Surrender Amanda Quick

by Surrender (lit)

  He flipped through the information Jessica

  Atherton had given him before he began

  to stalk his heiress. It took him less

  than a couple of seconds to hit upon a

  name: Samuel Whitlock. Are we, by any

  chance," he asked gently, talking about

  your stepfather?"

  She jerked her head back, making a

  visible effort to pull herself together. I

  told you it was impossible. He is dead

  and buried."

  But you did not like him very much,

  did you?"

  Her eyes glittered in the moonlight. I

  hated him for what he did to my mother

  and for what he would have done to me if

  he'd gotten the chance. My mother saved

  me from that lecherous bastard by sending

  me to live with my aunt for most of my

  life. But she could not save herself. In the

  end, he killed her."

  You believe your stepfather killed your

  mother?"

  Lucas's voice sounded amazingly calm,

  Victoria thought. It was the sort of voice

  in which he might have asked if she would

  care for a glass of sherry before dinner. As

  he spoke he draped an arm around her

  shoulder and resumed walking toward the

  house.

  Yes. Yes, I do, although I have never

  said as much to anyone except my aunt."

  Victoria felt the heavy weight around her

  shoulders and was oddly reassured. He

  was so very strong, she thought fleetingly.

  Comfortingly so.

  She was not certain why Lucas's arm

  around her had such a soothing effect,

  but she didn't question it just then. She

  was too busy reminding herself to be very

  careful about what she said next. She had

  already blurted out a great deal more than

  she had ever intended.

  What does your aunt think?"

  Victoria clutched at the edges of her

  cloak. That tis very possible. She knows

  the sort of man he was. A cruel drunkard

  who lacked any shred of decency. She

  did point out that if he murdered her, it

  would be interesting to know why Samuel

  Whitlock waited so many years to do it.

  Why did he not simply get it over and

  done soon after he married my mother

  and had access to her fortune?"

  There may have been no real reason

  to kill her in the early years," Lucas

  said reflectively, as though working out

  a curious puzzle in his mind. After all,

  as you said, he did have access to her

  money. Why should he risk hanging for

  murder?"

  Victoria sighed. That was Aunt Cleo's

  point. My mother not only sent me to live

  with my aunt, she frequently came to stay

  with us for weeks, sometimes months at a

  time. After she realized what sort of man

  she had married, she spent as little time

  with him as possible. When he got drunk

  he got violent."

  In other words, in addition to turning

  her money over to him, she obligingly

  stayed out of his way. So why kill her

  after all those years?" Lucas asked.

  Perhaps he simply got tired of her,"

  Victoria said tightly. Perhaps he got

  especially angry at her one day and lost

  his temper. He had a terrifying temper.

  When he lost it, he lost his self-control

  completely. He was like a madman."

  /

  Unlike Lucas, she thought fleetingly, who

  was always controlled, even when he was

  angry.

  Your mother died in a riding accident,

  I believe?"

  Yes. Near his house in the country.

  She had gone there to entertain his friends

  that weekend. She had been staying with

  Aunt Cleo and me for several weeks prior

  to that, as usual, but Whitlock ordered

  her to return for a few days to do her

  duty as a wife, as he put it. My mother

  was very beautiful, very charming, An

  excellent hostess, in fact, and Whitlock

  often used her to impress his friends,"

  Victoria explained.

  A riding accident sounds more like a

  planned murder, not one done in the heat

  of anger."

  Victoria shrugged. You may be right. I

  only know he did it."

  How do you know that?"

  Because he told me so, himself, she thought

  wildly. He told me even as he plunged forward

  to his death at the foot of those stairs.

  But she could hardly tell Lucas why she

  was so certain of her stepfather's guilt.

  Lucas was entirely too shrewd. Once he

  had that bit of information, he would

  probe for more and she had already learned

  she had a bad habit of becoming altogether

  too trusting and vulnerable in his arms.

  Besides, she reminded herself grimly,

  while Lucas was a very unusual man

  in some respects, he was not likely to

  be so tolerant and understanding as to

  welcome the news that he was married to

  a murderess.

  I have no real proof, of course," Victoria

  said cautiously. But in my heart I am

  certain of his guilt."

  He let that go. Riding accidents happen

  all the time, Vicky."

  My mother was an excellent rider."

  Victoria hoped this would close the

  matter, but Lucas, in his inimitable

  fashion, pushed on.

  Did you confront Whitlock?"

  This was getting too close to dangerous

  territory. He knew I had no proof. He

  laughed at me."

