“All of it.”
She paled.
“Damn it.” He raked a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I mean. You know that. I don’t care that you’re illegitimate.”
Her heart shattered. She knew by marrying him there’d be risk because of her background, but she had no idea how much damage it could do. And this was only the beginning. He hadn’t actually married her yet. “If we don’t marry, this can be repaired.”
His mouth fell open. “Of course we’re getting married.”
“There’s no ‘of course’ about this. I can’t marry you when I know I’ll bring you down. What kind of marriage would that be?”
He grabbed her hand, bringing it to his chest. “You can’t mean that. You don’t want that. We’re meant to be together.”
Her eyes stung. Didn’t he see how much this hurt her? Couldn’t he understand she didn’t want this? “Things that are meant to be sometimes don’t happen.”
His fingers tightened on her hand. “I’m not letting you go.”
“It’s not your choice.”
“I love you, Kitty.” She gasped, but he ignored it. “And damn it all, I have some control over this.”
“That isn’t fair. You can’t just say that to me.”
He wrapped his free arm around her, still holding her hand to his heart. “I can say it because it’s true. I love you. You’re not leaving me.”
Her lip trembled as she searched his eyes. He meant it. She could see it. She loved him so much it hurt not to say it back, but she couldn’t. She loved him, truly loved him, and because of that, she wouldn’t force him into something that would destroy him. Even if that something was marrying her.
She pushed slowly out of his arms, refusing to acknowledge the hurt in his eyes. “I need to think.”
His lips firmed before nodding. “All right. You’ll have all the time you need. But don’t leave.”
“I won’t. Not yet.”
It wasn’t much, but if she could give him anything, it was that. She wouldn’t run from him, disappearing in the night as she had back East. She’d tell him when she was leaving. She owed him that much.
She just wished it didn’t hurt so bad.
Warren’s eyes darted around her face, trying to read her, but she held firm. “Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked.
“Of course.”
But as Kitty left, she didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.
* * *
“And here I am, summoned to your office again like a child called to the strap.”
Warren was done with his mother’s dramatics. After the stunt she’d pulled with Kitty, he wouldn’t take any more from her. “Come in and close the door.”
“So dour, Warren.” She sequestered them before sauntering to his desk.
He took a deep breath, hoping it chained the hounds within him demanding his mother’s head. “Sit down.”
She looked smug, comfortable. As if she knew she’d gotten away with something. It actually astonished him. How could she think he’d ever allow her to continue on in such a way? He’d warned her that if she did anything to hinder his relationship with Kitty, she’d pay for it. She’d already gotten away with a few things due to a lack of evidence, but her time was up. “You know why you’re here.”
It wasn’t a question. It didn’t need to be. His mother was too cunning by far to misunderstand.
She descended into a chair like a queen, her chin notched high. “I assume it’s because I informed Miss Jones of current business news.”
“Yes. Only the latest thing you’ve done to drive a wedge between my fiancée and me.”
Her mouth formed a pretty O, but he wasn’t fooled. Her eyes stilled gleamed in delight.
“You can’t think that I had any motive whatsoever to hurt Miss Jones. In fact, I’d hoped for the opposite. If she knew what her reputation has done to Castle, then she can correct it. Nothing can be fixed if she’s left in the dark.”
“And why would you take it upon yourself to see to such a task? Castle is mine. You’ve never taken an interest in its welfare.”
She glared. “Castle Plantation is just as much mine as yours. I have every right to take an interest in whatever I choose.”
“Not under the law. Castle is mine, and mine alone. Whether you choose to accept that or not, it is a fact.”
He stared at the woman who’d given birth to him. She’d always been around, but never approachable. Not the type of mother to nurture her own child. For a moment, Warren wondered how things might’ve been different had she been any other woman. What would it be like to have a close bond with one’s mother? But as he looked at the brittle facade of the woman in front of him, he resigned himself that he’d never know. “It brings me no pleasure, but you’ll be removed from Castle House in the morning and taken into town where you’ll stay in the hotel’s suite until other accommodations can be made for a permanent residence.”
She gasped, and he held up his hand, his eyes lowering in warning. “You will be provided with an income that is both generous and scalable. The better your behavior, the more money you will receive. However, if you continue to make my life, or Kitty’s life, difficult in any way, I will cut you off.”
She bounded out of her chair, rage flushing to her cheeks. “You think you can get rid of me? Dump me off at some hotel and all will be well?” She laughed harshly. “You’re so naive, Warren. How I ever birthed such a spineless fool is beyond me. It’s a shame I was faithful to your father back then. If I’d taken lovers, at least there’d be a chance one of them fathered you, but there’s no hope for that. You’re your father’s son through and through,” she spat.
Her damaging words didn’t have the effect she’d hoped for. In fact, they were the opposite. He’d loved his father. And while he hadn’t been the most affectionate man, he’d been a great example. He’d given his son everything he needed to succeed. It was more than he could say for his mother. And the fact that she knew without a doubt who his father was filled him with strength.
