Brotherhood 02 - Broken Promise (20 page)
Read Brotherhood 02 - Broken Promise Online
Authors: Laura Landon
Penderly blanched as if he’d been struck, then dropped onto his chair. His arms hung at his sides as limp as a rag doll’s. He suddenly looked years older. “I see,” he whispered. His voice contained a hurt that was impossible to miss. “It’s because of the horrible things I said to Miss Flemming before she and Gregory eloped.
She
thought I might wish any child she had dead, didn’t she?” Penderly didn’t wait for Sarah to answer, but sucked in a ragged breath filled with pain. “Oh, if I could relive that awful day and take back every hurtful word I said.”
The earl regained his composure and faced Sarah with a regal bearing befitting his position. “I would never harm a child. Never. I give you my word.”
“I believe you,” Sarah answered. “If I thought you would, I would have taken the babe where you would never have found him.”
Austin wasn’t sure where Sarah kept her reserve of strength, but she was suddenly the strong, independent woman he’d seen when he’d first met her. She was the confident, capable person who’d fought off Jonathan’s attacker, then fled with the child to protect him.
The look of admiration on Penderly’s face was evident. Austin was sure Sarah could ask for half the kingdom and the earl would do everything in his power to acquire it for her. He owed her for saving his grandson’s life and that was a debt he’d see repaid.
A surge of pride unlike Austin had ever felt before consumed him. If he took time to evaluate the emotions roiling through him, he’d have to admit he felt that same esteem. He cared for Sarah more than he thought it was possible for him to care for anyone.
Of course, he wouldn’t risk evaluating those emotions too closely. If he did, he might discover he more than cared for her, more than admired her. He might discover he was falling in love with her.
He stamped down his feelings. Love wasn’t in his future, it couldn’t be. Especially not with Sarah. She belonged with Jonathan. Now that she’d revealed the babe’s existence, he’d make sure Penderly offered her a place where she could always be with him.
Austin kept his gaze focused on her, on the determined look in her eyes, on the sharp intelligence in her gaze, on the deep and caring compassion he knew she harbored. And he realized that he not only loved her, but he…needed her…
…to heal.
That knowledge cut through him like a honed rapier slashing at his heart. She was the healing balm to take away his pain, his guilt. She possessed the power to make him whole again, to give him back a sense of goodness.
But he couldn’t expect her to feel the same. He could never ask her to give Jonathan up. That would be like ripping out a piece of her heart.
He refocused his attention on the questions Penderly was asking Sarah.
“You said that twice someone had tried to kill the child. When? How?”
“The first attempt was when he was only weeks old. An intruder broke into the house. I assumed a thief had come to steal food or money since Lord Fledgemont had died and Lady Fledgemont was alone. But he went right to the baby’s room. He… he…”
Sarah’s breathing came in harsh gasps and the color drained from her cheeks.
Austin reached out and clasped his fingers around her hand and spoke for her. “The intruder lifted a pillow to suffocate the infant. Miss Bentley hit the man over the head.”
Lady Penderly’s small gasp echoed in the room.
“Did you know the man?” Penderly asked. “Do you know who might have sent him?”
Sarah’s gaze dropped to the floor.
“The man wasn’t able to tell her anything,” Austin answered for her.
Penderly silently evaluated Austin’s statement and wisely didn’t ask anything more.
“You said there were two attempts.”
Austin continued. “The second try came several weeks ago. We were on our way to London and an assassin fired a shot at the babe. Miss Bentley stepped in front of your grandson to protect him. The bullet hit her instead.”
“You poor dear.” Lady Penderly twisted her hands in her lap. “The lengths to which you’ve gone to save our grandson.” The worry and concern on her face were evident.
“Did you get a look at the gunman?” Penderly asked.
Austin shook his head. “He was gone by the time I took care of Miss Bentley and the babe.”
Penderly rose from his chair and paced the area close to where they sat. “Who would want to harm an innocent little thing? What could they possibly hope to gain?”
“It’s been my experience that there are basically only a few motives for murder,” Austin said. “Two of the most common are revenge and money. The first question I would ask you is, do you have any enemies who hate you enough to murder your grandson?”
