“What I’m trying to tell you, dear, is that letters are black and white, love and feelings are messy and complicated. You can’t come to a conclusion without hearing Gabe’s side of the story.” Her aunt tipped up Elizabeth’s head with a gentle touch to her chin. “He might just surprise you.”
Elizabeth didn’t know what to do anymore. She certainly wouldn’t be figuring it out tonight.
Her aunt rose to leave but stopped a few feet from the bed. “I received another letter from your brother. Seems something delayed him in London and he won’t be able to visit after all. You wouldn’t know anything about that, now would you?”
Elizabeth resisted the urge to look guilty. “Not at all. I hope it is nothing serious.”
“He didn’t say but if the tone of his letter was any indication, he wasn’t too happy about the situation.”
Elizabeth hoped whatever Emma had concocted caused him plenty of displeasure. Served him right for butting into her affairs.
“Whatever it is I’m sure he’ll deal with it,” Aunt Millie assured. “Now to sleep with you. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Chapter 45
“I sent you to locate the man blackmailing me. So, what the hell do you mean, you visited Mary’s family?” Gabe growled at Nate as he stepped nose to nose with his brother.
“It is exactly as it sounds. While I was away I visited Mary’s family.”
Nate’s calmness in the face of Gabe’s anger only enraged him further. Who the hell did his brother think he was? He had no right to go digging into that segment of Gabe’s past. Nate had had one mission—tracking the man who held a noose around Gabe’s neck, prepared to release the trap door and watch him hang at any moment. How did one go from that to visiting the family of the woman he’d nudged to her death? Was that how Nate had discovered the particulars of his relationship with Cecilia?
Instead of merely wondering, he would demand answers. If he was going to kill his brother, he might as well have all the facts. “Is that how you know about Cecilia? Who else did you visit while you were away?”
Nate took a step back and Gabe almost grinned at his reaction. Yes, brother, be wary.
“Firstly, I never intended to uncover anything regarding Cecilia,” Nate pointed out. “That part simply unfolded on its own.”
Gabe ground his teeth together. “How do you just happen to come across information I’ve never told anyone?”
“Allow me to start at the beginning.”
“Please do,” Gabe added, sarcastically.
To his credit, Nate didn’t back down in the face of Gabe’s ire. “I know how Mary’s death haunts you still. I wasn’t able to do anything for you when it happened, but I wanted to try to ease your burden now. Besides, your blackmailer obviously knew plenty of that night. I needed to determine if there were aspects of Mary’s death you weren’t aware of.”
Gabe opened his mouth to speak but Nate cut him off. “I know you believe yourself responsible regardless of circumstance. How is it everyone besides you can see that is pure rubbish?”
“I—” Gabe tried again.
“Be quiet and listen. I’ve long suspected you never had all the details.” Nate had the nerve to grin. “And I was right.”
Gabe fought to keep his voice neutral. “By all means, share your wisdom.”
“I don’t mind if I do.” Nate’s grin grew before it fell into a tight line.
Gabe would get his answers, but at what cost? Would it be worth it? Elizabeth’s smiling face flashed before him and he knew he would pay any price.
Nate took a breath, then stated baldly, “Mary never killed herself.”
“Of course she did. I read the letter.”
“That was what you were led to believe, what someone had wanted you to believe.”
The room took on a sudden chill and Gabe shuddered. Not even the roaring fire kept the cold from penetrating. “Who would want me to believe such a thing?”
“Mr. Johnston.”
“Father’s solicitor?”
“The one and only,” Nate replied.
“I don’t understand. Why?”
“Your guilt kept you from determining the exact circumstances of her death. You see, Johnston lured Mary to the river that night and he is the one who shoved her in, which led to her death.”
Gabe didn’t know how to respond. His whole world was reeling. Was it possible the one event that had colored the last seven years of his life could be something else entirely?
“Mr. Johnston? Are you certain?”
“I’ve never been more sure, brother. The man killed her.”
Still baffled, Gabe burst out, “Why, for God’s sake?”
“That is where it gets hazy. Johnston’s past is so riddled with secrets and subterfuge it would have taken half my lifetime to sort it all out. I do know Mary unknowingly stumbled across an illegal scheme the man perpetrated. A case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am certain he killed her to silence her.”
“What of Father? Did he know what his solicitor had done?”
Nate shifted his eyes to the floor. “Yes.”
It took a moment for Nate’s answer to penetrate. Clenching his fists until his nails cut into his palms, Gabe paced to his desk. How could he have gone through the last seven years without knowing this? How could his own father allow him to think he’d caused a young woman to take her life?
The old Duke was a scoundrel of great proportions, but it seemed Gabe’s idea of his sire’s villainy had only scraped the surface. He pounded his fist on the desktop, enraged, longing to do the same to his father. This might be the one time in his life he wished the bastard wasn’t already dead.
He spun to his brother. “How did you learn all this?”
