Wicked Deception (3 page)

Nicholas was besieged with nagging at
every turn. He flung the letters to the floor. He had enough of his
own troubles. He was losing his wife. He poured another drink as he
spied the unopened letter from his brother Gareth, refusing to open
it.

Lately, all he received was blame from
those he loved. He could do nothing to please anyone. He stared in
self-loathing at his reflection in the crystal glass. Everything
seemed pointless of late.

~ ~ ~

Catherine woke with puffy eyes and a
wounded spirit. She got up, lips tight at the argument she had with
Nicholas the night before. He refused to tell her what he was
involved in. Her concern for him was growing every day.

He rarely slept, drank brandy by the
crateful, and lied to her constantly. She no longer believed a word
he said to her. She knew whatever kept him out every night was
driving the wedge between them now.

She knew her husband wasn’t unfaithful;
convinced by the depth of his love. Whatever he hid from her, it
tormented him as nothing had before. He was strangely quiet, no
longer jesting. He was moody and smiled little. He changed so
drastically from the man she married; she sought out the Earl’s
advice recently due to her concerns.

Gabriel and Nicholas had a strained
friendship these days. They both decided being cordial for her sake
was the better course than fighting over her. Gabriel was little
help in discovering what was wrong with Nicholas. Her husband still
heaped his affections upon the children and her brothers. With her,
he was distant and closed.

At night he was beset with nightmares
so violent she feared he would harm her and the child. She withdrew
to the divan many nights to avoid his hands and feet from lashing
out at her. Upon questioning him in the morning, she received
nothing but his cool, emotionless stare and tight-lipped refusal to
disclose the source of the night terrors.

She dressed in a loose morning dress of
pale yellow chiffon, tying her raven curls back with a yellow
ribbon. She went to the nursery first. Her one-year old son Devlin
dozed in his crib. Brionne was up and wreaking havoc with her toys.
The impish three year-old saw her at once. She giggled and ran to
her.

Catherine hugged the little girl and
picked her up, kissing the top of her unruly mop of ebony curls.
She closed her eyes as she held her once-lost daughter. She tried
to remember the devotion of the man who returned the child to her;
willed herself to trust him now. Whatever her husband was up to,
she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Their nanny Mrs. Gates arrived to see
to the children’s breakfast. The former midwife who delivered
Brionne and Giles stayed on after Lilly’s trial and execution. She
was a godsend and regaled Catherine with all she missed of
Brionne’s babyhood. Catherine appreciated it, but nothing could
give her back the first two years she lost with her twin son and
daughter.

They never told Gabriel the truth of
what happened the night his son was born. To look at Brionne was to
acknowledge she was very much her father’s daughter. The fact she
was Gile’s twin sister produced more questions both wished to
answer.

Gabriel would never forgive the
indiscretion. Nicholas refused to tell him, fearing he would keep
Giles from her. They maintained the child was adopted. All
suspected she was one of Nicholas’s bastards and Catherine didn’t
know. What they all thought was better than the truth. Even
Catherine had trouble conceiving how it was possible she bore two
children by two different men. None would believe it, but it was
true. Certainly Lord Iverleigh would hold it against them
now.

Gabriel had come around much the last
months in allowing her unlimited time with their son. That could
change in an instant, she knew. She had no rights to Giles, only
those he gave her.

It pained her to know the world
believed her sister Lilly gave birth to him. Gabriel refused to
bastardize his son even if the truth came out during his wife’s
trial. He was stubborn Giles would remain his heir and wouldn’t
listen to reason.

Catherine went below to seek out her
husband. She was told by the butler Hennessey he was locked in his
study. She glared as she approached the door, knocking sharp upon
it.

She stared in shock as he flung open
the door, quailing from the stench of liquor and cigars emanating
from the room. She looked up into the angry, red-rimmed eyes of her
husband and stalked past him.