Penderly stopped pacing and faced Austin. “No! I don’t know of anyone who would hate me that much.”
“That leaves money, then. Who is next in line to inherit the Penderly earldom if your grandson were eliminated?”
“No!” Penderly reached for the hand his wife held out to him. “You can’t be serious, Captain,” Penderly said. “No one knows about the boy.
I
didn’t even know he existed until just this minute.”
“Someone knows. And you know who that someone is.”
Penderly sank into his chair beside his wife. She turned to face her husband. “What is Captain Landwell saying, Johnny?”
Penderly shook his head.
“Who did you send to Wakemoor to verify the details of your son’s death?”
Penderly hesitated. Finally, he realized he had no choice but to divulge the condemning answer. “My nephew.”
“Which one?”
“Wesley.”
“The oldest?”
Penderly nodded.
“When he returned he didn’t mention that Lady Fledgemont had given birth to a son?”
Penderly shook his head.
“Perhaps we should concentrate on him.”
“Concentrate?” Lady Penderly asked. “Do you suspect Wesley of being involved in the attempts to kill our grandson?”
“There is that possibility,” Austin answered.
Penderly’s shoulders sagged. “I cannot believe Wesley would resort to murder. He’s been like a son to me since we lost our boys. He took over running the estates as if he was born to it. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. There’s something wrong here, desperately wrong.”
“People are capable of anything when faced with losing everything. When your nephew discovered your son left an heir, he realized the Penderly title and wealth would never be his.”
“Surely he knows I would never dismiss him with nothing. He’ll always have a place with me, always be provided for.”
“Maybe a share of what you have isn’t enough,” Etherington said thoughtfully. “Maybe he wants it all.”
“He must, to resort to the murder of an innocent babe.” Penderly looked at Austin. “We can’t confront him and expect him to admit he tried to kill the babe.”
“No. We will have to devise a plan that will prove he’s the one who tried to kill your grandson.”
“Do you have something in mind?” Harrison asked.
Austin shook his head. “I’m not sure. Nothing that I’m certain will work.”
“But if I know you, Austin,” Harrison continued, “you have something in mind.”
Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to reveal his plan.
“Where is my grandson now?” Penderly asked.
“Our sister and brother-in-law, Lady Lydia and Major Gabriel Talbot have him hidden at Southerby Manor. He is under heavy guard.”
“Are you thinking of bringing him here?” Sarah asked. There was a worried expression on her face. She clutched his fingers and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to, Sarah. It’s the only way we can draw our killer out.”
“No, Austin. He won’t be safe.”
“He’ll be safe. Gabe will surround him with guards to protect him, and he won’t be alone for one second once he arrives.”
“Could you explain what you intend to do, Captain Landwell?” Penderly said.
“Of course. I’ll send Major Talbot a message with instructions to bring the babe to London. I don’t anticipate his arrival for at least a week. When he arrives, I’d like you to host a dinner to announce that Lady Fledgemont presented you with an heir before she died.”
“How large a dinner would you like us to host?” Lord Penderly asked.
“I think a small number. Those of us here today plus Gabe and Liddy, your brother, his wife, and their two sons.” He saw the look of agreement on Penderly’s face. “Once you introduce your grandson, it shouldn’t take long for your nephew to realize he has to act fast.”
“You think Wesley will try to harm our grandson again?” Lady Penderly cried out.
“I’m afraid so,” Penderly answered.
“No, Johnny. We can’t allow it.”
“He won’t succeed,” Austin interrupted. “The babe won’t be where he can find him.”
Sarah was unusually quiet and Austin turned to look at her. Her face was void of color, her upper teeth clamped over her bottom lip. The most telling sign of her nervousness, however, was the quivering of her jaw. She was terrified.
“Everything will be all right, Sarah,” he whispered. “Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
Her gaze lifted to his and he saw the fear in her eyes.
“I promise, Sarah,” he repeated, knowing she probably didn’t believe him. How could she when she’d been shot because he’d underestimated the assassin’s determination?
The men confirmed a few more details, then Lord and Lady Penderly rose to leave.
“Miss Bentley,” Lord Penderly said before they left. “We will never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for us. You only have to ask and anything we have is yours.”
