“Tomorrow?”
She shook her head. “That cannot be done. I will not even be at the dowager’s house until week after next for a gathering she is having with her friends and family.”
He nodded. “I suppose that will fit in with my plans.”
“How will I find you to hand over the jewels?”
“I will find a way to be at the dowager’s party. Watch for me.” He winked, turned, and sauntered away as if he owned the world.
Frustration shook every bone in her body, and she didn’t know whether to scream or cry. She’d do neither, since it would draw attention. In order to keep Trevor and the twins safe, she must steal from the dowager. And not tell a single soul.
On shaky legs, she crept back to Trevor and his children. She bumped into people on her way, not having the strength to apologize. Her heavy heart ached, and her head throbbed with indecision. But she couldn’t back out now. She must do as Macgregor wanted.
When Trevor finally looked at her, his smile disappeared, and his face creased in worry. His concern for her welfare was evident in his kind eyes. She fought back the tears, but her fight was useless as she sat beside him.
“Louisa, what’s wrong?”
As much as she wanted to confide in him, she didn’t dare. Macgregor would certainly follow through with his threat. She loved Trevor too much to have any harm come to him—especially the way Macgregor tortured his victims.
“I—I have a headache.”
“Louisa, it’s more than that. I can see it on your pale face. Something is greatly troubling you.”
“I—I—I remembered something.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
“I saw someone I had known when I lived as a thief. Seeing this man brought back memories I had rather not ponder upon.”
He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s collect our things and we shall return home, posthaste.”
“I would like that, my lord.”
Although she was supposed to be caring for the children, Trevor was the one who helped the twins with their cloaks and led them through the throng of people who stood in their way as they hurried to their vehicle. With each step toward the landau, doom lurked like a dark cloud in Louisa’s mind and heart. Stealing the jewels would turn her back into a thief, and in doing so, her life with Trevor slowly disappeared before her eyes. Things would never be the same again.
* * * *
Trevor paced the floor in his study, waiting for Louisa to put the children to bed. During the ride home, Louisa had been on the verge of tears. When he urged her to tell him what happened, all she would say was she recognized someone from her past and remembered a bad experience. She didn’t want to talk about it in front of the children, and he agreed, especially with as upset as Louisa was.
But now as he waited for her to put the children to bed and come to his study, his patience wore thin. Very thin. He could still see her pale face, and especially her eyes void of tender emotion. Fright had consumed her and literally taken over her whole being. She had stared out the window of the landau on the drive home, only a shell of the woman he knew.
The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed ten o’clock. Where is she?
Expelling a pent-up breath, Trevor raked his fingers through his hair and marched to the study’s opened door. The household was turning in for the night, and he surmised only a few servants were awake now.
He couldn’t stand to wait any longer. Louisa should have been down by now. Obviously, she had chosen to stay in her room. Well, he couldn’t rest tonight until he knew what she’d remembered.
Trevor bounded up the stairs two at a time. His long strides ate up the floor until he stood in front of her room. He knocked softly. Behind the door, shuffling feet creaked the floor, moving closer to the wooden barrier between them.
“Louisa, it’s me. Let me in so we can talk.” Just as his knock, he kept his voice quiet.
She didn’t answer, although he knew she stood at the door because of her shadow on the floor from the space underneath. The seconds that ticked by seemed so long.
“Please, Louisa.”
Finally she opened the door. Her puffy, red eyes drew his immediate attention. His heart broke, and he wanted to take her in his arms and sooth her fears.
“I don’t feel well,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“I can see that, my dear.” He walked inside and closed the door. “But I don’t want you to be alone, either.”
Without waiting for an invitation, he pulled her in his arms and brought her head to his chest. Her body shook with silent sobs as she clutched his waistcoat. Helplessness washed over him. If he could take away her pain, he would. If only he could help her regain her memory, he would do that as well. She shouldn’t have to suffer.
Once her sobs diminished, he pulled her toward the two-seat sofa and they sat. He wouldn’t let go of her even though she tried to pull away.
“Tell me what happened,” he said.
She wiped her eyes. “When I went to get the roasted peanuts, I saw…” She swallowed noisily then looked at him. “I saw someone from my past…when I was a thief.”
“Someone like David?”
“Yes.”
“Then what happened?”
“I was so stunned, Trevor. I couldn’t think. I just stood and stared.” Her voice rose and her body trembled.
“Shhh…” He swiped his thumb under her eyes to dry her tears. “Calm down and tell me what else happened.”
She took a deep breath. “When I realized how I knew him, my memory opened and I saw him in a room with me while I was being…whipped.” Tears filled her eyes again. “I’d begged Macgregor not to punish me. I pleaded for his forgiveness, but he continued to whip me, laughing the whole time.”
Trevor gnashed his teeth and held Louisa tight again. He’d kill that man if it was the last thing he’d do. Macgregor deserved his fate.
Kissing her forehead, Trevor cuddled her closer. “I’m so sorry you had to remember that. It is no wonder your mind chose to block that part of your life.”
“Yes, that is what I thought as well.”
