by Anne Herries
Max inclined his head and went out. She was afraid of something and he suspected that she was lying to him! He was not sure why she would lie, but he was fairly certain he knew exactly what had been going on here. It was imperative that he should find Robert before Dr Clarke did, because his cousin’s life was in danger!
Helene looked uncertainly at what was clearly a summerhouse. There was an unused air about it, as if no one ever came here. She felt very nervous, her stomach beginning to tie itself in knots. She was certain now that the physician had lied to her. This was a trap! Even as she hesitated, the physician stopped, turned back and looked at her. His gloating manner frightened her. She turned, prepared to flee back the way they had come, but he was on her at once. His powerful hands grasped her arm, his fingers digging into the flesh as he held on to her.
‘Has the penny dropped at last, Miss Henderson?’ he asked, and suddenly she knew him. She had heard that voice on the night of Amelia’s costume ball. He was the man who had threatened her with dire happenings if she would not give up her engagement to Max. ‘I thought you might know me, even though I disguised my voice that night at the ball. But of course all you thought of was your precious Lord Coleridge. How foolish a woman in love can be!’
‘Let go of my arm,’ Helene said. ‘You are an impostor, aren’t you? You never were a doctor at all.’
‘Oh, yes, I do have a certificate and I have worked in Italy as a physician. I was forced to earn my living after my father cut me off without a penny for disgracing his name. It was not my fault that the stupid girl struggled so hard I broke her neck…’ His lip curled in a sneer. ‘Women are all fools. They will believe anything you say, providing that they believe you love them.’
‘You made Mrs Heronsdale believe her son was mad.’
‘Actually, it is Mrs Clarke. It suited our purposes to keep the marriage a secret.’
‘Does she know that you have tried to kill Lord Coleridge twice?’
‘You ask too many questions,’ he said and his fingers tightened their hold, making Helene wince.
‘You are hurting my arm,’ she said as he took a key from his pocket with his free hand and unlocked the door of the summerhouse. He thrust her inside and followed, closing the door with a bang. Helene kicked out at his shins in a desperate attempt to free herself, and in subduing her once more he neglected to lock the door behind them.
‘Behave and perhaps I shall let you live,’ he said. ‘You really should have listened to me, Miss Henderson. You are a stubborn wench. I should enjoy taming you—as I might have done had you done as your grandfather asked you. Why would you not give up Coleridge and live under Annesdale’s roof? I could have disposed of those who stood in my way of a fortune—and then I might have come courting. I think I should have enjoyed that.’
‘What are you talking about? If you imagine that I would ever have married you…’ Helene began, but a look from him silenced her.
‘You might have had no choice,’ he said. ‘When the grandson of his long-lost cousin turned up, Annesdale would have been glad to give you to me.’
‘You are related to Annesdale…’ Helene stared at him in disbelief. ‘How could you know of his offer to me? I do not believe you are his cousin. Were you planning to dupe a lonely old man by impersonating a member of his family?’
‘Do you imagine I would tell you?’ He smiled. ‘But I shall tell you that a certain lady is my friend. She told me all about you, because she hates you.’
‘If you are going to kill me, what difference does it make?’ she asked, and then, hearing a strangled sound behind her, she turned and saw the figure of a man struggling against the bonds that bound his ankles and wrists. He was lying on the floor, with his back towards them, but she knew at once that it must be Robert. She ran to him, kneeling by his side and pulling the gag from his mouth. ‘Has that devil hurt you?’
‘I wanted to warn you,’ Robert gasped. ‘I didn’t know what he planned for a long time, but of late he had grown careless and talked to me when he believed I was drugged. When Max insisted on bringing in his own physician, he stopped drugging me. I began to remember things…I wanted to warn you. He is going to kill Max, blame it on me and then Mama will inherit the money. Once he can persuade her to give it to him, he will marry her and then she, too, will die.’