“It was Mary’s family who started to put holes in the original story. They’d never believed she committed suicide. The day before her death she had sent a letter to her mother saying she was coming home. Apparently, Mary had left home to seek out something more than what being the daughter of a farmer could give her.” Nate gestured wearily. “She wrote she’d made a mistake and that she wanted to return home. All conclusions she’d come to accept, with the help of a kind man.”
Gabe held his breath at Nate’s direct regard as he added softly, “A man that despite having a loathsome father, showed her compassion.”
By his brother’s tone he implied Gabe had shown the kindness that helped Mary find her way. But if so, why would she have left the letter for Gabe, claiming she couldn’t live with the choices she’d made?
As if reading his mind, Nate voiced Gabe’s thoughts. “The original story made no sense. What woman would write her family and tell them to expect her arrival in a few short days, only to kill herself the next?”
Nate crossed the room and propped a hip on the desk. “Then there was the letter from Father’s solicitor, informing them of Mary’s demise. Things didn’t add up. Johnston knew too many specifics. Things I knew you’d never tell Father. But it was the handwriting that sealed it. It was identical to the writing on the blackmail letters you received. Once I left there, I took a detour to London to look up our Mr. Johnston.”
Johnston, a blackmailer as well? It didn’t seem possible. But if Gabe thought on it, the man probably believed he had cause. Especially after his role in Cecilia’s deception, eschewing any further connection to his father, Gabe had dismissed the solicitor the very day he’d learned of Cecilia’s duplicity. The Johnston family had served the Wesbrooks for generations. He obviously thought his dismissal revenge worthy.
“How did you locate him?”
“Since you’d cut him off from the Wesbrook coffers, he had tried to offer his services to the public. But with the stench of Father’s exploits attached to him, no one would hire him. Even thou
gh he tried to keep a low profile, he wasn’t hard to ferret out.”
Gabe found it hard to believe the man would simply confess. “And he voluntarily told you everything?”
Nate showed his first smile in some time. “Let’s just say I’ve learned a few things from my older brother.”
In answer, Gabe snorted.
“And it didn’t hurt I led him to believe I already knew the truth. Lucky for me, the man isn’t very clever. He believed every word. Oh, I should also mention he has a weak constitution and the thought alone of my doing him physical harm almost caused the man to wet himself. He preferred to prey on the weak. Or in your case, through letters.”
Nate dropped gracefully into the nearest chair. “He confessed everything. It was actually very simple. In fact, the simplicity of it all surprised even me.”
“Where is the cooperative Mr. Johnston now?”
“Newgate. Exactly where he should be. Not only did he confess, but he was such a wonderful solicitor, he had wads of evidence filed away. He won’t be free in this lifetime.”
So, it was over. No more wondering if someone hid in the shadows, ready to take Gabe down without notice. No more questioning whom he could trust.
It all seemed too effortless.
“And you feel Mr. Johnston acted alone?”
“Based on the man’s level of intelligence, I did doubt him capable of masterminding the blackmailing, but no one would be dimwitted enough to take the fall for someone else. Not when it came to blackmail and murder. I’m fairly confident he acted alone. And if not, Johnston landing in jail should be enough to deter any future threats.”
His brother’s confidence had Gabe feeling better. Yet he couldn’t stanch the inkling of doubt, that it might not be finished. Until that day came—if ever—he would put the episode behind him.
“How did you discover all this so quickly? Have you even slept in the last two days?”
Despite the raggedness surrounding him, Nate’s eyes held their usual cocky glint. “I have my ways.”
Gabe suspected he knew the exact origins of Nate’s ‘ways,’ but until his brother decided to share what it was he really did in his time while away from Frenton Hall, he would keep silent.
It was time to focus on other elements Nate had discovered.
“And Cecilia? How did you come across that particular information?”
This time Nate didn’t meet Gabe’s eyes; instead he concentrated on some mysterious object to the left. “Once I had Mr. Johnston talking, I couldn’t get the man to stop. He must have known the end was upon him because he started to confess his every sin as if blabbing to a clergyman.” Nate snuck a peek at Gabe. “Can you imagine? Me, a man of the church?”
Gabe smiled at the absurdity. His brother was so far from priesthood, a blind person wouldn’t even mistake him for a man of the cloth.
“That’s how I discovered how much a conniving whore Cecilia had been. I only wish you would have told me.”
“Oh, yes. Because that is what I had wanted to do. Announce how I’d been duped by my own father—who I might add was dead at the time. How I had fallen in love with a woman paid to sleep with me. Which would have been acceptable, if I were the one doing the paying.”
Nate had the good sense to look embarrassed on Gabe’s behalf. For a moment silence reigned in the room, before he softly remarked, “You know she loves you.”
The twist in the conversation caught Gabe off guard but he knew exactly to whom Nate referred.
“I’m aware of that.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
If not for the fact Marcus would have taken a swing at him by now, Nate was certainly assuming the role of Elizabeth’s brother.
