Heart's Demand (34 page)

Valois laughed. “Not for a bit, I’m afraid. You’ll be too frail for anything but rest and recuperation.”

Bryce was quiet, the short burst of conversation exhausting him. He dozed, and when he roused again, Chase was gone, but Valois was still there, seated in his chair, watching over Bryce like a devoted nanny.

“I saw my father,” Bryce said.

“When?”

“When I was ill.”

“Then you were close to death’s door indeed.”

“And my mother…” Bryce stopped, pondered. “Was she here? Was she nursing me?”

“No, but I have frequently smelled her perfume as I visited your sickroom.”

“I’ll live? You’re sure?”

“Very sure.”

Bryce slept and didn’t awaken again for days.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“It’s like something out of a fairytale.”

Evangeline sighed. She was on her horse outside Radcliffe Castle. It was a castle, a real castle with turrets and ivy and battlements.

Michael and Matthew were with her, mounted too, flanking her, letting her take the lead as they rode through the gates.

She’d tried to remain in England, to have the twins handle the situation. But once she heard about Susan Blair giving them a copy of her Last Will and Testament, it had been impossible to continue twiddling her thumbs in London.

Lady Susan was Evangeline’s aunt, and to Evangeline’s astonishment, Susan was bequeathing all her jewels to Evangeline. They were family pieces that should have ultimately belonged to Evangeline’s mother if she’d ever become countess.

Evangeline was extremely shocked by the gesture. The twins said their Aunt Susan was dying, that she was remorseful for her part in what had been done to Evangeline’s parents.

The twins were dubious about human nature, skeptical about human motives, so they weren’t the optimists Evangeline had grown up to be. They insisted Susan was a devout Catholic and terrified of being condemned to Hell. They saw her change of heart as a cheap and convenient ploy to worm her way through the Pearly Gates, and they were disgusted by it.

Evangeline didn’t care why Susan had finally declared her misdeeds. She was just glad it had transpired before the woman had taken her secrets to the grave.

“Shall we go in?” she asked her brothers.

“Absolutely,” they said in unison, and Michael added, “They’re expecting you. I don’t know that you’re welcome, but they were informed you’d be here.”

“Will we shout out parents’ names?” she inquired.

“We already have,” Matthew said, “but you can too if it makes you feel better.”

She kicked her horse into a trot and entered the yard. As she reined in, she didn’t shout the names but whispered, “My parents were Anne and Julian Blair. I have come to reclaim what was stolen from them.”

It was a juvenile announcement, but she grinned, delighted to have uttered it.

The twins were correct that she’d been expected. People rushed out to get a look at her, and they gawked as if she was visiting royalty. They nervously studied her, but she had a knack for putting others at ease.

She’d always been able to, and she’d learned lately that it was a trait inherited from her mother, who’d been dynamic and charismatic.

She smiled as if she
was
royalty, as if she was a princess arriving, and the crowd smiled in return, waved, curtsied, and doffed their caps. Boys dashed from the stable, tussling to tend her horse, to help her dismount. But her brothers dismounted first, and they assisted her.

They’d been in Scotland for over a month, telling everyone the tragic tale of Anne and Julian Blair. The locals had accepted the truth, and Susan Blair had publically confessed. Only George Blair was holding out, refusing to admit his sins and crimes, but Evangeline wasn’t surprised.

He’d wanted to be Earl of Radcliffe so badly that he’d likely committed murder so it would happen. A man that obsessed would never willingly relinquish what he’d pilfered. It would have to be pried from his greedy, cloying grasp.

Evangeline swept into the castle, and the servants were lined up on both sides of the hall. The butler and housekeeper introduced themselves, pointing out the other high level servants. Then the twins escorted her to the end where a woman waited. She was about Evangeline’s age, pretty and kind-looking.

“Greetings, Lady Run,” she said to Evangeline.

“Hello.” Evangeline smiled her most charming smile.

“I’m Katherine Blair. I believe we’re distant cousins.”

“Lovely,” Evangeline responded. “I’m always thrilled to stumble upon another member of my family.”

“Your Uncle George won’t meet with you, but your Aunt Susan has asked that I bring you to her at once.”

“I’m so glad she’s agreed to see me.”

“She was very gratified that you decided to make the trip.”