“That’s wonderful, Mother. I always love hearing of your infidelity. Now, you may stay here tonight, but in the morning, you will be taken into town with whatever you’ve managed to pack. Everything else can be boxed and sent to you. But you may never step foot on Castle land again, unless expressly invited by Kitty or myself.”
Her hand flew through the air, slapping him across the cheek.
Warren’s face moved with the force, but he didn’t step away from it.
“You bastard!”
He clucked. “I think we’ve firmly established that I am most assuredly my father’s son.”
“You think you’re so smart? So brilliant? Well, there’s something you don’t know, Warren.”
He ignored the sting in his cheek and leveled his tone. “I doubt that. There isn’t anything you can do to hurt me now.”
Harsh laughter filled the air. “Shows how much you know.”
“Then please, enlighten me. Or just leave. Either way, I don’t care.” And he didn’t. He had zero interest in whatever venom and lies she planned to spew.
“You’re a fool. Kitty will bring you down, bring the whole company down. She isn’t good enough. But I’ve taken care of it, whether you’ve chosen to or not. You can’t ever say I didn’t take care of my son.”
A chill raced down his spine. “And what exactly did you ‘take care of’?”
A smirk curled her lip. “I paid a visit to Christopher Green a few weeks ago. Not long after he stopped by.”
Warren shot from his chair. The gleam of pleasure in his mother’s eyes didn’t matter. “What did you tell him?”
“Oh, just where he could find Miss Jones. Honestly, running from her own family? What kind of mother will that make her?”
His hand opened and closed as the desire to strangle her filled him. He rooted to the ground, praying the desk between them would be enough to keep him from throttling her. “Get out.” He said it so softly she o
nly raised a questioning brow. “Get out! Now. Makano will take you into town.”
She curtsied with a satisfied smile on her face. “It’s only a matter of time until someone comes for her. You know that.” She paused in the doorway when Makano arrived. “Oh, before I go, I’d like to do you one last favor. You should know you have a thief in your house.” Her heart sped in pleasure at the butler’s white sheen. “Makano stole from you. You’ve had a thief in your home for years.”
Warren shook his head, his anger boiling to an unholy degree. “I knew of the snuffbox soon after it was taken. Now, if you’ve finished attempting to tear this household apart, I suggest you leave.”
She sailed out with a glare.
Makano hovered in the doorway. “Mr. Castle—”
“We’ll talk more about this later, Makano.”
The butler gulped. “You’ve known this whole time?”
Warren glanced at the butler who’d been with him for years. He might’ve made some mistakes, but Warren had overlooked them. Regardless of the theft, which Warren had known went to help the servant’s mother, and the occasional leak of information to his mother, Makano was a good man. And Warren wasn’t in the habit of turning out men who tried to do their best. “Yes. I also made sure to inform the doctor that if your mother ever needs anything else before she passes away to come directly to me.”
Tears gathered in the butler’s eyes. He nodded in gratitude before turning away to take Warren’s mother into town.
The confrontation with his mother replayed in his mind in the silent office, settling on one horrifying fact.
It’s only a matter of time until someone comes for her…
Blood drained from Warren’s face. She was right. They would come for her. But they weren’t coming to collect her and bundle her back East as his mother suspected.
They’d come to kill her.
It’d been weeks since his mother had told Christopher Green Kitty’s location. And then he’d disappeared. There’d been plenty of time to send a message and for someone else to arrive in Hawaii. Plenty of time to plot her death.
Ice clotted his blood.
It was too late to see Kitty tonight. She had no doubt retired, especially after the confrontation with his mother, but he couldn’t wait until morning to see her, to check on her and make sure she was all right.
Refusing to wait another minute, he ran out the door, grabbing a rifle on his way out.
Chapter Seventeen
Kitty stumbled into her darkened home. Only a fire popping in the grate gave relief against the stark night. She’d given Kalea the night off, sure she’d be fine on her own. She was grateful for that decision now. She wanted no one to witness the shameful tears trailing down her cheeks.
She wished she’d had the forethought to light a few extra fires so it wasn’t so dark. So empty.
Just like her life.
How could she have been so stupid? She’d deluded herself for weeks, thinking that everything was fine between her and Warren. That it would all work out.
Had she learned nothing in her life?
The stigma of her birth always mattered. As much as Warren wanted her to think it didn’t, it did. A bastard. People would always look at her as one. Wherever she went, whatever she did, that would never change.
He’d lost clients because of her.
She sobbed.
He’d lost business because she wasn’t good enough. Because she was inferior, and his connection with her paid its toll. How many more customers would he lose? What other business deals would go south because of her heritage?
She’d tried to warn him against this, tried to protect him from such things. But he hadn’t listened. And for the first time in her life, she hadn’t listened to reason either.
She’d believed the lie. Believed the dream.
She’d wanted Warren too desperately to think of anything else except her feelings, her wishes. Nothing in the world had ever tempted her as much as a life with Warren. Since the moment she’d clapped eyes on him, she’d wanted him. There was no denying it, no pushing past it.
