Charity (31 page)

“You can only blame yourself, old man. If you hadn’t tried so hard to mow poor Mercy down with your coach three years ago, none of us would ever have met them. And it’s not as though you discourage her adoration.”

Sebastian acknowledged the accusation with a reluctant nod. “Eh, the urchin amuses me. I admire her spirit.”

They walked toward the house, following Mercy. “Well, you’re going to have to set her straight soon,” said Lachlan, “or you’ll end up hurting her when she makes her debut and realizes you’ve never had any intention of offering for her or anyone else.”

Their voices faded as they drew farther away from the drawbridge. When he was sure they’d gone, Lewiston emerged from the shadows beneath the structure and climbed the steps. He peeked around the corner and then quickly drew back his head. Amity and Charity were walking down the drive, arm in arm, deep in conversation. They strolled across the drawbridge and up the hill toward a little glade without noticing him. Their timing was perfect. Other voices were speaking, these in his head. They demanded he act.

He bent over, picked up a sizeable rock and tested its heft in his hand. It would do. He peeked inside the walls one last time and then followed at a short distance behind the sisters. It wouldn’t be long now until his brother and his meddling friends figured out everything. The time to move was now.

Thirty-two

No
, I had absolutely no idea what was going on,” said Amity. “From Scotland, Matthew and I went straight to his home in Rothmere, and sent a note to Grace and Faith telling them what we’d done and where we were. Faith replied soon after, but she simply said that you ran off with Lachlan, and that they were happy for both of us. She didn’t even
mention
the trouble with Anthony Iverson!” She gave her sister a curious look. “Do you know what became of him?”

“All Lachlan knows is that he apparently left London after Trevor, Gareth, Jon and his grace confronted him at a ball. It will be interesting to see if he turns up in London next Season.” Charity’s face glowed cherry red from embarrassment. “I was such a foolish girl, but Lachlan was wonderful. He took care of me and then asked me to marry him the very next day.” Her chagrin faded, and she smiled at the memory. “Actually, he
told
me to marry him and then dared me to say no.”

“And you finally realized you loved him and said yes, and now you’re living happily ever after.” Amity sighed with the beauty of it all.

Charity snorted. “Um, no. I actually did refuse him.”

“You did
not!
After everything you’d both been through to be together?”

“Oh, you know me. I was stubborn.” She smiled wryly. “But he convinced me, and now here we are.” She pressed
both hands to her flat abdomen. “Can you believe I’ll be having a baby?”

They reached the crest of the hill and stopped, standing arm in arm for a quiet moment. Charity pointed down at the village. “I like to come up here in the morning because Ashton looks like a pretty jewel nestled in these green, green hills. I can’t wait for you to meet Father Bartholomew and some of the villagers.”

“You seem more peaceful and happy than I’ve ever known you, Charity.” Amity grinned. “I’m so glad.” She punched her sister playfully in the arm. “Now if you’d have just listened to me after he kissed you that first time.”

Laughing, Charity turned to hug her sister. Her eyes widened. “Lewiston?” she said in confusion, and then screamed when he raised his arm and brought a rock crashing down on the back of Amity’s head.

Her sister crumpled to the ground. Charity stood rooted in place for a moment, staring down at Amity, and then she looked back up at her brother-in-law. When he started toward her, she turned and ran in the opposite direction, down the hill and away from the keep.

With an angry snarl, Lewiston dropped the rock and gave chase.

Lachlan and Sebastian walked into the solar, still hashing out the situation in low voices. Niles stood in alarm when he saw them. “Where are the twins?” he asked.

Lachlan gaped. “They aren’t here?”

“No. They said they wanted to take a walk, and when I looked out the window, the two of you were standing near the drawbridge talking to Mercy. I told them to go ahead, thinking you’d accompany them on their walk.”

Lachlan stepped over to the window and looked down at
the wide courtyard. The girls were nowhere to be seen. He followed the drive with his eyes and then let them rove up the hillside where he knew Charity liked to take her morning stroll. Nothing. Then he saw it: a motionless scrap of pale pink near the crest of the hill.

“Matthew!” he bellowed, and sprinted out of the solar and down the stairs. Niles and Sebastian were hard on his heels, and the doctor joined them, looking confused.

