Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
“I’ll double your fees. I might even triple what Marsleigh paid you,” Daniel growled.
The words tasted bitter on his tongue. He was using money to gain justice for his relatives, and that didn’t sit well with him, but it was a necessary evil.
At the same time, the bitterness mixed with a coppery tang. He realized he had bitten his lower lip so hard that it had split.
“Think about it. I can pay you in gold, Gordon. However, you will have to testify. You must sign a confession right before a magistrate that Joshua Coulson ordered the murder. If there is proof and further witnesses, it would solidify the case against him.”
Gordon’s eyes narrowed. Daniel could imagine the debate in the thug’s mind. Being a criminal could be hard and dangerous. These men did it for gold. Now, he was being offered an obscene amount for his cooperation.
“Gold is always a temptation, Your Grace,” Gordon muttered, then spat a thick glob of greenish phlegm. It landed on the floorboards.
Daniel suppressed a shudder.
“However, I want this done fast, or else I would have made a ruthless enemy. The Earl might look like a mere prig, but he has enough hatred in his heart to kill.”
“What about your men? Certainly, they are loyal to you,” Daniel retorted.
“Ah. Of course. Now, you’ve beaten some of them.”
Still, there was no real remorse in Gordon’s eyes. The thug seemed ready to negotiate.
“Talk, and your punishment will be light. Keep your gold safe so you can find something to return to,” Daniel said, his voice dropping dangerously. “Now, before you think I am lying about the gold, here it is.”
He reached into his pocket for a heavy purse and threw it at the arsonist. Gordon caught it quickly with one hand.
“That is the downpayment. After you’ve done your part, you will be rewarded with more. Your reward also includes being escorted to a safe house until you can be sent to the colonies.”
A grin spread across Gordon’s face.
“You’re in a right hurry, Your Grace? Yes, I will sign the confession. But you must also move fast if you want to catch the Earl unawares. From what I heard, he is protective of his property, including that dear sister of his.”
Property?
Daniel’s stomach churned. Lucy might not take him back now, but he must save her from her mad brother. She should not live one more minute in that murderer’s house.
He sprinted out of the warehouse.
At Marsleigh House, a storm was brewing. Lucy could feel it in her bones as she watched the primrose silk dress she had worn to show Joshua that she was willing to play the obedient sister, as long as he helped her find a match.
It wasn’t the dress that concerned her the most at that moment, but the small jewelry box on her vanity.
Something was not right with it.
Inside was a scrap of paper Daniel had slipped to her during one of their clandestine meetings. The paper was wrapped around a silver charm he had bought for her. It was not expensive, just a souvenir from a street peddler. The tiny bird reminded him of her, he had said.
The note read: To the bird who must fly out of her cage—D.B.
She should not want to see it after he had rejected her, but the urge was strong. She needed to see the letters curving on the paper again, but when she touched the box, she realized that it did not click properly. She always kept it closed.
When she opened it, she saw that the silver charm was still there, but not the note. How?
Lucy did not expect the question to be answered quite so quickly, and with brutal force.
The door to her chamber flung open. Her washstand rattled. In the doorway, looking like he could murder someone—perhaps her—stood Joshua. He was still dressed in his formal attire, but his cravat was askew. In his hand was a crumpled slip of paper.
No!
“How long?” he thundered.
Lucy backed away, her hip hitting the vanity’s edge. She yelped before protesting, “You should not be here, Joshua.”
“How long have you been sneaking out with the Stonewynn dog, Lucy? When did you learn to sneak out and act like a common whore? Did you—did you,” he growled, “roll in the dirt with him?”
There was no hope of reasoning with him. He was no longer hiding his anger.
He threw the note at her face, and it fluttered to the floor like a bird after a hunt.
“He’s a friend!” she cried. “Victoria’s brother. I have not shamed this family, Joshua!”
“Friend?” Joshua laughed humorlessly as he stalked toward her.
He reached her in three angry strides and grabbed both her arms tightly.
She knew she would get bruises by morning.
“Do you think I’m a fool, Lucy? That I’m blind?
I have been working hard to ensure you remain pure.