He withdrew slightly, only enough to lift her chin so she would look at him. Her eyes swam with huge tears. Seeing her this way tore him apart inside. Beyond anything, he wanted to take away her pain…and his. He kissed above each eye, then her nose, before finally kissing her lips. He hoped she’d allow him to comfort her this way.
But when she pulled back, he realized his wish went unheard.
“Trevor, I need to have time to think about everything. Thank you for listening to me, but I really need to be alone.”
He nodded. “Just remember I’m here for you. I will protect you at all times. Your past is where it should be now—in the past. Let it stay there. You have a new life here with me.”
Her lips quaked, but she didn’t say anything.
As he left her room, his heart grew heavier. Hopefully, she’d not have any more horrid memories. Then again, with the life she’d lived, there were probably many more terrible experiences just waiting to be revealed.
* * * *
“There is a bet going here in Whites,” Lord Hawthorne said cheerfully as he aimed his focus on Tristan, “that the police will not be able to discover who killed Lord Hollingsworth.”
Trevor and his brothers sat at a table, and looked up as Dominic approached. Trevor silently groaned, wishing Hawthorne had stayed away. Yet, it seemed since the marquis and Trey were good friends, they always were seen together.
Quickly, before he could say anything condemning about Dominic’ statement, Trevor tossed down his brandy in one gulp. The drink burned his throat and stung his eyes.
“What do you mean, my good man?” Trey asked.
Dominic pulled a chair from another table to join the brothers. “I have it on good authority that Lord Hollingsworth had many enemies.”
Tristan tilted back his head and laughed heartily. “I would think so,
Hawthorne. As crooked and deceitful as that lord was, I would imagine half of London would want to cut the lord’s throat.” He lifted his glass of whiskey, then drank it. “Put me down in the book for one-thousand pounds. This will be an easy bet to win.”
“I’ll bet one-thousand as well,” Trey said, laughing.
“From what I have heard,” Dominic continued, “the police are baffled. They have many suspicions, but nothing conclusive.” He grinned at Tristan. “Perhaps you won’t need a good solicitor after all.”
“You are correct there.” Tristan nodded. “They cannot get me on this one. I did not kill the man, although the thought had crossed my mind often enough.”
“Yours, along with many other blokes,” Trey added.
“Which is why bets are being added in the book.” Hawthorne swung his gaze at Trevor and nodded. “And I’m very happy to see you here with your brothers. I have some news for you as well.”
Trevor really didn’t want to hear what his brother’s friend had to say. He really didn’t care, for that matter. All that had been going through his mind since he brought Louisa and the children back from the circus was the way she’d acted. The way Louisa still acted now three days later.
Like she’d seen a ghost.
Like she was frightened of her own shadow.
But mostly, she had withdrawn from him, and the confusion inside him from her mysterious actions tore him apart more than he wanted to admit. Heaven help him, but he’d fallen madly in love with the woman, and he never wanted that happiness to end. So why did Trevor feel as if it was indeed ending?
“What kind of news?” he asked anyway.
“The other day, as I talked to Lord Talbot, I discovered his youngest daughter drowned about six years ago.” Dominic leaned on the table, closer to Trevor. “The girl’s body was never found. The girl would have been Louisa’s age.”
Trevor’s interest perked a bit. “What was her name?”
“I cannot recall right now. We were into our cups a bit more than we should have been—”
“Just tell me, man. Was her name Louisa?”
Dominic frowned. “I don’t believe so. But that doesn’t mean she’s not the same girl.”
Irritated, Trevor slapped the table. “Hawthorne, how can you think such a thing?”
“Hear me out.” Dominic raised his hand. “We have already surmised that something dreadful happened in Louisa’s past. What if Louisa is not her real name, but the name given to her by her guardian or the person who raised her for six years?”
Trevor opened his mouth to rebut the marquis’ theory, but the mere suggestion had him pausing in curiosity. If Louisa couldn’t recall her past, how did she know Louisa wasn’t her real name? He hated to admit it, but Hawthorne just might be correct with this assumption.
“You know I’m right.” Dominic grinned wide.
“Do not start fluffing your feathers like a proud peacock just yet, Hawthorne,” Trevor ground out. “There are still things that we must discover which would be similar to Louisa’s life. Did you ask Lord Talbot what his daughter looked like? Or her exact age?”
“Do we even know Louisa’s exact age?” Trey cut in. “We assume she’s in her early twenties, but Trevor, you must admit, when you first saw her, you thought she was much younger.”
“That’s because of her thin frame,” Trevor argued. “She’s filled out since that first day. She does not resemble a half-starved child any longer.”
Dominic shook his head. “The point I’m trying to make is because of her memory loss, that poor woman does not really know how old she is, either. For all we know, she might be Lord Talbot’s daughter.”
“Or Lord Danvers,” Trey added.
“Or,” Trevor said as anger filled him, “Louisa could be the Duke of Devonshire’s illegitimate daughter for all we know.”
Dominic rolled his eyes. “You are not humorous, old man.”
Trevor bunched his hands, wanting to wallop Hawthorne…and enjoy doing it. “So it seems we are all on a goose chase. We know Louisa was born from Quality parents, but because Louisa might not be her real name, and we are not certain of her true age, finding her past is out of our reach.”