She shook her head. “I want nothing except this to be over and the babe safe.”
“He will be,” Lord Penderly assured her. “And don’t concern yourself with where you will go. There will always be a place for you in our home. You deserve to watch our grandson grow to adulthood along with us.”
Sarah nodded. Whatever words she attempted to say were too soft to hear.
Lord Penderly turned to leave, but his wife stopped him. “Were you with our daughter-in-law when our grandson was born, Miss Bentley?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Did she name the boy, or did you?”
“Neither, my lady. Your son decided on a name before he died. Lady Fledgemont knew what to call the child if it was a boy.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “What name did he choose?”
“Your son wanted the boy to be called Jonathan.”
Lady Penderly looked up into her husband’s tear-filled eyes. “Gregory named his son Jonathan. After you, Johnny.”
The earl pulled his wife to him and held her for an emotional moment, then turned to face Sarah. “Thank you, Miss Bentley. More than you know.”
He blinked several times, then wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders and they walked to the door.
The Earl and Countess of Penderly had been gone for hours, but Sarah couldn’t stop reliving their visit. A heavy weight pressed against her chest when she considered what would happen now. She would lose Jonathan.
Oh, she would still be with him. Lord Penderly had promised her she would always have a place with them. But Jonathan would no longer be hers. He would be
theirs.
Strange how such a precious, healing thing—restoring a family—could carry such hurt. She closed her eyes and remembered the night Lady Fledgemont made her swear that she would always keep Jonathan with her, that she would raise him as if he were her own. Surely Lady Fledgemont wouldn’t expect Sarah to keep her promise if she’d heard how deeply Lord Penderly regretted the words of anger he’d spoken that day. Surely she would have made the same decision when she saw the heartache on Lord and Lady Penderly’s faces when they heard that the woman who’d married their son was dead. Surely she would have realized that giving Jonathan to his grandparents was best for Jonathan.
Except doing what was best for Jonathan was a bittersweet victory. She was losing something equally as important in the bargain. Instead of being filled with happiness, she was haunted by emptiness.
If she was honest enough to face what it meant to leave London when Penderly took Jonathan to the country, she’d realize the void she felt had everything to do with Austin Landwell.
She stepped out into the Earl of Etherington’s perfectly manicured flower garden. Austin was so consumed with every detail of his plan to trap Wesley Dunstan that she doubted he even realized she left the room.
She didn’t know everything that would happen, but she knew he’d written a letter to Major Talbot immediately after Penderly left. Then, after lunch, he left for a few hours. Within minutes of his return, a dozen or more men arrived to receive instructions on their new assignments.
It was revealed over dinner that the men had been hired to pose as Penderly footmen. In reality they would guard Penderly’s town house, seal up every possible entrance to prevent anyone from entering the house after Major Talbot arrived with Jonathan. Austin was taking his promise to keep Jonathan safe very seriously.
That knowledge should reassure her that Jonathan would be in no danger once he arrived in London. But she wouldn’t breathe easily until this was over and the assassin had been apprehended.
She followed the stone path to a small pond near the back of the garden, where it was the most peaceful. She’d discovered this spot earlier when she’d needed to escape the confines of the house and had come here to be alone.
A full moon reflected its brilliance on the still water. The stars were out in all their glory, twinkling reminders that someone greater than any earthly mortal was in control of the universe and everyone in it. A gentle breeze whispered through the leaves as if to comfort her from her fears.
She sat on one of the granite benches near the edge of the pond and tried not to think of how much she yearned to have Austin’s fingers clasped with hers, how much she ached to have his arm around her to shield her and protect her.
A noise behind her startled her to her feet.
“Are you all right?” he said.
She saw him and her heart shifted. “Yes, fine. I just came out here to…”
“I know. To escape from the terrors you’ve already had to face, and the ones you’re afraid might still be in your future.
He stepped closer to her, once again understanding her perfectly.
“Do you sometimes feel that way too?”
“At times.”
“What do you do when everything seems to crash down around you?”
“I run. Sometimes for miles. Sometimes for hours. Sometimes until my chest and my sides ache so badly I don’t think I can take another step. Just like the young man you talked about from Wakemoor, the handsome young man people see running through the countryside at night.”
