Libertine's Wife (57 page)

“
I wasn’t aware you’d
returned from your business, my lord. Garret will be surprised to
know you’re back,” Arianne said without thinking, cringing inwardly
to see his eyes narrow slightly.

“
I only just arrived back
today. My mother is feeling under the weather this day,” Martin
told her, smiling apologetically. “She regrets she cannot meet with
you today, Lady Ravensford. She forgot about your plans for tea
today. She sends her regrets she cannot join you.”

Arianne was alarmed. She had no plans
with Amanda today. She arrived unannounced to speak with her about
other matters. She felt the hair at her nape prickle at the sound
of that voice too, knowing unease once more.

She shivered to recall where she heard
that voice before. When she was blindfolded in the cellar of The
Lone Sparrow and Thaddeus Dench taunted her with what he intended
for her. She felt sick with revulsion to recall how he’d violated
her while she was tied to the chair. She would never forget that
taunting voice as long as she lived.

Her smile hardly faltered but her heart
began to thud in her chest, fear crawling down her spine. Her
husband feared a man from his past was after him. It appeared that
man was in his present, disguised as a well-meaning
friend.

Martin Devere’s blue eyes were
guileless as they met hers. “Did you hear me, Lady Ravensford? My
mother is ill today. She would have sent word to you, but she
forgot.”

“
Yes, I heard you, Lord
Cosgrove,” Arianne replied nervously and her mind began to race.
“Do give your mother my best. I’ll just be going.”

Martin Devere stood in the doorway of
the salon, blocking her way. She nodded to him and made to pass. He
yanked her arm back and swung her around, staring down at her with
a cold look. “I think we have much to talk about, Lady Ravensford.
You go nowhere. I can’t have you telling your husband I’m back just
yet.”

“
Let me go! I’ll scream this
house down!” Arianne threatened, trying to pull free, hoping the
servants were nearby.

“
I took the liberty of
letting my mother’s staff go today, before I put a pillow over her
face, my lady,” Martin said and smiled evilly. “I don’t think you
will be taking tea with her anytime soon; or perhaps sooner than
you think?”

“
It was you from the very
beginning!” Arianne cried and backed away from him, eyes wide with
horror to know he killed her dear friend, his own mother. “You are
Thaddeus Dench!”

Martin smiled and shrugged. “At your
service, Lady Ravensford, we are one and the same. You’re very
clever. How did you know it was me?”

“
Your voice,” Arianne said
in terror as she backed farther into the salon, her eyes fixated on
the man who now trapped her in the room, blocking escape. “I
remember your voice when I was kidnapped. Garret thinks you’re in
Virginia right now. Your mother didn’t expect you back for
months.”

“
It’s a pity you had to
figure that out so soon, my lady,” Martin said coldly as he
advanced, his blue eyes narrowing. “But no matter, we can conclude
this business sooner when you don’t arrive home today. Your husband
will no doubt come looking for you. I’d like to handle the matter
before I leave for the Colonies for good.”

Arianne stalled for time, feeling
stalked as she backed away. “Why are you doing this? He’s your
friend! How can you do this?”

Martin glared at her. “I think you know
the answer to that, Lady Ravensford. If not for you having his
heir, we’d not be here at all. Your husband would have died four
years ago and I would have had all I wanted.”

Arianne’s eyes widened, realizing he
was motivated by the plantation her husband and he co-owned. “You
won’t get away with this! Garret suspects you have a part in this!
Helms changed his will. Lord Vale is named as my son’s guardian.
Garret also bought your mother’s shares back in the plantation. You
will get nothing, Lord Cosgrove, or should I say, Mr.
Dench.”

Martin’s eyes narrowed in anger as he
approached. “The plantation was to have been my consolation, but
that isn’t the reason we are here, my lady. Your husband has much
to answer for.”

Arianne could see money wasn’t at the
heart of his vendetta at all. He had no plan to tell her, she could
see. She fought a wave of fear as he came closer. She turned and
made to flee. He caught her, yanking her back by her bonnet,
jerking her back against his chest, chuckling as she struggled. She
shrieked and kicked at him. He chuckled and jerked her arm around
her back, making her cry out in pain.

