The Duke's Temptation (30 page)

Chapter 44

Elizabeth couldn’t decide if it was the hot bath or the warm drink her aunt had given her that eventually thawed her body. She’d started to think nothing would chase the chill away. Unfortunately a little heat couldn’t fix the emptiness in her chest.

The nightgown and blankets were cozy against her skin; then again, anything was an improvement from her waterlogged skirt. Drowsiness floated through her and she fought to stay awake.

“Are you sure you are warm enough, dear?” It had to be the hundredth time her aunt had asked the question.

“Plenty.” Elizabeth barely got the word out before a deep yawn overtook her.

Her aunt stopped adjusting the coverlet and took a seat on the end of the bed.

“Don’t worry, dear. That is the elixir at work. You will be of sound body tomorrow. You caused me quite a fright. I swear you and your brother will be the death of me.”

Elizabeth took hold of her aunt’s hand. “Aunt Millie, you will survive us all.”

“One can only hope.” Her aunt patted her hand. “Words cannot express how relieved I was when you walked into the house with Gabe and Phoebe, all safe and sound.”

“Probably about as relieved as I was when I realized Gabe had managed to save us. How is Phoebe?”

“She is fast asleep the way God intended. Not before she told Jane all about her altercation with a real pirate. I still can’t believe that man had the audacity to steal away with my niece and a sweet child. He had better hope I’m satisfied with Gabe’s choice of punishment or I may have to intervene.”

Elizabeth loved her aunt, and when she acted with fierce protection, it was with the same conviction as her own mother would have expressed. The same devotion Elizabeth felt for Phoebe.

“Enough of that bounder. With everything that has gone on, I haven’t had the opportunity to inquire as to your progress with Gabe. Have you managed to break through the walls erected around his heart?”

Elizabeth pulled her hand from beneath her aunt’s. Millie might be supportive of a relationship between Elizabeth and Gabe, but in no manner would she approve of how far the relations had actually escalated.

There was also the fact that sometime during Gabe’s rescue, Elizabeth had decided to return to London. When he’d first appeared, her heart had practically burst with love. Shortly after, the possibility he might never love her in return had almost caused it to stop mid-beat.

She needed to accept the truth and learn to live without Gabe and Phoebe in her life. It might rip the heart from her chest, but in the end, it would be better than Gabe someday realizing his one true love would always be Cecilia.

Of course she’d eventually have to leave London. There were too many places she would encounter him. She didn’t have the strength to see him and proceed as if she didn’t know how it felt to have his arms wrapped around her naked body.

To go on as if her fingers didn’t intimately know the feel of his hard flesh. To act as if her body wasn’t weeping for a simple stroke of his hand. To brazen it out and pretend he wouldn’t forever hold her heart.

There was nothing for it; she would need to leave London.

Aunt Millie sat in silence as Elizabeth mulled over how much to relay to her aunt. A place deep in her mind kept whispering to speak of the letters.

With a shaky voice Elizabeth burst out, “I think he loves someone else.”

“Nonsense. Pure rubbish. During my time, I’ve seen a few men in love and that boy loves
you
.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“And why is that? Has something happened?”

Elizabeth sighed heavily. “When I returned to the attic to retrieve more dresses for Phoebe, I found letters from the child’s mother to Gabe. I didn’t mean to read them but I needed to
know
. Now I wish I hadn’t.”

“What did you learn, dear?”

“Theirs was a love match. He planned to marry her,” Elizabeth finished, on the verge of tears. “That kind of love doesn’t just go away. I should know. Nothing would ever kill the love I have for Gabe.”

“My precious child,” Aunt Millie exclaimed right before she wrapped Elizabeth in her hold. Her aunt whispered close to Elizabeth’s ear, “You should have come to me sooner.”

The woman who had so wonderfully taken over the role of her mother sat back but didn’t fully release her. “Oh, how your heart must have ceased when you read those. But, you mustn’t allow this to break you. Not all are as fortunate as you and find someone to love on their first time out. We all have to kiss a few frogs—and every so often a toad—before we find our prince.”

