of the house, mid laugh, as if his life were a carefree game. Their eyes locked, frozen with shock and mistrust.
Luke dropped the stablehand without regard and rushed to collect Nate.
‘Papa?’ The child’s expression was priceless, an ever-changing mixture of glee and disbelief. ‘Papa. I thought you went to heaven.’
An onslaught of emotion crowded Luke’s throat, preventing words. He squeezed his son tighter, at risk of wringing the air from Nate’s lungs, motionless until he at last found the ability to respond. ‘No. That wasn’t true. I’ve searched for months, since the moment you were taken. I’ve looked everywhere again and again.’ He pressed another kiss to Nate’s glossy black hair and loosened his hold long enough to stare into his son’s eyes.
‘I’m glad you found me.’ Nate’s smile, complete with dimple like his father’s, set Luke’s heart to rights. ‘And look!’ He stretched his mouth wide before snapping it closed to continue speaking. ‘I’ve lost another tooth.’ He pressed a tiny fingertip into the hole and obstructed all view.
‘I see.’ Though he didn’t, and he hadn’t a care either, relief and contentment having full rein now. He held Nate, almost as if he feared letting go, while overwhelming love swept through him with force enough to topple him with a feather.
The Last Gamble Page 20