“Does that help?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Only a little. I’ve found that no matter how far I run, it’s impossible to outrun fear.”
She studied his features and pictured him running through London, running where and when no one could see him. “Are the nights worse for you, too? Everything always seems more frightening in the dark.”
“It seems that way. That’s when I run the most.”
“Where do you run?”
“In St. James, mostly. Through the deserted streets before anyone is about.”
She looked into his face. His features appeared drawn. There was a tightness around his mouth and a hollowness in his eyes. She wanted to ask him more, but what kept him awake at night didn’t seem to be any of her business. Except, she wanted it to be. She hoped if he ever felt the need to talk about it, he’d feel like he could talk to her.
As if to draw her attention away from him, he held out his arm. “Walk with me.”
Sarah looped her arm through the bend at his elbow and strolled with him down the path. They didn’t speak, but she didn’t need there to be words between them. She was content being in his company. Words would have intruded on what she considered a blissful connection that united them.
They walked around the pond until they reached a small gazebo set back beneath two huge shade trees. She hadn’t seen this earlier and was amazed at the beauty of the area surrounding the structure.
She stepped up the single step and walked across the wooden flooring. When she reached the far side, she sat on a cushioned bench. Austin sat beside her.
“I haven’t had a chance to thank you.”
Sarah lowered her gaze. She knew what he was talking about.
“I know how difficult it was to tell Lord and Lady Penderly about their grandson.”
“Do you?”
He hesitated, then answered, “Perhaps I don’t.”
Sarah looked up. “Will Jonathan be all right?”
“Are you asking if he’ll be safe once we bring him to London? If you are, then yes. He will be guarded so closely no one will be able to harm him.
“If you’re asking whether or not he’ll benefit from being brought up as the Earl of Penderly’s heir, I can predict that he’ll be one of the most doted on grandsons in all of England. He’ll also be one of the most loved.”
She smiled. Austin was right. She knew Lord and Lady Penderly would love and cherish Jonathan more than any child could be treasured. Their world would revolve around him. And hers would too.
She envisioned her life once Jonathan was no longer in danger. She would be with him every day from now on. She’d be there to care for him, and watch him grow. She’d be there to teach him everything she would have taught her own children. And most important of all, Jonathan would never have to go without, as he might have, had she attempted to raise him on her own.
He could live his life to his full potential, taking his rightful place in Society.
When the day came that Jonathan was grown and on his own, she would make sure she’d saved enough money to buy a house where she could live out the remainder of her life without worries. She’d make sure she’d stored enough memories of Jonathan as a babe, then Jonathan as a young man, then Jonathan as an adult, to sustain her as she grew old. This is what she’d dreamed her life would be, and the Earl of Penderly was granting her most of what she’d always dreamed of having.
Only one thing marred her future. Austin wouldn’t be in it. She rose and walked to the pillared railing. The smooth water on the pond swam before her tear-filled eyes. She wasn’t sure what she would do when she left with Lord Penderly and Austin stayed behind. But she’d manage. Somehow she’d survive.
She wrapped her arms around her middle to protect herself from the pain.
He was suddenly with her. “What is it, Sarah?”
His arm wrapped around her shoulders, his caress warm and comforting against her flesh. She felt safe when he was with her, wanted nothing more than to lean into him and have him hold her.
She chided herself for her foolishness. She shouldn’t allow herself to be drawn to him like she was. Yet she couldn’t mistake his feelings for her, even if any emotion he thought he felt wasn’t love but indebtedness because she’d told Penderly about Jonathan.
He placed his hands on either side of her shoulders and turned her so she faced him. “Are you all right?”
She nodded but there was no enthusiasm in her action. “I suppose I’m just missing Jonathan. I’ve had him with me every day since he was born.”
He pulled her to him and held her close. “He’ll be here soon,” he whispered.
