Norah
spurred her horse on faster, racing up to the building, flinging herself from
her mount in the shadow of a dying hawthorn tree.
Splintered
wood sliced her fingers as she grasped the cottage's door latch, flung the
panel wide.
In
a heartbeat, the scene in the chamber seared itself into her mind. Cassandra,
huddled on a musty pallet, her skin painted in hellish hues by the flickering
light of the oil lamp upon a rickety stool. Her golden hair tumbled about her
face, bits of grass and leaves tangled in the strands, her gown a torn puddle
on the dirt floor. The delicate cotton of her chemise drooped over one
babe-soft shoulder. Silk cords bound her wrists, a nasty scrape on her elbow, a
darkening bruise on her jaw.
While
Richard, stripped to the waist, stalked her with an expression of distaste on
his handsome features.
At
the sound of the door crashing against the wall, Cassandra screamed. A stunned
Richard wheeled to face the door, his haughty cheek scored with the glistening
tracks Cassandra's nails had cut into his skin.
His
hand flashed toward the pearl-handled pistol pillowed on his cast-off clothing.
But suddenly he froze, recognition and stark astonishment registering in his
eyes as they slashed from Norah's wind-tousled curls to the breeches that
barely clung to her waist.
"I'll
be damned," he muttered, his lip curling in dark amusement. "Who
would have believed—"
"Richard,
have you gone mad?" Norah demanded. "Let her go!"
"N—Norah!"
Cassandra's cry pierced her heart. The girl fought against her bindings, trying
to dart toward her, but she was trapped by Richard's tall frame.
"Not
so fast, my dear," he said, taking up the pistol and jamming it in the
waistband of his breeches. "We aren't quite ready to receive felicitations
as yet—even from the stepsister who made our romantic liaison possible. But as
soon as we get the unpleasant business of our bridal night over with..."
"No,
you can't be married," Norah said. "You can't—"
"I
intend to bed the chit first. In fact, I would already be finished with the
infernal task if she hadn't managed to lunge off my horse and nearly escape me.
She led me the devil of a chase, but I caught her and dragged her back. I
promise you, she'll learn obedience once she is my wife." His hand swept
up to the scratches on his cheek.
"I'll
never marry you!" Cassandra choked out. "Norah, please help me!"
"Norah
can't help you," Richard cut in with an ugly laugh. "Even if she was
tempted, it wouldn't be in her best interests to do so. Once your precious
father discovers her involvement in the wagers I made, he will hate her. She'll
be cast off—utterly helpless, alone in the world. But you needn't fear for
Norah's future, Cassandra. She will gain complete independence as a reward for
her part in my plot—enough money from your handsome dowry to set her up quite
comfortably."
Norah
gaped at him. He seemed for all the world like a clever boy who expected
approval for some cunning trick he had played. It sickened Norah, horrified
her.
"Norah,"
Cassandra breathed in a tiny, broken voice. "You—you knew about what he
was going to do?"
"No,
angel. No." Norah said, her heart shattering.
"Of
course she didn't," Richard scoffed. "I was the one who came across
your letter. I was in control from the very first. The only thing I couldn't
predict was that she would be fool enough to fall in love with a womanizing
rakehell like your father. It complicated things in a most annoying fashion."
Norah
sucked in a steadying breath, groping for some way to reason with this man,
this stranger before her.
"Richard,
let her go. Whatever demon is driving you to this terrible thing, you must know
that Cassandra is innocent. She's a child. For mercy's sake—"
"Mercy?
Don't preach to me about mercy! Her father left me to rot on a cliff for three
days, broken on the stones, waiting for death to claim me. If I hadn't managed
to crawl up the cliff face, I would have died. That bastard Kane wanted me to
die."
"No.
I don't believe it." Norah shook her head, trying desperately to grasp the
threads of Richard's tale. "Aidan would never do such a hideous thing.
You're not making any sense. What could Aidan have possibly had to do with your
accident?"
