by Wendy Vella
“It’s called love.”
“What?” He shot his cousin a look.
“What you’re feeling is called love.”
“I know that.”
“Excellent.”
They sat in silence then with the rest of the guests and listened to the performance. No one moved, and when Eden’s and Rose’s voices filled the air, he was sure people sighed.
“She’s my sister, and I know how good she is, but still, it makes the hair stand on the back of my neck when she sings. And your Miss Abernethy is as good, so the effect is doubled.”
Wolf nodded. He couldn’t take his eyes off Rose. Her voice was exquisite.
Only when the last note was played did the applause start. It was long and loud, and many asked for more, but when James rose and took the stairs once more they quieted. He thanked the ladies for their performance and the guests for emptying their pockets. He then signaled that a supper would be served, and once the chairs were removed, dancing would commence.
“That was amazing!”
“Sensational!”
The compliments came from the family, all moving around Eden and Rose when they left the stage.
“Thank you.” Rose curtseyed; Eden exhaled loudly.
“I am glad it is over. I now need food and something strong to drink,” the duchess declared.
“Thank you for this opportunity, your Grace,” Rose said to James. “I will leave you now.”
“Why?” It was Dev who spoke, for which Wolf was grateful, as the word had been on the tip of his tongue also.
“I must.”
“Oh that’s right, you have a problem with nobility.”
“I do not have a problem with nobility,” Rose said calmly. “I just do not know any of these people.”
“Yet,” Wolf added, taking her hand in his. “Now please stop talking, and walk with me.”
“I cannot believe you said that.”
“It seemed the best way to keep you quiet. Now move your feet for me, Rose, or I will carry you to the supper room.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
Her whisper was loud enough for him and several of his family members to hear.
“Do you really want to find out?”
Her teeth snapped together as she started walking.
“Smile.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“But I am of noble birth, therefore I am better than you, surely. Thus, you must do as I say.”
Her entire body bristled.
“Do not throw my words back at me.”
She had a tight smile on her lovely lips, and her eyes were moving from left to right as they walked.
“Are they no longer true?”
“Be quiet.”
“Pardon? Surely you are not speaking to me... a man of upstanding birth, a man—”
“I take your point.” She was growling now.
“Forgive me for teasing you, my love.”
“Do you mean that?”
Their eyes met.
“Every word.”
“Oh, Wolf.” Hers filled with tears.
“Oh Wolf, I love you too.”
Wolf hadn’t felt lighthearted in a long time. Yes, he’d laughed and shared jokes with his family, but inside there was still a cold, dark place that he struggled to warm. At that moment he felt light, as if his whole body was smiling.
“I know you love me, Rose.”
“I do.” He had to lean closer to hear those words.
“Excellent, we people of elevated birth like to be right.”
“Elevated birth does not equate to elevated intelligence; this I have come to learn only recently.”
“Ouch, I do believe that hurt me.”
She muttered something uncomplimentary, but Wolf saw the smile she was trying to hide.
Something made them both look to the door, as if they both sensed something. A man stood there. Not overly tall, he was elegantly dressed and did not look out of place, and yet something made the hair on Wolf’s neck rise.
“Dear God!”
The shock on her face had him slipping an arm around her waist.
“Rose, do you know that man?” As he said the words, the man located them in the crowd and began to make his way across to where they stood.
“No,” Rose whispered, trying to back away. “Why is he here?”
He reached them, and Wolf felt an instant need to stand in front of Rose to protect her, even though the man did not look intimidating. In fact his smile was gentle, and it was directed at Rose.
“Who are you?” Wolf demanded.
“My name is Mr. Abernethy, and I’ve come for my wife, Rose.”
The noise in the room suddenly stopped as everyone surged forward to listen to what was taking place, knowing instinctively that something delicious was about to happen.
“Wife?” Wolf rasped.
“I am not married to him. I would never marry a vile, manipulative man such as you!” Rose grabbed Wolf’s hand, squeezing it hard, making him look at her. “You have to believe me.”
“Who is this man to you, Rose?”
“Not here, Wolf.” James appeared. “Buttles, please show Captain Sinclair to a room somewhere so they can have some privacy.”
“Come, my love, I know you have forgotten me, but remember your condition. This has happened before.”
Wolf watched the man’s eyes fill with tears as he held out a hand toward Rose. Her reply was to move closer to Wolf.
“Retrace your steps out the door at once, sir, and we will follow,” Wolf said, holding Rose close. She was trembling, her hands gripping his hard now.
“Come, Rose.” He turned her gently, placing a hand on her spine, and urged her to follow the man.
“I am not married to him. He is lying!”
“How do you know him?” He kept his hand on her, steadying her as they walked through the avidly watching guests and out to the hall.
“He is my cousin.” She turned to look at him, her face pale with worry.
“That is your cousin Herbert?”
“Yes.”
Rose’s chest felt tight and her breathing rapid as they entered the room the butler waved them to. Taking a deep breath she moved to one side, as far from her cousin as she could.
