Druid Temptation (A Druid Quest Novel Book 2) (28 page)

* * *

T
he guests started arriving
at three. They trickled in slowly, but when they saw Gabriel was in the room, they quickly found a seat for the show. For his part, Gabriel stayed close to Diana’s side, an imposing guard who watched the door the whole time. The drawing room was larger than most, old and stately, but it quickly grew crowded when people refused to leave.

At four, Gabriel grabbed her hand and began to circle the crowd, studying the field for the best form of attack. People clutched their teas and cakes as he passed.

Still no sign of Williams.

She needed this to be settled. Wanted this over.

As if granting her wish, a commotion started on the far side of the room. Hushed whispers began to spread through the chamber like a wave, but she couldn’t distinguish the individual words.

Thanks to her height, Diana saw over the throng of people, and tensed when she spied Williams’ gray head near the entrance. She turned to Gabriel, only to find his eyes narrowed as he spotted his quarry.

Ashmore arrived at their side in a show of support. When Gabriel started forward, Ashmore grabbed his arm. “You must let my aunt handle him. The old bat will give him his conge.”

Gabriel spoke without taking his attention away from Williams. “I don’t like this. I am going to check it out.”

“Wait.” Diana spoke too late for Gabriel had already turned away and plowed through the crowd. “Ashmore, you have to—”

“I’m on it.”

Diana watched the slimmer man wend his way forward. Unwilling to sit at the sidelines, Diana moved to the outer edge of the room, inching her way along the wall, so focused on Gabriel, she paid no attention to the glances cast her way.

“There she is.” As if by magic, the crowd cleared a path, and Diana was on the receiving end of Williams’s fierce glare. His pointed finger was aimed at her. “She is the wife of Satan.”

Diana froze for a few seconds, then smiled when she saw Gabriel determinedly making his way toward her. “My husband might be an imposing man, but I can assure you he is definitely not Satan.”

Twitters started at the back of the room. Williams gritted his teeth when he realized the tables had been turned. He stalked toward her, his fists clenched at his side, and people tripped over themselves to get out of the way.

Face to face with her nemesis, Diana raised her chin. “You have been stealing money from your parishioners and the church. I hope no one here shared any private information with you, or pray that they have enough money to keep you quiet.” Gasps echoed around the room at her revelation. Diana quailed when his face turned molten with pasty white and red splotches, and she feared she might have gone too far.

Whispers from the women and mutters from the men began to circulate the room.

She never saw his hand raise until his palm struck her full across the face.

Silence fell immediately.

Diana clenched her fists to keep from pulling back her arm and cold-cocking him. She lifted her chin, her cheek on fire, when he began to spew his hatred.

“Harlot! Jezebel. God reserves a special place in hell for the likes of you!” He raised his fist again, and Diana narrowed her eyes, barely resisting the need to reach for her weapons.

If he tried to lay a hand on her again, she would gut him.

She never got a chance.

A large hand clamped around the pastor’s arm.

Gabriel.

Her husband stood behind Williams, his face so livid she feared he would just snap the man’s wrist. “If I ever see you in London again, I will press charges.”

Gabriel released the man and came to stand by her side, carefully brushing his finger over her cheek. “You should leave before I give into the urge to beat you senseless.”

When no one moved, Gabriel looked up and pinned Williams to the spot. “And if I ever find that you’ve been threatening my wife again, if you even dare to present yourself in her shadow, you will wish you have never been born.”

“Are you threatening me?” Williams’s voice rang with incredulity. “I have witnesses.”

But when he glanced around the room, the whole house fell silent.

It only infuriated Williams more.

Gabriel turned away, dismissing him, tucking Diana protectively in his arms and moving them both toward the door. Silence reigned for a few moments before people began to follow them out.

Unable to resist, Diana glanced over her shoulder and faced eyes so full of hatred that she shivered.

Any hope that this was over dwindled away.

He would never give up.

And they’d just poked the hornet’s nest. As she turned around, she found a strange man standing in front of her. He was short, about her height. His appearance was neat. The smile on his face was cheerful, but there was a deadly seriousness in his eyes that she recognized.