“
We need to talk, Nicholas.
This has gone on long enough,” she informed him in a firm voice,
meeting his gaze and seeing his pain. He stood against the door
frame, lips twisted into a bitter smile. He shut the door behind
her. She saw the empty bottles on his desk and the letters flung
upon the floor. She took a seat at the desk, eyeing him in reproach
as he took a seat across from her. “I know you’re involved in
something you won’t speak of. I will ask you again to trust me to
tell me all or I’m taking the children and going to Dunleavy Hall.
I won’t live like this any longer.”

“
You’re leaving me?” His
blue eyes narrowed. He cursed and flung her a look of
resentment.

“
I won’t live in a house
without trust,” she told him and leaned forward, her face flushed
in anger. “I won’t live with a man who stays out all evening and
drinks himself into a stupor each night. If this is the way it is
to be then I won’t watch you destroy yourself.”

“
Well said, wife, what
happened to the ‘for better or for worse’ in your vows?” he asked
mockingly, his face taut. “You go nowhere, Catherine. I won’t allow
you to leave me.”

“
I didn’t ask you,
Nicholas!” she snapped. “And just so you know; when things got
better, you made them worse with your nightly carousing! Don’t
blame me if I refuse to put up with it any longer! You’re free to
do whatever you wish, and needn’t lie to anyone
anymore!”

Nicholas longed to explain his actions.
She had no reason to worry. The thought of her horror stayed his
tongue. No, he couldn’t tell her. The horrors of his early life
weren’t fit for her ears. Despite knowing what she thought of his
late-night activities, he preferred for her to think the worst.
That was better than the truth.

Catherine saw his hesitation as he
remained silent and tears filled her eyes. She rose from his desk,
glaring down at him. “When you decide you want to play husband
again; I will be at Dunleavy Hall,” she whispered in fury and
stalked from the room, slamming the door behind her.

He flinched from the sound. His
shoulders sagged as he realized how far he’d pushed her. She meant
what she said. Even as close to having their child as she was, she
would leave him and take the children.

Nicholas buried his face in his hands.
He knew if he didn’t do something he would lose his wife. In the
end, in his fear; he let her go.

He watched the following week as the
wagons were loaded to take his extended family to The Orion.
Tulley, the ship’s cook and his long-time friend, sailed in his
stead. He wouldn’t allow her to make the crossing into Ireland
without Tulley and his wife aboard. Mrs. Bingham married Tulley
finally. Martha Tulley glared at him as she approached, her steely
gaze sliding over him in disdain.

“
So, you’re just going to
let your wife walk out on you, are you Captain?” she inquired,
adjusting her spectacles, obvious anger shining in her gaze.”You’re
acting like the biggest ass in the world. Are you aware of
it?”

“
Very much so, dear Martha,
pray do not remind me. My wife has every day the last six months,”
he bit back. Martha had always been his staunchest supporter. Not
anymore. Even she ran out of excuses for him. She no longer sang
his praises, but remained tight-lipped, eyes narrowed with
disapproval.

“
I hope whatever you’re
doing is worth losing everything, Captain. You have a made a muck
of things,” Martha pointed out with a wistful look as the trunks
and bags were loaded. They watched as the Dunleavy children were
put in the coaches, along with the two nurses for Devlin and
Brionne. “Last chance Captain. What do you say? Stop this now. You
lose it all and for what?”

“
It is better they go,”
Nicholas snapped as he turned away on the porch. He regretted his
words when he saw his wife’s former teacher gasp, a look of dismay
in her eyes.

“
I knew it,” she whispered
in fury. “I told Mr. Tulley you were involved with another woman. I
hope she gives you the pox; you damned rotter!” She stomped away to
join her husband, looking back at him with a scathing look he
flinched from. Even Martha turned on him.

Nicholas smiled with much effort as he
waved to his children and Catherine’s brothers. His wife’s desolate
look hit him like a punch to his gut. He fought the urge to go to
her as she was assisted into the coach, her wounded eyes never
leaving his.

