"And all that time," Leah said, her voice scraping over the rawness in her throat. "My father knew where she was, and he never said a word, never offered to help her."
An unbidden, but deep compassion for this man who had loved her sister so well brought words of comfort to her lips. Before she could speak, he went down on his knees and seized her hand.
"Your Grace ... Leah ... I want my son"
Chapter Thirty-Two
Leah pushed him aside and struggled to her feet.
"No," she said as she paced to the window. She stared at the trees in the distance, bending beneath the wind, blurred by the rain. Richard came up beside her, lifted his hands as if to draw her into his arms, but she could not show any weakness.
She backed away, turned to face Pierce, hardened her heart to the anguish in his eyes. She would not lose her nephew.
"He is my son," Pierce said, standing before her, his jaw rigid, his arms tightly clenched by his sides.
"So you say, but how do we know it is the truth and not some elaborate story you have woven "
"Do you honestly think me a fool?" he said, his voice vicious and cutting. "Do you think I would come here to claim another man's son? A bastard at that?"
"Do not say that word!" Leah clutched her hands to her ears. She knew she needed to conquer her fear lest this monster take advantage of her weakness, but she was helpless and lost, sinking in a swamp of muddy confusion.
Only one thing was clear. She would not lose her nephew.
Richard pried her hands away from her ears, pressed them to his chest. She wanted to crawl into his arms and pretend this was a horrible dream, that any minute she would awaken and all would be well. "How can we be sure he is Matthew's father?"
"I saw the parish register," Richard said gently, his hands stroking soothingly over her arms. "His name is recorded as Matthew Pierce Daimont Jamison. Although she never claimed Pierce as the father, I think that is proof enough"
She glared at Pierce, who had stood quietly through this exchange, then turned back to Richard. Her pounding heart and growing fear confused her thoughts, shortened her breath. She started to shake as ugly suspicion reared its head. She could scarce give voice to the accusation. "Is this a conspiracy? Are the two of you plotting the best way to take him from me?"
"Leah, stop this at once," Richard said, his voice harsh.
For a wild moment she wondered if he might slap her. Perhaps he should. Perhaps that would clear the hysteria from her brain. Did she look as wild as she felt? As wild as the Cornish winds whipping the breakers into a frenzy?
"I do not want you to overset yourself," Richard said, gently, soothingly. "Think of the babe."
Leah nodded. He was right, of course. She took a deep breath, turned to face Pierce.
The rigid slant of his jaw, his dark brown eyes that burned with ruthless determination told her he would never give up.
Well, neither would she. She searched for a logical argument to dissuade him from this course.
"You cannot possibly wish to claim him," she finally said. "What would your future wife think?"
Pierce rolled his shoulders, as if brushing away a distasteful throught. "This has nothing to do with Julia."
"Of course it does. You would be asking her to raise a child you had with another woman. One born outside the bonds of wedlock. Do you think she will welcome him with open arms?"
"She will do as I say," he said through his teeth.
"But will she accept him?" A violent trembling raced through Leah. Her tears rose in her throat. "Will she love him as her own? Or will she resent his presence in her household?"
"She will do as I say."
"She will hate you!"
"I do not care if she hates me," Pierce said, his jaw rigid. He planted his feet hip-width apart. "It is a marriage of convenience, for her as well as for me. You, of all people, must understand that"
Leah sucked in a searing breath. She glared at Richard.
A guilty flush stained his cheeks, and she knew he had told Pierce the circumstances behind their marriage. That he could have discussed such intimate details with anyone, especially this scapegrace, was insufferable. Like a rabbit caught in a snare, she felt hopelessly trapped, but she would not yield.
She gave a scornful laugh. "Your reputation precedes you, my lord. You live in the brothels and spend your days hopelessly drunk. How are you to raise a child?"