“
We can’t have you warning
him, my lady,” Martin said as he hefted her in his arms, carrying
her out of his mother’s salon. “This will all be over
soon.”

Arianne bit and kicked as he dragged
her up the stairs. She fought wildly as he dragged her into a
sitting room. He tossed her into a chair, glaring down at
her.

“
If you wish to meet my
mother’s fate sooner, keep fighting me, Arianne,” Martin warned as
he yanked the tasseled ropes off the draperies and jerked them
down. He approached and grinned at her look of loathing. “Now don’t
pretend you don’t enjoy being tied up, my lady. We both know better
than that, don’t we?”

“
Garret will kill you when
he finds you! You won’t get away with this!” Arianne struggled to
no avail as the man tied her wrists behind her back. He tied her
ankles quickly, looking up to smile at her, unconcerned.

“
No, I think my friend will
do exactly what I foresee him doing, my lady, and die for you.”
Martin shoved his handkerchief in her mouth. He bound her mouth
with the rest of the drapery cord and stood back to review his
handiwork. “A pity we don’t have time for us to become better
acquainted before he comes looking for you. I did so look forward
to it when I had you as my guest at The Lone Sparrow.”

Arianne couldn’t speak with the gag
shoved in her mouth. She glared at the man as he turned and walked
out of the room, locking the sitting room door behind him. Once the
door shut, Arianne assessed her bindings grimly, struggling and
pulling to free herself. She gasped to find she had little slack in
the drapery cords. She fumed as she pulled and stretched her
bindings. Her only thought was to get to her husband before Martin
Devere did.

~ ~ ~

Garret arrived home and frowned when
Elliot informed him his wife had yet to return. He was told she
went to see Amanda. He became concerned when Arianne had yet to
arrive home by the dinner hour. A messenger arrived shortly with a
note. Elliot brought it to him. Garret snatched it and tore it
open, his expression darkening to read what it said.

It was from Dench. He had his
wife.

He cursed and dropped the note, fear
crawling down his spine to think of his wife in the hands of the
man who stalked his family. He sent for Helms and paced until the
man arrived, looking outraged when he joined him in his
study.

“
I think we have to conclude
by this that you were right with your first instincts, my lord,”
Helms said and shook his head.

Garret’s face was black with rage. “I
should have known! All this time it was staring me right in the
face!”

“
Don’t blame yourself, my
lord. You but wanted to give Lord Cosgrove the benefit of the
doubt. Lord Denham had enough motives as well.”

“
It was Martin, all this
time!” Garret exploded and punched his fist into his hand, cursing.
“It all makes sense now. All this time he claims he’s been in
Virginia, he’s been here, masquerading as Dench!”

Helms looked dismayed at his words.
“That would explain why he delayed in killing you, my lord. He
waited to see if Lady Ravensford gave you another son. With his
mother’s shares and guardianship of your sons, he’d gain much by
your death. I did try to talk you out of that then, if you
recall?”

Garret glared at Helms. “Don’t remind
me, Helms! I already feel like a bloody fool! I think I knew it was
him when Turner’s letter arrived, informing me Martin hasn’t been
back since we bought the place.”

“
Why does he do this, my
lord?” Helms looked alarmed to know the man now had his employer’s
wife.

Garret shook his head. “That’s what I
don’t understand. I know Martin was upset he hasn’t had his own
money since his father passed. Other than money, I can see no
reason why he’d become Dench. It makes no sense to me. I know he
was furious his mother wouldn’t give him the money to buy the
shares, keeping them in her own name as a precaution. Martin’s
investments have never turned out well. It’s my guess he started
this to make his own money, any way he could. He talked me into
making him my beneficiary. When my son was born, I went further to
make him Jaime’s guardian. Everything went to hell when he learned
Arianne’s secret from her brother.”

“
But he killed Sir Dunne,
and William,” Helms argued and shook his head. “The two only
possible scapegoats he had. Why would he do it?”

