True Love's Deception
Page 18
Wearily, she turned and left her room, heading downstairs for a nightcap. As she reached the bottom, Maddie flew by her in a rush. Her sister’s face was hard with anger.
Juliana hurried into the parlor to see what all the commotion was about. Gregg stood by the hearth with a drink in his hands as he stared at the low burning fire.
“Gregg?”
His gaze snapped up to hers.
“What happened? Maddie just passed me and almost knocked me over in her haste to get up the stairs.”
He chuckled. “Your sister is vexed with me, I’m afraid.”
She walked closer. “Whatever for?”
Walking toward her, he waved his hand in the air. “Just a disagreement is all.” He stopped in front of her and took her hand. “I’d rather not talk about her, but talk about what’s bothering you.”
She gave him a weary smile. Strange how he could read her so well. “It’s Andrew.”
He led her to the sofa where they both sat. “Tell me. If you don’t, the heavy burdens on your lovely shoulders will collapse.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Now we cannot have that happening, can we?”
Holding back the tears stinging her eyes, she shook her head. “No we cannot. You have been trying all evening to cheer me up, I suppose I can allow you to try again.”
“Exactly. Now what’s on your mind about Andrew? Are you worried about tomorrow’s meeting with Matthew Lawrence?”
“Yes.”
“What worries you, my dear?”
She shrugged. “What if they discover he is the heir to the Lawrence fortune? What will happen next?”
“I suppose he will reunite with his family and be given a title, lands and money.”
“And he will want to remain living in England instead of returning to Scotland with me when my parents return from Paris.” She nodded. “I’m quite certain of it, which literally breaks my heart.”
He peered at her with a creased brow. “Am I to understand you don’t want to live in England?”
“You are correct. Scotland is my home. It is where my heart is.”
“What are you going to do if Andrew wants to remain here?”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I wish I knew. I have come to realize I love Andrew more than I had thought possible, but—” More tears fell, and she covered her face with her hands.
Gregg’s arm slipped around her shoulders, bringing her against him. His hand stroked her hair. “But you don’t know if you love him enough to live in England with him. Correct?”
She nodded, afraid to speak for fear her voice would crack. Laying her head against his chest, she cried harder. When had life’s decisions become so hard? And why couldn’t she decide which was the road she wanted to take?
“Juliana? Were you in love with Andrew when you first married him?”
“No.” She sniffed.
“But you love him now?”
Slowly, she lifted her head and wiped her eyes. Gregg’s concerned gaze tugged at her heart. “If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell a single soul? Will you promise it will not leave this room?”
He smiled and cupped her chin. His other hand handed her a handkerchief. “I’m your friend. You can trust me with anything.”
She dabbed her eyes with the cloth. “Gregg,” she whispered. “Andrew and I...well...we’re not...wed.”
His brow creased and he leaned forward. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
She sighed. “Andrew and I are not legally married.”
His eyes widened in shock. He shook his head. “How...”
Leaning closer, she whispered in his ear the sordid details of how she wanted her inheritance without becoming married. He listened intently and didn’t speak. When she finally pulled back, his eyes were still wide...but the corners of his mouth lifted into a grin.
“I shocked you, didn’t I?” she asked.
“You most certainly did.”
“Please forgive me, but I had to tell someone.”
He squeezed her hand. “Thank you for trusting me with this information.”
“Do you understand why I’m so confused now?”
“Indeed, my dear. But if he is the real Lawrence heir, will you marry him?”
She chuckled. “It does not matter to me if he is or is not. What matters is where we will live.”
“Do you love him enough to marry him?”
“I think I do.”
“He will want to make you his wife if he is the real heir. You know that, right?”
She glanced at her clasped hands and nodded. “I hoped as much.”
“But you still do not know if you want to live in England with him.”
Tears came back quickly and she shook her head. He pulled her to his chest again, and she sobbed. “I don’t know if I love him that much...or if he loves me enough to want to return to Scotland with me.”
MADDIE STRAINED HER neck as she tried to listen to the conversation going on between her sister and Gregg. She didn’t want them to know she stood in the hall eavesdropping, but she needed to know what was so secretive.
She didn’t like that Gregg had his arms around Juliana—or that her sister snuggled so close to him as she cried on his chest. Now was the perfect time for Andrew to walk in.
Where was he anyway?
Then Maddie heard something, and she strained to hear more. Did Juliana just say she didn’t know if she loved Andrew enough to want to live in England?
Maddie’s spirits lifted. For a long time now, she knew her sister’s hatred for England. If Andrew chose to remain here instead of returning to Scotland...
She clasped her hands against her fiercely beating chest. This just may be the leverage she needed to break her sister and Andrew apart.
Soon Andrew. You will be mine. Forever.
Chapter Sixteen
Andrew stumbled through the front door, holding onto the handle as not to topple over. The spinning room made it hard to see where he headed. Blast it all, but maybe he should not have drank a whole bottle of whiskey.