"I may have turned to the stews," Pierce said quietly, his gaze never wavering from hers. "But it was in desperation. I thought I had lost the woman I loved for the lack of a title. I did not know the truth. I was bitter and angry and I have wallowed in that anger for five long years. But that is over."
He raised a shaking hand to Leah. "I do not know how to explain it, but I feel . . . redeemed. As if Catherine has reached out from beyond the grave to give this gift to me-to save me"
Unable to bear the naked truth in his eyes, Leah turned away. Pressing her fingertips against her brow, she shook her head. "You look at me and you see Catherine. Well, he looks at me and he sees her, too. He has been hurt so much in his short life. He has a family here that loves him. You cannot say that. You cannot guarantee your lady will love him. Oh, God "
She covered her face with her hands.
Richard dragged her into his arms. She could hear his heart beating, hear the air moving in and out of his chest.
She clutched his shoulders as if she were drowning and he were her lifeline to safety, to sanity.
"Pierce, wait for me here" His voice rumbled beneath her ear, a soothing sound that cut through her pain and confusion.
He helped her to her room, eased her onto her bed. He arranged some pillows behind her back to relieve the pressure of her heavy stomach, then poured her a glass of brandy.
She drank it desperately, seeking the warmth of the potent liquid. He brushed her hair away from her face. His eyes were shadowed, his lips tight with tension as he sat on the edge of the bed and gathered her into his arms. She leaned back to look into his eyes. "Why did you not tell me any of this?"
"I intended to, but I thought I would have a few more days" He sighed, his warm breath brushing her ear. He kissed her brow, stroked her back. "I sent a missive to Pierce before I left Holdhan, but I did not think he would arrive so quickly. I should have known better. I am sorry you had learn the truth like that. I'm so damned sorry you had to go through that. I wanted to tell you in private."
"It was not your fault. I insisted. How foolish of me. I should always listen to you"
Richard cracked a weary smile. "Yes, you should. But I know that you won't." He pushed her back against the pillows, arranged her hair about her face. "If it comforts you at all, I have known Pierce for many years. He is a good man. He told you the truth. He loved your sister. He turned to the drink in despair."
"I heard the truth in his words." Leah plucked at the blankets, her heart thundering as loudly as the rain against the windows. "But I do not want to lose my nephew. Do you think Matthew belongs with him?"
Her stomach twisted as she waited for his answer.
"It is not a matter of what I think," he said, tracing his knuckles along her jaw. "It is a matter of what is best for the child. Under the law, a father has absolute authority over his children." He raised a hand to stifle her protests. "I know you do not like that, but that is the law. In this case, where they were not wed, I am not sure what the legalities are. But I do know this. Pierce is a good man. He will make a good father."
"But
He placed two fingertips against her lips. "Hush, and listen to me. Pierce is the first to admit he has not lived an admirable life, but he means to change. For the child, I hope he succeeds." He laced his fingers through hers. "You see, I know how he feels. It was not so long ago that I was living in the stews myself, wracked by guilt and bitterness. If Eric had not died, I would probably be in my grave by now. But I had to sober up. For Alison."
Leah closed her eyes as swift, merci
less, shame swept through her. "Oh, Richard, I am so sorry."
"Whatever for?"
"For my selfishness. For-"
His lips against hers stole whatever protest she was about to make. His tongue swept in, his kiss all that was tender, a gentle stroking, a silent offer of his love.
He cradled her cheeks between his palms. "You have done nothing but try to protect your nephew, as you should. The point I wanted to make is that Pierce can change, too. He can reform. When he does, he will make an exemplary father."
She tried to look away, but his palm on her cheek forced her to meet his gaze. "But not yet, and I believe he recognizes this truth. And in his heart he knows the best place for Matthew is here with us. I also believe we cannot deny him a place in Matthew's life. 'Twould be cruel to do so. Wouldn't you agree?"
Leah wanted to deny him, but she nodded her head.
"I love you," he said, bringing his lips to hers in a kiss that was as reverent as it was soothing.
