if hes wicked (10 page)

thick wal you could not breach.”

“Sometimes even the thickest wal s develop a little crack in them. A passing breach in its defense. You stil have a very strong wal , but I do sense

that it is not just Anthony whom you wil miss when this is over.”

“Lord Kenwood is too high a reach for me, cousin. I am penniless and have been cast out by my own family.”

“Not al of us. Just your fool of a mother. That is one thing I meant to speak to you about. She has lost both of your brothers for that cold, heartless

action. They were unhappy over the way she treated your sister, but your sister did break al the rules of society and they were torn. They were not torn

over what was done with you and demanded your mother take back her harsh command. When she did not, they left her. Sad to say, I am not sure she

regrets it, especial y since they have left her in that fine house and stil support her. I begin to think it is past time our family ceases to house and feed the ones who desert us.”

Chloe took his hand in hers, knowing he thought of his own mother, who had left him the very day he had first told her what she was thinking, or as

near to it as made no difference. Vaughns and Wherlockes were cursed in love, she mused. There were far too few people who could accept their gifts,

even fewer who could accept how those gifts traveled through the bloodlines into the children they bore.

“I do not think Julian fears what Leo and I can do, but neither is he sure he believes in it al . But no matter, for he sees me only as the woman who

saved his son, mayhap saved him, and helps him in his fight against his enemies.”

“Oh? Then why is he standing at his window watching us—do not look—and stinking of anger and jealousy?”

It was very hard not to look to see if she could see what Modred felt. “Are you certain?”

“Very. He does not like me sitting here with you, touching you.” Modred frowned. “He does not like feeling jealous, which is what is stirring most of

that anger.”

“Because I am beneath him.”

“Fool. I suspect it is because he has been so cruel y betrayed by his own wife, a woman he thought himself in love with. That can leave a man

wary, mistrustful.”

“Which is not very encouraging. You can feel al of that? Is he such an open book to you?”

“Nay, but, as with you, strong emotion can cause a crack in the wal .” Modred smiled faintly. “I suspect Leo just told him who I am, for that crack has

been tightly sealed up. What do you plan to do about that insight, smal as it is?”

“I have no idea, but you wil be one of the first I tel if I ever come up with a plan.”

“Oh? And who wil be the first?”

“Me.”

She laughed with him and then urged him into the house for something to eat and drink before he left. Chloe pushed down the strong urge to rush

She laughed with him and then urged him into the house for something to eat and drink before he left. Chloe pushed down the strong urge to rush

up to see Julian. There would be time for that later, and she needed to think before she saw him again. What Modred had told her had sparked hope

inside her. She needed time to decide if she should nurse it to ful life or extinguish it completely.

Julian moved to look out the window as Leo explained more thoroughly what Arthur’s plans for his wife were and how they could continue to keep

those plans from being completed. They had both taken a rest from plots and plans soon after Chloe had left them in the morning, but lunch had brought a

new round of them. He was just feeling a swel of pity for his aunt when he saw Chloe sitting on a garden bench with a wel -dressed and far too handsome

young man. He felt the ugly sting of jealousy slap him when the young man embraced Chloe and she did nothing to push him away. There was a chance

that she was not so very different from Beatrice after al , he thought angrily, and the disappointment he felt only made him angrier. So did the jealousy that gnawed at him, for he refused to ever again al ow his emotions to get tangled up over a woman. Unfortunately, his emotions did not seem to be paying

attention to what he wanted.

“I think you need to get your cousin a proper chaperone.” Julian inwardly cursed when Leo looked at him with faint surprise, for it was obvious that

he had not kept al of his anger out of his voice.

Leo moved to look out the window, stared at Chloe and the young man for a moment, and grinned. Julian folded his arms over his chest to dim the

urge to shake some sense into the man. He did not think the fact that Chloe was alone in the garden and wrapped in some man’s arms was anything to

grin about.

“That is just our cousin Modred,” said Leo.

The name startled Julian out of his anger even as the words
our cousin
began to soothe him. He ignored the little voice that reminded him that

cousins could stil be lovers. His instincts told him that such things would rarely happen within the Wherlocke clan. If nothing else, he doubted they wanted too many matches where both parents had
gifts.

“Someone actual y cursed their son with the name Modred?”

Leo laughed and nodded. “His mother was a fanciful woman.” He quickly grew very serious as he continued to stare down at Chloe and the young

man.

“I hope he made her pay for that fancy as he grew.”

“Ah, no chance to do so, I fear. She walked away from him and his father not long after he turned two. That was when her
darling boy
looked her

right in the eye and told her what she was thinking, almost word for word.”

“You would have me believe that he can read what is inside a person’s mind?”

Leo shrugged. “Not everyone’s, and not always clearly, but enough so that places like London are a pure torture for him. He rarely visits, keeps

himself tucked away in Elderwood. Mostly he feels what people feel, and we both know how ugly some feelings can be.”

Julian dragged his hand through his hair and stared at Leo. He trusted the man, owed him more than he could ever repay, but he was beginning to

think the man was beyond eccentric. Surely no man as intel igent as Leopold could real y believe such things?

“I do not cal you a liar, but…” Julian stuttered to a halt when Leo held up his hand, afraid that he had seriously offended the man.

“Even I found it difficult to believe for a long time, but I fear it is true. Modred’s gift has become the one every Wherlocke and Vaughn dreads. I

have no explanation for it, no true understanding of it; I just know that it is. It has been proven to me so many times that I cannot continue to doubt. And it is that curse that makes our Modred a recluse, a man who rarely leaves Elderwood.”

“Elderwood? He lives at a ducal seat?”