‘You are somewhat behind the times,’ the physician’s sneering voice told them from his position near the door. ‘Your mama is my wife. You, my so-dear Robert, will be killed after Coleridge is dead—and then in a while I shall dispose of my sweet lady when we are abroad. I shall return, wealthy, the prodigal son as it were, to be welcomed with open arms…’ He smiled oddly as they stared at him in horrified silence. ‘I killed your father, Robert—did you know? He was ill and it was easy to poison his medicine so that he faded slowly. I was Harriet’s lover. After your father’s death, we married in secret, because she did not want you to know—she feared your disapproval. When we discovered that your father had been in debt and there was no money left, we came here. I realised it would be simple to kill Coleridge and later you, the plan to blame the murder on you came afterwards, when he began to take an interest in marriage.’
‘You devil!’ Robert said and struggled furiously with his bonds. ‘Your plan will backfire—no one will believe that I killed my cousin.’
‘Poor Robert. You have been suffering from bouts of madness for a long time. Your dear mama believes me. She will swear to it, because she does what I tell her. When Max finds his beloved fiancée dead, he will blame you. I shall kill you both and put the pistol in your hand. You raped and killed the delightful Helene and then you killed Max in a fit of madness. Realising what you had done, you killed yourself in remorse.’
‘Damn you!’ Robert said and renewed his struggles. ‘You are a cold devil! I will kill you for what you’ve done.’
‘Unfortunately for you, you will never have a chance,’ the physician sneered. His gaze moved to Helene. ‘It would be a pity to kill you too soon, Miss Henderson. I enjoy pretty women, especially when they fight. I believe we have time to get better acquainted before Coleridge comes looking for you…’
‘Stay away from me!’ Helene screamed. ‘I would rather die than let you touch me.’
She looked for a weapon, but could find none. Robert was still struggling to free himself, but the knots were too tight.
‘Scream louder,’ the physician said. ‘I love it when you scream.’
He advanced towards her, but even as he did so the door crashed open and Gerard Ravenshead entered, closely followed by Toby Sinclair. Both of them were carrying pistols, which they had firmly trained on the physician.
‘Lay one finger on Miss Henderson and you die instantly,’ Gerard told him. ‘Max thought if we gave you enough rope you would hang yourself.’ He looked at Helene. ‘I am sorry it took us a while to follow you inside, Helene, but we needed to hear his confession. It was the only way we could prove that he made those attempts on Max. We couldn’t be sure it would work, but Max said he was an arrogant fool and would fall for it.’
‘Damn you!’ the physician said and lunged at Helene. He grabbed her and held her in front of him. He took a knife from somewhere about him and held it to her throat. ‘Stand aside or I shall kill her.’
Even as Gerard hesitated, Robert threw off the bonds that secured his hands and, though his ankles were still bound, lunged at the physician, clinging to his leg and biting at his ankle. The sharp pain made the man grunt and for a second he released his hold on Helene. She brought her arm back sharply in his face and then ran towards the door. Toby pushed her outside. She heard a sharp scream of pain from inside and then a shot. Shocked and distraught, she hesitated, and then, seeing Max striding towards her, she ran to him.
‘Max,’ she cried, flinging herself at him. The words came out in a passionate torrent, ‘He tricked me into coming here—and he was going to kill both Robert and me and you, too, when you came looking. The earl and Toby listened
to his bragging confession and then came inside. He grabbed me and held a knife to my throat, but then Robert bit his ankle and he let go of me.’
‘Helene, my love.’ Max put his arms about her, holding her as she trembled. ‘I am so sorry. I followed your trail. I was afraid something might happen and Gerard would be too late.’ How pale her cheeks were! ‘Forgive me, Helene. You were the bait. After what happened at the ball, I suspected that it must be Clarke. When his attempt to frighten you into crying off failed, he became desperate. I thought he might try to use you to trap Robert and me. He had to get us both together—somewhere he could be private. We knew it was a terrible risk, but Gerard and Toby promised they would not let me down. Can you forgive me? Had they not followed you closely, he might have harmed you and then I should not have forgiven myself.’