When he broke the kiss, she moaned her protest, but he rose from the bed and tucked the coverlet beneath her chin.
He stroked the back of his hand along her jaw. She thought he might kiss her again, but he turned and strode from the room.
The emotional upheaval of the last hour had drained all of Leah's energy, but she could not sleep. Her thoughts consumed her, dragging over the confrontation with Pierce, every word, every nuance, every heartbreaking detail.
The room was dark, the afternoon sun covered in hazy black clouds. The rain had slowed to a dull drizzle, the moisture trickling down the glass. A fire burning low in the grate cast dull shadows across the room. She clutched her coverlet beneath her chin. Her eyes stung, but not from tears.
Her door opened. Leah expected Richard, but it was Rachel.
Draped in a heavy woolen cloak of royal blue, the hood pulled low over her face, a matching muff clutched in her hand, she rushed to stand beside the bed. "Leah, I do not want to upset you, but you must get up. It is Matthew. He's missing."
"What?" Leah struggled to a sitting position. Her frock twisting around her gaping belly made it difficult for her to swing her legs over the edge of the mattress. "What do you mean, he is missing?"
Rachel wrapped one hand around Leah's arm and hauled her to her feet. "He overheard you and Richard discussing his future with Lord Greydon. Everyone heard you. You were quite loud about it. But that is beside the point. He thought you didn't want him, thought you meant to send him away. Now he's run off. I tried to stop him, but he was too swift. Poor child. He was weeping so disconsolately. He ran toward the cliffs."
The cliffs? Heart pounding, Leah stepped into her half boots, didn't bother to lace them. She couldn't reach her feet and she had no intention of asking Rachel for help.
She did not believe Rachel, nor could she dismiss her words as a lie. Not until she saw for herself that Matthew was tucked away in the nursery, where he belonged.
She lumbered for the door, but Rachel blocked the exit with her back against the wood, a lurid smile upon her lips, her muff pushed up her arm so it rested between elbow and wrist, and in her hand, aimed at Leah's midsection, was a pistol.
Chapter Thirty-Three
"I am sorry I upset your wife." Pierce hitched his hip on a table covered with books and maps. "I have been more than half-mad since I received your missive. Truly, I am sorry."
Richard stalked to the liquor cabinet and sorted through the bottles of brandy and claret until he found the whisky, hidden at the back. He would have to pack it all away before Geoffrey arrived, but for now, he was grateful to have it.
This situation was distressing for all involved, and he could see no easy way out. He shoved a glass into Pierce's hand. "Upset her again, and I vow, I will kill you"
Pierce slammed his glass on the table. Amber liquid sloshed over the rim and dripped onto the rug. "I said I was sorry, but how would you feel? To find out you have a son you never knew existed? And the woman you thought had betrayed you, never did? And now she is dead? I feel as if I've been horse kicked in the gut. I cannot breathe. I cannot eat"
Richard swallowed his whisky, the languid heat spreading through his veins nothing to the temper he held under rigid control. "I know only too well how you feel, as I have been there myself, and that is the only reason you are still breathing at this moment"
"Good God, I forgot" Pierce yanked his hands through his hair. His eyes were hollowed by shadows, his cheeks sunken crevices framed by his hard, jutting jaw. "Everything seems to have slipped from my mind except the fact that I have a son and Catherine never stopped loving me ..
Richard stalked to the windows, his heart aching for Leah, for Pierce, for the child, and for all the suffering still to come. "I am happy for you, Pierce, but my wife raised valid issues which you need to address"
"Such as?"
"Your betrothed, for one. Lady Julia might be beautiful, but she is also an ice princess. I cannot see her welcoming your bastard into her home. And do not try to fob me off with platitudes about how no one will care because he is just a child. Julia is from a rich and powerful family who will not look kindly upon the situation. Not to mention that the child will offer visual evidence of the woman you once loved. The woman you love still, even though she is in the grave"
Pierce laughed bitterly. "Why should that matter to Julia? She cares naught for me."