Unable to restrain herself, Elizabeth let out an indelicate snort thinking of the dandies of the
ton
as frogs.

“The same can be said for our counterparts. Men can be swayed by a pretty face as easily as we can be with a few bouquets of flowers and a sweet word here and there.”

Once again her aunt offered sound advice. Even so, how could a man, as set in his convictions as Gabe, ever confuse lust with love? If he loved someone, he would honestly love them. No confusion involved.

“Besides, you can’t overlook one very important detail. Gabe never married the woman. If he’d loved her, as I believe he loves you, he wouldn’t have walked away without securing her in his life.”

Obviously her aunt misunderstood the Duke of Wesbrook. Gabe had had no difficulty professing his love to Elizabeth in one breath, then going on to say he couldn’t marry her in the next. He had been willing to marry Phoebe’s mother, but he found himself incapable of doing the same with Elizabeth.

“What I’m trying to tell you, dear, is that letters are black and white, love and feelings are messy and complicated. You can’t come to a conclusion without hearing Gabe’s side of the story.” Her aunt tipped up Elizabeth’s head with a gentle touch to her chin. “He might just surprise you.”

Elizabeth didn’t know what to do anymore. She certainly wouldn’t be figuring it out tonight.

Her aunt rose to leave but stopped a few feet from the bed. “I received another letter from your brother. Seems something delayed him in London and he won’t be able to visit after all. You wouldn’t know anything about that, now would you?”

Elizabeth resisted the urge to look guilty. “Not at all. I hope it is nothing serious.”

“He didn’t say but if the tone of his letter was any indication, he wasn’t too happy about the situation.”

Elizabeth hoped whatever Emma had concocted caused him plenty of displeasure. Served him right for butting into her affairs.

“Whatever it is I’m sure he’ll deal with it,” Aunt Millie assured. “Now to sleep with you. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Chapter 45

“I sent you to locate the man blackmailing me. So, what the hell do you mean, you visited Mary’s family?” Gabe growled at Nate as he stepped nose to nose with his brother.

“It is exactly as it sounds. While I was away I visited Mary’s family.”

Nate’s calmness in the face of Gabe’s anger only enraged him further. Who the hell did his brother think he was? He had no right to go digging into that segment of Gabe’s past. Nate had had one mission—tracking the man who held a noose around Gabe’s neck, prepared to release the trap door and watch him hang at any moment. How did one go from that to visiting the family of the woman he’d nudged to her death? Was that how Nate had discovered the particulars of his relationship with Cecilia?

Instead of merely wondering, he would demand answers. If he was going to kill his brother, he might as well have all the facts. “Is that how you know about Cecilia? Who else did you
visit
while you were away?”

Nate took a step back and Gabe almost grinned at his reaction.
Yes, brother, be wary.

“Firstly, I never intended to uncover anything regarding Cecilia,” Nate pointed out. “That part simply unfolded on its own.”

Gabe ground his teeth together. “How do you just
happen
to come across information I’ve never told anyone?”

“Allow me to start at the beginning.”

“Please do,” Gabe added, sarcastically.

To his credit, Nate didn’t back down in the face of Gabe’s ire. “I know how Mary’s death haunts you still. I wasn’t able to do anything for you when it happened, but I wanted to try to ease your burden now. Besides, your blackmailer obviously knew plenty of that night. I needed to determine if there were aspects of Mary’s death you weren’t aware of.”

Gabe opened his mouth to speak but Nate cut him off. “I know you believe yourself responsible regardless of circumstance. How is it everyone besides you can see that is pure rubbish?”

“I—” Gabe tried again.

“Be quiet and listen. I’ve long suspected you never had all the details.” Nate had the nerve to grin. “And I was right.”

Gabe fought to keep his voice neutral. “By all means, share your wisdom.”