This man had seen battle and survived.

“Hello?” Diana looked to Gabriel in question.

“I am pleased to meet you. I believe we have a mutual friend. My name is Baron Castelline, but please call me Wyatt.” His voice was low and pleasant, and he grinned as if he’d just unearthed the greatest secret in the world.

Diana warily took a step back. She didn’t have friends. She groped for the weapon she normally carried at the small of her back, then cursed when she remembered Gabriel had forced her to leave them behind in the carriage to lessen the temptation to go after Williams herself. “I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”

“Wait!” Wyatt stepped in her path when she tried to go around him, and Gabriel stiffened at her side, almost seeming to grow bigger. “I know Brighid. You must be Diana. She’s told me so much about you that I feel like I know you already.”

The room began to spin, and Diana struggled to stay on her feet. Hundreds of questions crowded her mind, but she couldn’t find enough air.

The last thing she saw was Wyatt’s concerned face when the world went dark.

* * *

G
abriel swept
Diana high in his arms, his gut a ball of knots after seeing her collapse. With a jerk of his head to Ashmore, Gabriel strode to the parlor. He laid Diana gently on the couch, taking care to make sure she was comfortable. Only when he assured himself that she wasn’t in any distress did he straighten and face the two men who’d entered behind him.

“What the hell did you say to upset my wife?” Gabriel didn’t wait for an answer but stalked forward, his fists clenched.

The man danced back, his hands up in the air. “Oh, wait, now. I brought her good news!”

Gabriel slowed, his eyes narrowing. “Who are you?”

Instead of answering, the man nodded to the couch where Diana lay resting. “Is she really your wife?”

Gabriel glared at the man and clenched his fists at his side. “You have one minute to explain yourself before I pick you up and snap you in half.”

Wyatt just grinned. “I will take that as a yes. How much did she tell you about her past?”

“Ashmore, grab him.”

Wyatt darted to the side, shouting the words that had the power to hold the two men completely still. “My wife grew up with Diana. She has been searching for lost members of her family. They became separated a while back and…” Wyatt trailed off, spying Diana rising from the couch.

“Brighid? You have Brighid?” Tears streamed down her face, and her hands were shaking.

Wyatt went to her, clasping her fingers tightly in his grip. “We were married a few months back. She wanted to accompany me to town, but was forced to stay behind.” He smiled gently, “She is expecting our first child.”

A sob broke free and Diana launched herself at Wyatt. Gabriel watched feeling very much like the odd man out until Wyatt turned to him, his eyes wide, pleading for help.

“Come here.” Gabriel pried her away from the poor man and tucked her in his arms where she belonged. “It’s all right. She’s safe.”

Diana went rigid, her eyes widening in panic. “That man Williams is evil. He knows about me. If he finds out about Brighid—”

Wyatt waved away her protest and grinned. “Brighid has learned to control her gifts exceptionally well. She can protect herself, and if that fails, the baby won’t let anything happen to her.”

“Baby?” The whispered word broke Gabriel’s heart.

Pride showed clearly on Wyatt’s face. “She says it will be a boy. At the moment we are arguing over names.” He grew serious with his next words. “She cannot travel yet, but I know she will be thrilled to be reunited with some of her family.”

The statement was said with a hint of a question. Gabriel nodded, unable to deny something so important to his wife. “Once we take care of the problem with Williams, we would enjoy a lengthy visit.”

Wyatt appeared relieved. “Brighid would have killed me if I let you escape without your promise.” He turned to Diana, a question on his face. “Ah, at the birth, she mentioned…”

A wide grin of pure joy cross Diana’s face. “I will be there. It would be my pleasure to help with the birth and the ceremony afterward.”

D
iana woke
when Gabriel lifted her out of the carriage. The morning’s cold air contrasted sharply with Gabriel’s warmth, and she snuggled closer as she tried to get her bearings. “What…”

“You talked half way into the morning before you nodded off on that poor man.” When they entered the house, Gabriel nodded to Milles and continued. “I sent Wyatt home—”

Diana sputtered a protest, struggling against his hold as he made his way up the stairs. “But—”

“After extracting detailed directions where he lives.” He chuckled softly, nudging her door open with his foot.