"She might not care for you, but neither will she want it flaunted in her face that you once loved another, even if that other woman is dead" Pierce looked about to argue, but Richard cut him off. "You know as well as I, appearancesand discretion-must be maintained above all things. Bringing your bastard home to your wife is hardly discreet."
"I said I will explain," Pierce snarled, grabbing his whisky, slugging it down in one swallow. He swiped his hand across his lips. "She will understand. Even if she doesn't, the contracts are signed. It is too late for either of us to cry off."
I know that," Richard said gently. "But will she blame the child? That is the question you need to consider. And what of your drinking? I never thought you would mend your ways for a wife, but if you think to raise a child-"
Pierce let out a growl, a low, animal sound of frustration. "I told you I mean to change. Why are you plaguing me?"
"But how do you know you will you succeed?" Richard said with brutal honesty, pushing from his chair. He paced to the windows. "Look at Geoffrey. The foolish lad nearly did himself in. As did I, before Eric died. I shudder to think what would have happened had Alison been in my care at that time."
"What are you saying?"
No matter how they proceeded from here, someone would get hurt. Richard sighed. "Until you gain control over your life and have settled matters with Julia, I believe the child should remain here with us ""
"I do not know what to do," Pierce groaned. He rubbed his hands over his face, then looked at Richard through eyes as empty and desolate as the windswept moors. "At least let me see him, Richard. I don't even know what he looks like."
Leah clutched her cloak against her neck as she trudged along the twisting garden path. Rachel followed a few paces behind. Whenever Leah paused for breath, Rachel pushed the pistol's sharp point into her back to urge her along.
They passed beneath a stone arch covered with honeysuckle, which would bloom in the spring but stood now stark and bare beneath the winter sky. The heavy drizzle soaked through her hood and drenched her hair. Her skin grew numb as the wind slid up the gaping fabric at her wrists and shivered over her damp skin. If only her thoughts would grow as numb, but she could not let fear control her mind or she would have no hope of escape.
She leaned her hands against her knees and dragged in a heaving breath. "Rachel, I need to rest"
"Keep moving." Her voice was a soft purr, but the metal pressed against Leah's spine was hard.
The ease with which Rachel had abducted her from the house astounded Leah. As if they were two friends heading for an afternoon stroll through the gardens
, Rachel had looped her arm through Leah's, pressed her muff, with pistol hidden inside, up against Leah's belly, and led her through the corridors.
Of course, no one had ever suspected Rachel was dangerous. Not even Leah. She had hoped to alert someone to her distress, but they passed no one. The servants were all busy about their duties in the service areas, the children with their nannies in the nursery, and Richard and Pierce secluded in the library on the far side of the house. With the pistol shoved up close to her babe, Leah had not dared to fight for control of the weapon.
She skidded over a patch of wet moss, her arms flailing as she fought to keep her balance. Every step brought them closer to the roaring crash of waves against sheer black rocks, the taste of salt, tangy and putrid in her mouth. She stopped and turned to face Rachel. She would be damned if she allowed Rachel to toss her over the cliffs.
"What did she say?"
"She was not in her rooms" Richard rubbed his hand over the knot at the base of his neck. Nor was she in the nursery with the children. He told himself there was no need to panic, but as he glanced at Pierce's expectant face, a shiver of apprehension brought sweat to his back. She was extremely upset, their child due at any moment, and now she appeared to be missing.
He strode to the entry hall, his footfalls matching the rapid beat of his heart. It was foolish, he told himself. There was no reason to fear. It was a large house, with any number of rooms, and she always had some project or other under way. Taking inventories. Refurbishing the upholstery.
If he didn't find her in one of the drawing rooms, he would assemble the servants and search the house. Then she would turn up, dusty from a foray into the attics, or some such place, and he would feel foolish. But at least he would know she was safe.
A Dangerous Man Page 30