‘I would have gladly taken the risk for your sake had you told me,’ Helene said. ‘He was the pirate at the ball, as you guessed. He claims to be Annesdale’s distant cousin but I am not sure if he lies.’
‘I care not who he is, providing you are unharmed—and will forgive me. I have been shockingly careless of your safety, my love.’
‘I do not think it,’ Helene told him with a smile. ‘I was watched over the whole time. I was told that you had gone out with your friends, but I see now what you were planning last night.’
‘We wanted people to think we had gone riding, but then we split up. We knew that if I was right, both Robert and I were safe until he could get us together. Gerard and Toby watched for you while I went to my aunt. I was sure that she was hiding something. I am not certain that she knew what Clarke was up to, but I believe she suspected something. I came to look for you immediately. I found the shreds of lace you had cleverly left for me and followed the trail.’
‘I think someone has been shot…’ Helene began and then stopped as the door to the summerhouse opened and three men came out. Robert was limping. He had blood dripping from a wound to his hand, but otherwise seemed unhurt. Gerard and Toby had put away their pistols.
‘The rogue is dead,’ Gerard said. ‘He would have killed Robert so I had no choice but to shoot him. It is best for everyone that he is out of the way, because he was a dangerous man. Had he succeeded in his plans, there is no telling what he would have done next.’
‘We heard his confession,’ Toby said. ‘Robert can tell you more.’
Max looked at his cousin. ‘What did your mama know of his plans?’
‘I think she had begun to suspect him of something, for I heard them quarrelling,’ Robert told him. ‘She asked him where he had been one night when she found blood on his shirt. He told her that he had cut himself on a nail, but she did not believe him. After you insisted that I should not be drugged, Mama forced him to stop. He told her that I could be dangerous, but she wept over my bed when he was away for a few days. I believe she may have been afraid of him, because perhaps she had begun to realise that he was the one to be wary of, not me—and yet she did not challenge him. Indeed, she gave me the medicine he prescribed.’
‘I dare say he may have exerted a great deal of influence over her. She married him and felt herself trapped,’ Max agreed. ‘I knew she was hiding something from me, but I was not sure how much she knew of the attempts on my life.’
Robert looked angry. ‘He had bragged to me of his plans as I lay drugged, but I knew nothing of his attempts against your life until he brought me here. You must believe me, cousin!’
‘I have acquitted you of any involvement since I found you lying in a drugged state. Before that I admit that you seemed the most likely person to want me dead. Although I disliked and distrusted Clarke from the first—if, indeed, that is his name, which I doubt—I could not see what he hoped to gain from my death. Had I known he was your stepfather, I should have understood much sooner.’
‘Mama kept it from me,’ Robert said. ‘It seems he killed my father—but she is not blameless, for she was his lover while my father lived. She must have told him about her wealthy nephew, for it was his idea that we should come here—and it was only after we moved into the dower house that he began his evil work.’
‘I do not understand why your mama allowed him to drug you,’ Helene said. ‘I had met you but once and you did not seem mad to me.’
‘Thank you,’ Robert said and smiled. ‘You must understand that I was always prone to chills and ill health. Clarke came to look after me and at first he was considerate, even kind, but after my father died and he realised there was no money he changed. I did not realise that he had married Mama. He began to give me drugs, which made me sick and ill. I had black holes in my memory. He told me that when I was ill I did bad things, and, because I could not remember, I believed him. After a while I accepted whatever he told me.’
Max nodded. ‘I distrusted the man from the start. I shall contact the magistrate and tell him that his mystery has been cleared up. I think we can be sure that our Dr Clarke was the rogue who attacked the village women.’
‘What village women?’ Helene asked in disbelief. ‘You did not tell me your suspicions!’
‘I wasn’t sure,’ Max said, looking at her white face. ‘I assure you, you were always watched. You have been for a while, even in London—not by my friends, but by others.’
‘Excuse me…’ Helene said, feeling distressed. ‘I think I should go home before Mama realises I have gone out and starts to worry.’