“I’ll saddle the horses,” called the duke. He ran toward the stables while the other three men ran across the drawbridge and up the hill.

Lachlan got there first and knew instantly that it was Amity. He knelt and felt for a pulse, thankfully finding one, then stepped out of the way as Matthew arrived. Turning in a circle, Lachlan searched out any clue as to where Charity might have gone.

Sebastian rode up on his big black stallion, leading Apollo. Lachlan swung up into the horse’s saddle. “Can the two of you get Amity back to the keep?” he asked the men without mounts.

Niles nodded. Matthew was gingerly feeling the bump at the back of her head and glanced at the bloody rock on the ground. “Go,” he said to Lachlan. “Find your wife.”

“Let go of me!” Charity clawed at the hand that half-covered her mouth while Lewiston dragged her toward the small cabin situated on the bluff. She kicked and struggled and dug in her feet, but because of her petite size Lewiston was able to make steady progress.

They reached the small structure and he opened the door, pushing Charity inside ahead of him. She stumbled and then rushed back at him, arms flailing. “What have you done?” she shrieked. The image of Amity falling to the
ground was a terrible one, and she slapped at him in renewed fury.

Lewiston grunted and caught her wrists. He dragged her over to a table and grabbed the coiled rope he’d left atop it, binding her hands behind her back. “Your sister is still alive. I didn’t hit her that hard.”

“Bastard,” she spat.

His eyes flashed. “No, my lady.
That
distinction belongs to your husband.”

“Is that what this is about? You want to be the marquess?”

“Shut your mouth, Charity. You understand nothing. I’d have left you completely alone until we found out if that brat in your belly is male or female, but it turns out I may need you as a bargaining chip.” He backed her away from the table and pushed her down into a wooden chair.

The second he let go of her, she tried to stand and run. Lewiston sighed and pushed her back down. “If you’re going to make this difficult, I’ll just go back and finish off that sister of yours.”

She glared at him but stopped struggling, knowing he could get to Amity before she could. Lewiston grabbed the end of the rope that dangled from her wrists and began winding it around her ankles. He then tied the rope to one of the chair legs and took a step back.

“I don’t suppose you’ll sit here quietly while I go see what’s happening at the keep, will you?” he asked. He hoped no one else had found Amity yet.

She stared at him in astonishment and then found her voice. “Of course I will,” she said. Unfortunately, her eyes must have been burning with fury.

He shook his head. “There’s entirely too much fight in you. Mother should never have interfered in Lachlan’s relationship
with Beth. At least that one was easy to manipulate.” He untied his cravat and tugged it from around his neck. “This will have to do,” he said. He covered Charity’s mouth, tied the gag behind her head, and then left the cabin.

As Charity heard the key turn in the lock, she immediately began struggling to get free.

Thirty-three

Matthew
and Niles struggled through the front door, carried Amity across the foyer, and laid her on a large sofa near the fire. Eloise and Mercy stood nearby, watching, their hearts in their throats.

Niles began to pace. He wanted to get out and help Lachlan and Sebastian but knew he couldn’t leave the dowager and Mercy here unprotected, especially since Matthew was busy trying to revive Amity.

“What happened?” Mercy matched his steps.

“Charity’s missing. His lordship and his grace are on horseback looking for her.”

Mercy ran to the window, but on the ground floor could see nothing past the keep walls. She wrung her hands helplessly.

On the sofa, Amity moaned and tried to sit up. Matthew placed a hand on her shoulder. “Shh. Lay back, darling.”

“My head hurts.”

“I’d imagine it does.” He laid a hand on her cheek.

“I don’t know what happened.” She opened her eyes in alarm. “Where’s Charity?”

“They’re looking for her, love. Do you remember anything?”

“No,” she said. “We were just talking. She showed me the village.” Amity closed her eyes. “Then she turned around and got this horrible look on her face . . . and then I woke up here.”

Her eyes, filled with panic, flew open. She sought her husband’s hand. He took it, and she glanced past him to the other occupants of the room. Mercy and Niles were pacing like caged animals and Eloise hovered near, a frightened expression on her face. “Wait,” she said. She looked around again. “Where’s Lewiston?”