“I don’t mind if I do.” Nate’s grin grew before it fell into a tight line.

Gabe would get his answers, but at what cost? Would it be worth it? Elizabeth’s smiling face flashed before him and he knew he would pay any price.

Nate took a breath, then stated baldly, “Mary never killed herself.”

“Of course she did. I read the letter.”

“That was what you were led to believe, what someone had
wanted
you to believe.”

The room took on a sudden chill and Gabe shuddered. Not even the roaring fire kept the cold from penetrating. “Who would want me to believe such a thing?”

“Mr. Johnston.”

“Father’s solicitor?”

“The one and only,” Nate replied.

“I don’t understand. Why?”

“Your guilt kept you from determining the exact circumstances of her death. You see, Johnston lured Mary to the river that night and he is the one who shoved her in, which led to her death.”

Gabe didn’t know how to respond. His whole world was reeling. Was it possible the one event that had colored the last seven years of his life could be something else entirely?

“Mr. Johnston? Are you certain?”

“I’ve never been more sure, brother. The man killed her.”

Still baffled, Gabe burst out, “Why, for God’s sake?”

“That is where it gets hazy. Johnston’s past is so riddled with secrets and subterfuge it would have taken half my lifetime to sort it all out. I do know Mary unknowingly stumbled across an illegal scheme the man perpetrated. A case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am certain he killed her to silence her.”

“What of Father? Did he know what his solicitor had done?”

Nate shifted his eyes to the floor. “Yes.”

It took a moment for Nate’s answer to penetrate. Clenching his fists until his nails cut into his palms, Gabe paced to his desk. How could he have gone through the last seven years without knowing this? How could his own father allow him to think he’d caused a young woman to take her life?

The old Duke was a scoundrel of great proportions, but it seemed Gabe’s idea of his sire’s villainy had only scraped the surface. He pounded his fist on the desktop, enraged, longing to do the same to his father. This might be the one time in his life he wished the bastard wasn’t already dead.

He spun to his brother. “How did you learn all this?”

“It was Mary’s family who started to put holes in the original story. They’d never believed she committed suicide. The day before her death she had sent a letter to her mother saying she was coming home. Apparently, Mary had left home to seek out something more than what being the daughter of a farmer could give her.” Nate gestured wearily. “She wrote she’d made a mistake and that she wanted to return home. All conclusions she’d come to accept, with the help of a kind man.”

Gabe held his breath at Nate’s direct regard as he added softly, “A man that despite having a loathsome father, showed her compassion.”

By his brother’s tone he implied Gabe had shown the kindness that helped Mary find her way. But if so, why would she have left the letter for Gabe, claiming she couldn’t live with the choices she’d made?

As if reading his mind, Nate voiced Gabe’s thoughts. “The original story made no sense. What woman would write her family and tell them to expect her arrival in a few short days, only to kill herself the next?”

Nate crossed the room and propped a hip on the desk. “Then there was the letter from Father’s solicitor, informing them of Mary’s demise. Things didn’t add up. Johnston knew too many specifics. Things I knew you’d never tell Father. But it was the handwriting that sealed it. It was identical to the writing on the blackmail letters you received. Once I left there, I took a detour to London to look up our Mr. Johnston.”

Johnston, a blackmailer as well? It didn’t seem possible. But if Gabe thought on it, the man probably believed he had cause. Especially after his role in Cecilia’s deception, eschewing any further connection to his father, Gabe had dismissed the solicitor the very day he’d learned of Cecilia’s duplicity. The Johnston family had served the Wesbrooks for generations. He obviously thought his dismissal revenge worthy.

“How did you locate him?”

“Since you’d cut him off from the Wesbrook coffers, he had tried to offer his services to the public. But with the stench of Father’s exploits attached to him, no one would hire him. Even though he tried to keep a low profile, he wasn’t hard to ferret out.”

Gabe found it hard to believe the man would simply confess. “And he voluntarily told you everything?”