She started walking very fast. Max’s revelation about the village women had come as an unpleasant shock to her. She was prepared to face danger, but that he should know what kind of a rogue the physician was and not tell her had upset her.
‘Helene!’ Max’s voice called to her. Angry and upset, she started to run. Max ran after her, catching her at last. He took hold of her arm and swung her round to face him. ‘Forgive me. I was not sure of anything until my aunt told me that her son was dangerous when he had one of his fits. It was then that I began to understand what was going on—and I realised that it must be Clarke or whatever his name may be. I am not sure whether he was trying to blacken my cousin’s character in order to establish the myth of Robert’s madness—or drew pleasure from the attacks.’
‘He would have abused me had Robert not managed to free himself. Your friends could do nothing—he had a knife to my throat and he would have taken me with him.’ Helene suddenly burst into tears. Max took her into his arms holding her close. ‘He was horrible…’
‘Yes, my darling, he was,’ Max said and stroked her hair as he held her close. ‘Evil is the right word in his case, I believe. He treated Robert abominably and my aunt allowed him to do it, for like you I believe she must have known her son was not mad. However, I acquit her of complicity in the attempts on my life.’ Max’s arms tightened about Helene as she looked up at him. ‘I had to catch him out. Believe me, neither of us was safe while he continued to stay in the shadows. Can you ever forgive me?’
Helene glanced up at him. Her heart slammed against her ribs, her breath catching in her throat. She inclined her head slightly and he lowered his head to kiss her. The kiss was long and sweet, making her feel as if she were melting into him, becoming a part of him, never to be parted. She knew that she wanted to be his completely, wanted to know him in every way, and whatever happened to them she would always be his. He was the man she loved and would love until she died.
‘I have to forgive you,’ she whispered, her lips parting on a sigh, ‘because I should only be half-alive without you.’
‘I love you more than my life,’ Max said. ‘You are all that I have ever wanted in my life. I knew our plan was a risk, and at first I resisted—but I trusted Gerard and Toby. If we had simply waited for that devil to make his move, he would have had the advantage. I was afraid that you would be his next target and the only way to keep you safe was to give him his opportunity. Besides, you are so brave that I was certain you would know just what to do—and you did.’
‘Brave or reckless?’
�
�That, too,’ he agreed, a faint smile on his lips.
‘I wish you had told me,’ Helene said. ‘I almost didn’t go with him. Supposing I had refused? Supposing I hadn’t gone outside alone?’
‘Then we should have had to think of something else,’ Max told her. ‘But Toby said he was sure that if Clarke approached you, you would take a risk—and, knowing how impetuous you can be, I thought he was right. I knew that you would be restless and I was sure the garden would tempt you outside on such a lovely day. It was a perfect opportunity and Clarke could not resist the bait.’
‘You know me too well,’ Helene said ruefully. ‘I understood it must be a risk when I went with him, for he told me that I must speak to Robert if I wished to save your life. I suspected he was lying, for I saw him capture your cousin last night. How did he do that so easily? Robert is a strong man.’
‘I believe he must have learned how to control a violent patient by placing his finger on a pressure point,’ Max replied. ‘These things are known to certain medical practitioners; the Chinese have long known the secret and I dare say others, too. Clarke, as he called himself, may well have studied medicine. He certainly had access to powerful drugs—some of them unknown in our culture, I imagine.’
‘How evil he must have been!’ Helene looked at him. ‘Your aunt—she was not a party to the scheme to kill you, but she did allow him to mistreat Robert. What will happen to her?’
‘I shall consult with Robert. I do not know if he can forgive her. I am convinced she knew her husband was lying about Robert’s madness, yet she tried to convince me of it. Perhaps she was afraid of what her husband would do if she defied him. Robert must decide her fate himself.’
‘And your cousin?’
‘If Robert will let me, I shall set him up with a residence, either in the country or in town. My fortune is sufficient to give him a decent allowance. I believe he deserves a chance to prove himself, Helene. He has had a wretched life and I should like to see him happy.’