  Lucas's hand tightened around her

  shoulders. What did you do then?"

  There was nothing I could do. He died

  less than two months later and Aunt Cleo

  and I decided it was rough justice."

  He was found at the foot of a staircase,

  I believe?"

  She glanced up quickly. Where did you

  hear that?"

  Lucas's mouth curved wryly. Jessica

  Atherton."

  You certainly obtained a great deal of

  information from Lady Atherton."

  Let us not start that quarrel again. Did

  your stepfather die that way?"

  Yes." Victoria picked her words carefully.

  He had apparently been drinking

  very heavily that night, which was not

  unusual for him. He tripped and fell at

  the top of a long flight of stairs. That was

  the end of the matter."

  Not quite."

  She started. What do you mean by

  that?"

  Merely that you are still upset by

  the sight of his initial embroidered on

  someone else's scarf or engraved on a

  strange snuffbox. What's the matter, Vicky?

  Are you beginning to wonder if there really

  are such things as ghosts? Did you think

  Whitlock had come back to haunt you?"

  Do not say that, She got control of

  herself instantly. Of course I don't believe

  in ghosts. What bothered me about the

  scarf and the snuffbox was that it appeared
<
br />   both had been left where I was the most

  likely one to find each."

  The location of the scarf is particularly

  interesting, isn't it? It implies someone

  knew you would be coming back into the

  house late via the conservatory door."

  Yes, that is exactly it, Lucas. Looking

  back on it, it makes one wonder if someone

  was spying on us the whole time. That

  same someone apparently was watching so

  closely that he or she saw me leave the

  party that night and get into the carriage

  you had hired," Victoria concluded.

  And followed us to the inn? Tis

  possible."

  It could have been Jessica Atherton."

  Lucas's tone lightened. I cannot envision

  Lady Atherton climbing the garden wall at

  midnight."

  You have a point. So that means the

  scarf and snuffbox were left by someone

  else. Unless'

  Unless what?"

  Victoria was struck by an idea. Do you

  suppose she hired a Bow Street runner to

  follow us around?"

  You, of all people, my dear, would

  know how easy that is to do."

  There was an acute silence following that

  remark, a silence during which it occurred

  to Victoria that if she'd been thinking

  clearly, instead of following her heart, she

  might have had the good sense to hire a

  runner herself to obtain some information

  on the mysterious Lord stone vale.

  I wondered, myself, how long it would

  take you to get around to doing just that,"

  Lucas said.

  She frowned, afraid he had read her

  mind. Doing what?"

  His teeth flashed in a wicked grin.

  Hiring a runner to have me investigated.

  It was one of the reasons I wanted to get

  the courtship over and done as quickly as

  possible."

  You are perfectly despicable, stone vale."

  I am also perfectly content with our

  bargain, madam." He paused outside the

  kitchen door to brush his mouth lightly

  over hers. His eyes gleamed. And while

  I would not have wanted you put in the

  awkward position you were in that night

  at the inn, I cannot say I am particularly

  sorry things happened the way they did.

  All in all, considering the risks we were

  running, we got off lightly."

  I do not see how we could have gotten

  off much worse."

  Then you lack imagination, madam. I

  used to lie awake nights thinking about all

  that could go wrong during our midnight

  jaunts." He tipped up her chin. Are you

  really so unhappy with me, Vicky?"

  She wanted to rail at him for not loving

  her as she loved him. She wanted to

  accuse him of having manipulated her

  into this marriage where her emotions

  threatened to tear her apart while his

  seemed under perfect control. She longed

  to bring him to a more forceful realization

  of his overwhelming guilt, to make him

  grovel for her forgiveness and proclaim his

  undying love and devotion.

  In short, Victoria realized, she wanted

  some vengeance for the situation in

  which she found herself. However, she

  was realistic enough to know she would

  probably never get it.

  But she had learned her lesson well,

  Victoria vowed silently. She would keep

  the secrets of her heart, just as she had

  learned to keep other, darker secrets. If

  the Earl of stone vale was content with his

  marriage, she would strive to be satisfied

  also. But she would not give him any more

  than what he had set out to trap an

  heiress who was obliged to accept the fact

  that she had been married for her money

  with relatively good grace.

  I believe," Victoria said carefully, that

  as husbands go, you are probably not such

  a bad one."

  You damn me with faint praise, madam,"

  he complained softly. Surely you can do

  better than that?"