Then stopped dead.

He went rigid, his arms banding around her so tightly she squeaked and struggled to breathe. Absolute rage heated the air around him. “Gabriel, what is it?”

Diana tried to peer around his bulk, but the insufferable man remained tightlipped and moved out the doorway to block her view.

“Nothing for you to see.” The frigid tone warned her it was very bad.

“Williams?” When he said nothing, Diana did her best to ignore the lovely sensation of being protected and cherished. She refused to hide behind him. “If he left something in my room, I need to see.” Diana touched his face, wanting to smooth away the worry lines. “I understand your need to protect me, but I’ve been on my own for a long time.”

“Yes, but it is my job now.”

“You cannot protect me from this. We need to face it together.”

“I can damn well try.” His fierce growl comforted her more than anything else.

But he listened and reluctantly lowered her to the floor. Taking his hand, she led him back toward her door.

The room was torn apart. The mattress lay propped against the bed, the stuffing torn from its center. The floor lay littered with old flowers and broken pottery. Even the pictures on the walls were shredded. The vanity stood away from the wall, the cracked mirror reflecting multiple images of her horrified face.

The wardrobe remained open, the interior stripped bare, every new dress lying in tatters. Diana kept her expression blank, not wanting Gabriel to know how devastated she felt at the loss. She moved further in the room, the crunch of broken pottery the only sound.

Near the bed, Diana touched the mattress where she and Gabriel had spent such a wonderful night. Diana turned away, her foot tripping on something pinned under the mattress.

When she glanced down, she saw the bright splash of red hair, and her gut clenched in dread. “Gabriel, its Kathy.”

She pushed at the bulky mattress when Gabriel leaned over and hefted the heavy weight from her arms. She dropped to her knees, checking for signs of life with nerveless fingers. Diana released her breath when she found a faint flutter of a heartbeat.

“Thank
Bandina!
She’s alive. Help me lift her out of here.” Diana brushed the hair away from Kathy’s face to see blood smeared the side of her face, and a large bump forming near her temple.

“She must have interrupted Williams.” Gabriel easily lifted the petite woman into his arms.

Diana hurried behind him as he made his way to the guest room. She waited until he deposited Kathy on the bed, then rushed forward. “Let me take care of her. Why don’t you check with Rand and Tallie and make sure Emilie is fine?”

When he hesitated, she pushed him out the door. “Williams is a coward. He wouldn’t dare return tonight. The household is on alert. We’ll be fine. Go.”

He nodded, grabbed her close and gave her a brief kiss, then hurried off.

Diana removed Kathy’s torn dress and tucked her under the covers. She was washing off the blood when Kathy began to wake. “Kathy? Can you hear me?”

The girl moaned and lifted a hand to her head. Diana caught it before she touched the still-seeping wound. “You are fine, but you have a small bump on your head.”

Kathy’s brown eyes widen as the events of the evening came back to her. “That man—”

“He’s gone and can’t harm you anymore.”

She narrowed her eyes. “That man is evil. I heard a noise and found him destroying your room. I swear if I ever see him again, I’ll tear his eyes out. He won’t take me by surprise again.” Concerned green eyes locked on Diana. “He had such rage, he isn’t sane, m’lady. He wanted to hurt you.”

Anger began to churn in Diana’s gut, mostly at herself for not being prepared for a counterattack. “I’m so sorry you were left to deal with him alone. As soon as you are well enough, I will have Gabriel send you back to—”

“No!” Kathy struggled to sit up, wincing as she did so. She crossed her arms, her mutinous expression making it clear that she refused to budge. “My place is here with you.”

Diana said nothing, uncomfortable at putting yet another person at risk. Kathy smirked. “I interrupted him with a pitcher to the side of his head before he could touch the things under your bed.”

“What?” A breathless laugh escaped her tight throat.

“I went to fill the pitcher to water the flowers, and when I saw what he was doing, I hit him over the head with it.” She giggled, then laughed outright. “You should have seen him sopping wet, dripping water. His mouth opened, gaping at me and…” Her laughter trailed off.

