Blood Lust (13 page)

She didn’t know why he had waited so long to come out of hiding. Perhaps it was that he meant to prove his innocence and clear his name. he had to have found someone he could trust to help him.

Damien had testified in his behalf at the trial. He was the man who had come to visit him at the cottage in the forest. She had caught a glimpse of his features and she was certain they belonged to Damien.

Damien was a man of substance, respected and admired by his peers. If the duke was willing to help him, she was convinced that William was innocent of this crime.

And Damien would know where he was.

She would go to Damien, force him to admit he was helping William. She would demand a meeting with William. For whatever reason, William Spencer had helped her. It was her turn to help him.

Damien pulled the doors of the salon open, stepped inside and closed them. Katherine sat waiting on a gold brocade sofa. He looked at her, sitting straight and square. He could feel the air of determination in her.

She rose to her feet as he walked in the room, meeting him halfway to greet him.

“My lord, I apologize for coming to you without an invitation. I have something of great importance to discuss with you and I am afraid it will not wait.”

He took her hand, arching his brow and bowing. “There is no need to apologize my lady. It is always a pleasure to be visited by a beautiful woman.” The heat in her cheeks rose. She thought he was complimenting her, however he had not lied. She had a vibrant beauty about her.

“My lord, what I have to say is of a most private nature,” she said, taking the chair he indicated while he moved toward the hearth.

“You may speak whatever is on your mind. We have complete privacy here.” he crossed over to the sideboard where he unstopped a decanter. “May I offer you a sherry?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He walked over to her, handed her the stemmed glass, and sat down in a chair across from her. “All right, Lady Katherine, what is it that you wish to discuss?”

“William Spencer.”

Nearly choking on his brandy, he replied, “I beg your pardon, what did you say?”

“I believe you heard me the first time, my lord. I wish to discuss your friend, William Spencer, the legitimate duke of Sussex.”

He leaned forward, now assessing her with a new respect. “My friend was murdered in prison, Lady Katherine. His death was most painful. It is a subject I rarely discuss.”

She was not watching him as closely as he was watching her. “But you were his friend.”

“Yes.”

“Do you believe he really killed his own father?”

“What I believe is of little consequence, considering the outcome.”

“Do you believe he was guilty?”

“No.”

Leaning forward, her glass tightly gripped in her hand she continued, “Neither do I, my lord. I believe he is innocent as you do.”

“That is quite comforting, my lady, but I don’t see what bearing this had on anything.”

“No, I think you do. I think that if William were alive he could count you among his friends.”

She was trapping him. He saw it coming and there was little he could do to stop it. “Yes, yes he could.”

“And we both know that William is still alive, don’t we?”

He considered continuing the lie, but the look on her face said that she would not believe him. “Just why have you come here today, Lady Katherine?”

She stared right at his face. “I want to see him. I believe you can arrange a meeting. That is why I am here today.”

He noted the determined look in her face and mulled the idea over. “It would be dangerous for both of you. Why would you want to see him?”

“If I tell you the reason, you’ll tell him and then he might not come. I wish to meet him in the morning. Be sure to tell him that if he does not come, I shall reveal his identity.”

“I don’t believe you would do that, my lady,” he replied, smiling.

“But you cannot be certain of that, can you? And you cannot take that risk.”

“William will not like being blackmailed.” He could not help admiring her bravado. No wonder his friend was so taken with her. She had intelligence, which was intriguing in a woman.

“That is my problem. In any event, perhaps you can suggest a suitable meeting place.”

He thought for a moment, swirling the brandy in the bottom of his snifter, inhaling the rich aroma. “There is a lady who lives just on the outskirts of town, a widow of my acquaintance. She is currently away, visiting family. It happens I have a key to the residence, as we are such good friends. I am sure she will not mind if you use the house for your meeting.”

“Marvelous. Be certain to convey my appreciation to your friend when she returns.”

He nodded, smiling at her. “Remember I warned you. William will not like your interference into his affairs.”

“And I did not appreciate his interference into mine. However, as it turned out, I am grateful. Perhaps, he will be grateful as well.”

He rose from his chair, as did she. He stood above the top of her head a good head taller. There was something about her, a measure of assurance and strength that captured one’s notice of her.

“Will one o’clock be suitable?”

“Yes, perfect,” she said. “Thank you for your help, my lord.”

“Save your thanks, my lady until after you’ve met with my friend.”

She said nothing further. She simply lifted the silk day dress and swept from the room. Damien watched her leave and the smile he had had turned to one of amusement. William had certainly met his match in Lady Katherine. Given different circumstances, it would have been amusing to watch their clash of wills. As it was, however, Katherine’s interference only increased the danger for William.

He wondered what his friend would say when he learned about tomorrow’s meeting.

“Good God, man! You are telling me that this woman marched into your home, told you she knew I was William Spencer and then demanded a meeting or she would give me up?” Standing in the sitting area of his bedchamber in the tower, William fought hard to control his rage.

Damien smiled. “Something like that.”

William slammed his fist on the table. “Well she can just forget it. I am not going to dance her dance. Tell her she can go straight to hell!” He paced around the small room. “How in the hell did she figure it out?”

“I don’t have the slightest idea.”

“I should have known she would be curious. She is smart, too smart. I should have guessed she wouldn’t be satisfied to just let the matter end.”

“You have to meet her,” Damien said. “You can’t be certain what she will do to you if you don’t.”