Katherine guided Evangeline to a winding staircase. They climbed quickly and quietly, with Evangeline trying to take in the details. There would be time later for a slower viewing, but the walls were covered with ancient tapestries, paintings of ancestors, and even a few sets of armor discreetly tucked into corners.

They walked down a hall and stopped at a closed door.

“She’s failing rapidly,” Katherine murmured, “and she tires easily.”

“I understand. Will she be awake, do you suppose?”

“Yes, she’s actually having one of her better days. She’s excited that you wanted to speak with her.”

They entered, tiptoeing, and the twins stayed outside, two stern, stoic sentries guarding her, keeping her uncle away while Evangeline talked to her aunt.

The room was dark, the windows shuttered, a candle burning on the table. Katherine led her over to the bed.

“Susan,” Katherine said, “Lady Run is here.” When she received no reply, she added, “It’s Anne’s daughter. She’s finally arrived.”

There was still no answer, and for a fraught moment, Evangeline worried the poor woman had died, but no, the blankets rose with her staggered breathing.

There were chairs by the bed, evidence of a lengthy vigil, and Katherine gestured to them. They sat, comfortable in each other’s company, and eventually Susan opened her eyes. She was skin and bone, most of her hair having fallen out. She’d once been affianced to Evangeline’s father, had once been a beauty, but there was no hint of beauty now.

“Katherine, how long was I asleep?”

“Not long.”

Susan noticed Evangeline, and she gasped. “I’m sorry, Anne. I’m so sorry. Will you lift the curse? Will you let me pass away in peace?”

Katherine reached over and patted Susan’s hand. “You’re confused, Susan. This isn’t Anne Blair. Anne is deceased, remember? This is her daughter, Evangeline Drake, Lady Run.”

Susan’s vision was cloudy, focused on Evangeline but peering right through her. “I was young and foolish, vain and proud. My father-in-law harmed you and your children, and I was silent during your entire ordeal. I shouldn’t have been silent! It was wrong of me.”

“Susan,” Katherine tried again. “This isn’t Anne. It’s her daughter.”

Evangeline pulled her chair nearer. “Aunt Susan, I’m Evangeline. I am your niece.”

Susan scowled, assessed Evangeline. “You’re not…Anne? Are you sure?”

“I’m very sure.”

“You look just like her. There’s not a shred of difference.”

“I’ll take that as a great compliment.”

“She cursed me in London after her trial. She said none of my dreams would come true, and none of them have.”

Evangeline had no idea how to respond so she mumbled, “That’s too bad.”

“I planned to speak with her in Heaven, but I couldn’t find her.”

The comment made no sense, and Katherine whispered to Evangeline, “She floats in and out. She talks to people who aren’t really there.”

“I saw Julian—off in the distance,” Susan claimed. “I tried to catch him, to apologize, but he was moving too fast. Anne wasn’t with him. Is she still alive? Is she still here on Earth? George always insisted she was dead.”

“I don’t know if she’s alive, Aunt Susan,” Evangeline said. “I’m hoping she is. I’m searching for her.”

“If you see her, tell her she has to lift the curse. Please tell her!”

“I will.”

“Tell her I’m sorry and that I’ve confessed my sins.”

“I will,” Evangeline said again.

Susan seemed to deflate, and she relaxed. She was quiet, staring at nothing, observing sights Evangeline couldn’t imagine. Ultimately she turned and studied Evangeline very meticulously.

“I thought you were named after your mother. I thought your name was Anne too.”

“It was, but it was changed when I was little.”

“Were you all right when you were growing up? Were you warm? Did you have enough to eat? Were people kind to you?”

“People were very kind.” For the most part it was true. “I’m married now, Aunt, to a marvelous man.”

“Who is it?”

“Aaron Drake, of the Sidwell Drakes. His father is Lord Sidwell, and my husband is Viscount Run. Are you acquainted with them?”

“No, but you married very high.”

“Yes, I did.”

“You deserved to marry high.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

Susan sighed. “I didn’t wreck everything.”

“No, not at all. My brothers are all fine too. We all survived. We all thrived in our own ways.”

“I was jealous of your mother, and I was so angry with your father that he wouldn’t wed me. I was eager to hurt him. I committed some horrible sins because of it, but I’ve admitted my complicity.”

