by Sandra Heath
Davey suddenly paused to look directly up at her window, and she drew quickly back. Martha was right, it was best that she kept her return secret for as long as possible. Without the snakestone she knew how much at risk she was from Judith, and even though Martha had provided her with wafers from the church, she still felt very vulnerable indeed, especially now that she was expecting Nicholas’s child.
She closed her eyes for a moment as a wave of sick light-headedness came over her, as so often happened each morning now. Martha warned that this queasiness lasted for the first four months, and right now four months seemed an eternity.
Martha tapped at the door. “Are you awake, Miss Verity?”
“Yes, Martha, please come in.”
The nurse looked into the room. “Come quickly, Miss Verity, Mr. Windsor wishes to speak to you.”
“He does?” A wild hope lurched through Verity, and the morning sickness was pushed to the back of her mind as she quickly donned her wrap and hurried from the room.
She went quietly up to his bed, and his dull eyes swung immediately toward her. “Verity?” he whispered.
She felt the sting of salt tears as she sat on the edge of the bed and took his wizened hand. “Oh, Uncle Joshua...”
“Forgive me my anger,” he murmured, his voice so weak it was barely audible.
“If you will forgive me too,” she replied, so overcome she found it hard to speak.
“You will always be my beloved niece, my dear, no amount of foolish anger could really change that. In my heart of hearts I didn’t stop cherishing you.”
She kissed his fingertips and then looked at him. “I—I read the letter you wrote to Nicholas, Uncle, so I know why you despised him so.”
He looked away. “I should have told you the truth, my dear, but Lady Sichester told me in confidence, and I respected her wish that nothing would go any further. You do understand, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course.”
He drew a shaking breath. “But because of my silence, you are now his wife ...”
“Not for long, I fear. He wishes to set me aside.”
“For the Villiers creature?”
“I—I believe so,” she replied.
“You must not let it happen, my dear, for Martha tells me you have a child to consider now, and no matter what else, that child, boy or girl, will be Nicholas Montacute’s legitimate heir. Bear that in mind at all costs, my dear.”
“I will.” Verity drew a long breath, for his words were an echo of Anna’s. They were both right, she had to fight on behalf of the new life she carried within her.
His fingers relaxed a little in hers. “I—I feel so tired and helpless. I should be your strength, but instead I am ...” He closed his eyes as his brief minutes of lucidity began to draw to an end. Moments later, he had lapsed into unconsciousness again.
Verity could taste her own tears as she bent forward to kiss his forehead.
* * *
Outside at that moment, the bustle around the green was brought to a temporary standstill by the sight of Judith’s carriage returning from the castle. As it splashed through the ford and drew up at the manor house gate, everyone by the bonfire paused to watch.
Only the children failed to notice, and continued their noisy game among the leaves, squealing with laughter as they kicked and threw them in all directions. Suddenly Davey trod on something hard on the road in front of Windsor House, and with a wince of pain bent to see what it was. He picked up the snakestone on its chain, and turned it over curiously. Then he shrugged and shoved it into his pocket, meaning to show it to his grandmother later. The find was soon forgotten altogether as he rejoined the others in the fun with the leaves.
But of all the people on the green, Judith was the one who witnessed his discovery. Until that moment she had been sunk in despair because she thought Verity had ignored Nicholas’s message, and that thus Halloween would pass without her revenge even properly commencing, but as soon as she saw Davey pick something up from among the leaves, she not only realized what it was, but the significance of its being here in Wychavon. The snakestone could only be in the village if Verity Windsor had returned after all!
Fixing her gaze on the house, the sorceress concentrated with all her strength, and after a moment a smile crept to her lips.
Yes, Verity was there, and without the protection of Merlin’s talisman! Turning, she instructed the astonished coachman to take her back to the castle immediately. Within seconds her carriage was splashing across the ford again.
* * *
Nicholas was in the billiards room, and he straightened as he heard the rustle of the witch’s scarlet gown. “Judith?” he murmured, smiling into her green eyes.
She smiled too. “I’ve come to tell you your wife has returned. She’s at Windsor House now. Perhaps you should call on her this evening.”
“I have no wish to see her.”
“But you must discuss the divorce.”
He put his cue down on the green baize table. “I’d rather leave it to the lawyers.”
“I want you to see her.”
He smiled then. “If it’s your wish, I will do it,” he murmured. “I’m always expected to put in an appearance at the Halloween celebrations on the green, so I’ll go to see her then.”
“Make sure you return to the village celebrations after you’ve seen her, and that you remain there until everything is ended,” she said suddenly. “You must be one of the last to leave.”
He looked quizzically at her. “What on earth for?”
“Just do it,” she whispered.
Her eyes compelled him. “I’ll do anything you say,” he murmured.
She smiled. “There’s something I forgot to tell you. I’m leaving for Ludlow now,” she announced lightly.
“Ludlow? But—”
“I will return tomorrow,” she interrupted.
“I’ll miss you.”
“I know,” she murmured, moving closer to him and beginning to unbutton her bodice. “I don’t have to leave just yet,” she whispered.
His eyes moved to the soft breasts she revealed.