“And I can’t be certain of what I’ll do to her if I do.”

Damien laughed softly. “She is a handful. Full of fire and beautiful too.”

“Makes a man want to take her to bed,” William growled.

“Exactly,” Damien agreed. William lifted his head. “Relax, the girl is all yours. I am happy with my current mistress.”

William stared out the window. “I don’t believe she would tell anyone, but after Jane, I am not certain of anything when a woman is involved.”

“The meeting may prove interesting. I am curious as to what she wants.”

“God, who knows!”

“God and you tomorrow, William.”

William said nothing, just stared at the rolling green hills between the tower and the town. He was furious at Katherine’s interference.

Chapter Ten

Katherine coaxed the fire she had started in the heart of the widow’s house. She was dressed in a plum colored riding habit, fashioned in the military style of the day. The house was larger than she had anticipated, covered in ivy and recently whitewashed.

The duke’s key did indeed let her into the house whose interior was topped by huge oak beams. The house was immaculate, the sofa and chairs were upholstered in a blue and white floral design, giving the home a feminine warmth.

She held her hands up to the fire as she poked the flames as they licked the wood and as she listened for William’s footsteps. The only sounds she heard though were the creaks and groans of the house.

After yesterday’s visit to Damien’s estate, she had returned to Sussex Manor to play the part of Benjamin’s future bride. She had made excuses today, had a horse saddled for her and rode off to the nearby town.

She walked over to the window, pulling at her riding habit. She peered out the windows looking out toward the rolling green hills in front of her and beyond. Where was he?

“Looking for me, my lady?” The commanding, deep voice came from behind her as she nearly jumped through the roof.

“You scared me half to death! How did you get in?”

He was leaning against the end of the mantel, one shoulder propped up against it. She didn’t miss the tension rippling through his tall frame.

“Getting in wasn’t all that hard. You should know by now I am a man of many talents.” Though his voice was soft and calm, there was something of a threat in it.

He started across the room in her direction and she caught the fire in his eyes. His jaw was clenched shut and his hands were in balled fists. The duke had warned her, he was angry, even furious and she was still unprepared.

“I know you are upset with me. I suppose you have the right to be angry, but I had to see you.”

“Why?”

“I know who you are.”

He moved closer to her, his eyes piercing right through her. “I don’t like to be threatened and you my lady threatened me.”

“Well, I didn’t like you abducting me, but that didn’t stop you from doing it just the same.” She stood her ground with him, defying him.

“I didn’t have a choice.” He was dressed for riding she noticed. Odd thing to notice.

“So you have come here against you will. Did you really believe I would turn you in, my lord?”

“I had hoped you would not, but I could not be certain what you would do.” His eyes were fixed on her now. “I did not think Jane, the duchess of Cromwell would have stood by and watch me hang, but she would have done just that and without hesitation.”

“Lady Cromwell betrayed you. I would not. I do not believe you killed your father. I know that you loved him and I want to help you prove your innocence.” She rested her hand on his forearm and felt the muscles quivering with tension.

She backed away from him, lifted her skirts, and curtsied. “Your grace.”

William stood there not speaking. He reached out for her, his hand shaking, entwined her fingers within his own and urged her to her feet. He then swept her into his arms.

“My lady, no one has called me that in a very, very long time.”

Katherine clung to him, her arms sliding around his neck, his cheek pressed to hers. She blinked her eyes, trying to keep back the tears. “I want to help you. That is why I came. I want you to tell me everything so I can find some way in which to help you.”

He shook his head. “I appreciate your concern, my lady, but there is nothing you can do. Involving yourself in my affairs would only cause you trouble, not to mention it could even be dangerous.”

She lifted her eyes to his face, looking, trying to make sense of what was behind it. “I want to learn everything about it, William. Please, tell me.”

With a heavy sigh, he turned away from her, taking her hand as he led her over to the sofa as he took a place next to her.

“It is still hard to speak of. I was so stupid back then. I never even suspected a thing.” He shook his black curls. “They had planned it from the start. Benjamin and Lady Jane.”

“Benjamin is the one who killed your father?”

“Yes,” he nodded his head. “Who did you think?”

“I thought that perhaps he was duped, that there was some sort of mistake that had convinced him of your guilt.”

“There was no mistake, my lady. Jane wanted money and Benjamin wanted the dukedom. They decided together to get rid of both my father and me. Perhaps not at the same time. They were looking for the right moment to put their plan into action. When my father left to follow me that night, Benjamin realized what was happening. He saw his opportunity and he seized it. I made it all so easy for them. I fell in love with Jane and I could not see the danger. I could not think of anything but her.” He laughed bitterly at the thought of that evening.

“I know you had been thrown in prison. How did you manage to escape?”

“I didn’t. The first night I was there, a group of inmates attacked me. They wanted my clothes, my shoes. In prison they were worth a small fortune. They beat me nearly to death, stripped me naked and then left me with only the rags they had discarded.” He glanced away from her for a moment, caught up in the painful memories. “Unfortunately, the gentleman who was wearing my clothes didn’t get to wear them for very long. Later the man was attacked and knifed to death, his face badly disfigured during the attack. When the guards found him, they assumed the man was me. He was of the same build and hair color. I often wondered if Benjamin might have been behind that attack. Damien was trying to stop the hanging. Benjamin wanted me dead and he isn’t a man to take chances.”