“Rose, my love.” Herbert tried to reach her.
“Keep your distance,” Wolf said in a voice that made the hair on her neck stand. His jaw was clenched, and those eyes narrowed and focused on Herbert.
Did he believe her?
“You love me,” Herbert begged. “Remember all we’ve had, my love.”
She felt the fear slide into anger as she realized what he was doing. Once again he was set on ruining her life, but this time she stood to lose the man she loved.
Elegant, and yes, she supposed handsome, Herbert got away with many crimes simply because people believed he could do no wrong. He was a master manipulator, and yet Rose knew the truth. Pushing aside the fear, Rose came out fighting. He would not ruin her life again.
“Herbert, you are a lying, sniveling weasel. How dare you walk into the duke and duchess’s house on such an occasion and lie the way you did!”
“Come now, my love, it’s time for this nonsense to stop. Dr. Murdoch said this episode will end given time like the last one.”
She wanted to smack that innocent expression off his face.
“I have no idea what game you are playing this time, or how you found me, but I insist you leave here at once!”
“You are her cousin?” Wolf asked.
“I am, and we were married three years ago.”
“I would never marry a worm like you!” Rose couldn’t stop herself shrieking. This man had tormented her for years, then forced her to flee the only home she’d ever known.
“You have no proof of these wild allegations, so leave now, before I make you.” Wolf’s words were a low growl, and Rose felt light-headed that he believed her.
“Please just li
sten to me, sir.” Herbert looked genuinely concerned, but Wolf would not believe him because he loved her just as she loved him. “Rose had a fall on her head. Since then, her memory has come and gone. When she lapses into one of her episodes, she is irrational and becomes a different person. Last time she caught a train to Glasgow. This time it took me longer to find her, but I will always do so as I love her.”
Tears fell from Herbert’s eyes at the last words.
“No!” Rose looked up at Wolf. “It’s not true.”
“Steady, Rose, I believe you.” He wrapped his large fingers around her wrist.
“Oh my love.” She watched as Herbert pulled something from his pocket and held it out to Wolf. Releasing her, he stepped closer to take it, and Rose felt the tension in the room climb higher.
“This is my proof.”
“Wh-what is it?” Rose whispered as Wolf turned to face her. His face was pale suddenly, pupils filling his eyes.
“Your marriage certificate.”
Chapter 34
“Yes, the brown will do.” He took the jacket from his valet and thrust his arms in, then stalked from his bedroom with Hep on his heels.
Visions of last evening had kept him awake most of the night. Images of the shock on Rose’s face as he’d told her he held the damning evidence that told him she was indeed married and suffering from the condition Herbert had stated had been burned into his retinas. The other document had been a letter from her doctor, detailing how her behavior had changed since hurting her head.
He hadn’t gone after her when she fled that room. Instead, James and Dev had arrived and he’d told them what he’d learned. Both had been skeptical, even when presented with the marriage, medical proof, and Herbert, Rose’s husband. James had then declared loudly that Rose Abernethy was the sanest person he had ever met, and he doubted she could be anyone but the woman she portrayed herself to be. Dev had agreed. Wolf had simply stood there feeling betrayed.
Herbert had been ushered from the house with the promise that they would deal with the matter in the morning. He’d argued, in a gentle way. Wolf had begun to wonder if the man knew how to raise his voice; if Wolf were in his position, he would have been roaring like a beast... and was.
And you believe him over her?
Dev had asked the question, and Wolf had replied that the evidence pointed that way. He, Dev, and James had then had a heated debate that had reached a peak just as Max arrived. Much to Wolf’s annoyance, he had taken the duke’s and Dev’s side.
Angry, frustrated, and yes, hurting at what he saw as Rose’s perfidy, Wolf had left, heading to his house to drink several glasses of whisky. All that had achieved was a sore head and falling into an uneasy slumber.
“Will you be needing your horse, Captain Sinclair?”
“No thank you, Milton, I shall be walking.”
He was going to the Huntington residence first to speak with Rose. Because when he’d been lying there in the dark, staring at nothing with his thoughts whirling, he’d gone back over the time he’d spent with her and realized that not once had he thought her unstable. Not once had she been anything but what he believed her to be, and yet he’d believed her cousin simply because... hell, it shamed him to say, because he was a man who looked calm and gentle, and had produced proof... or so Wolf had believed. Or maybe he’d also believed him because of the ferocity of his feelings for Rose, which made no sense at all.
“Nothing made sense,” he said to Hep, who was snuffling along beside him as he walked.
But one thing he knew was that if he was wrong then she deserved an apology from him. Then he would beg her to forgive him, which was not a pleasant thought but something he would do for Rose.
“I am afraid no one is available this morning, Captain Sinclair,” the Huntington butler told him.
Realizing it was still early and that they were likely still in bed, Wolf left. Not everyone rose with the sun like he did. He headed for the duke’s house. James was an early riser, and he owed him an apology for yelling at him last night, especially as he’d been hosting a ball that’d he’d not wanted to give because Wolf had asked him to.
