Eve hadn’t so much as angled her head in his direction. Closer now, he could make out her profile, the outline of her lips, and her downcast eyes hidden behind the dark veil.
“Most of this is a mere formality. I’m sorry if any of you have traveled far with hopeful expectations.” Mr. Priebus donned a pair of spectacles and continued squashing the few servants’ hopes. “Although the deceased made mention of stipends for, ahem, Mr. Reginald Forrester, Mrs. Maude Cooley, Mr. Donald Smith, and a Mr. John Blaycock, the estate’s funds have been absorbed by debts incurred by…” And he went on to list a litany of vendors, some reputable and some not so much.
“Mr. Darius Mossant, as the next male in the deceased’s line of kin inherits the Pebble’s Gate estate and all debt and incomes incurred and generated.”
“Mrs. Mossant.” The solicitor addressed Eve. “As the deceased’s widow, you are welcome to reside at Pebble’s Gate at Mr. Darius Mossant’s discretion. In the event he decides to evict, a dowager house on the north side of the property shall be opened up and made available.”
Niles knew of Eve’s plan to reside in London. He looked to her for some response — any response at all. What had happened to the woman he’d known the past year? The woman he’d left here yesterday morning?
“I’d like a word with my client.” Niles rose and crossed the room to stand before her. “Mrs. Mossant?” He held out his hand.
“She has no further need of your services, Waverly. Isn’t that right, my darling?” Mossant placed one arm around her shoulders. Eve seemed to nod, almost as though moving under water.
Niles dropped to his haunches, taking her hands in his. What in the hell was going on?
“Mrs. Mossant, Eve.” He didn’t give a God damn at this point what anyone thought. “You haven’t any intentions of staying on at Pebble’s Gate, do you?” He willed her to raise her chin and tear off the black veil.
“But of course, she’s staying on. We’re to be married by special license this afternoon.”
Oh, hell no.
But why was Eve not making her own denial?
“Is this true?” Niles rubbed her cold hands between his.
“You’ll remove your hands from my fiancée.”
Again, Eve made no protest.
She might as well have slapped him. Could this be what she wanted?
“What have you done to her?” Niles demanded as burly arms grabbed him from behind. The other servants were already shuffling toward the door, and Mr. Priebus was gathering his papers together.
Darius Mossant clucked his tongue obnoxiously. “Such a shame. She told me everything. How you’d fallen in love with her, taken advantage of her weakened state. I expect all of her personal accounts transferred to me without delay. As her husband, I assure you that Mrs. Mossant shall no longer require your services.”
Niles didn’t care that the arms clasped around him were crushing his ribs which had not even begun to heal. He threw all his weight forward and managed to make contact with Mossant’s chin.
“Get him out of here!” The blighter’s hand flew up just in time to catch the tooth that had broken free. The arms around Niles grasped tighter, dragging him out the door.
He was no match for two hefty laborers.
In less than two minutes, they tossed him unceremoniously onto the gravel drive.
Niles stared up at the wispy clouds set against a blindingly blue sky.
He closed his eyes in an attempt to gather his strength. He was getting too old for this sort of thing.
* * *
“Mr. Waverly? What on earth are you doing on the ground?” A familiar voice drew him back to reality.
“Been out drinking, old man?”
Eve’s eldest daughter and her husband, the Earl of Carlisle, were both bent over, peering down at him.
Niles had no idea where they’d come from but was happy enough at their timely arrival.
It was all the encouragement he needed to push himself off the ground. And he only groaned a little as he found his feet.
“My Lady.” He nodded. “Lord Carlisle. I’ve reason to believe Mrs. Mossant is in danger.” He brushed the gravel from his backside and undertook to explain his suspicions.
“He says mother’s agreed to marry him? But that’s outrageous!” Lady Carlisle made a move toward the manor, but her husband grasped hold of her arm.
“Rhododendron.” The earl halted her charge. “If your mother is in danger, I’ll not have you bursting inside. We need the magistrate.”
The young woman, who looked so much like her mother, was shaking her head in denial. “But Mama would never agree to marry. Not unless she was in love, and I’ve met Cousin Darius. Believe me, she is not in love with him. Why on earth is she going along with this?”
“She’s been drugged.” It was all beginning to make sense to Niles now. “It’s the only explanation.”
Lady Carlisle wrung her hands together.
“Rhoda.” Carlisle turned to his wife. “Fetch Coachman John from the stables and have him take you to find the magistrate.”
“Excellent. Meanwhile, Carlisle, you and I can stop the wedding.”
Niles had an idea.
The countess nodded. “Be careful, Justin, and you too Mr. Waverly. Don’t let her marry him!” She then took off at breakneck speed toward the stables while Niles shared his plan with Lord Carlisle.
“Remember that ship that went down last month? Well…”
Chapter 14
If Anyone Has Any Objections…
* * *
She’d been caught in a nightmare. Eve wanted to speak up but her thoughts would not connect to her voice. Or her body.
The veil, the darkness. And the fact that two very large brutes had dragged Niles away.
