Wicked Proposition (64 page)

She could not have both men. She made her choice
finally. She chose Nicholas. Why then did she still have these
persistent fantasies of Gabriel? Why could she not put him behind
her?

###

Lilly received word her husband was dead within
a day of Christian’s departure. She simmered with pleasure as her
bags were loaded onto the coach to return her to Iverleigh
Manor.

She intended to evict Gabriel’s mother as soon
as she arrived. Lady Wythe could go stay somewhere else during the
funeral arrangements.

Lilly knew all she did now would be watched
closely. She had been careful to wear her most modest gown in
observance of the tragedy. She owned nothing black. The navy blue
gown would suffice.

There would be time to have suitable mourning
attire ordered when she moved back into the residence and took
control of the estate.

She was calm as she boarded the coach. She was
miles away during the ride to the manor.

She reminded herself to recall her own staff of
servants. Higgins held the door open for her. She came up short
when she saw Nicholas lounging against the doorway to the
study.

Before she could comprehend his presence,
Teighan came out, followed by several men she did not recognize.
When Gabriel stepped out of the study, looking pale but alive, she
took a step backward, her eyes wild with disbelief.

Before she could flee, a man from outside
stepped inside, his crystal green gaze filled with amusement as he
looked down at her.

“This is no rehearsal, dear Countess,” he
whispered down to her. “You are well and truly caught. You should
have heeded my advice, dear lady,” Caspian said with much clucking
of his tongue as he pushed her ahead of him.

Gabriel smiled widely. “Hello, dear wife. Have
you come to welcome me back to the world?”

“But how…w…w, but you were shot! Lady Wythe
notified me you had died!” his wife said uneasily as she saw the
runners approaching her.

“Go retrieve Lady Iverleigh’s jewel case from
the coach, Higgins,” Gabriel ordered, his dark eyes filled with
contempt.

Lilly backed away from the runners who pursued
her within the foyer, knowing she had no place to run. Higgins
returned with her jewel case and handed it to Nicholas.

Nicholas set it down on a table in the foyer and
rifled through it, retrieving several pieces. Lilly fought the men
who held her.

“What is this all about? I demand you release
me! You have no right to hold me! What have I done?” Lilly demanded
as she tried to fling off the runners hold upon her arm.

Nicholas handed the items to Gabriel, a grim
expression in his eyes.

Gabriel approached his wife, his dark eyes
filled with disdain as he held up the watch, then Lady Dunleavy’s
ring and locket.

“Do you recognize these items, my dear? They
belong to your father and his wife. They were reported by Sullivan
stolen during the robbery that claimed their lives. Do you have
some reason for having these in your possession that would explain
away your guilt?”

Lilly stared at the pocket watch she had given
Nicholas as a gift. Her infuriated gaze swung to him, knowing he
had succeeded in catching her neatly in a trap.

“That proves nothing,” she seethed, her face
reddening. “I found those in a pawn shop in Dublin and bought them
back!”

Caspian cleared his throat and drew the
magistrate’s tolerant scowl. “Can you explain why you offered to
pay me to kill both your husband and Mrs. Van Ryker recently?”

“He’s nothing but a damned criminal!” Lilly
scoffed and struggled even more. “You would take his word for
this?”

Gabriel said nothing as he called out to one who
remained within the study. Mrs. Gates stepped out, paling to see
the Countess again.

Leland Newell gazed at the midwife in compassion
as she came forward. The magistrate gestured for her to come
closer. He was eager to resolve this matter.

“Is Lady Iverleigh the woman you saw attempt to
kill Mrs. Van Ryker on the night of February seventh, eighteen
hundred and ten? Did she pay you to stay silent and threaten you
with death?”

Mrs. Gates nodded and backed away as the runners
descended to take Lilly in custody. She screamed and kicked as they
put the manacles upon her wrists.

“You will not get away with this, Gabriel!” she
fumed as she struggled in vain. “Treadwell will see these charges
are dropped!”

