if hes wicked (36 page)

swift to stop, he stabbed her in the upper part of her arm. The way he kept himself crouched near Chloe made it impossible for Julian to get a clear shot at him. Only a soft groan escaped Chloe, and Julian could tel that annoyed Arthur. Before Julian could even correct his aim and take a shot at Arthur, the

man had Chloe back on her feet and pinned in his arms, using her slender body as his shield.

“Let her go, Arthur,” Julian said, aching to grab her and ease her pain.

“No, I think not. I need to get out of here, and because of her, you are going to let me. Now move aside so I can return her to her cottage myself.”

“Why would you take her to a cottage that has been empty for years?”

“Because that is where she should have died years ago. I wil not make the mistake of sending fools to do my work for me. I wil do it and you can

find her body on the moors later. It is only fair. I lost my love when Beatrice died and now you wil lose yours. I hope you have your next wife already

chosen, for you wil soon lose this one.”

Chloe was just wondering if, in his madness, Arthur thought she was the woman who had had the stil born child, but she was not able to ponder

that mystery for long. A noise at the kitchen door grabbed Arthur’s attention. Chloe hissed in a breath between her teeth when his sudden movement as

he turned sideways caused her wound to scream in pain. He could now keep an eye on the growing crowd encircling the kitchen and on the man who now

stood big, and tal , and silent in the doorway. He aimed his pistol right at Bened.

“Greetings, cousin,” Chloe said, pleased to hear that there was only a slight hint of the pain tearing through her to be heard in her voice. “Sorry to

drag you into our troubles.”

“Mine, too, love. As the brother of that earl you married is my friend and soon-to-be partner, and the fact that you are my favorite cousin, it al

becomes my trouble as wel .”

Chloe smiled. Bened was speaking in Welsh. She knew that meant he soon intended to give her some order that might put an end to the problem

of Arthur. Bened was her guardian angel, she decided, and nearly laughed. Then she decided that the loss of blood was making her crazed.

“Just let me know what to do before I bleed to death,” she said to him in Welsh.

“When I say
down
in English, my little seer, you fal as fast and hard as you can. I need a clear shot at the bastard’s head.”

“Understood.”

“What the hel are you talking about? What is that gibberish you speak?” demanded Arthur, and Chloe could hear the rising panic in his voice. He

was cornered and he knew it.
Now would be a good time to help me, Bened
, she thought.

“It is the fine old language of Wales,” Bened said in his deep, almost soothing voice as he aimed his pistol at Arthur’s head. “I wil ask you to leave

go of my cousin now, if you please. If you do not, then you wil die.”

Julian started and would have said something if Nigel had not pinched the back of his neck. He knew Bened had told Chloe something of his

plans, but Julian could not see how the man could take his shot without the bul et going through Chloe before it went into Arthur. Yet he could think of

nothing to end this, to free her without any further harm.

“Trust him, Julian,” whispered Nigel close to his ear. “Bened would never put her in harm’s way.”

“I have little choice,” Justin whispered back.

He glanced quickly over his shoulder when he heard a faint sound and saw Brindle holding a crying Anthony, the boy Drew helping her to keep his

son from running into the middle of this mess. He wished the children had left as he had told them to, but he was not surprised by their presence. Anthony

was too attached to Chloe to leave her side when she was in danger and too young to know that he could not help, only hinder. He had to be glad that the

girl Brindle had the sense to know it.

Julian turned his ful attention back on Bened, Chloe, and Arthur, and raised his pistol so he was prepared if a chance came for him to shoot

without putting anyone else in danger. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched his mother and his aunt grab the filthy little boy with the club and pul him back until they were sheltered from view and harm by the oven. Using his free hand, Julian signaled Brindle to move back as wel and a soft scuffling noise told him she was obeying him. He was going to have to find out who this very adult child was, he mused, watching both Bened and Arthur for some sign of

what was to come.

“You shoot me, you fool, and you shoot your cousin.” Arthur chuckled and it was a chil ing sound. “Why not just wait there and you can watch me cut

away a piece of her at a time.”