Whose arm was she leaning upon? Niles ought to be beside her. She fought through the heaviness and forced herself to hear the words being read out loud.
The reading of the will?
“…we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of these witnesses, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in the time of man's innocence…”
A wedding?
Rhoda and Carlisle had married already, hadn’t they? Of course, they had. He’d whisked her away… Eve had never been so happy as when Rhoda and Carlisle married.
The man beside her vibrated as he mumbled something…
Eve would be utterly content if Coleus and Holly found themselves husbands with even half as much good character as Lord Carlisle. Even so, if they did not, they’d never worry about security. They could remain with her. Host exhibitions and readings at their home.
She would purchase her home in London now that Jean Luc was gone.
Niles had assured her she’d have no difficulties.
“Marigold Evelyn Mossant.” The voice read.
How she hated her given name. Marigold. But then she’d done the same to her own daughters. A hint of a smile touched her lips. She’d protect her daughters with her life. Darius Mossant would never get his hands on Coleus, as he’d hinted. He was too much like his uncle. Too much like Jean Luc. Eve had sensed it after only a few minutes in his presence.
The memory, for some reason, brought her back to the present. She was leaning upon Darius. Not Niles.
And then the words floating around the room began to take shape.
“Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”
Silence.
“Eve dear, tell the man yes.” That voice, so much like Jean Luc’s, sent shivers racing down her spine.
“No.” Barely a whisper emerged past her dry lips. She swallowed. Summoning all her strength, she lifted her chin. “No.”
“She do
esn’t mean it.” Darius again, trying to silence her now.
“No.” She spoke the word again and pushed away from the arm she’d been leaning on.
How had this happened? Hands gripped her elbow so tightly that it hurt. But she welcomed the pain. Something was very wrong with her.
The tea.
He’d put something in her tea.
Memories of people attending some of Jean Luc’s parties, lying about with heavy lids and blanks stares, pressed themselves upon her. The opium.
God help her. She’d been drugged.
“Send for my maid, please.” Eve tried to lift the veil away from her face, but her arm was too heavy.
“She’s confused.”
“I think, perhaps, we ought to wait until Mrs. Mossant is feeling better?” The vicar suggested.
“If you value your position you’ll continue with the ceremony.”
But the ceremony would, indeed, be delayed.
The heavy door flying open sent Eve jumping. She didn’t move far, however, as the hand holding her squeezed even tighter.
It seemed, one of the guests was late to arrive.
Niles.
Even through the veil, she knew it was him in an instant. She’d always recognize his stance, his posture. Like a knight to her rescue, his sturdy frame filled the doorway.
Her man of business, but so much more.
“Pardon my interruption, vicar.” Niles sauntered across the room quite unperturbed.
Eve cheered inwardly at the sound of that calm soothing voice she’d come to love.
“The groom has requested some papers from me. I do believe he’ll be quite interested to look at them before making any rash decisions.”
Eve had no idea what Niles was nattering on about, but it didn’t matter.
He was here.
“Explain yourself, Waverly.”
Darius loosened her arm to swipe the papers away from Niles, leaving Eve standing on her own. She wavered and then leaned against a chair.
“The investments? Her accounts?”
Niles chuckled softly. Eve felt not one iota of concern that Niles would hand over the information Darius wanted.
“What’s left of them.”
“What do you mean, what’s left of them?” Darius Mossant’s voice shook.
And then Eve somehow managed to push the veil over up and over her head. “Yes, what do you mean, what’s left of them?” Surely, Niles wouldn’t have been careless with her money.
“Sometimes investments pay off.” Niles shrugged. “And sometimes, they do not.” He didn’t look all that worried, or contrite for that matter. He turned to Eve, looking quite adorable despite his alarming announcement. Frustrating man that he was.
“That shipment we discussed, remember? It would have tripled the value of your shares, Mrs. Mossant, and I really hadn’t foreseen much risk but…” He shrugged again. “The Estonia went down last month. I’m sure you heard about it. The news has been all over the papers.”
But they’d decided not to invest there! Oh!
Oh!
“My money’s all gone?” Eve would play along. Her dear, sweet, Mr. Waverly was making all of this up.
“How in the hell am I supposed to afford this damn estate then?” All of the pride and bluster seemed to flee Darius Mossant in that moment as he dropped into a nearby chair.
“You could try learning how to run it properly. A little work never hurt anybody.” Lord Carlisle spoke up from the doorway. When had he arrived? If he was here, then surely Rhoda could not be far away.
Niles was by her side now, leading her to the only settee in the room.
“Eve? Look at me sweetheart. Are you all right?” That familiar cultured, yet completely unaffected voice was nearly her undoing. When had her hands begun shaking? Her legs lacked the strength to keep her up even a moment longer, and her stomach had become disturbingly unsettled.
“He gave me opium.” She burst into tears. The dawning realization horrified her.
And then she embarrassed herself quite beyond redemption.
Nile’s boots would never be the same.
Chapter 15
Clear Heads Prevail
* * *
With both Eve and Lucy assisting her up the stairs, Eve wondered that she hadn’t realized earlier that she’d been drugged. Even now, she could hardly lift her feet up each step. All that tea she’d drank… Eve shuddered at the thought and turned her mind to eavesdrop on the arguments drifting up from the study. Loud at first, but gradually subsiding as Niles’ steady voice took control.