“He
is
the duke, has been since the age of nine. I would appreciate it if you talked to no one about his gift. It is one that, if known of and believed in by others, could put him in great danger.”

“I doubt anyone would believe me even if I sank so low as to betray this confidence.”

“Probably not, but Modred already has the reputation of being a recluse. He does not need to be marked as some madman as wel , or seen as a

threat that needs to be eradicated.” Leo sighed. “Or even more frightening, taken by some enemy to be used against the country or the family or some

other criminal venture.”

“If he has such a gift, I am surprised he has not already gone mad. And I say
if
only because I have seen no proof. It is a lot easier to accept the gifts you and Chloe have than one that al ows a man to see straight into a person’s mind and heart.” He frowned. “And if he can do that, I am astonished

that you al ow him near you. You hold far too many secrets for this country.”

Leo shook his head and moved to pour them both some wine. “We do not al ow or disal ow. Our cousin visits us on the rare occasion he leaves

Elderwood because he cannot see into our hearts or minds. He claims we have very thick wal s. Many of our family do. But I am sure you can see what

harm could be done if word got out about what he can do.”

Julian grimaced as he accepted the drink Leo handed him and then sat down on his bed. “As you have said, the consequences would be dire.

One can only pity him if he truly has such a gift. As you said, some feelings can be very ugly. So can some thoughts.”

“And that pity would cut him to the bone. But enough about poor Modred. He returns to Elderwood now, and we have enemies to defeat.”

Julian was more than wil ing to cease talking about the duke if only because he feared insulting Leopold with his continuing disbelief. It surprised

him that he actual y meant what he had said about accepting the gifts Leo and Chloe claimed to have. Doubt stil simmered in his heart, but it was not as

strong as it had been at the beginning. Alongside his increasing belief in their abilities was a lessening of his unease concerning such gifts. He was sure that he could not feel so accepting or at ease around the young duke, however.

When Leo handed him a few papers, Julian attempted to read them but his thoughts kept straying. In his mind’s eye he could see Chloe held in a

man’s arms, but it was not the duke who held her. It was he. That alarmed him, but he could not shake or ignore the image. He wanted it to be true too

badly to do so. And that, he thought as he forced himself to concentrate on the job at hand, was dangerous. It appeared that he was walking a path that

could lead him straight to everything he had sworn to avoid, and yet he could not seem to get off it.

Chloe smiled to herself as she entered the house. She and Maude had had a very successful day at the shops. Even better, it was such a

successful day that she doubted they would have to go shopping again for quite a while. That thought made her so happy she almost skipped up the

stairs.

Once she and Maude had put away the fabrics and other items they had bought, Chloe shooed her maid out of the room. She quickly changed

into a softer, more comfortable gown and loosened her tightly pinned-up hair. Deciding she would retreat to the library and do some work on the

household accounts, she headed out of her room.

A familiar childish giggle caught her attention as she passed by the door of the room Julian was in. It had been two days since she had spent

more than a few minutes in his presence at a time. She had needed time to consider the ramifications of what Modred had told her and if there was

anything she could or should do about it. The fact that she had had no vision concerning what she should do about Julian and her growing feelings for the

man was probably for the best. She did not want to be guided by anything more than her own wits and emotions. It was time to test her resolve to stand

back and see if she could sense any hint of an attraction on Julian’s part. Checking on what Anthony was doing in his father’s bedchamber was as good

an excuse as any to spend a little time in Julian’s presence.

She rapped on the door and only hesitated a moment when his deep voice cal ed out for her to enter. The sight that greeted her stole her breath

away, although she did her best to hide that reaction. Julian was sprawled on his bed with Anthony tucked up at his side. Both of them looked as though

they had indulged in a little tussling, for their hair was mussed and the flush of laughter stil stained both their cheeks.

What startled her most was that Julian was dressed. It was in an almost scandalously casual way, but he looked heart-wrenchingly handsome in

his flowing, partly laced-up white shirt and snug black breeches and hose. His golden brown hair hung a few inches below his broad shoulders and she

felt her fingers tingle with the need to touch the thick waves. Chloe could see a little of his muscular, smooth chest beneath the open neck of the shirt and she ached to touch that skin, to see if it felt as warm and enticing as it looked. It was obvious that even time away from the man had not dimmed her

attraction to him in the least. The fact that he did not have any shoes or boots on made the moment feel strangely intimate.

Forcing her attention onto Anthony, she smiled at the little boy, trying not to be jealous of how comfortably he was settled in his father’s strong

arms. That was where he belonged, and she had to learn to accept that. Chloe knew that Anthony would always care for her and that she would never lose

him completely. She had to find comfort in that. She was just finding it very hard to do so.

“Have you been keeping your papa company?” she asked as she moved toward the bed.

“Aye,” replied the little boy as he scrambled off the bed and hurried over to wrap himself around her legs. “I was tel ing him stories.”

“Your best ones, I hope.”

“My vewy best ones.”

“Wel , I do hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I believe it is time for you to go and clean up for your tea and for a rest.”

Chloe had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing when Anthony shuffled out of the room as if he was headed to the gal ows.

When she turned to look at Julian as she shut the door behind the little boy, she lost that control the moment she saw the grin on his face. They both

started laughing at the same time, although she noticed that Julian winced a time or two, proving that his injuries were stil a little tender.

“The boy has a talent for theatrics,” Julian said as he sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, bringing him close to Chloe.

He had missed Chloe’s visits even though he knew he should not have. Julian knew he should have used the time to push her out of his mind, but,

instead, he had spent far too much time thinking about her and wondering why she was not visiting him as often as she had before. Just hearing her laugh

had brought back al the wanting he had thought he had begun to cure himself of. He stood up and stepped close to her, drawn by the way a thick lock of