For years, Lucy! Because of me, people stayed away.
Men do not want someone delicate, someone prone to fits.
I could not imagine anyone daring to take you away from me! ”
Lucy gasped. She had heard whispers about herself, but had not truly cared. But her own brother spread the rumors? Why?
“You were the one who spread rumors about me? I did not care about them, you know, thinking it was the likes of Lady Cecily fabricating them. But you? You? How could you? For three Seasons, I wondered what was wrong with me!”
“I was protecting you!” Joshua roared, his glazed eyes making him look unhinged.
He shook her hard, his fingers digging into her flesh.
“All those men are not worthy of you. Not Sterling. Not Barton. Not Stonewynn! Especially not a rake like him! They would not know how to worship you, Lucy. Dear Lucy,” he ranted, his voice lowering to a frightening murmur.
He leaned down, bringing his face closer to hers. She could smell his pomade and the sherry he had imbibed at whatever gentleman’s club he might have just left. More than that, she saw something she had been trying to ignore—
the hunger in his eyes.
There was a twisted longing there that made her stomach churn.
“You are mine, Lucy. Mine!” he declared, in an intimate tone she didn’t like. “You have always been my pride and joy, and the only reason I still strive to live.”
“Stop it, Joshua!” she protested, pounding her fists on his chest to no avail. “Are you—are you? No! You are talking nonsense, Brother. We are of the same blood. Same father. Same mother!”
“Blood made our bond stronger,” Joshua argued. He released her arm to cup her cheek. His thumb grazed her lower lip, and she could not suppress a shudder. “Royals marry within their families. It has kept their blood pure. Cousins marry in London. How much different can we be?”
“It’s a sin. It’s not natural, Joshua!” Lucy cried. “Let me send for a physician so they can see what is wrong with you. I can forget this. Just let someone check you.”
“I am sane!” he yelled, tightening his grip on her once more.
She felt so bruised inside and outside. “I spent years watching you. At first, I thought it was merely the protective, platonic love of a brother. You are the spitting image of our mother, but with more spirit and zest for life. As you grew older, I realized that I could not bear seeing any other man touch you. I would burn London to ashes before Daniel Brighton touches the woman who belongs to me.”
He let go of her.
She rubbed her arms and tried to put more distance between them. A shiver racked her body.
Joshua began to pace the room, growing even more agitated. His movements were quick and jerky.
“Don’t fret, Lucy. Nobody in London has to know about us. I planned everything. We could keep it secret. We could be devoted siblings in public, but at home, we could be more.”
Lucy sobbed as fear wrapped around her heart and squeezed.
“It’s still not too late. We can do something else, but not here. Not anymore. We will leave tonight.”
She saw the frightening calm that came over him as he faced her with an oddly hopeful smile.
“Leaving London? To where?”
“America,” he declared proudly. “There, we don’t need titles. No one will know who we are. I have enough money to buy us a new name. A new life. We will live together as husband and wife. Nobody has to know! Nobody will know.”
“I’d rather die!” Lucy snapped.
She knew that she needed to escape. The bird could die. It could break. But it was not going to stay in the cage as a plaything.
She tried to bolt out the door, but Joshua was bigger and faster. He caught her by the waist and swung her around. Then, he backed her up against the wall.
“Say it, Lucy,” he begged, pressing his forehead against hers. “Tell me that you will come with me to America. That you love me the same way I love you.”
“Never!”
“Ah, if that’s what you want. I may be forced to break you before we leave London.”
Tears streamed down Lucy’s face. She wondered what she had ever done to deserve this fate.
Just when she was about to give up, she heard the sound of a carriage rolling up to their house.
Then, she heard pounding on the front door and a slam.
Joshua did not even flinch.
“Your Duke? Your friend? He is too late,” he whispered.
It did not take long for the bedroom door to groan as someone kicked it. Once. Twice. Three times.
“Lucy! Your butler let me in!” Daniel yelled. “He said he heard a scream from your room! Lucy!”
Joshua closed a hand around Lucy’s throat and squeezed. She gasped for air. Perhaps it was death that would set her free.
Then, the door began to splinter.