Gabriel smiled sadly and shook his head. “The
man decided his dealings with you are not worth his reputation,
madam. He claims you indeed tricked Catherine into signing her
rights away to our child. She thought she signed guardianship
papers. The man also states you failed to pay him for his time. You
will have to find another to represent you, it would seem.”

Gabriel showed little emotion as his wife was
taken into custody. He turned away from the sight of her kicking
and scratching as the runners dragged her away. Her foul curses she
heaped upon them all rang throughout the manor.

Caspian and Leland Newell regarded one another
warily as the Countess was taken away.

“You have hardly endeared yourself to me by your
actions today, Mr. Roth,” the magistrate said coolly. “We will
still keep our eye upon you, sir!”

Caspian nodded and winked at Nicholas before he
took his leave. “It looks like my help here is no longer needed,
Nicky. I am but one step ahead from joining Lady Iverleigh the
longer I remain. I wish you well.”

The crime lord left with Leland Newell’s eyes
boring into his back. Nicholas pocketed his wife’s mother’s
jewelry. Gabriel demanded the Countess of Dunleavy’s ring back at
once, saying it belonged to Jaime’s wife one day.

Nicholas grinned as he handed Gabriel the ring.
“Do you never stop trying to control everything, Gabriel?”

Gabriel took his ward’s property and raised an
eyebrow. “It is my duty, Nicholas. I am the boy’s guardian still. I
seek no disrespect to Catherine, but I take my responsibilities
more seriously these days.”

“Do you still send the boys away?”

“I can put it off another year, perhaps,”
Gabriel said thoughtfully, “but both boys have a seat waiting at
Eton. I will not relent on this. Catherine has sufficient time with
them. I see no point in keeping them from her now. That is my final
word. Thomas Hines will see you both by week end to share my other
wishes.”

Nicholas knew he could ask no more. Gabriel was
trying to work past his anger. Knowing Catherine was innocent of
selling their child helped the matter greatly.

Nicholas knew that should he learn of Brionne
all his current willingness to share the children would go back out
the window.

Mrs. Gates did her part and refrained from
mentioning the second child in her testimony before the magistrate,
and for that Nicholas was grateful.

“Go home to your wife, Nicholas,” Gabriel said
quietly, his dark eyes filled with regret. “Tell her the threat
against her is gone.”

Nicholas and Teighan made their way out of the
manor. Teighan regarded him with his brooding stare when they were
underway in the coach.

“What now?” Nicholas asked in agitation. “What
did I fail to do to live up to your expectations now, Teighan?”

“You failed to tell him about your daughter, and
how it is even possible you have a daughter with Catherine,” the
giant replied, folding his arms across his chest. “The day will
come when you realize the truth is always the better path, my
friend.”

Nicholas glared at Teighan. “The truth will only
antagonize the man further, Tieghan. Do you think he will be
pleased to know how we betrayed him then? One thing at a time! The
man can only take so much!”

“Have it your way, but mark my words, you will
regret not telling him the truth and be done with it.”

Nicholas changed the subject immediately. “Have
you found any trace of Elise?”

Tieghan shook his head and his pale eyes filled
with pain. “She is gone. She slipped through their fingers at the
docks. As proficient as she is with disguises, there is no telling
who she travelled as.”

“I’m sorry, my friend,” Nicholas said and meant
it. “I had hoped you would find her.”

Tieghan’s lips tightened. He hadn’t given up. He
hoped to find her one day.

“Elise thinks she is pursued now for Sullivan’s
death. She runs now.”

Nicholas nodded, knowing the authorities had no
idea who shot and killed Thomas Sullivan, and no longer cared when
his activities came to light. It was believed justice had been
done.

“You will find her one day, Tieghan.”

###

Catherine sighed as she lay in her husband’s
arms, woken by his turbulent dreams. She gazed at him in concern,
but he soon quieted.

Nicholas didn’t speak of what troubled him now.
She was afraid to ask. Sometimes his dreams became so violent she
would get up and sleep on the divan.

The last few weeks had been somber in light of
Lilly’s trial and conviction. Catherine refused to go to the trial
after her testimony was dismissed because of her injury.