"You
want to know, little sister? I'll show you." He wheeled on Cassandra, his
fingers catching hold of the necklace that dangled by a thin chain from her
neck. He snapped the chain and flung the trinket down upon the hard-packed
floor. The heel of his Hessian crashed down on the delicate bit of jewelry; a
horrible cracking sound like snapped bones echoed through the room.
He
kicked the broken locket toward Norah, and she stared down at the broken
pieces.
Norah
reeled. "Wh— I don't understand..."
"A
gentleman needs love tokens for his lady, and my father was such a cheap
bastard, I couldn't afford anything exquisite enough out of my allowance. So I
stole the necklace from your mother's jewelry box and gave it to Delia Kane the
night we were running away."
Images
whirled up in her head: Aidan's voice, tearing back the veil that hid his
deepest agony, revealing what had happened, the night that had changed him
forever, scarred his soul so brutally only his love for Cassandra had saved
him.
"Richard—oh,
God, it was you..." Norah stopped, her eyes flicking to Cassandra's
tear-streaked face, desperate to shield her from the implications of Richard's
confession. But it was too late.
"You
were the man who—who was waiting for Mama and me that night? The night of the
accident?" Cassandra asked, disbelieving.
"Delia
was my whole life. She took me up when I was a callow, awkward fool and made a
man of me. One to be reckoned with. My father thought I was worthless. He made
me feel..." Old pain streaked across Richard's features. "Delia was the
only one who ever gave a damn about me. I owe everything I am to her."
Norah
shuddered inwardly, knowing it was true. Richard was yet another man Delia had
twisted and warped and crippled forever.
"My
leg was injured the night the carriage overturned. The bones broke on the rocks
below. My hand..."
The
child had already been frightened enough. To hear the ugly truth battered out
this way was Aidan's worst nightmare come real. "Richard, don't—"
"Don't
what? Tell Kane's proud little princess the truth? It took almost a year for me
to crawl out of my sickbed, teach myself to walk once again. And the
pain!" He paused, his features tight. "But I didn't give a damn.
Every step I took brought me closer to the time when I could get my vengeance
on Kane. But not a simple bullet through the heart. No, that would be too
quick, too merciful, after all he had made me and Delia suffer. I wanted him to
experience the agony I'd known, the helplessness she had felt all those years
she was in his power."
A
tiny
whimper echoed from Cassandra, sickening Norah.
"Cass,
don't listen to him. This is insanity."
"I
assure you I am quite sane. No one gone in madness could have plotted such a
perfect vengeance and carried it out."
"Richard,
Aidan sent help back to the coach the minute he regained consciousness. He was
all but dead himself by the time he got Cassandra to the surgeon."
"You
expect me to believe that? He drove Delia to her death and he left me to die.
He destroyed my life, and now I will make him pay the forfeit for his crime."
"By
terrorizing an innocent girl?"
"It's
unfortunate, but necessary. The girl is the best weapon to use against Kane,
and I intend to wield that weapon without mercy."
She
groped for some way to deter him and latched onto the only thing she could.
"Cassandra is Delia's daughter. If you loved Delia, how can you hurt
Cassandra?"
"This
will be best for everyone in the end. Cassandra will be away from Kane's
lecherous influence. The pain of breaching her maidenhead will be brief
enough." His lip curled in distaste. "And God knows, I'll hardly be
able to stomach touching her later. How could I when she is alive and Delia is
dead?"
"Delia
would hate you for hurting her child. I'm certain—"
"What
do you know about a woman like Delia? Nothing! You can't stop me, Norah. No one
can."
"Richard,
let her go," she attempted one last time. His sneering smile was her
answer.
It
was over. Norah could see the intent in his eyes, the impatience. Hell itself
couldn't bar him from working his will.
Norah
grasped the cold butt of the pistol and drew the weapon out, her fingers chill,
trembling. "I'm not going to let you hurt Cassandra. I'll shoot you if I
have to."