“Make love to me here on the table,” she whispered.
He pulled her roughly into his arms, and as she returned his kisses, Judith was content that before this day was out her way to his marriage bed would be clear. She wasn’t going to Ludlow, but to the grove to prepare for what must be done that night, and when Verity’s body was found in the millpool, it was best if everyone thought her husband’s mistress hadn’t been anywhere near Wychavon at the time. Nicholas himself wouldn’t be suspected because he would be on the green in front of countless witnesses when his wife went to her tragic demise.
* * *
The evening shadows were long as the villagers gathered for the revels. The torchlight procession was beginning to form, and all the food and drink had been brought out into the misty night. Turnip lanterns flickered softly from every cottage, and the children carried more on long sticks, ready to take them around the village. The bells of the morris men could be heard, and there were bursts of excited laughter from time to time as the hobbyhorse darted from person to person.
Only the Reverend Crawshaw and the verger couldn’t approve of Halloween celebrations, and so stayed at home, but everyone else in Wychavon turned out to enjoy the fun. At last the morris men’s musicians struck up, and there was a cheer as the procession set off, with everyone singing as loudly as they could. It’s Halloween tonight, it’s Halloween tonight, give us a candle, give us a light, for it’s Halloween tonight!
The torches smoked, and the lanterns bobbed as the long line of villagers snaked around the cottages, but at last everyone returned to the green and formed a circle around the bonfire. Then there was another huge cheer as the lighted torches were flung onto the great pile of dry wood and leaves, and in a moment flames began to lick high into the night sky.
Everyone linked hands to dance around, still singing the Halloween song. After th
at the business of enjoying the food, drink, and games began. There was much laughter and fun, for few believed there really were dark spirits abroad on this night.
No one noticed as Nicholas rode into the green and left his horse well away from the bonfire. The last thing he felt like was mingling with villagers who made little secret of their shocked disapproval of his liaison, but anything Judith wished was now a command to him, and later he would mingle as much as he could. First, however, he had to obey her by going to Verity.
He couldn’t see her among the faces on the green, although Martha Cansford was there with her sister and the boy Davey, so he knew she had stayed in because of her uncle’s illness. He crossed to Windsor House, where turnip lanterns shone on the gateposts. The only light in the house itself appeared to be another turnip lantern at Verity’s bedroom window. He brushed past the lilac tree, and its dead leaves fell over him as he went up to the door to knock.
The sound echoed through the house, but no one responded. He tried again, but still there was no response. Puzzled, he stepped back to glance up at the lantern in Verity’s window. She must be there, he thought, and so he tried the door handle. It turned easily to his touch, and the door swung open to reveal the shadowy hall beyond. The hall clock ticked slowly as he slipped inside and put his hat and gloves on the table.
After listening for a moment in case some of the servants had stayed behind after all, he went upstairs, not liking to call out in case Joshua was sleeping. He reached the old man’s room and looked in. Dr. Rogers had said how ill he was, but Nicholas was still shocked to see how very frail and shrunken the once stout and proud old man had become.
Taking a heavy breath, Nicholas moved on toward Verity’s room at the front of the house. Her door stood open too, so that she could hear her uncle, he supposed, going very softly to look in. She had fallen asleep on the bed, the coolness of her peppermint green gown warmed by the light of the Halloween lantern on the windowsill. Her hair was loose, and the delicate wool of her gown was so soft and clinging that it outlined every curve of her body.
The moment he saw her, the subconscious instructions Judith had given him under the influence of the druid’s moss came to the fore. From caring nothing for the woman he had married, suddenly he adored her again. Verity became everything to him in those few precious seconds, and the knowledge that he loved her was like a welcome glass of iced champagne in an overheated ballroom. It soothed and comforted him and made him want to weep with joy. This was the woman he wanted, the woman he needed to be with until the end of his days….
He went into the room and gazed down at her as she slept. Oh, to be able to make love to her now, to be one with her again and cleansed of all that had happened since he had left her. She stirred a little so that he could see how perfectly her gown’s bodice cupped her breasts and how beautifully proportioned her legs were, her thighs long and slender, her ankles small and shapely.
Temptation overwhelmed him, and he reached out to touch her hand. Her fingers curled a little, and she sighed in her sleep. Lily-of-the-valley perfume drifted poignantly over him, reminding him of the nights of passion he had spent with her. “Oh, Verity, my darling,” he whispered.
She awoke, her breath catching with alarm, but he stopped any cry by putting his hand over her mouth. For a moment he was shaken to see her eyes were still the same shade of lilac they had become at Almack’s. But it was Judith’s eyes that were green now.... He forced aside all thoughts of his mistress. “Please don’t be frightened, Verity, for I mean you no harm.”
She stared up at him, and he met her gaze intently. “Please let me talk to you,” he begged. “If I take my hand away, do you promise not to scream?”
After a moment, she nodded, and he let go of her and moved a step or so back from the bed. “Forgive me for coming to you like this, but I must talk to you. I love you so much, Verity, and I want everything to be as it was.”
He believed what he was saying, but he had come to carry out Judith’s wishes. His task was to lure Verity into the ultimate danger, yet his smiles and words were those of a lover.
