Devil Disguised (34 page)

Charles said, “It is Richard’s carriage.”

“I know.” Duncan ran next to his friend as they burst into the church.

“I Lily, take thee, Richard.”

Lily had just spoken the words, but the scene before Duncan shocked him to his core.

Lily was holding hands with Richard in front of a minister and Eleanor was sitting next to a woman apparently as witnesses. Then the woman turned and he felt the color drain from his face. Mary.

“Duncan,” Charles breathed, shaken.

The scene changed quickly when Duncan turned away from Charles and looked again at those before him. Lily’s eyes were wide in fear that nearly matched the desperate look on his sister’s face. Mary stood and pulled Eleanor up with her. Mary held a pistol at Eleanor’s side away from the view of the minister.

Mary said, “Stay there gentlemen. The ceremony is almost done and then you will have time to confess your sins to the padre.”

Richard said, “Go on, padre.”

“No,” Lily cried out.

She pulled her hand free of Richard’s hold and began to run towards them. Duncan started forward just as Richard pulled Lily from behind and back to him. Richard wrapped his arm around her waist. A knife glistened in the candle light as he held it at her chest.

She cried out as Richard shouted, “Do not move gentlemen.”

He glanced at Mary and she pulled Eleanor with her to stand on the other side of the pew they had been sitting in. The minister looked utterly surprised.

“My son, put down your weapon. The lady was about to become your wife. What you are doing is wrong.”

“Sign the paper saying she IS my wife padre and put it in my pocket. Now!”

“My son, neither of you finished your vows.”

“Mary, show padre that he should comply with my request.”

Mary moved forward and stepped back from Eleanor, cocking the pistol.

The minister paled and looked up at the ceiling as if asking for Divine intervention. He lowered his gaze back to Richard and replied, “I will do as you say. Do not hurt the innocent.”

“You promised you would not hurt her,” Lily said roughly.

“Promises are meant to be broken, my dear,” Richard scoffed as he pulled her back away from the front of the altar.

“Lily,” Duncan murmured as he met her terrified gaze.

Richard seemed to be enjoying the moment as he said, “Your precious Duncan Cavanaugh, the Earl of Westbrook and your beloved uncle, Lord Charles Montgomery to the rescue again? Not this time, I am afraid. I was supposed to have rescued you before, but my dear sister did not follow our exact plan, you see; for that she ended up at the asylum.”

He seemed to ease his hold on Lily as he put his head on her shoulder and called out, “Maybe the padre would be a little less reluctant to sign those marriage documents if he knew what a tainted woman I am marrying.”

Richard looked at each of them in turn before he directed his gaze at Duncan. “Did you know Lily let me court her while she thought she was carrying your child? But then the crisis was averted and she still stayed with me. I admit, I was surprised. I expected to have to intercept yet another one of her sordid letters begging you to come to London. Then she actually wrote one that asked you to stay at your estate! I thought of letting that letter go through the post, but you would realize you missed part of the story, so I kept it as well, along with your letter to Lily. It was almost too easy to get the letters. Our servants are so very trusting. Are they not?”

Richard shook his head and gripped Lily around the waist raising the knife to her chest. “And you came to London anyway!” He laughed before he added, “Everything was going perfectly, but then you had to disturb my wedding plans! But do not worry, Lord Cavanaugh, you can leave here knowing that I will take very good care of her.”

Richard pulled her tighter against him and licked along her cheek as Lily cried out and struggled in his hold.

Unconsciously, Duncan edged forward, but stopped abruptly as Richard brought the knife to Lily’s throat.

The minister scurried forward with a rolled piece of parchment and said, “I am putting the marriage document into your pocket, my son. Please, go in peace.”

Richard nodded and said, “Gentlemen, please stay where you are and I will not hurt my new bride, but she
is coming with me.” He glanced towards his left, “Mary, let Lady Worthington go and follow me, now.”

Lily watched in horror as Mary smiled at Richard before she turned her attention to Charles and Duncan.

Mary grinned and replied, “No.”

Mary pushed Eleanor down as she pointed the pistol at Duncan and Charles before she pulled the trigger. The shot rang out and Lily screamed. Watching in horror, Lily was dragged backwards as the wood splintered in front of the men she loved and they both fell to the ground. She cried out again as she was lifted by the waist and carried away.

The smell of gun powder hung in the air as Mary neared them and said, “I am afraid you are on your own now brother.”

Mary turned and ran away from them.

“Bitch,” Richard muttered.

He gripped her waist tightly, dragging her with him. They stopped in front of a spiral stone staircase. He shoved her forward and she fell onto the stairs.

“Move!” he shouted and she felt the tip of the knife blade at her back.

Her legs felt like lead as she started up the stairs. Pressing her hands onto the stone walls, she pulled herself forward as fear and dread nearly consumed her. Her vision blurred from tears as she imagined both Charles and Duncan, unmoving, a bullet finding its target. She stopped unable to go on and felt the tip of the knife pierce
her flesh. She cried out and reached behind her as pain seared.

“I told you to move, now see what you have done!” Richard shouted.