Nate showed his first smile in some time. “Let’s just say I’ve learned a few things from my older brother.”

In answer, Gabe snorted.

“And it didn’t hurt I led him to believe I already knew the truth. Lucky for me, the man isn’t very clever. He believed every word. Oh, I should also mention he has a weak constitution and the
thought
alone of my doing him physical harm almost caused the man to wet himself. He preferred to prey on the weak. Or in your case, through letters.”

Nate dropped gracefully into the nearest chair. “He confessed everything. It was actually very simple. In fact, the simplicity of it all surprised even me.”

“Where is the cooperative Mr. Johnston now?”

“Newgate. Exactly where he should be. Not only did he confess, but he was such a wonderful solicitor, he had wads of evidence filed away. He won’t be free in this lifetime.”

So, it was over. No more wondering if someone hid in the shadows, ready to take Gabe down without notice. No more questioning whom he could trust.

It all seemed too effortless.

“And you feel Mr. Johnston acted alone?”

“Based on the man’s level of intelligence, I did doubt him capable of masterminding the blackmailing, but no one would be dimwitted enough to take the fall for someone else. Not when it came to blackmail and murder. I’m fairly confident he acted alone. And if not, Johnston landing in jail should be enough to deter any future threats.”

His brother’s confidence had Gabe feeling better. Yet he couldn’t stanch the inkling of doubt, that it might not be finished. Until that day came—if ever—he would put the episode behind him.

“How did you discover all this so quickly? Have you even slept in the last two days?”

Despite the raggedness surrounding him, Nate’s eyes held their usual cocky glint. “I have my ways.”

Gabe suspected he knew the exact origins of Nate’s ‘ways,’ but until his brother decided to share what it was he
really
did in his time while away from Frenton Hall, he would keep silent.

It was time to focus on other elements Nate had discovered.

“And Cecilia? How did you come across that particular information?”

This time Nate didn’t meet Gabe’s eyes; instead he concentrated on some mysterious object to the left. “Once I had Mr. Johnston talking, I couldn’t get the man to stop. He must have known the end was upon him because he started to confess his every sin as if blabbing to a clergyman.” Nate snuck a peek at Gabe. “Can you imagine? Me, a man of the church?”

Gabe smiled at the absurdity. His brother was so far from priesthood, a blind person wouldn’t even mistake him for a man of the cloth.

“That’s how I discovered how much a conniving whore Cecilia had been. I only wish you would have told me.”

“Oh, yes. Because
that
is what I had wanted to do. Announce how I’d been duped by my own father—who I might add was dead at the time. How I had fallen in love with a woman paid to sleep with me. Which would have been acceptable, if I were the one doing the paying.”

Nate had the good sense to look embarrassed on Gabe’s behalf. For a moment silence reigned in the room, before he softly remarked, “You know she loves you.”

The twist in the conversation caught Gabe off guard but he knew exactly to whom Nate referred.

“I’m aware of that.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

If not for the fact Marcus would have taken a swing at him by now, Nate was certainly assuming the role of Elizabeth’s brother.

“I’m not sure. I won’t deny all you’ve told me hasn’t changed things. But, even knowing everything, I’m not convinced I’m capable of being the kind of man she needs. Not with Father’s blood running through my veins.”

Nate straightened. “You, brother, are a stubborn fool. I practically heap absolution at your feet and you still can’t clutch it with both hands. You are more of a man of honor than a whole handful of past Wesbrooks. You will never be the horrid man our father was.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“If you were anything like that man, you would not have welcomed me into your home. The bastard couldn’t see the backside of me fast enough. You not only brought your daughter into your house, but you opened your heart to her. You are fully capable of loving someone.”

A knot formed in Gabe’s throat that he couldn’t work past. Could Nate be right? Did he have it in him to love Elizabeth as she deserved? Because no one would love her with as much intensity as he did.

How did he go about proving it to himself, not to mention Elizabeth?

What if it was too late?