  She licked her lower lip as she looked

  up at him. He was a menacing figure

  by moonlight. Large and powerful, he

  loomed over her. The stark lines of his

  face were etched with palest silver and

  deepest shadow. His eyes glittered with a

  sensual threat that made her recently sated

  senses flicker back to life. She ought to be

  afraid of him, she told herself instead, she

  always felt ridiculously safe in his presence.

  Damn the man.

  Her instinct was to throw her arms

  around him and confess her love. But

  her sense of self-protection and her pride

  stepped in to cut off such a rash and

  useless course of action. She would not

  make herself totally vulnerable to Lucas

  ever again the way she had that fateful

  night at the inn.

  I believe, my lord, that I have already

  explained to you I will do my best to live

  up to my part of our bargain."

  Lucas shook his head ruefully and kissed

  the tip of her nose. So proud. And so

  determined not to give an inch more than

  you must. How can you be so cruel,

  Vicky?"

  I hardly think tis being cruel to say I

  am willing to accept the situation in which

  I find myself. What more can you rightfully

  demand of me, Lucas?"

  Everything."

  You sound as if you talk of my complete

  surrender, my lord."

  Perhaps I do."

  For that I vow you will have to wait

  until the world allows women to wear

  breeches in public," she shot back tartly.

  In other words, forever."

  Perhaps not quite so long. But we will

  come back to the matter later. For now I

  will be content with the progress we have

  made tonight." He took her hand and led

  her into the dark, slumbering house.

  The vicar and his wife were nervous.

  It was painfully obvious they were not

  accustomed to taking tea in the great

  house of stone vale. Victoria decided that

  if she were to hazard a guess, she would

  say they had never before been invited into

  the house for any reason at all, let alone a

  consultation about the charity needs of the

  district. That irritated her. It was further

  proof that the previous earl had not cared

  about the people who lived on and near

  his lands.

  I cannot tell you how very happy we are

  to have you and your lovely lady installed

  here at the house, Lord stone vale." The

  Reverend Worth, a ruddy-faced, solidly

  built man in his fifties, spoke very

  earnestly.

  Yes, indeed. We're delighted to welcome

  you," misses Worth, a sweet-faced little wren

  of a woman who sat stiffly next to her

  husband, said tremulously. The teacup in

  her small hand trembled as she took a

  very tiny s
ip. Every now and then she

  would steal a quick, timid glance around

  the drawing room, as if she could not

  quite believe she was inside the great

  house.

  Thank you," Victoria said gently, smiling

  at the uneasy woman. It was very kind of

  you to arrange to be here on such short

  notice."

  Not at all, not at all," the woman

  sputtered, and nearly spilled her tea. We

  are ever so grateful for your interest in

  local matters."

  The vicar made a valiant effort to meet

  his host's eyes in a man-to-man look.

  Hope you don't mind my saying so,

  sir, but your family's lands have been

  neglected entirely too long. I am delighted

  to say that I have already heard talk in

  the village of the improvements you have

  begun. Tis a great relief."

  I am glad you are pleased, Reverend

  Worth. I couldn't agree with you more

  about the status of the estate and the

  surrounding countryside." Lucas put down

  his cup with a distinct snap that made

  Victoria hide a quick grin. Her husband

  was concealing his impatience well, but

  she knew for a fact that he would have

  much preferred to have been allowed to

  escape this particular social function.

  He was, he had told her in no uncertain

  terms that morning, a busy man and he

  did not have time to waste taking tea with

  the vicar. Victoria had informed him that

  he was not going to be let off the hook

  and in the end she had won, much to

  the interested surprise of one or two of

  the new servants who had happened to

  overhear the discussion in the hall. It was

  not going unnoticed that the new Earl

  of stone vale had a decided tendency to

  indulge his bride.

  There is a great deal to be done,"

  Worth noted. The situation around here

  was getting desperate."

  Your ladyship has made a wonderful

  impression on the local people," misses

  Worth said shyly. When I went to visit

  Betsy Hawkins this morning to take her

  a petticoat for her daughter, she told me

  quite proudly she wouldn't be needing any

  more charity. Her daughter had a job up

  here in the kitchens, she said, and her

  husband was going to start work in the

  stables. She was so happy, madam. You

  cannot imagine. That poor lady has had

  a hard time of it, as have many others."

  We are grateful to have so many willing

  workers. We shall need a great many

  people to get this place in shape," Victoria

  said, meaning every word. It had been

  a harrowing chore getting the drawing

  room in even halfway decent condition