Wicked Deception (32 page)

“
They think you a madman
now, Dartmouth,” Nicholas replied with a chuckle. “With all the
bodies turning up on your property this week, as well as my wife’s
servants being killed, there is little doubt you have lost your
mind. Do you really think they will believe your ranting? I would
say you will be rushed to the scaffold just to put you out of your
misery. As far as Lilly goes, she died a year ago. She is on her
way to another life, Dartmouth.”

“
You think you’re so
clever!” Dartmouth snarled in rage, his hatred obvious as he
stepped to the bars. “You think you have played us all this time.
You even let that bitch go, didn’t you? You should know she had a
plan of her own before we parted ways, Van Ryker. You will find our
Countess is not as forgiving as dear Catherine was. She has played
you and you will see all in due time.”

“
What are you blathering on
about, Dartmouth?” Nicholas asked coldly, his blue eyes narrowed as
he met the man’s through the bars. “I put her on a ship an hour
ago. She is gone.”

“
She is not leaving England
until your wife is dead, Van Ryker. I can assure you of that,” the
man said with a cackle of evil laughter, his reptilian eyes
glowing. “I have no doubt Lilly found a way off that ship, if I
know her as well as I do. You may have caught me but she will find
a way to kill her husband and Catherine before she goes anywhere.
You were wrong to trust her, Van Ryker. It will cost you everything
now.” He laughed as he saw the other man’s face pale.

Tieghan listened nearby and eyed him
worriedly and retreated, calling out to the others. Nicholas’s
brothers came down the stairs. He sent them fleeing to the Earl’s
residence at once to check upon Catherine.

Nicholas glared at Dartmouth, realizing
he had no reason to trust the man, but feeling a sense of panic to
realize one thing. He didn’t doubt Dartmouth’s words. His gut told
him the man wasn’t lying. He thought of all the conversations he
had with Lilly the last months.

Lilly had given him enough information
of both men’s plans, but none of her own. She had his money wired
weeks ago to her account in America. She fooled him into believing
she would go away quietly, and all the while she fooled him into
setting her free, to finish what she started long ago. Dartmouth
was laughing at him now, his eyes filling with triumph. He shook
his head and eyed him pityingly.

“
She was planning it all
along, Van Ryker,” Dartmouth said in obvious amusement, his eyes
hard with contempt. “We planned it together before you took her. If
Rudd and I went down; she insisted she would finish it. She wasn’t
going anywhere with her sister still alive, or her husband. My
guess is Lilly jumped ship and is looking for your wife right now,”
He stood back and laughed as he saw Nicholas’s features
pale.

Lilly stared around Nicholas’s empty
house in pleasure, her blue eyes filled with triumph. Her garments
were still wet from the swim she took to reach shore, careful to
stay away from the docks as The Morning Glory disembarked for
Virginia.

The other passengers and sailors hadn’t
noticed her jumping overboard as they all waved from the railing.
She felt a sense of elation when she climbed from the harbor
dripping and exultant. She made her way the many blocks here,
grabbing a dirty blanket from an alleyway to wrap around her as she
walked.

Lilly knew the house was empty. She
overheard that Catherine stayed with Gabriel now until Dartmouth
was caught. Now that she needn’t fear Dartmouth, she could see to
her unfinished plans. A smile curved her lips to think of how
clever she’d been to help them trap Dartmouth. Nicholas had put her
on the ship, not thinking for once he just loosened the fury of
hell upon Gabriel and Catherine.

Catherine was leaving London in a
matter of weeks for parts unknown. She would not be coming back
here. Lilly had a place to stay now and had no intention of passing
on the opportunity to have her vengeance upon her sister at
last.

Nicholas was a fool to let her go. He
should have known better and killed her or made good his threats to
give her up to Lord Rudd when he had the chance. She had nothing to
lose now. She was dead, after all. Catherine and Gabriel would pay.
When they were dead, she had Nicholas’s money in her account in
America waiting for her.

It was all so easy to manipulate Nicky.
Every since she shared the tale of Mr. Dixon abusing her as a
child, he believed them kindred spirits. He’d not considered for
one minute she perversely enjoyed the attentions of her tutor then,
encouraged them even.