Her mind conjured images of how he’d looked that day in the rain. Catching her from falling, holding her in the shelter of the trees. He’d put her before himself, despite his injury.
The three women shuffled into her chamber and assisted her onto the bed.
Eve didn’t want to sleep anymore. She hated this feeling of being trapped within her own body.
“I knew something must be dreadfully wrong, as soon as Mr. Waverly said you intended to marry.” Rhoda sat beside the bed and dabbed a cool cloth over Eve’s forehead. “Opium! The scoundrel! He had to have known how you opposed the poison!”
“I’ll never forgive him for it.” Although feeling weak and horribly humiliated, Eve no longer experienced the heavy darkness she’d been subdued by for the past twenty-four hours. Shortly after Eve’s…unfortunate bout of sickness, Rhoda had arrived with a magistrate and as luck would have it, Lucy. Apparently, Darius had fired the poor girl. She’d gone into the village and had been looking for Niles.
“Drink this, Mama.”
“No tea!” Eve pushed the drink away.
Her daughter’s eyes pooled with unshed tears. “It’s safe, Mama. I promise. I made it myself.” And then Rhoda leaned forward, resting her head on Eve’s shoulder.
Rhoda had endured so much already in her young life. Eve hated that she was causing her any duress. Mothers were supposed to comfort their children, not the other way around. “Of course, it is. I’m sorry to worry you.”
Eve sipped her tea, relieved at being safe once again. Darius Mossant no longer had any power over her. He never had, in fact. She’d been held captive by the drug.
How had Jean Luc lived his life in such darkness? Had he been imprisoned by the drug all that time?
She’d hated it. It had nearly robbed her of her own free will. And yet… it promised a false comfort.
She now understood its lure. It’s power.
Never again. It was horrid and demonic and… terrifying.
Rhoda sat back and wiped an errant tear. “Mr. Waverly certainly is clever,” she commented, oh, so casually. Her hands shook a little as she returned the cup of tea to the tray beside the bed.
Eve could only marvel at this brave, beautiful girl. Her daughter!
“Don’t you think so?”
Ah, Niles. Clever Niles. “He certainly is.”
Eve smiled at the thought that her man of business could so easily command a room full of gentleman whom society would consider his betters.
“You’ll have to give him a raise, Mama.”
“Give Niles a raise?” Eve nearly laughed. He’d never take it. “He works on commission.”
“When we arrived, he was a man possessed. For all of two minutes, he was in quite the panic. I never imagined he could be anything other than utterly calm and composed.”
He’d worried for all of two minutes. Again, Eve smiled. She had first-hand knowledge of the hidden passions of Niles Waverly
Eve squirmed and Lucy stepped forward to stuff an extra pillow behind her.
“Thank you, Lucy.” Her maid had had a difficult few days as well. “I’m sorry for the trouble you’ve had. You’ve been wonderful with the girls since coming on. You certainly didn’t deserve such treatment, and I’m sorry I was unable to protect you from it.”
* * *
The young woman was only a few years older than Rhoda.
“I’ll be fine. I was j
ust so worried of what they were doing to you. I knew you’d never send me away like that.” Lucy twisted her hands together.
“And I never will. You have my word on that.” Eve knew that she and her girls were the closest to family Lucy had. Darius Mossant had thought only of himself.
Apparently uncomfortable, Lucy glanced around the room and then asked, “would you care for something to eat, ma’am?”
“Something light, thank you Lucy.” Eve wasn’t hungry, but the maid seemed to need a moment to herself.
And Eve needed some privacy.
Left alone, Eve could ask her daughter a very personal question. Something she’d been contemplating since the moment she realized she’d nearly married her dead husband’s cousin.
“Darling?”
Rhoda’s brows rose at her tone and she sat forward attentively. “Yes?”
Eve cleared her throat. “Would you consider me foolish, I mean. Are you happy?” She hedged.
“I am. You know that I am.” The somber mood fled her daughter for the moment. Lord Carlisle had been perfect for her. Eve had seen it from the beginning.
“Justin can be at times overly protective, and a bit stuffy.” She smiled. “But he’s made me happier than I ever might have imagined. Are you happy, Mama?”
How did one discuss something like this with one’s daughter? She supposed one discussed it as though she were a friend.
“I think I can be.”
“Because father is dead?”
Eve had quite come to terms with her emotions over Jean Luc’s death. “Your father’s death doesn’t make me happy.” She explained. “Although, I am relieved. I am also sad. At one time, he was a good man. At one time…”
Rhoda tilted her head. Again, Eve searched for words.
“I’m in love with Niles Waverly.” The words rang clear and true. “I didn’t think I’d ever feel love again, and I’m uncertain as to whether or not he feels the same…”
A huge grin spread across her daughter’s face. “I don’t think you need have any fears there.”
“You’re a Countess now.”
To Hell and Back: A Devilish Debutantes Novella Page 9