Promise of Redemption

by Ellie St. Clair

  “I do not think this is a good idea, Daniel,” Christina said slowly, aware of the frown that jumped onto her husband’s face at her words as he turned to face her. “You need to think things through carefully and slowly until you arrive at a plan that is sure to work.”

  He shook his head impatiently. “No. Do you know how long I have been waiting for an opportunity like this? There will be a great many witnesses at White’s.”

  “It is not as though one can nonchalantly bring up the name of a woman dead six years now. Even in a drunken state, he is unlikely to reveal anything, particularly to a friend of yours. And even if he should confess, and then something were to happen to him, everyone would know—”

  “That is enough, Christina.” Daniel’s rebuke was edged with a quiet anger that made Christina smart as if he had struck her. She knew, with all of her rationality, he was being too quick, too hasty, but she could see by the resolve on his face that nothing she said would stop him. Instead, it would likely only fuel his determination to go against her wishes.

  “Do not go out,” he ordered her, and with all of her being she only wished that he told her so out of a sense of worry over her wellbeing. “You will be fine here with Woodward. If Lord Northcliffe reveals his actions to us, it could be some time before anything is done about it.”

  Christina nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Ravenhall,” she said formally, although he didn’t seem to note the sarcasm in her tone. “Do send word as to what happens. And Lady Beatrice is due to come here for afternoon tea, so I have no intention of going out today.”

  She caught the spark of interest in Lord Hudson’s eyes, and she managed a smile for him. A slight flush crept into his cheeks as he took his leave. Clearly, Beatrice had an admirer in Lord Hudson. Perhaps someone could find happiness.

  “Thank you, Christina,” Daniel murmured, not moving toward her to kiss her cheek or even bid her farewell. He paused after Lord Hudson exited the room, as though he wanted to say more, but then, after a moment, he simply inclined his head and shut the door behind him.

  19

  Christina spent the next hour attempting to read but found her mind unwilling to concentrate on anything other than her husband. She was uneasy with just how quickly he had left the house, how he had let his emotions overcome all reason. This desire to capture Lord Northcliffe’s confession had always been there, she was sure, but for whatever reason, he had seemed almost frantic this morning. Was it because of what they had shared last night? Had the memory of Laura and her death resurfaced with such strength that he had been unable to think of anything else, nor listen to reason?

  Her heart seemed to burn within her chest with pain, and she became angry with herself for feeling so much for the husband she’d never wanted in the first place. Throwing her book onto the table, she rose to her feet and began to pace up and down the library, trying desperately to get her thoughts onto something other than Daniel Harrington.

  As she looked out of the window, she heard the door behind her open, and she turned around to see if a maid had appeared to take her tea tray.

  To her horror, the tall, brown-haired man from the bookshop was standing in the doorway, a wide grin on his face.

  “Lord Northcliffe,” she breathed, her fingers scrabbling against the window sill as she fought to lean on it heavily, her body going weak with a sharp, sudden fear.

  “Good morning, Christina,” he said, calmly, closing the door behind him. “How lovely that we should be reacquainted so soon.”

  “How did you get in?”

  He shrugged, his eyes roving around the room as though taking it all in. “I do not think that matters, Christina, do you? Although I will say that the staff was all very busy in preparing the carriage for the sudden departure of Lord Ravenhall and Lord Hudson.”

  Christina felt sick. Lord Northcliffe had entirely engineered this situation. He most certainly was not at White’s.

  “That man, Mr. Stewart, talks a lot when he is drunk,” Lord Northcliffe continued, as he drew closer to her. “You cannot imagine how easy this all was.”

  Her skin crawled. Making sure to keep a few chairs between herself and Lord Northcliffe, Christina moved quickly toward the side of the room where the bell pull was, hoping he didn’t notice her intentions.

  “You can try to run from me, but I have every intention of using you for my own ends,” Lord Northcliffe continued, quietly, his eyes fixed on her. “Your husband ruined my life. First, he took the woman I loved, and then he destroyed my reputation, so much so that I could hardly be seen in London any longer.”