Her tutor fell and hit his head upon a
rock near the pond behind Dunleavy, not killed by her as she
implied. She actually missed the man’s coming to her room in the
night when it was discovered.

Yes, Nicholas was a fool to let her go.
He didn’t realize how much she hated Catherine, or how much
pleasure it gave her to see this through to the end. She waited
years to exact her vengeance.

It was worth the risk of discovery to
destroy her little sister. She would use the money she buried in
Gabriel’s garden to buy her passage to America once she was
finished. She knew when she was sent to Amberley that this day
would come. She had over a thousand pounds buried behind the manor,
just in case she managed to escape her inevitable
capture.

Rudd and Dartmouth thought themselves
using her. She’d been using them all along, just to win her freedom
to see this last detail taken care of. She thought of all the times
Dartmouth came to the prison to see her, how she cleverly
manipulated him and Rudd to get her out of there.

They played right into her hands.
Fools! She went upstairs to seek warm, dry clothes. She sighed in
pleasure as she opened the armoire and saw her sister left behind
enough gowns to see to her comforts.

She stripped out of her wet clothes,
redressed, and towel-dried her hair as she thought of how clever
she’d been. She was still chuckling at how Nicholas had
underestimated her hatred of Catherine.

Had the little bitch not found her
mother’s diary and given it to their father, he would have never
known she wasn’t his daughter. It was because of her she lost their
father’s love. When he learned Lady Mary and Edward Thornton
secretly married and Lilly was their child, he ceased to care about
her at all.

For that, she would never forgive
Catherine. It was only Lord Dunleavy’s pride that kept him from
casting her out then, declaring her not his. She spent years
plotting her revenge. Now it was almost over. She sighed as she
looked around the room, glad the signs of the murders was cleaned
up.

Lilly dared not risk lighting a fire or
burning a lamp in the deserted home. She crept down to the
kitchens, fortified to find enough in the larders to feed her for
the next few days. She investigated the study as she pulled the
stopper from a decanter of brandy and poured herself a
drought.

Her eyes glittered as she watched the
sun set in the sky. Now she waited until dark to reclaim the funds
she buried before her exile. While there, she would spy upon her
husband’s household to find her opportunity to strike.

Poor Catherine would think herself safe
now that Dartmouth was in custody. She would bide her time. She
waited years for this. She laughed softly as she thought of how
easy it was. Poor Dartmouth would go to the gallows and be blamed
for all Rudd’s crimes.

When Catherine and Gabriel turned up
dead, Nicholas would know she betrayed him but it would be too
late. She would at last have her revenge upon them all. Nicholas
was thought dead already. He could do nothing to stop her now. She
smiled as she thought of how she would carry out her final
plan.

~ ~ ~

Gabriel arrived at the Atwell residence
the next morning. After receiving a note from Lady Atwell, he was
more than a little curious. The lady was now London’s premier
hostess with Lady’s Weldon, Farwell, and Billingsley out of the
picture. He waited for her in her luxurious salon.

The lady arrived in a flurry of silk.
He smiled at her warmly as she greeted him. “Lord Iverleigh, I’m
glad to see you’re so prompt.” Lady Clarissa smiled in a way that
didn’t quite match her eyes. He detected worry behind her pale,
blue gaze. At first glance, one would dismiss Lady Clarissa Atwell,
but at the second they would see how clever she was behind her
seemingly vapid façade. “Will you walk with me, Lord Iverleigh? I
fear what I have to say to you must remain between us. I don’t dare
allow for servants to eavesdrop.”

He nodded and followed her to the
terrace doors and the gardens beyond. They walked among the lush
gardens for a time and then she spoke. “I had no one else to turn
to, Lord Iverleigh,” she began softly, her eyes meeting his with a
sad expression. “With your troubles in the past I’m sure you will
understand why I have asked you here today. Francis’s recent death
has made my husband the next Duke of Rudd. My George is infirm and
quite unaware of any of this. He’s remained thus since he fell from
his horse last spring during a hunt.”

“
I didn’t know, Lady
Atwell,” Gabriel replied, wondering why it escaped him that Lady
Clarissa’s husband George was Rudd’s only male descendent. He
forgot the connection until now. “I’m very sorry to hear he’s not
improved.”