When the room settled—as did his rolling stomach—he took a step into the house and closed the door. As he staggered up the stairs, he cursed himself for indulging too much spirits, but the blokes at the tavern tonight encouraged him.
Confusion over the past few days had tempted him to drink in the first place. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he might be an heir to a wealthy family. What confused him more than anything was the fact that his grandfather and uncle had not even told him. Andrew had believed for all these years he had been orphaned as a child.
Originally, he hadn’t planned on going to the tavern, but Fielding’s carriage had broken a wheel during Andrew’s impromptu evening drive. His driver cursed the ill-fated accident, mumbling something about it being tampered with. Andrew didn’t care. He had too much on his mind at the time. And as luck would have it, they’d broken down not too far from a tavern.
His boot caught on the last stair, and he tumbled to his knees. Blast it all! He blinked, trying to focus his eyes. He hadn’t seen that last step.
Down the hall hobbled a shadow, the white nightshirt flapping against a pair of chicken’s legs. Andrew blinked again to get the vision corrected.
“Wilbur?” he slurred.
“Aye, laddie.” The older man bent and grabbed Andrew’s arm, helping him stand. “Ye’re bein’ too noisy. Ye’ll wake the household.”
Andrew stood on wobbly legs. “Forgive me. I’m not trying to be loud.”
After taking a couple of steps, Andrew glanced at the butler again. “Wilbur? Have ye heard? I may be the heir to a wealthy family.”
“Aye, laddie. That is the rumor.”
Andrew grinned. “If’n I am, I’m gonna buy Juliana the biggest house in all of England. She deserves a wealthy husband.”
“Aye, she does.”
Finally, they made it to Andrew’s room. After Wilbur had opened the door, the older man reached for the lantern.
Andrew grabbed his hand to stop him.
“I won’t need any light.”
Wilbur shook his head. “But I fear for your safety, laddie.”
Andrew patted the butler’s shoulder. “Thank you for your concern, but I will be fine from here.”
“As you wish.”
Wilbur waited until Andrew could stand by himself, before closing the door and leaving his side to hurry down the hallway.
Splaying his hands in front of him, Andrew searched for his bed. When his legs bumped against it, he fell on the mattress. He turned, sat on the edge, and stripped off his clothes, having a harder time removing the obstacles than normal.
Once undressed, he used his hands to direct him into bed. The weight of another person lay next to him. He skimmed his hands over the lump under the blankets and grinned. Juliana.
He’d missed his wife more than he realized and he couldn’t wait to hold her close and tell her he loved her. Yes...tonight he’d definitely tell her.
ANDREW STIRRED ON HIS bed, his head throbbing with an intense pain. He blinked his eyes against the sun pouring through the open curtain. What the devil? He didn’t open those, so who did?
He scooted to the side of the bed and sat upright. Covering his eyes with his hand, he stood, preparing to walk over and close the curtains, but his rolling stomach stopped him. Instead, he hurried into the next room to empty his stomach into the chamber pot.
He groaned. Serves him right for getting drunk.
Through squinted eyes, he wobbled toward the washbasin. Thankfully, water had already been poured. He splashed water on his face, then grimaced as his head throbbed worse. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he tried again. This time the cool liquid on his parched skin didn’t make it feel as if wagon wheels were running over his face.
He straightened and glanced in the mirror. Egads! He looked horrid. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he hoped it would bring him awake so he could bathe and dress for the day. Today he would meet the Lawrence family.
Andrew’s stomach lurched again, but from his nerves. Would he find his memory? Would he discover he was in truth the long lost son? Or was this dream out of reach?
Turning toward the tub, something caught his eye from the bedroom. He glanced at the bed. The covers outlined a body.
He scowled. What the...
But then, perhaps Juliana snuck in his bed during the night. He rubbed his forehead. Why couldn’t he remember?
With a sigh, he smiled. What else could he do when he thought about the woman he loved? Perhaps today would be the perfect day to confess the truth. He loved her and...they were married! If only she would return his love and be happy about being his wife.
He looked at his tub, then back to the woman on the bed. He’d put off his bath until after he confessed the truth to his wife.
Grinning, he walked toward the bed, but the closer he got, the more his smile faded from his face. The woman lying underneath the sheets did not have the glorious reddish-blonde hair he loved caressing. Instead, it was lighter... More blonde.
As he stood next to the bed, looking down at the sleepy figure, his head pounded as bile rose again to his throat.
Oh, no. Maddie!
Bits and pieces of last night came through the blur of his memory. Did he think Maddie was his wife last night? Groaning, he covered his face with his hands and sank to the edge of the bed. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not when he was so in love with Juliana. She wouldn’t understand. She wouldn’t forgive him for not knowing the difference between her and her sister when he was drunk.
He was going to lose the only woman he’d ever loved!
Maddie stirred on the bed. He didn’t look at her. He couldn’t.
The bed shifted before her hand stroked his arm. “Good morning, my love.”
“Do not call me that,” he grumbled. “Last night was a mistake. In my drunkenness, I thought you were Juliana.”