“
He intended to blame it on
Denham as a last resort,” Garret said and shook his head. “He is
the only one left. It’s obvious enough to me. Denham has cause to
hate me, as we both know.”

“
What are you going to
do?”

“
Marty won’t dare hurt my
wife. It’s me he wants,” Garret said and sighed, closing his eyes
and taking deep breaths. “I’m to meet him at the Cosgrove’s estate
at midnight.”

“
We need to get a message to
Roth! You cannot think to meet him alone, my lord! He lures you
into a trap!”

“
I have no doubt he means to
kill me, Helms,” Garret agreed with a brooding look. “I have no
choice! I leave within the hour! I don’t have time to chase Roth
down! He has my wife!”

Helms looked outraged. “You’ll not go
into this alone, my lord!”

“
It’s me he wants, Helms,”
Garret said and felt a calmness come over him. “This is between him
and I. Whatever I’ve done to push Marty to this, I’ll learn about
it very soon.”

~ ~ ~

“
Mr. Roth, that little man
who arrived with your brother is here,” Ty said quietly when he
arrived to the music room. “What do you wish for me to tell
him?”

“
What is it Mr. Helms
wants?” Caspian was packing his unfinished music into a crate when
his guard arrived.

“
Ravensford’s wife has been
taken by Thaddeus Dench, he said. The marquis went after the man an
hour ago.”

“
Did you tell him I’m dead
yet, Ty?” Caspian grinned as he rose and came forward. “It wouldn’t
do for my secret to get out too soon.”

“
No, given your relationship
with his employer, I said nothing.”

“
Show him in.”

Ty looked alarmed. “Are you sure? I can
deal with this, Mr. Roth. You need not be involved
anymore.”

Caspian smiled and shrugged. “Something
tells me this meeting is way over due, Ty. Twenty-eight years
overdue. Show the man in.”

Helms came in a few moments later; his
grey eyes meeting his without any hesitancy. The mean little dog
showed little fear of the crime lord. “I think we both know what
your relationship is to Lord Ravensford, Mr. Roth. I wasn’t sure
until I recalled meeting with Lorelei Roth years ago. Your mother,
I assume?’

“
That’s who my mother was,
as well you know. Since you saw to it I never had a chance of
meeting my father, we never got a chance to meet formally. What is
it you want, Helms?”

Helms cleared his throat. “It wasn’t my
decision to send her away then. Geoffrey Spencer denied ever
knowing your mother. I had no say in it. He refused to acknowledge
you as he did all the others who came forward.”

Caspian nodded in understanding, with
little expression on his face. “That I believe, Mr. Helms. Have no
fear I blame you for it. How did you know?”

“
I have worked for
Ravensford and his father before him for almost forty years now,
Mr. Roth,” Helms said with a rueful grin. “You are Geoffrey
Spencer’s mirror image.”

“
Does my brother know who I
am?”

“
Lord Ravensford is a bit
distracted right now,” Helms said and shrugged. “If he’s noticed
the resemblance, he’s said nothing to me.”

“
I don’t want him to ever
know,” Caspian replied with a frown. “Ravensford doesn’t need to
know his brother is a killer, are we clear on that, Mr. Helms? I
agreed to take this contract because Dench threatens someone I care
for, not for a brother who wouldn’t acknowledge me even if he knew
the truth.”

“
He meets Lord Cosgrove
alone,” Helms said worriedly. “The man means to kill him, please,
you must hurry.”

Caspian grinned at the man’s urgent
expression. “I will be right behind my brother, Helms, have no
fear. I think you should worry more for Cosgrove.”

Helms cleared his throat. “There are
matters which Lord Ravensford never knew of, reasons which might
explain Lord Cosgrove’s behavior. I handled all behind his back, as
I always have.”

“
Explain on the way to the
Cosgrove estate, Helms. As you can see, I have a ship to meet
tomorrow,” Caspian grumbled sourly. “My men have taken down all of
Dench’s. He’s on his own in this now. I tell you my brother can
hold his own.”