  Christina stepped in front of the bell pull, keeping a large overstuffed chair between herself and Lord Northcliffe. Putting her hands behind her back, she tugged it once, twice, three times, four times, five times, while Lord Northcliffe meandered around the room, seemingly unconcerned. She had to hope that the nature of her ringing would alert the butler to the fact that something was wrong. After all, Ravenhall had mentioned to her that Woodward had been with him ever since Laura’s death.

  “Your husband should arrive home soon,” he said, calmly, slowly making his way toward her. “I do so want him to see what is to become of you.”

  Christina tried not to shudder, her eyes widening as she watched him pull a pistol from his waistband. It glinted menacingly in the daylight.

  “You will always be hunted,” Christina replied through trembling lips, determined to keep her courage. “No matter where you go.”

  Lord Northcliffe chuckled darkly. “I doubt it, my dear. I will make sure your husband is suspected of your death, and his accusations against me will come to nothing. He will look the fool. There will be no one with any reason to chase me. And, if something goes wrong, well, I have a remote place in Scotland where no one will find me.”

  For a moment, Christina wondered why the man was telling her all this, only to realize that he did not care for he intended to kill her before she could say a word. A cold sheen of sweat broke out over her brow, and she clung to the back of the chair, her eyes flicking wildly around the room as she desperately sought a way to escape him.

  “Lord Ravenhall does not deserve to be happy,” Lord Northcliffe continued, as Christina’s mind struggled to come up with any kind of solution. “He took Laura away from me, and so I have decided he is to live alone, without hope, for the rest of his days, as I have.”

  “Why did you do it?” Christina asked, desperately, trying to keep him talking, to allow enough time for Daniel to arrive.

  “Do what?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “K-kill her,” she choked out. “If you loved her so much, why couldn’t you simply allow her to be happy?”

  “Oh, Lady Ravenhall,” Northcliffe chuckled in such a sinister way that chills fell down Christina’s spine. “Is that what he has told you, what he has made you believe?”

  Goose flesh rose on her arms as he stared at her and shook his head as if in sympathy.

  “I never killed Laura Churston,” he said with enough sorrow that Christina nearly believed him. “No, Laura had gone to Ravenhall’s home to tell him how she truly felt — that she still loved me. We were to run off together, to find our way to Scotland and elope. Her father much preferred that she marry the son of a duke, but we were in love. She clearly told Ravenhall and he killed her for it. Apparently, if he couldn’t have her, then neither could I.”

  Christina could barely process his words. No. She shook her head as she stared at him, her body growing cold and freezing in place at the smug smile of satisfaction that clung to his lips.

  “I don’t believe you,” she whispered, but even she could hear the lack of conviction in her words.

  “Come, my dear Christina, are you not aware of your husband’s actions? He won’t hesitate to take a life if necessary. He had no qualms with Miss Churston. Now we will see how he feels to have his wife taken from him.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Christina saw the door handle turn very slowly,
and relief washed through her. Perhaps her frantic bell pulling had done what she’d intended.

  Hoping to draw his attention, Christina gave a harsh laugh, seeing Lord Northcliffe stare at her as though she’d gone mad.

  “Do you truly believe that I make Lord Ravenhall happy?” she asked in a loud voice, gesturing wildly to keep his attention focused solely on her. “It was an arrangement, nothing more. We are not even friends, Lord Northcliffe. Truly, to kill me would be to end what has been nothing more than a nightmare.”

  Lord Northcliffe lifted one eyebrow, his eyes still fixed on her. “Is that so?” he murmured, as the door opened a little more. “Regardless of that, Lady Ravenhall, I’m afraid that I will still put my plan into action. Ravenhall deserves to spend the rest of his days alone.”

  Christina saw the door fly open at that, and Daniel stepped inside with Lord Hudson remaining by the door. Lord Northcliffe threw himself up from his chair. Stretching his arm out, he grabbed Christina and ground the pistol into her temple. Her heart began to pound wildly, and she struggled to breathe. Black spots seemed to cloud her vision as she saw her life hanging in the balance.