Silence stretched around the table as each man seemed lost in his own thoughts. All of this nonsense annoyed Trevor, but what confused him even more was knowing they might never learn Louisa’s true identity. What if she never regained her memory?
Trevor loved her, but would he dare go against society’s rules and ask her to become his wife? Would marrying Louisa only bring ridicule to her and his children? He definitely could not put his family through that. If only the ton knew her like Trevor knew her, they’d see she was not just a mere servant. In fact, in ways she was better mannered than Gwen had been.
“I have an idea,” Tristan said, breaking the silence.
Trevor glanced at the middle Worthington brother. “What is that?”
Tristan remained leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. “In the next few days, we ask around. We gather a list of those friends and acquaintances that had a daughter, sister, or grandchild disappear who could be Louisa’s age. Then we turn this list into Mother to invite to her weekend party. If any of these people are Louisa’s family, she will recognize them, I hope.”
Trey slapped his older brother on the shoulder. “Tristan, you are brilliant. Mother has been hounding me for names of people she could invite, and now I shall be able to help her.” He glanced at the other men around the table. “We shall all be able to help.”
Hawthorne and Tristan lifted their glass in a mock salute before drinking down the liquid.
Trevor pushed away from the table and stood. “Best of luck, men. Please ask around without giving away the real reason we want to know. In case Louisa is not who we think she is, I do not wish rumors to fly. Is that understood?”
“Perfectly.” Dominic smiled. Trey and Tristan also acknowledged with a nod.
“Now, if you will excuse me. I have other matters to attend to.” Trevor turned and stepped away, moving toward the door. But just as he reached the exit, another lord entered and nearly collided with Trevor.
When he recognized the lord, he bunched his hands by his sides. Viscount Putney. The very man he couldn’t wait to speak with.
Chapter Sixteen
Trevor anticipated some kind of reaction from the viscount. They stood staring at each other as if waiting for someone to draw their sword first. Finally, Putney’s face hardened into a scowl, and his cheeks grew as red as his hair.
The viscount appeared as upset over their chance meeting as Trevor. “Putney, might I have a minute?”
The viscount lifted his arrogant nose as if he meant to snub Trevor. “Actually, Your Grace, I do have other business—”
“It will only take a minute, I assure you.”
Putney’s glare grew hotter as if he meant to burn holes through Trevor with his eyes. After a few awkward moments passed, the other man nodded.
Motioning toward another room, Trevor said, “Let us speak in here where it’s more private.”
“I agree.”
Right away, a servant hurried to their side. “May I get you a drink, my lords?”
Trevor flipped his hand in a dismissal wave. “I think now is not the time—”
“But I would like a brandy,” Putney quickly replied.
The servant gave a nod, turned and left the room.
Taking a deep breath, Trevor tried to calm his anger toward the other man. “Putney, I will make this short and to the point.”
“I wish you would, Your Grace.”
“Fine. You should know that Adam and Amanda are not your children,” Trevor said softly.
The viscount’s eyes widened before a dark scowl claimed his face. “How can you be so certain? The last I saw of them their hair had a trace of red, which makes them my offspring.”
“I beg to differ. My mother has a trace of red in her hair as well. But of l
ate, I have come to notice how much the twins resemble me.” Trevor smiled as happiness filled his chest. This always happened when he thought of his beautiful children. “Their noses and mouths are the same shape as mine, and when they smile, they have a dimple in the same spot as I do. Adam even resembles Trey when he was a boy. Indeed, they are my children and not yours.” He straightened just a little prouder and lifted his chin higher than before.
Putney’s eyes misted and he blinked quickly. Sadness etched on his face even though he tried to look unaffected. Trevor almost felt sorry for him. Almost…but not quite. Did that make him a bad person because he didn’t care about Putney’s feelings? After all, Trevor wanted to believe he was a caring, understanding man even when it came to men who were in love with Gwen.
The viscount blew out a ragged breath. “Then I feel sorry for those poor children to have you as a father. I’m just happy to know I was the one who held their mother’s love.”
Trevor silently reprimanded himself for having second thoughts about the other man’s feelings. “Well, Putney, at least she was able to have some happiness in her life since all she brought to mine was misery.” He bowed. “Good day,” he snapped before leaving the room and hurrying out through the door.
Maybe now the viscount would leave him alone. Trevor didn’t want to admit that every time he saw that man, he remembered Gwen in Putney’s arms that time in the stable. Her betrayal had hurt so much Trevor had actually wanted her dead. At the time, his injured pride had wanted revenge. Still, it was hard for him not to think he’d killed her. Perhaps he’d never be able to free the burden of guilt weighing heavily on his mind. But at least now he could rest easier, knowing the children were his.
Not far up the road, his landau sat parked waiting for him. Instead of waiting for the vehicle to be brought around, Trevor decided to walk. The weather was nice this early in the evening, and since he didn’t have any pressing appointments, taking a small walk would do his mind good.
As long as he didn’t think about Louisa.
The Sweetest Touch Page 18