“Down,” Bened said.

Chloe dropped to the ground, her sudden added weight making Arthur stumble and let go. She rol ed away and heard two shots ring out.

Something warm splattered her face and she had the horrible feeling that it was Arthur’s blood. A moment later, she was surrounded by people. A wet

cloth was swiped over her face and hair, much to her relief, and familiar strong arms encircled her. Just as she turned to look up at Julian she heard a

wail.

“Anthony? Oh, God, do not let him see what is left of Arthur,” she said.

“Done, cousin,” said Bened as he crouched by her side. “Threw him out the back.”

“Mama!” Anthony cried as he started toward Chloe and she braced herself for the pain of his arrival in her arms.

Bened caught Anthony before he could throw himself on Chloe. “Your mama is going to be fine, lad.” He spoke in a low voice to Anthony until the

boy began to calm down and then set him on his feet. Bened clasped Anthony’s shoulders. “There are some people hiding down in the wine cel ar, aye?”

Anthony nodded. “My cousins and my nurse are down there. But, Mama?” He looked toward Chloe.

“I wil be fine, love,” she said and forced herself to smile at him. “It is a clean cut and Lady Evelyn knows what to do.”

Anthony looked back up at Bened. “Who are you?”

Bened introduced himself and waited patiently while Anthony introduced his friends. “Now I think we need to go and tel those people that

everything is safe again.” He looked at the other children. “Some help would be appreciated.” He looked down at Anthony again. “I need a man I can trust

at my side when I let those people free.”

Chloe watched as Bened led the four children away. Anthony’s fright had disappeared, washed away by the thought that the big man fol owing him

needed his help. She hissed in a breath of pain as Lady Evelyn gently tugged away the part of her gown Arthur had stuck his knife into.

“Bened has a way with children,” Julian said in a vain attempt to take Chloe’s mind off her pain.

“He should, he has twelve siblings.”

“Good God.”

“Told you. Like rabbits,” drawled a familiar voice and Julian just shook his head at Leo’s nonsense. He could see by how pale the man had gone

that he had been nearly as afraid for Chloe as he himself had.

Chloe knew she was going to lose her grip on consciousness very soon, and so she sought Lady Evelyn’s gaze. The moment the woman’s eyes

met hers, Chloe put her hand over her bel y. Lady Evelyn smiled and shook her head before she returned to working on her injured shoulder. Reassured

that if she was carrying Julian’s child, it was safe for now, Chloe al owed herself to final y slide into the blackness that beckoned her so strongly.

“I must be better by now. I certainly feel better.”

Chloe sighed when Lady Evelyn insisted on testing her forehead and cheeks for any sign of fever, and for what felt to be the hundredth time. She

had never been cosseted like this even as a child. Back then she probably would have reveled in the attention. Now, although she loved Lady Evelyn, after

a fortnight of it, it was getting a little tiresome.

“And where the bloody hel is my husband?”

“I believe he wil be in to see you soon. He is out riding the boundaries of the estate.”

“Oh. Pardon. Did not realize I had said that aloud.”

Chloe looked at the food on the tray Lady Evelyn set on her lap. At least it was no longer broth, she thought. It was a rather hearty meal of meats

and cheeses and thick-crusted bread. Suddenly feeling famished, she began to eat. When she realized a little later that she had eaten everything, she

sighed and slumped back on the pil ows.

“I am with child,” she murmured.

“That you are. Most everyone knows it, but it might be nice to say it aloud to your husband just once.”

“True. If he would just wander by here once in a while, I might have a chance to.”

“He has had a lot of cleaning up to do, and not just the damage done by al those ruffians Arthur had hired. There are al the wrongs done to the

people of Colinsmoor that need to be, wel , not righted, as that cannot be done, but assuaged. He has taken Jake on as a steward of the land, as the man

is a fount of knowledge about crops and animals. Then there is the hiring of al the new servants.”