  “Move and I’ll shoot her,” Lord Northcliffe said, slowly. “You’re a little earlier than I expected, Ravenhall — and you brought Hudson with you. How wonderful.”

  “Put the pistol down,” Daniel grated, his eyes fixed on Lord Northcliffe, even though Christina was desperate for him to look at her.

  Lord Northcliffe chuckled, shaking his head. “So it appears I shall have to go on the run after all,” he murmured, his gaze settling on Christina. “I am sure you will understand, my dear, for I cannot remain in London with two bodies by my feet, although I fully intend to leave your husband alive, to know what it is like to live alone as I do. Unfortunately, I only have two pistols, so Lord Ravenhall and I will have to fight it out to the death with our swords, unless he is too overcome by the death of his wife and his friend which, I hope, will play out to my advantage.”

  Christina struggled to breathe, her whole body shaking terribly as she continued to look down the barrel of the gun. One shot. One shot that would end her life and bring about the start of Daniel’s destruction. She did not think that he could cope should Lord Northcliffe continue to haunt him. For he must be lying — Daniel couldn’t have killed Miss Churston … could he have?

  Slowly, her gaze traveled back toward Daniel, and Christina found herself aching for all of the space between them. She didn’t know what to believe of him. Perhaps, had she been truly honest with him, had she bared her soul and trusted him, he might have returned some feeling toward her. For despite Lord Northcliffe’s words, despite what she knew of Daniel’s past actions, as she looked at the despair that had come over his face, she realized that he could never have hurt an innocent woman, no matter what she had done to him.

  Finally, he looked back at her, his gaze remaining steady although his eyes held a hint of fear.

  “Daniel,” she called out. “This isn’t your fault. And … and this isn’t a nightmare, you know that. There is more between us that I only wish we had the opportunity to explore.”

  A tear leaked from her eye, but she continued to watch Daniel, holding onto his gaze as it was the only thing that mattered.

  “You don’t deserve any of this,” she heard Lord Northcliffe say, his voice now thin and filled with rage. “You took away my love from me, and now it will bring me the greatest of pleasures to do the same to you.”

  As his attention moved toward Daniel, the pistol moved a fraction of an inch away from her temple, and Christina took the moment of opportunity to do the only thing she could think of.

  She collapsed onto the floor, just as the sound of a pistol shot reached her ears. There was no pain, no scream of injury. Instead, there was the sound of splintering wood, of running feet and shouting voices.

  And then there were strong hands reaching for her, helping her to sit up. Dazed, Christina recognized that her husband was the one holding her.

  “Daniel!” she breathed, closing her eyes as tears began to pour into her vision. “You’re safe.”

  “As are you,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. “Thank goodness you are all right. For a moment there I thought I would lose you.”

  Movement at the door caught her eye, and Christina watched as Lord Hudson attempted to block the exit. It was at that moment, however, she heard a voice that made her cringe. Christina had completely forgotten about Beatrice’s visit, and her timing could not have been worse.

  “Christina? Are you here?” came Beatrice’s melodic voice from outside of the hallway. “The door was ajar and no servants were in sight, so I let myself in.” She walked through the doorway, just as Christina began to call out to her to stay back. “Are you well to—oh!”

  She came to a halt, her eyes wide as she surveyed the scene in front of her. Lord Northcliffe pulled a second pistol from his waistband, pointing it at Beatrice, and despair coursed through Christina. Do not let Beatrice be hurt by this, she prayed.

  “Lady Beatrice!” Lord Hudson said desperately — too desperately, it seemed, as Lord Northcliffe looked from him to Beatrice with a gleam in his eye.

  “Out of my way, Hudson, or say farewell to the woman here.”

  Christina could see the dismay on the face of Lord Hudson, but he could do nothing except step out of the way. As Lord Northcliffe rushed out of the room, Lord Hudson put his arms on Beatrice’s shoulders, saying something softly to her, before rushing out after Lord Northcliffe.