She kneeled beside him and pressed herself to his back. She kissed his shoulder. “Last night was not a mistake to me. Last night was magical. It healed us both.”
“Please stop this insanity.” He pushed her away, grabbed and shrugged on his robe. “Maddie,” he said, turning to face her. “This should not have happened. Don’t you understand? I’m not in love with you. I love Juliana.”
A pout formed on her mouth. “I cannot believe you insist on loving a woman who doesn’t return your love. Only I can love you like you deserve. You have to learn to push Juliana aside and love only me.”
Frustrated, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I wish you would stop talking in this manner. I know Juliana loves me—”
“And I know she doesn’t.”
He scowled. “What makes you think you know her better than I?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Because I heard her talking to Gregg last night—alone—while they were in the parlor. They thought I had gone to bed, but I hadn’t. I heard every word they said.”
Andrew’s interest perked. Juliana had been alone...with Gregg? “And I suppose you heard her say she didn’t love me?”
“While my dear sister cuddled in Gregg’s arms, I heard her tell him she didn’t know if she loved you enough to live in England.” She paused, lifting her chin. “If you remember correctly, Juliana abhors England.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I heard her tell Gregg that if you are indeed the heir to the Lawrence fortune, you will want to stay in England with your family. She doesn’t want to live here. She told Gregg she doesn’t know if she loves you enough to stay.”
Pain ripped through his heart like shards of glass. He couldn’t breath. His body wanted to crumble to the floor in helplessness.
Maddie was right this time. Juliana hated England. She would not want to stay, even for him. Tears stung his eyes, but he refused to shed them. He would not degrade himself in such a way.
Maddie scooted to the side of the bed, reached out and grabbed his arm. She placed a kiss on it. “Andrew, I love you enough to stay with you wherever you wish to live. I want to be your wife.”
Yanking his hand away, he shook his head. “Maddie why can’t you understand? I don’t love you. I never will. I’m in love with Juliana.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Maddie, would you please leave my room? I have much to think about.”
This time she didn’t argue. Tears gathered in her eyes as she wrapped a blanket around her body and crept out as instructed.
He stared out the window, feeling like he wanted to die. Without Juliana in his life, how could he go on living?
JULIANA AWOKE WITH a heavy heart. Andrew had not come to her bed last night. Had he even come home at all?
Panicked, she pulled the bell string. Within minutes, Pearl walked into her room.
“May I assist you, lassie?”
“Pearl? Did my husband...umm...I mean, did Andrew come home last night?”
“Aye, he did, but accordin’ to Wilbur, he had taken to the bottle and was not in his right mind. Wilbur feared Mr. Dean would wake the household.”
Juliana sighed, then nodded. “At least he’s home. I worried he’d been accosted by thieves while he was gone.”
The maid stepped further into the room and closed the door. “Would ya be wantin’ yer bath now?”
“Yes. That would be lovely.”
She pushed aside the covers and hurried Pearl through her toiletry, eager to see Andrew. It hurt her that he didn’t come to her room last night. Confusion must be harder for him to handle at this time. But she only wanted to be there to comfort him, to hold and kiss him.
Instead of having Pearl fix her hair fancy, she pulled the bulk back and tied it with a ribbon. Once she was finished dressing, she hurried out of her room to see Andrew. His room was empty, and so she rushed to find him.
She came across Wilbur, so stopped him. “Have you seen Andrew this morning?”
“Aye, lassie. He awoke first thing. I believe he’s out riding his horse.”
“Thank you.”
Her heart dropped and she ran toward him. He met her gaze, but a solemn expression remained on his face.
“Andrew? What happened to you?”
He bent and swiped his hands over his trousers. “I had a little accident.”
She gasped. “Accident?”
“Aye. The horse’s saddle was not on tight and I slipped. I caught myself but twisted my ankle.”
“Good heavens.” She grabbed his hand. “Would you like my father’s doctor to take a look at it?”
“No. I just twisted it. All shall be well soon.”
“I shall have a talk with the stable hand. He should have taken a closer look at the saddle.”
He brushed his hand through the air. “I have already spoken to him. It wasn’t his fault.”
She scowled. “Then someone needs to answer for this.”
He reached in his waistcoat pocket and pulled out a crumpled paper. “I think I know who did it. He left his calling card.”
By the hardening of his jaw, she suspected it wasn’t good news at all. Slowly, she took the paper and read the scribbling on the front.
You did not heed my first warning. This is the second. Return home or you may find yourself dead.
She gasped and looked back at Andrew. “Who could have written this?”
He shook his head as he walked toward the house. “I would like to know that answer, as well.” He glanced at her. “It makes me wonder if this person wants me gone because he is in love with you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You cannot be serious.”
“Then who would it be? Why would they want me injured?”
Grabbing his arm, she stopped his angry strides. He looked down at her.
“I think we need to take this to the authorities. I’m certain they could look into the matter—”
“No. I will not hide—or run—from anyone. This person can confront me face-to-face.”