“I am wel enough to help with that and have been for days. I do not need to stay abed. I may need to rest more because I carry a child, but I am

certainly hale enough to hire servants.”

Lady Evelyn smiled. “Yes, you are. You are, in truth, completely healed. I promised the physician that you would rest for a fortnight, and that time is

done. Your wound closed up very nicely and al the stitching has been removed. And, of course, there is no sign that your injury caused any harm to the

babe. Not that we can peek inside and see for ourselves, but you are showing no signs of distress.”

“That did worry me. How are the children doing?”

“Wel , Jem and Drew are doing better, final y settling to learning a little bit, but it is Brindle who is a wonder. That is a thirty-year-old woman

trapped in an eight-year-old girl’s body.” Lady Evelyn shook her head. “Considering the sins Arthur committed while those children were there, I am

astonished that they are so normal. Only Brindle seems to have suffered, although Arthur never touched her. She is just not a very joyful child, acts as if the weight of the world is upon her shoulders.”

“I think it might have been for a while,” Chloe said. “I also think it wil take a while before she dares to trust in her change of fortune. Once she

knows it is not going to be snatched away she may actual y smile now and again.”

“Possibly. And I can now answer that question you have been afraid to ask. Julian wil suffer no consequences for kil ing Arthur. Mildred took

Arthur’s body home and, as she said, dumped it in a hole.”

Chloe laughed softly but quickly grew serious. “It was so chil ing to listen to him speak of kil ing his own children, and right in front of their mother,

simply because she had not given him a son. Wherever he is, I hope he is being appropriately punished for ever even thinking of such a thing.”

“Mildred did have a quiet word with her daughters and thanks be to God, he never soiled them with his perversions. It is why Helena carries a

knife, however. She did not like the way he watched her younger sisters the few times he stopped by to act the husband and father.”

“It is al being righted,” Chloe whispered.

“It is, yes. And that seems to be lifting the weight of guilt from Julian’s shoulders. I believe tomorrow the girls and I wil return to London and attend

a few events before the summer’s heat drives al those who can leave to do so.”

The arrival of the children for their morning visit ended the pleasant interval of genteel gossip. Chloe was astonished at the change in Jem, Drew,

and Brindle. They al looked remarkably healthy now, a steady regimen of good food working wonders. Anthony was pleased to have other children

around even if the very serious Brindle did not act much like a child. By the time they left, Chloe needed a rest. She was healed enough to do most things, but she acknowledged to herself that she stil tired easily.

By the afternoon she was sick of her own company and rose to get dressed. Just as she had donned a clean shift, her long-missing husband

wandered in her bedchamber. Due to her injury he had not shared her bed yet. Chloe had every intention of changing that. She missed him at her side in

the night and was hoping that he might have missed her, too.

“Going somewhere?” he asked her and brushed a kiss over her lips.

“Just getting out of bed and out of this room for a while.”

Julian slid his arms around her waist and held her close. For a moment he just stood there enjoying the feel of her in his arms. For those few

torturous minutes in the kitchen when he had to see her caught by Arthur and then stabbed, he had feared he would lose her, but that fear was final y

easing. Since he ached to prove to himself just how alive she was in the usual way, he had avoided her somewhat during her recovery, but there was no

question that she was ful y recovered now.

“Al healed and strong again?”

“I was never that strong,” she teased and ran her hand up and down his arm. “But, aye, I am official y and completely healed.”

“Thank God,” he muttered, picked her up, and carried her to the bed.

“I just got out of bed,” she protested as he set her down on her back. “I am not at al sleepy.”

“Nor am I,” he assured her as he began to strip out of his clothes.

Chloe blinked in surprise at the soft growl of his voice. Then her body awoke to the need she always shared with him and heat flowed through her

veins. She began to suspect that some of Julian’s absence was due to the fact that when he was near her, he needed to touch her. Worse, she might

have tried to comply with what he wanted and slowed down her healing.

It took only one kiss to ignite the fire they had kept banked for two very long weeks. Chloe was not sure who tore his clothes off and flung them al