Somehow, he managed to push past her in the narrow space and grabbed her arm, pulling her with him. “We are almost there; the wound will heal. Only the tip touched you.”

Daring a glance behind her, she neither heard nor saw anyone following. They reached a small wooden door. Her arm remained locked with Richard’s while he held the knife in his other hand. She saw the tip of the knife was covered in her blood. She made another feeble attempt to pull against his hold just as he slid the bolt and opened the door. He pulled her with him out onto the roof.

Wind whipped viciously around them as clouds scattered and covered the moon’s light. She could barely see as Richard pulled her forward on top of the roof’s shingles. Her vision adjusted and she could see the space before them was straight and flat, but on either side was a modest slope leading to another flat area just before the edge of the roof. Small gargoyles stood guard at each corner along the small curved stone edge surrounding the roof.

Richard pulled her arm violently and said, “This way.”

They stumbled down the slope and onto the area next to the roof’s edge. The clouds moved allowing the moon’s light to shine more clearly. There was a rope tied to one of the gargoyles. Daring to glance over the edge she saw it led down to the ground and near a horse tied to a nearby tree. Lily gasped in utter surprise.

Richard said, “I made sure I had a means of escape.” He pulled her forward. “And now you will be going down that rope so we can begin our life together.”

“Let her go.”

The deep commanding voice was unmistakable and she exhaled, turning to see Duncan standing above them. He held a large candlestick, which looked like a deadly weapon by the expression and stance of the man holding it.

Lily screamed in pain as Richard grabbed her hair and yanked her with him. He moved closer to the edge and shoved her forward. She reached back and held onto the hand gripping her hair as his intention was clear.

Richard sneered. “Beg pardon, but what do you ask me to do?” He laughed and Lily was pushed precariously close to the edge of the roof. “Ah, yes. You said to let her go.”

“No. Hastings, please,” Duncan called out, shaken.

She was pulled back against Richard as he said, “This is what is going to happen, Cavanaugh. You are going to put that ridiculous candlestick down and move back towards the door. Then you are going to stay there until we are safely down this rope or my bride will get another, deeper, puncture wound. Do you understand?”

“You bastard. I will kill you for hurting her.”

In silent response, Richard pulled her tighter and she felt the tip of the knife blade at her throat.

Duncan held his hands up in surrender as he began to back up towards the door. He moved slowly and knelt down, placing the candlestick down. Richard laughed and stepped towards the rope, never facing away from Duncan.

Tears blurred her vision as Richard said, “You will take the rope and go down to the ground.”

Lily was shoved down and cried out as her hands and knees hit the roof.

“Step the hell away from her.”

She looked up to see Charles standing behind Richard, a pistol in his hand.

Richard did not turn around, but smiled before he said, “The pistol I gave Mary only had one bullet. Do you think I am a fool?”

“I don’t give a damn what you think. How do you know this is not a different pistol?”

Richard began to lift his arms in surrender, but his grin did not match his movement.

“Charles!” Lily cried out her warning just as Richard spun around and thrust forward with the knife. Duncan rushed forward as Charles cried out in pain and fell down. Charles no longer held the pistol as he reached to cover his bleeding arm. Duncan swung the candlestick and caught Richard on the side of the body. Richard grabbed the candlestick while Duncan used his other hand to reach for the knife Richard held. Both men struggled against each other and fought for control.

Lily crawled over to Charles and ripped cloth from her dress to bind his wound. He said, “Lily, get out of here!”

She heard the clash of metal on metal and turned around. Somehow, Duncan and Richard each held their own weapon again and moved around each other, both precariously close to the edge of the roof.

Duncan shouted, “Charles, get her the hell off the roof!”

Just then, Richard lunged, barely missing Duncan’s abdomen as he parried out of the way. Duncan swung the candlestick and Richard ducked sideways and laughed,
seeming to enjoy the dangerous game. Richard smiled as he moved to his right and lifted the knife confidently.

Duncan stopped and, in warning, shouted, “Hastings!”

Richard darted to the side to swing the knife again, but had no space to move. His foot caught on the edge of the roof as he lost his balance and fell over the edge. Lily saw the look of comprehension and sheer terror on Richard’s face as he started to fall. Duncan had reached for him, but it was too late. A horrible crack sounded as Richard’s body hit the ground below. Lily shuddered. Crawling forward, she looked over the edge. Richard lay twisted and broken on the cobblestone path below. Her hands covered her mouth stifling her scream while she stared in disbelief.

She felt large hands cover her shoulders and gently pull her back.

“Lily, please move away from the edge. It was an accident. It truly was,” Duncan murmured.

She started to shake uncontrollably. “He’s dead.”

Charles came to her side. “Yes, Lily. I am afraid he did not survive that fall.”

She turned around and looked at the two men before her. “It’s over.”

“Yes, Lily. It is over. Come, let us take you home.”

She shook her head. They did not understand. She was shaken to the core. Her fiancé was dead.

UNCAN, IF YOU
do not stop pacing you will burn a hole in Charles’ nice new rug,” Eleanor quipped.