Niles and Mercy eyed one another.

“Charity said his name just before I blacked out,” Amity explained.

“I’ll go,” said both Niles and Mercy, then turned to glare at one another. “Stay here!” they said again in unison.

Niles grabbed at Mercy’s arm. “You are
not
going out there. The marquess would have my hide, and his grace would finish off what ever’s left.”

“How well do you ride?” asked Mercy. When the valet’s face fell, she tossed her head in a gesture of triumph. “Someone has to
quickly
tell them it’s Lewiston,” she said. “It’ll be tough to even find them if you can’t keep your seat.”

As she spun and left the room, Niles stared after her. He turned back to the sofa and its occupants. “Is she always like this?”

“Yes,” said Amity and Matthew.

Lewiston watched Mercy fly across the drawbridge on horseback and knew it was over. They’d found Amity, or she had managed to make her way back to the keep and likely told them it was him. At the very least, his absence would now have been noted. His only option was to find Lachlan and use Charity as bait to get his brother to the bluff. After that, it would be a simple matter of pushing both of them over the edge.

He sighed. It had been so much easier with his father.

Her heart in her throat, Mercy rode the hills watching for any sign of Lachlan, Sebastian, or Lewiston. It took nearly an hour before she caught sight of Sebastian coming out of the woods. She dug in her heels and rode to intercept him.

The duke scowled when he saw her approaching. He pulled up on the reins and said, “You should be back at the keep with Matthew and Niles.”

She shook her head. “I have news. Amity woke up. It’s Lewiston.”

Sebastian’s face was grim. “This is going to hit Lachlan hard.” He gave Mercy a grave look. “Stay with me. We have no idea where the man is or of what he is capable.” He wheeled his black stallion and headed back toward the area Lachlan had wanted to search, Mercy filling him in on all that Amity had said.

They were nearly back at the keep when they caught sight of Apollo standing near a glade of thin trees. Lachlan likely searched within, so Sebastian and Mercy pulled up and waited for him to emerge.

“What’s
she
doing here?” Lachlan asked when he did, his voice tight with worry.

“Ashe . . . it’s Lewiston.” Sebastian’s voice was pitched low.

“Lewiston? What’s happened to him?”

Mercy’s heart nearly broke as Sebastian shook his head. “No, he’s not hurt. He’s the one behind the accidents. Amity woke up and remembers Charity saying his name just before he hit her.”

Pain flashed across Lachlan’s face before he ruthlessly buried it. “In that case, I’m pretty sure I know where he’s taken my wife.”

He dug his heels into Apollo’s flanks and headed for the
path that led to Gregory’s cabin, Lachlan and Mercy following. The trio galloped along the bluff until the structure came into sight, and then Lachlan slowed and dismounted. He let Apollo’s reins dangle free as he eyed the small building, knowing the well-trained stallion wouldn’t wander off. Everything looked peaceful.

Sebastian pinned Mercy with his eyes. “Stay here,” he commanded quietly. “Don’t even think about dismounting. And for God’s sake, if anything happens, run for the safety of the keep.”

She nodded, her eyes huge, but then pointed up the path. Lewiston, on foot, was just coming into sight.

Lachlan and Sebastian glanced at each other. Lewiston saw them, and he veered off the path and into the trees, heading for the cliff behind the cottage.

Lachlan took off after his brother. “See if Charity is inside,” he called back to Sebastian. He could hear the rushing sound of water far below, but closer, footsteps as his brother ran through the trees.

He emerged in a clearing to see Lewiston frozen at the edge of the cliff. Lachlan paused before taking a step forward.

His brother backed up another half inch, and he looked over his shoulder to the watery death that awaited. “You remember this spot, don’t you?” he said.

Lachlan nodded, his eyes locked on Lewiston’s face, who looked down.

“I didn’t mean for him to die. I loved him.” His brother’s face contorted with sudden pain and he raised demented eyes. “I just wanted him to understand how I felt.” His expression changed to one of blazing anger. “You aren’t even his son! Sometimes it seems right that you inherited, but I have these terrible headaches. Sometimes things seem so horrible and—”

“I know,” said Lachlan gently. “I don’t know what’s been going on, but we can work all this out. It can all be—”