“I wanted to thank you for that,” Evangeline said. “It’s why I traveled to Scotland. I wanted to meet you and thank you in person.”

“Your brother should inherit Radcliffe. It should have been his all along.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Make it happen.” Susan sounded desperate and distressed. “Make sure it passes to him.”

“I’m determined to make sure.”

Susan drifted off, and they waited many minutes, but she didn’t awaken, and Evangeline wondered how many more times her aunt would open her eyes before they closed forever.

Katherine gestured to the door, and Evangeline slipped out, saddened by all that had been lost.

Susan Blair was Evangeline’s aunt, and Evangeline had such a tiny family. Her husband. Her father-in-law and brother-in-law. Bryce and the twins.

What would it have been like if Susan and George Blair had never destroyed her parents? What if Anne and Julian had ruled at Radcliffe? What if there had been weddings and anniversaries and christenings and holidays spent playing with cousins?

Instead it had been treachery and malice that brought about the most vindictive conduct imaginable. It was all such a waste, such a ridiculous, pointless, heart-breaking waste. Could there be justice? Could there be happiness in the end?

Evangeline vowed to obtain both.

*   *   *   *

“Why tell them? What possessed you?”

George glared down at Susan where she lay dying in her bed. If she’d kept her mouth shut a few more days, a few more hours, no one would have ever discovered what George and his father had perpetrated.

Anne had brashly intended to file a claim against Radcliffe on behalf of her oldest son, Bryce. George’s father had warned her not to, had bullied and pressured her to butt out, but she’d demanded her children receive what George and his father would never have let them receive.

If she’d behaved as she’d been commanded, if she’d accepted the bribe she’d been offered, she wouldn’t have had to suffer a single moment of difficulty. But no. She’d threatened to go to the newspapers, to hire lawyers, to speak with peers who’d known Julian and who might have assisted her in fighting the Blair family.

She hadn’t understood the tidal wave of hatred bearing down on her until it was much too late for her to move out of the way.

He asked his question to Susan again. “Why tell them? Why couldn’t you leave it alone?”

Susan roused and flinched with alarm. Since she’d delivered her declaration to Michael and Matthew Blair, she’d kept her door locked so he couldn’t come in and beat her for her betrayal. For once Katherine was out of the room, Susan unattended, and George had snuck up the rear stairs without being observed.

“How did you get in?” Susan inquired.

“It’s my property, and it will be mine until the day I die. If I decide to enter your room, or any room, I shall.”

“Katherine!” she called, but she had no vigor to muster any volume.

“She can’t help you now.”

“I’m not scared of you,” she blustered.

“You’re not? In your weakened state, I could wrap my fingers around your throat for a few seconds and I’d be shed of you.”

“I’ve confessed my sins. I’m not afraid of death. How about you, George? Aren’t you afraid? I’ll be in Heaven. Where will you be?”

“Shut up.”

“I won’t. Can’t you feel the Devil licking at your heels? Or is it Julian’s ghost, here for revenge? I see him whenever I close my eyes. He’s nearby, George, and he’s waiting for a chance to strike. You’d better watch out.”

“Shut up!” he said more vehemently. Cruelly he added, “I never wanted to marry you.”

It wasn’t precisely true. As a young bachelor, he’d been ecstatic to wed her, to bind himself to the beautiful heiress Julian had refused. But in his current aggrieved condition, he was keen to hurt her.

“I never wanted to marry you either,” she replied.

“You swore to love, honor, and obey.”

“And I always have. Years ago, you ordered me to be silent, and I
was
silent until I began choking on all your lies.”

“You told Julian’s sons what we did.”

“I made a clean breast of it, and I’ll go to my grave with a clear conscience.”

“That’s awfully convenient for you, isn’t it?”

“Why would you say so?”

“You eagerly and enthusiastically participated in my ruining Anne Blair, then for three decades, you enjoyed all the fruits of our conspiracy. Each and every day, you were rich and pampered, sitting in the seat that should have been hers, flaunting the jewels and title and status that should have been hers. You put your sons in the positions her sons should have held. I never heard you complaining.”

“I was wrong to harm Anne.
We
were wrong. At least I have had the courage to admit it. What about you, brother-killer? How will you explain yourself when you meet your Maker?”