“I’m not sure. I won’t deny all you’ve told me hasn’t changed things. But, even knowing everything, I’m not convinced I’m capable of being the kind of man she needs. Not with Father’s blood running through my veins.”
Nate straightened. “You, brother, are a stubborn fool. I practically heap absolution at your feet and you still can’t clutch it with both hands. You are more of a man of honor than a whole handful of past Wesbrooks. You will never be the horrid man our father was.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“If you were anything like that man, you would not have welcomed me into your home. The bastard couldn’t see the backside of me fast enough. You not only brought your daughter into your house, but you opened your heart to her. You are fully capable of loving someone.”
A knot formed in Gabe’s throat that he couldn’t work past. Could Nate be right? Did he have it in him to love Elizabeth as she deserved? Because no one would love her with as much intensity as he did.
How did he go about proving it to himself, not to mention Elizabeth?
What if it was too late?
Chapter 46
Elizabeth groaned at the brightness piercing her eyelids. Maybe if she squeezed them tight she could block out the morning rays. Unfortunately, the only thing her efforts were met with was a dull ache in her head.
Not yet ready to face the day and the decisions she’d made, deep in the night, she rolled over in an attempt to flee the sun. There was no escaping it. Seeing no other option, she resorted to something she hadn’t done since childhood and pulled the blanket completely over her head.
As always, it worked perfectly, except for cutting off her supply of fresh air. The stuffiness rekindled too many memories of the carriage she’d been imprisoned in.
Accepting defeat, she flung the covers to her waist. If only she could hide in bed all day. Then she wouldn’t have to inform Gabe of her decision to return to London.
She started to slip from under the covers when her door burst open. She swallowed a shriek and pulled the blanket up to her chin, scooting as far down as she could go, all the while keeping an eye on the door.
The height of the bed gave her a disadvantage and skewed her line of sight. It wasn’t until a certain dark, curly head of hair was halfway to the bed that the panic drained from her body. She snickered to think herself such a fool as to hide from a three-year-old.
A squeal, combined with an erratic bounce on the bed announced Phoebe’s presence, as if her barging in the door would have gone unnoticed.
Elizabeth feigned sleep. Phoebe must have thought herself sneaky because her tiny body slowly crawled across the mattress before she stopped next to Elizabeth’s head. Even if she had managed to sleep through the banging of the door and the child’s squeal, the constant giggles would have given Phoebe away.
Stealthily, Elizabeth kept quiet and waited until she sensed Phoebe right next to her face. When the moment was just right, Elizabeth sprang into action, throwing off the blankets and scooping up the giggling child with one arm.
They came to rest at the foot of the bed, both in a fit of laughter.
“That was fun. Do it again,” Phoebe begged.
Elizabeth laughed harder. If only life could have stayed as simple as it was when she had been Phoebe’s age.
“Good morning to you too, sweet.”
Phoebe giggled sweetly. “Papa said it is time to get up. He has a surprise for you.”
A surprise? She was almost afraid to find out what it was.
Well it didn’t matter. She already knew she had to leave Gabe and all the temptation he presented.
She owed it to herself and the person she’d become since the day she’d offered her assistance in Marcus’s study. Everything that had happened made her realize life was ephemeral at best and it would be foolish to waste any time waiting for something that might never come about. She must face the fact Gabe would never love her with the same passion and depth as she loved him. Such a love would only be worth anything if shared equally.
Last night,
she’d sat and watched the moon finally break through the storm clouds. For hours she’d pondered, until she’d reached her decision shortly before the sunrise stained the horizon a glowing orange.
What to do next wasn’t as clear. Should she tell Gabe of her decision? Or just leave? She knew he wouldn’t stop her. He was too honorable to present an illicit relationship.
Even if something changed and he offered her marriage, she couldn’t renounce her conviction and marry him, knowing one day he would realize he loved Cecilia in a way he could never love her.
No matter how much she desired to, she couldn’t stay abed and ponder it all day.
Best to change the subject, then. “Have you eaten yet?” Elizabeth asked.
Phoebe shook her head. “Too busy.”
Elizabeth would wager her favorite bonnet the child had been occupied playing pirates.
“Why don’t you and Jane find something to eat? I’ll be down as soon as I’m dressed.”
The idea of food sent Phoebe’s feet flying, but not before she placed a gentle feather kiss on Elizabeth’s cheek.
She fought back tears as the tiny girl bounced from the room. It hurt the very center of her knowing she would never watch Phoebe mature into a woman.
It wasn’t until she was dressed and on her way out of her room, that a thought froze her in place.
This could be one of the last times she ever saw Gabe.
Settling her resolve, Elizabeth squared her shoulders and strode down the hall. All the while praying someday it wouldn’t feel like she had a boulder sitting on her chest.
“Wilkes, do you know where I can find Gabe?”
“Good morning, miss.” Wilkes greeted her with an undefined twinkle in his eye. “I’ve been instructed to direct you to the pavilion the moment you arrived downstairs. His Grace is waiting for you there.”
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