The testimony given by Agatha Gates and the
stolen jewelry was all they needed to sentence the Countess to
hang.

Gabriel went to Lilly’s trial every day, until
the verdict was read. He remained stoic as his wife was sentenced
to hang on January thirteenth the following year, only weeks away.
The Countess never batted an eyelash as the verdict was read, a
small smile hovering about her lips.

Chumley had discovered the reason Lilly had
killed to get the diary back. Sewn into the lining of the book was
an old yellowed marriage license. It was irrefutable proof Lady
Mary had married Edward Thornton in secret before her father
arranged the marriage to Lord Dunleavy.

Edward had gone on to work for Lord Dunleavy and
stood aside for years, watching his wife and child be claimed by
another man and did nothing.

It was theorized Lord Dunleavy had discovered
his eldest daughter was Edward Thornton’s when he found his wife’s
diary after her suicide.

Dunleavy had obviously felt Edward had suffered
enough and kept him as his solicitor, just so the man could be
close to his child.

Thomas Sullivan must have discovered the diary’s
existence through his employer or Lilly. He stole the diary from
Lord Dunleavy before Lilly left for England.

Theories were given she never wanted her husband
to learn the truth of her origins, fearing her marriage would not
be considered legal.

The only satisfaction Gabriel had was the
expression on his wife’s face when the marriage license was brought
forward, declaring her Thornton’s lawful child, and declaring her
mother a bigamist.

The news the Countess of Iverleigh would be hung
to her death had spread like wildfire.

Lilly never admitted any part in the murders,
but the jewelry found in her possession convicted her, the diary
used as motive.

Lilly took it all in her usual cool manner,
laughing outright when the verdict was read. The look she sent her
husband was murderous as she was dragged from the courtroom.

Gabriel now allowed Catherine time with their
son, but she knew some things were far from resolved between them.
She spent an hour with her son each day, aware of those dark eyes
following her everywhere.

The Earl was still recovering from being shot,
fussed over by his mother and Maggie. Catherine managed to avoid
uncomfortable conversations with him, but knew they were
inevitable. Slowly the layers of her memories were being peeled
back.

Catherine realized painfully finally that fate
had denied her and Gabriel their happiness.

Catherine wasn’t the same person she had been
then. She had been given another life, and another love. While she
loved Nicholas more than her own life, a small part of her would
always belong to Gabriel.

Catherine hesitated to look too closely at her
feelings. Her memories of that time in her life were still hidden,
but sometimes she would wake from a dream of Gabriel, shaken and
upset and feeling a sense of loss.

Catherine could not talk to her husband about
these traitorous thoughts, or how she looked forward to seeing her
child’s father every day.

Mrs. Bingham listened, or Mrs. Tulley, as she
now was. Her teacher had little love for Lord Iverleigh and told
her she was better off with Nicholas.

Martha was biased, having clearly sided with
Nicholas from the time she arrived. Due to the trial and Nicholas’s
desire to conclude several unfinished business matters, they were
staying on in London indefinitely.

Catherine couldn’t bear to be parted from her
son, and the matter of where they would live was undecided.
Nicholas resolved to stay until some understanding could be reached
with Gabriel, but it appeared that would not happen anytime
soon.

The nightmares her husband was plagued with had
worsened and he refused to talk about it. Catherine felt the wall
go up whenever she tried to talk about it.

She snuggled against his chest, frowning to
think about what weighed upon him so heavily.

The past could no longer stand between them. The
present was no longer filled with uncertainty, and their future
held more promise than she could hope for.

Catherine closed her eyes, listening to
Nicholas’s deep, even breathing, feeling more whole than she had
ever felt in her life.

Newgate Prison, January 12th, 1812

The Countess of Iverleigh sat in her dank, dark
cell and stared at the note she had received only moments before.
The guards made sure she received messages for a coin or two.

Lilly opened her mouth and plopped it inside,
chewing it up thoughtfully. It was disappointing everyone would not
see her cheat the hangman in a few short hours.