Nicholas broke from the pain he saw
there, refused to meet her eyes, still angry at her leaving him. He
watched as the two coaches drew away from the curb and longed to
chase them. He watched until they turned at the end of his street.
Then they were gone.

Nicholas went back inside, feeling as
though he’d been kicked in the chest. He knew it was best his
family leave. The silence in his home was ominous as he stood in
the foyer. He lost her. He felt the dam open up with the misery
he’d long held at bay, washing over him in waves that soon would
drown him.

Gabriel St. Armand arrived at
Nicholas’s residence at midday. The cryptic message he received
from Catherine before her departure nagged at him. She left for
Ireland after the last visit with their son and gave him a feeling
something was amiss. That was weeks ago.

He frowned and knocked upon the door.
After several minutes delay, Hennessey answered. The normally staid
butler had a wild look. He appeared relieved to see him, ushering
him inside, his lined-face filled with worry.

“
Where is he?”Gabriel
stalked into the foyer, looking about for signs of
Nicholas.

“
He’s in the study, Lord
Iverleigh. Please, my lord, you must hurry! He is in a terrible way
this time!”Hennessey cried in distress. “I would have sent for
Maggie but he said he would take his sword to me if I
did.”

Gabriel entered the study and blanched
from the sight of Nicholas, laying sprawled facedown upon the
floor. Broken glass was everywhere. He saw empty bottles of brandy
littering the floor, startled to see a bottle of laudanum near his
head. He came forward and reached down to slap his friend’s ghostly
pale face. When Nicholas didn’t stir, he checked for signs of
breathing and gazed up at Hennessey in dismay.

“
Send for a doctor and
hurry!”

Hennessey took off at a dead run. When
he returned; he brought help with him. They moved Nicholas’s
unconscious body upstairs to his room. Dr. Wells arrived within a
half hour. The man set about pouring some vile agent down
Nicholas’s throat immediately.

Gabriel watched it all before he
cringed and turned away as a tube was inserted into his friend’s
stomach. He heard the harsh gagging sounds as Nicholas retched
violently into a bucket at the side of his bed. It continued for
some time until the doctor assured him Nicholas would live. The
laudanum was purged and he slept now.

Dr. Wells took his leave. Gabriel sat
at the bedside, his gaze sad as he looked at what became of
Catherine’s husband. Nicholas was a mere shadow of the man he once
was. Dark circles were under his eyes. He’d grown far too thin; not
even bothered to bathe or shave in the weeks since his wife left
for Ireland.

Gabriel was grim when he sent a
messenger to his residence to inform his staff he was staying on
here for a few days. He sat with his friend, worrying over him when
he failed to wake up after three days. The doctor assured him it
was normal. He was sleeping; the best thing for him now.

Nicholas was fitful as he slept. The
dreams hounded him unmercifully, unmindful of the strong arms that
held him down. He cried out in his dreams, begging for the hands
that hurt him to stop. The leering faces of the men who unleashed
their torment upon him taunted his unconsciousness. He screamed in
agony, the sound making Gabriel tense as he listened to him begging
to die as he thrashed and cried in the bed. Gabriel stood by and
could do nothing to stop the demons from coming for Nicholas. He
stayed with him. It never stopped. Finally he saw Nicholas sleep
untroubled at last.

Nicholas woke with light filtering into
his room, his bemused gaze fell upon Gabriel dozing in a chair at
his bedside. He groaned as the dull ache in his head made it feel
like his skull was splintering, reminding him he still was very
much alive.

Gabriel awoke immediately and gazed at
him in relief. Seeing the Earl in his room made him sit up in the
bed warily and look around. Gabriel raised a golden eyebrow at him;
his handsome face composed, despite an angry tick in his
cheek.

“
Good, you live,” he
remarked, looking disgusted. “Now, before I kill you, tell me why
you felt the need to try and take your own life, Nicholas?”His dark
eyes flared in indignation. “What in God’s name is wrong with
you?”