“
He will not improve. I fear
all decisions must now be made by me,” the lady explained as she
met his gaze. “Let us speak frankly; Francis was a monster. I have
always suspected he was twisted in some way. He never married and
had no children of his own, thank God for that. His death has
burdened us with his legacy now. George has inherited the Duchy,
its properties and such, but no apparent wealth with it. What
monies are there are tied up into the estates. Francis always
loathed George. His heirs were his half-sisters Eunice and Gillian.
Eunice is dead and I was informed by his solicitor this morning his
youngest half-sister, Gillian, is now his sole heir. The girl has
just turned twenty. With Francis’s estimated wealth, she is one of
the richest heiresses in England. Francis left her over ten million
pounds, Gabriel.”

Gabriel was too shocked by the lady’s
admission of how much Rudd was worth and could only stare as she
continued.

“
Gillian has been raised in
a convent all these years. Her mother sent her away when Francis’s
father died. I think she suspected her stepson would hurt her
daughters if they were left in his care. Gillian was sent for and
is due to arrive in a matter of days. Your note gave me a moment to
reflect upon what George would have wanted done if he were aware.
It is my thought that you should marry Lady Gillian. She is far too
wealthy an heiress now to be left unprotected.”

“
I don’t know what to say,
Lady Atwell,” Gabriel said softly, aware he was being asked to
marry Rudd’s sister. He quailed from it, sickened by it to a
degree, even though he knew the girl wasn’t responsible for what
her brother did. The taint was there. No amount of money would
erase it.

“
Say yes, Gabriel, and marry
the girl,” Lady Clarissa urged with a rueful laugh. “I shall have
the betrothal agreement drawn up before she arrives. I need to
secure the girl’s future now, for George can’t in his present
state.”

“
May I ask why you asked me
to marry your husband’s cousin?” Gabriel asked, still mystified by
being selected, despite having contacted the woman recently to
receive her patronage in finding a wife.

“
She will have a hard time
living down being Francis’s sister now that his crimes are known by
all,” Lady Clarissa predicted softly. “And you’re no stranger to
scandal, my lord. Forgive me for reminding you of it. But, I would
have a very difficult time finding you a wife, if not for Gillian’s
current circumstances. Let us be honest, your relationship with
Mrs. Van Ryker was made very public last year. The ton is very
unforgiving, as we both know and your previous Countess went to the
gallows as well. You would be hard-pressed to find a suitable wife
among the nobility, Gabriel.”

Gabriel’s lips twisted into a grimace
at her words. He hadn’t expected this, but there it was. He was
ruined in the eyes of all, whether he liked it or not. His former
wife’s notoriety and his relationship with Catherine ruined his
chances to marry well.

“
Why ask me to marry her
then, Lady Clarissa?” Gabriel asked in an angry tone. “Surely with
the girl’s wealth, she’d have her pick of suitors?”

“
Who would marry her now but
wastrels, fortune hunters, or men as uncouth as her brother,
Gabriel?” Lady Clarissa asked with a negligent shake of her head.
“She is in as bad a situation as you, forgive me for saying it. It
rather solves both your problems, does it not? You need a wife and
she needs a husband. Perhaps in time, society will forget she is
Rudd’s sister and your past will be forgiven as well.”

“
Is Lady Gillian aware of
her brother’s crimes?” Gabriel demanded softly. Lady Clarissa
looked pensive at his question. “She doesn’t even know what she
walks into, does she?”

“
No, I hadn’t thought to
tell her such scandalous news in a letter, Gabriel,” Lady Clarissa
defended herself with a grimace. “So, you can see what a dilemma
she presents to me? I can’t risk sponsoring the girl because of the
scandal it would create. My own daughter makes her come-out this
year. Gillian is hardly to blame for her brother’s mistakes but we
both know that will not matter to those in our sect. Marrying you
is the closest she can ever hope to come to a descent match now. I
can’t even allow her to stay in my home, for fear it will impact my
daughter Eugenia’s debut. It’s not my wish to press matters but I
would ask that you marry her as soon as she arrives.”