She knew she should step away from him, knew allowing him to hold her was a mistake. She didn’t want to be drawn to him, didn’t want her heart to run a race because he was near. Didn’t want to battle the confusion inside her when he looked at her. But most of all, she didn’t want to watch for him to enter a room when she was in it. Didn’t want to miss him when he was away from her. Didn’t want to feel incomplete because he wasn’t with her. Because he wouldn’t always be near her. She would go with Jonathan and he would—
Her heart suddenly felt as if it weighed more than she could carry. It was suddenly imperative that she know as much about him as she could before she walked out of his life.
“Talk to me, Austin. Tell me about you. Tell me what haunts you, what role you played during the war, what—”
His muscles tightened about her.
“Why are you interested in the war?”
“I’m not. I’m interested in what
you
did during the war.”
“Nothing important, I assure you.”
“I think it was. Liddy said—“
“Liddy talks too much.”
“She said the war changed you.”
“War changes everyone.”
“But some more than others. Do you ever talk about it?”
“I try not to.”
“Oh.” She paused. She wanted to ask more questions but this was obviously a topic he didn’t talk about—or perhaps he only talked about the war with people he knew better than he knew her.
She wanted him to feel he could share with her what he’d gone through during the war, and felt hurt because he didn’t. But she was being foolish. She was the one who wanted there to be more between them than there was, not him.
She looked up and met his gaze. “Why haven’t you married?”
He looked startled by her question.
“Liddy said you could have had your pick of any female in London Society if you’d asked.”
“Like I mentioned before, Liddy talks too much.”
“Liddy loves you. She wants you to be happy.”
“Liddy thinks because she’s happy being married, everyone will be.”
“But you’re convinced you won’t be?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Something like that.”
“Is it because of the war, because of something that happened during the war?”
“Let’s just say the war taught me how ill suited I am for marriage.”
Sarah’s heart stilled. She didn’t consider him ill suited for marriage. In fact, she considered him the perfect choice for a husband and father. He would make some woman very happy.
“I hope you change your mind some day and find a woman who will make you happy,” she said.
“Do you?”
She nodded, then leaned against him.
His heart beat a steady thrumming beneath her ear and she reacted to it with a certain amount of pain. The day would come when she would no longer be close enough to lean against him, to hear the beat of his heart echo within her.
Her heart ached with a longing that made her breath catch.
“You’re terribly quiet,” he said. “And you’re trying to be brave.”
“I’m not brave. I’m frightened. And I feel as if my world is falling apart.”
He placed his finger beneath her chin and brought her face up until she looked him in the eyes. “Always remember that if you feel as if you’re falling, I’ll be here to catch you. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She looked into the warm, midnight blue of his eyes and knew she was losing her grasp on reality. She’d never been so alive as she was at this moment. And all because of his touch. His nearness.
She studied him, memorized every feature of his ruggedly handsome face. As she collected each and every detail, she filed everything about him in the secret compartment she’d hollowed out just for him. There was nothing about him she wanted to forget, nothing about him—his smell, his feel, the sound of his voice—nothing she wanted to risk losing.
She took in the vivid blue of his eyes, the wide arch of his nose, his high, sharply defined cheek bones, and the strong line of his jaw. She wanted to imprint his image on her memory forever so when she was old and gray she could close her eyes and picture him as he looked today.
“Sometimes I think there is no bottom to what you have hidden inside you,” he said, moving his gaze from her eyes to her lips. “Sometimes I think you see the parts of me I’ve never allowed anyone to see. Sometimes I think even my darkest secrets aren’t safe from you.”
“Would that be so terrible?”
He smiled. “Only for you.”
“I haven’t led a pampered life. I am stronger than you think. I held my mother’s hand when she died, and my father’s. I sat by Lady Fledgemont’s bedside while she willed herself to die and was helpless to give her the will to live. I fought off an assassin and survived a bullet. I’m quite certain I could survive your secrets, too.”
“Do you know how special you are?”
Her breathing raced. “I don’t feel special. I feel—”
“How, Sarah? How do you feel?”
His demanding sigh washed over her and she gasped to catch a breath. “Confused. Anxious. Desperate.”
He lowered his head until his mouth was close to hers. He was going to kiss her and she wouldn’t discourage him. She was hungry for the feel of his lips against hers, for the taste of his mouth over hers, for the strength of his tongue as it battled hers.
“Desperate for what?”