Richard
hurled her a pained glance. "You expect me to believe that you can pull
that trigger, sister mine? That you can kill your own brother?"
The
words slammed into Norah, but she tightened her grip on the pistol. "I'll
do what I have to."
"You'll
shoot me? You'll kill me for Aidan Kane?" Richard's bitter laugh echoed to
the tumble-down rafters. "You're a bigger fool than I could have guessed.
He'll be out pawing other women before he gets his first babe in your belly.
He'll be laughing at you, making jest of you while he partakes of the charms of
beautiful women. God knows, the man always had an eye for the most delectable
tidbits of female flesh."
Norah
struggled desperately to find an opening, stalling Richard the only way she
could—by talking, by giving him something to bait her with. "Aidan thinks
I'm beautiful."
Richard
swore in disgust, pacing toward her. "Christ! I could never understand how
a paltry soldier tricked Delia March into marrying him. If Kane is that good at
spinning out lies to his women—"
The
pistol trembled. "Cassandra, get up. Move toward me.
"She's
not going anywhere," Richard said, coming closer, closer. "I've
explained everything to you. Why it has to be this way."
"Richard,"
Norah pleaded. "Don't make me—"
"Shoot?
It's the only way you're going to keep me from bedding Kane's daughter. I've
been waiting a long time for vengeance, Norah. I'm not about to sacrifice it
now. You've already kept me from winning my wager by refusing Montgomery your
bed—a blunder that will cost me dearly, I might add. But one mustn't bewail
what is already beyond repair."
"Philip?
Philip knew of the wagers?"
Richard
had managed to undercut her, stun her completely. "The honorable Philip
Montgomery? Montgomery had wanted you long before you left England. If the man
had had any stones, he would have wed you himself, but no, the illustrious
Montgomerys needed brides with fortunes, and you were nearly penniless. When I
thought you were married, I merely mentioned your alliance to Philip, pointing
out that you were in the licentious clutches of Aidan Kane, and Montgomery did
just as I expected. Came racing to Ireland to be your champion. I tried to make
it good for you. To arrange your heart's desire. An affair with Philip
Montgomery was to have been your reward for being such a helpful accomplice in
my little game. But no. You couldn't just accept the gift that I offered you.
You had to cling to your noble principles."
He
was stalking her, his eyes resolute, lit with dark fire, and Norah realized
then that hell itself could not stop him. She would have to pull the trigger if
she was to save Cassandra.
He
was so close, she could see the scar on his chin, the glint in his eyes.
"Are
you going to kill me, Norah?" he demanded softly. "Do you have the
courage to watch me die?"
Her
mind filled with images: Aidan at Caislean Alainn, butterflies in a tiny
Cassandra's hands—the fires of Richard's revenge consuming them both.
She
steeled herself, tightened her finger. In a heartbeat Richard's hand flashed
out. The hammer of the weapon cracked down—not on the firing pin but on his
flesh, the pistol failing to fire.
Norah
tried to jerk the pistol away and fire again, but Richard ripped it from her
with a savagery that sent spikes of pain up her arm. Surprise and outrage
surged into her stepbrother's gaze.
"You
did
pull the trigger! You would murder your own brother for a wastrel
bastard like Aidan Kane? Don't you realize what I would have done for
you?"
Cassandra
cried out as Richard's fist arced toward Norah's face. Pain exploded in Norah's
jaw. Her head snapped backward, dizziness overwhelming her, fingers of
unconsciousness dragging her down. But she fixed her gaze on the tumbled curls
of Aidan's daughter, clung to the agony of knowing what her destruction here
would do to her father.
Norah
groped for the other pistol at her waist, but Richard moved with diabolical
quickness to tear it free.
"Damn
it, Norah, now you've ruined everything! I'm afraid I will have to kill you.
Another regrettable necessity. Not a pleasant scene for my betrothed to
witness, and yet you leave me no choice."