Chapter Thirty
Verity sat up slowly in the bed, gathering the coverlet to her chin. Her golden hair was a tangle, and there was wariness in her eyes as a thousand and one fears skimmed through her mind, for no matter how loving and sincere he might seem, he was Judith’s lover now.
“What do you want of me, Nicholas?” she asked.
“I want you to trust me again.”
“Trust you? How can I do that after all that’s happened?”
He stepped closer. “Verity—”
She recoiled. “Don’t, please!”
He halted in dismay. “I haven’t willingly hurt you, I swear!”
“No?” The pain of having to mistrust him was almost unendurable, but she made herself remember all that Martha had said.
He spread his hands. “I love you, Verity.”
She wanted to accuse him about Judith, but it was another name that came to her lips first. “Is that what you said to Amabel Sichester too?” she asked quietly, holding his gaze in the Halloween lantern light.
“Amabel? What has she to do with it?”
“Please don’t try to deceive me, Nicholas, for I know all about it. You seduced her, and when she was expecting your child, you deserted her.”
He exhaled slowly. “Did Anna tell you?”
“No, I read a letter my uncle wrote to you.”
He drew a long breath. “Well, I’ve realized for some time that Lady Sichester must have told him, for that was the only thing that would explain the sudden depth of his dislike for me, but her ladyship has been deceived by Amabel. There’s no truth whatsoever in the claim that I am the father of Amabel’s child, nor did I seduce her, rather was it the other way around, for she’s certainly not the demure young thing she seems. I happened to be the only bachelor in her long line of married lovers, and when Amabel fell pregnant by one of them, she tried to trick me into marriage.”
Verity looked away. “It’s always easy to blacken a woman’s name.”
“And easy to attempt to foist another man’s child on an unsuspecting fool. I would have married her, but then chance took a hand, and I went unexpectedly to Dover Street one night in time to see a married fellow I know being shown in. Before the door closed, I saw Amabel run into his arms in a manner that could hardly be described as innocent.
“Unable to believe what was staring me in the face, I waited outside until he left at dawn, at which time they thought themselves so safe from prying eyes they kissed passionately on the doorstep. Anger being what it is, I decided it was best not to confront her there and then, and so returned later. She immediately told me she was expecting my child.”
“What if the child was indeed yours?”
“I called upon the fellow I’d seen with her, and he admitted fatherhood, but apart from that, although I don’t deny making love to her, I certainly do deny the ability to perform miracles. You see, Amabel overlooked the fact that Mother Nature and the relevant dates eliminated me from the proceedings because I’d been in Scotland.”
She lowered her eyes at that, for Mother Nature and the relevant dates didn’t eliminate him from being the father of her own child, in fact they did the very opposite.
He went on. “I left Amabel in no doubt that I wouldn’t accept responsibility for another man’s child, but I also gave my word not to spread the story around society and thus harm her reputation. I didn’t imagine she’d blacken my name anyway, or that her mother would accuse me to your uncle.” He looked imploringly into her eyes. “Please believe me, Verity.”
After returning his gaze for a long moment, she knew he wasn’t lying. A strange sort of relief passed through her, and she nodded. “I do believe you, Nicholas.”
“Oh, Verity—” Encouraged, he took a step nearer, but she shook her head quickly.
“No, Nicholas, for believing you about that is one thing, forgiving you everything
else is quite another.”
“Please forget what I’ve done in the past, Verity, for it’s the future that matters.”
“But it would seem your future doesn’t include me, for you’ve decided to end our marriage.”
“You must believe me when I say there was nothing truly voluntary about that decision. Nothing I’ve done since leaving you has been voluntary.”
“Nothing? Not even going to Judith Villiers’ bed?” she asked quietly.
“Especially not that, I don’t want her, Verity, I never have and I never will. You’re the one I love.”
Martha’s warnings rang far too loud and clear in her head, and she said nothing.
He ran his hand through his hair and then looked at her again. “I know you won’t believe this, but I—I suspect Judith is a witch. No, more than that, I know she is a witch!”
Verity stared at him, shaken that he should actually say it. Surely he wouldn’t have done so if he were here under Judith’s influence?
He held her gaze again. “Say something, please, for I know only too well the monstrousness of what I’ve just said.”
“Why do you think she’s a witch?” she asked at last, feeling her way carefully through the treacherous maze that seemed to be all around her.
He gave an ironic laugh. “Would you believe because she told me? She’s so sure of her hold on me she no longer cares. But her hold isn’t absolute anymore. The other day, when I wrote to you about your uncle, I found the pearl pin you gave me. I picked it up and began to realize that I still love you. That’s why I’ve come to you tonight, I want to make you understand that I came to her because I was bewitched, not because I preferred her. Finding that pin made all the difference, Verity, for now I have the chance to be free. We both do.” His words were a convincing blend of truth and fiction, and because of the druid’s moss, he believed each and every one.
Oh, how persuasive he was, she thought, longing to stretch out a hand and whisper forgiveness, understanding, unending devotion…. But the doubts wouldn’t go away. She was afraid to put her faith in him, afraid for herself, and her unborn child.