He was ushered into the house and told James was in his study.
When Wolf and Hep entered it was to find Max and James seated beside the boxes, paper in piles around them. Both looked tired.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I behaved terribly last night, and I would ask for your forgiveness.”
“I forgive you.” James got to his feet and came to shake Wolf’s hand. “You weren’t thinking straight, and I’ve done that a time or two.”
“Rose is not married to that man,” Max said as he read the document he was holding.
“Why do you believe that when the evidence is damning?”
Had he been wrong to believe the worst of the woman he loved?
“She’s sensible, and I have never once thought of her as anything but capable.” Max raised a hand as Wolf opened his mouth. “I have known plenty of unstable people, and Rose is not one of them. Having said that, I also saw those papers, and they appeared real, and yet I know how good forgeries can be.”
“I just tried to visit with Rose, but she is unavailable.”
“Sleeping no doubt, like Essie and Eden.”
“Here.” James handed Wolf some papers. “Read as you talk. You may as well be useful while you wait for Rose to wake. You can plan how to grovel.”
It hit him them, just what a fool he’d made of himself. His family believed her, so why hadn’t he?
“What am I looking for?”
“Marriage certificates, birth documentation, anything that looks out of the ordinary.”
Wolf began going through the papers.
“I love her,” he said softly, looking at the document in his hands and seeing nothing. “And that’s why I reacted as I did.”
“Which makes no sense, but is completely understandable,” Max said. “I behaved like an ass with Essie, as I’m sure James did with Eden.”
“Dukes don’t behave like asses,” James said slowly, his eyes scanning the page before him. He then cursed softly.
“He married another woman, but told no one about it.”
“What?” Max went to his brother, and Wolf followed. They both looked over his shoulder.
“Christ!” Wolf cursed, reading the names on the document. “That’s not just any woman.”
“Why is this woman not just any woman?” James looked up at him.
Blood was pounding through Wolf’s body as he tried to understand what they had uncovered. Was it true?
“Do you remember that night at the theatre, when Rose and Miss Dodds were there?”
Both men nodded.
“Those actors thought Rose was identical to an actress that had once worked there and were convinced she was her daughter.”
They nodded again.
“Her name was Lavinia Smyth.”
“The name on this marriage certificate is Lavinia Smyth,” James said slowly.
“Are you saying it’s possible that Rose Abernethy is our sister?” Max made the leap looking stunned.
“I don’t know. But these people were convinced, and yet Rose is equally so that she was born in Edinburgh.”
Could Rose be James’s legitimate half-sister? It was almost too far-fetched to comprehend.
“Christ, Wolf.” James fell into a chair. “There has been the connection from the start, and you saved her... several times. It has to be true.”
“Then whoever is after her is in some way connected to all of this? Do they know what we didn’t until now?” Max said, reaching for the bell pull. Giving it a sharp tug, he too then fell into a seat.
“Has someone been after her the entire time to use her to get to me?” James questioned. “Someone who knew what we did not?”
“Or were they trying to get rid of her so we’d never know she existed?” Max added.
Wolf went cold at the idea.
“The only person
who could know surely is this—”
“Mr. Breel.” James got out of his seat. “He has to know. Come, we need to pay him a visit,” James said, looking grim.
They left the house having called for their horses. Out of habit Wolf scanned the street as they mounted. Often a relative was out walking. He saw Rose’s cousin in the distance, obviously coming to find her.
“Herbert’s here. I think we should speak to him first, as surely if he is lying, then he is part of whatever this is.”
“And do you still believe she’s married to him?”
Wolf shook his head at Max’s words, then started leading Apollo toward Herbert. The clip-clop of hooves told him the brothers were doing the same.
“Mr. Abernethy.”
Something close to panic flitted across Herbert’s eyes.
“I have come for my wife.”
“The thing about sleep, Herbert, is it allows you clarity. Last night I was not thinking clearly; this morning, I assure you I am.”
Herbert’s eyes were constantly moving between the three of them. Wolf felt silent to unnerve him more.
“I need your promise now, Herbert, that you will answer my questions truthfully. Because while Rose believes you a lying perfidious weasel, I am willing to give you a chance to prove that is not the case.”
Herbert nodded.
“Is Rose Abernethy your wife?”
“Sh-she is my wife!”
Stay calm, Wolf reminded himself. Losing his temper had not once in his lifetime got him what he sought.
“I don’t like liars,” Wolf said calmly. “Especially when they are lying to harm a sweet, beautiful woman like Rose. So let’s try that again, Herbert. Is Rose Abernethy your wife?”
He nodded this time.
Wolf exaggerated a sigh.
“I hadn’t wanted to harm you, Herbert, but it seems I must. James, hold Apollo.”
“Got him,” the duke said calmly as Wolf dismounted.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Herbert was now backing up the street.
“I thought to beat the truth out of you.” Wolf lunged and grabbed the man’s necktie.
“No!”
“Is Rose your wife?” Wolf said slowly, his face now inches from Herbert’s.