  Christina felt completely helpless, but for the moment, she focused on Daniel’s presence. Lord Hudson would catch him, she told herself. He had to — for until he was caught, this ordeal would never be over.

  20

  “We’ve found him.”

  Daniel spun around on hearing Lord Hudson’s voice, staring at his friend for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief. It had been a couple of hours since he’d left, chasing after the man.

  “He’s meant to be on his way to Scotland, but he’s holed up in some inn just outside of London,” Hudson continued, coming a little farther into the room and making his way straight toward the brandy tray. “Whoever or whatever he’s waiting for hasn’t shown up, and my guess is he can’t carry on without it.”

  Daniel’s heart jumped with exaltation as the urge to go straight to wherever Lord Northcliffe was hiding pushed him into action.

  “He should never have been able to escape in the first place,” he said, as Hudson handed him a brandy. “However, Lady Beatrice—”

  “Had she not arrived when she did, perhaps this would all be over,” Daniel said with some bitterness in his voice.

  Hudson faced him with consternation on his face. “Or, perhaps, I would have been over. Had Lady Beatrice not distracted Northcliffe, you could have been attending my funeral.” He took a sip of his drink. “It’s just as well we have a few men on hand. They’ve been following him since he left the house. It means we can do this properly.”

  But I don’t want to do this properly.

  That was the problem that now faced Daniel. He had no intention of handing Lord Northcliffe into the authorities, not now. Not when the man had been so close to robbing him of his wife. No, if he found Lord Northcliffe, it would be to end his life in the same way he’d tried to end Christina’s.

  “Is something wrong, Ravenhall?”

  Daniel shook his head. “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Aware that his friend knew him well, Daniel drew in a long breath and took a hearty sip of his brandy before replying.

  “Hudson, seeing Lord Northcliffe threatening my wife has driven back that anger into my blood,” he said, eventually. “I do not intend to allow the man to live.”

  Hudson’s eyes narrowed.

  “For heaven’s sake, he was about to murder Christina!” Daniel exclaimed upon Lord Hudson’s grimace. “That would be the second love he’d have taken away from me!”

&n
bsp; Lord Hudson raised one eyebrow, a slow smile spreading across his face as the words Daniel had spoken seemed to echo around the room. Daniel colored at once, not only realizing what he’d had said but also that it was too late to take it back.

  “My, my,” Lord Hudson murmured softly. “So this is it, is it? How interesting. You can finally admit you care for your wife.”

  “No,” Daniel said, brusquely, turning away from his friend. “No, not in that way.”

  “Ravenhall,” came Hudson’s reply. “You are allowed to be in love with your wife, as I am sure I have said to you before. Why do you insist on pushing her away from you? You have already admitted it to me. You cannot continue to ignore such a depth of feeling.”

  Letting out a long breath, Daniel set down his brandy glass and leaned on his study table, looking down at the sheaf of paper there. He did not see anything but Christina’s face, caught up as he was in the memory of how she’d looked when he’d seen her with Lord Northcliffe.

  His heart had torn open, become a yawning chasm that he could not ignore. It was an abyss he had not filled in years, choosing to descend into darkness and to ignore the happiness another might bring.

  He had not looked at any other lady since Laura, had only married because he had been forced into the match. But on seeing Christina so afraid, so close to a tragedy, he had felt something break free of the chains he’d placed around it.

  He loved his wife.

  “Ravenhall, I must consider this a good thing,” Lord Hudson continued when he didn’t say anything. “Do not turn away from it now. Allow yourself to love her without feeling any of the guilt I know you have burdened yourself with for too long.”

  Daniel frowned, opening his mouth to refute his friend’s statement but finding he could not do so.

  The truth was, he did feel guilty about forgetting Laura. That was why he had left Christina’s bed after giving himself to her so completely. He could not even recall Laura’s face, could not remember the feeling that he’d always considered to be so overwhelming when her memory had come to mind. The feelings he had for Christina — well, they were stronger than any he had ever known before, and that created a guilt that tore at his soul.