It might not be right, but regardless of what was right or wrong, she wanted him.
And he wanted her.
Another anguished cry escaped her. Her arms wrapped around her waist as she doubled over.
This was reality. This was life. It wasn’t anything different than she’d been raised to expect. But somewhere along the road, she’d dreamed of more, seen a glimpse of what was possible. And now it was gone.
Because no matter what Warren said, she truly was beneath him. No marriage could thrive on uneven terms. No relationship could grow when one was superior to the other. He had to see that now. He must be disgusted with her, with his promise to marry her.
He’d never back out of a promise. But she could. She could spare him from this. She had to. She loved him too much to make him stay in a relationship that hurt him.
Pain shot from her heart, so much stronger than any she’d ever felt. Losing Warren would destroy her, but there wasn’t another choice. She had to let him go—
“I must say, Kitty. I’d forgotten how dramatic you could be.”
She choked. That voice…
She whirled to face her brother. “Frederick.” Kitty’s heart raced as her mind struggled to process what was happening. “How did you find me?”
His delighted laugh haunted her. “You mean, how did I track you all the way to Hawaii? Simple. Your picture was in the paper from the factory fire. From there, it was easy to send someone to question the remaining workers and figure out where’d you gone.” He gave her a patronizing smile. “But really, Kitty? A mail-order bride?” He clucked in distaste.
She moved behind the couch, putting distance between them. No one would hear her scream. Not at this hour, far away from the other buildings. “Why are you doing this? Why won’t you leave me alone?”
He took a step closer. “If it were up to me, I would. You’re my half-sister, but who would want to claim you?”
“Then leave me be. I promise I won’t interfere with your life.”
He lost the smile on his face. “If only it were that simple.”
“It is.”
“You really have no clue, do you?”
She shook her head. She couldn’t understand this at all. Any of it. “I’ve done nothing to you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He stalked around the couch, and she shifted, keeping as much distance between them as possible. “You were born. Oh, Father always loved you, no matter what. You were his jewel, even though you were a bastard.”
“I saw Father much less than you. I was sent away.”
“To a well-known school for young ladies. What would a bastard need to know about running an established household?”
Her fist clenched. She might be a bastard, but she’d be living in squalor on the streets if it weren’t for her father’s generosity. “He gave me a chance at life. To make something more.”
“But it doesn’t just stop there.” He sneered.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “You might as well know. Father left you five million dollars free and clear at his death.”
Lead pooled in her stomach. Her father… “No. That can’t be right,” she whispered.
“It’s true. The bastard left you money and left me to rot.”
“You mean he didn’t leave you anything?”
“He left me the rest of it. But he thought I needed a babysitter. I can’t access the funds as needed. I have to go through his advisors for even a scrap.”
Her father had left her a fortune. She was an heiress. It was almost unheard of for a bastard to possess such wealth. Her eyes welled. Her father had loved her. Truly loved her. Even though she hadn’t been legitimate, he’d always cared for her.
Taking advantage of her surprise, Frederick leaped at her.
She jumped behind another table, searching for safety. For protection.
&
nbsp; Options were few. She couldn’t continue this cat-and-mouse game with him. She was too far away from others to call for help and could never outrun him to the house. There was only one other option.
She gulped.
The fields could shield her, hide her tracks. It was dangerous at night, but she didn’t have a choice now. It was her only hope of escaping him.
She let out a shaky breath. “But why come after me? Compared to what he left you, it’s nothing.”
“You’re right about that. It’s a piddling amount. But what you’re forgetting is the terms. Free and clear. The money can be transferred to you immediately.”
“I still don’t understand. Do you want to steal it from me? Force me to give it to you?”
He laughed. “If it were only that simple. But no. I have no need to coerce you to do anything. You see, the money will transfer to me with the same terms upon your death.”
She inhaled sharply. “You’ve been trying to kill me to get the money?” It was almost unfathomable. How could her own brother be so evil? And all for money?
“Of course.” He leaped at her again, swiping for her arm. He missed by mere inches. “Come, come, Kitty. This grows tiresome.” His brows narrowed.
Without another thought, Kitty raced to the door, flinging it open and charging for the thick brush ahead of her. She didn’t look back, didn’t slow. Pumping her arms, she hurled forward, praying with all her might that she’d make it before he overpowered her.
Harsh breathing grew louder behind her. If she looked over her shoulder, if she stepped wrong, she’d be lost.
With a surge of strength, she leaped into the brush, crashing through the weeds and tall stalks of cane.
He swore behind her. Loud enough that she didn’t slow, but knew she’d gained a little distance. Leaves slapped her face as she ran. The repeated gesture sliced open a cut on her cheek, but she still didn’t slow.
Her lungs hurt as she panted for breath, praying for strength, praying to live.
Kitty: Bride of Hawaii (American Mail-Order Bride 50) Page 13