“Then he hit you.”

Kathy shrugged nonchalantly. “I would do it again.”

Diana shook her head in confusion, and shifted uncomfortably under Kathy’s regard. “You owe me nothing.”

Kathy only smiled, saying nothing.

“Fine.” Diana sighed in exasperation. “But you will stay in the guest room for the rest of the week.” Casting Kathy a narrow glance, Diana smiled wickedly. “I will have Danny, the footman, stand guard.”

A warm blush filled the younger woman’s face, and Diana laughed when she closed the door behind her.

Diana barely stifled her startled scream when she saw a huge, hairy beast barreling down the hall.

“Jack!”

The hound skidded on the floor, his nails scrabbling for purchase. Lifting his shaggy head, his dark eyes were brimming with excitement, his body quivering in eagerness for the hunt.

Silent communication passed between them, and her temper rose with each passing second when she learned that Gabriel planned to go after Williams without her.

Diana went to her room and gathered her weapons, unsure who she wanted to hunt down first: her husband or Williams.

She grabbed her already-packed bag and resolutely marched down the hall. From the balcony, she watched Gabriel and Samuel talking, their heads close together. There was no sign of Emilie.

When the men disappeared into the study, Diana patted Jack’s head. “Come, let’s get you some food while we wait.” Jack trotted off, glancing back at her when she did not move quickly enough.

* * *

G
abriel nodded
to Samuel as they went over the final preparations when Ashmore walked in the room. “I passed Diana on her way to the kitchen. She tells me the three of you will be heading to the country.” Ashmore paused when Samuel and Gabriel only stared at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” That damned dog. Gabriel bit back a curse. He hadn’t realized that the mutt could eavesdrop and report back to his wife. Any chance of him slipping away to the country to confront Williams on his own vanished. It had been two hours since he’d seen her last, and he barely managed to resist the impulse to seek Diana out and confirm for himself that she was safe.

“We will be heading out later this afternoon. It’s too dangerous to remain in town. There are too many people, and it’s too difficult to reliably protect Diana. Emilie will be staying with Rand and Tallie until things are resolved.” He poured drinks and passed them each a glass. “Also, if he comes after Diana again, it will be easier to make him disappear if there are no witnesses.”

Gabriel raised his glass to both men. “I want to thank each of you for all your help.”

Ashmore shrugged, emptying his glass in a single swallow. “Think nothing of it. I’ll keep an eye on Emilie while you’re gone. I hope by the time you return, everything will be settled and we can finish off the season in peace.” He raised a brow in question.

Gabriel grinned at the thought of spending time with Diana without someone trying to come after her, and he warmed to the novel idea of having her all to himself. “I’ll drink to that.”

Samuel coughed harshly and Gabriel turned his concerned attention to his friend. “I wish you would stay here and rest. You need to conserve your strength.”

Samuel waved away his protest. “I would not miss the privilege of seeing my plan in action for the world.” Despite his words to the contrary, the old man leaned weakly against his chair.

His ashen face concerned Gabriel. “Samuel—”

“I am fine. I’ve been dashing around all night. I only need a little rest, which the ride home will provide.”

Ashmore narrowed his eyes. “You plan to lure the good pastor into a trap.”

Gabriel nodded grimly. “Everything is in place. In two days’ time, this should be behind us.”

“If you need my assistance, I have no immediate plans…”

Gabriel shook his head, setting his empty glass on the server. “You have been more help then you will ever know.”

Ashmore shrugged it off, placing his own tumbler next to Gabriel’s. “Then I will be off. You’ll have to let me know when you get back. I would be interested to learn how everything turned out. In fact, I insist.” Ashmore gave Gabriel a hard look. “I hope you know what a treasure you have in your wife.”

Gabriel couldn’t imagine going back to his bland life in the country. “I do.”

As they exited the study a short while later, Gabriel found Diana and Jack waiting by the front door, her packed satchel at her side. Gabriel very deliberately stalked toward her, stopping just inches away and crossing his arms, hoping to intimidate her.

He wanted her to stay in town.

He wanted her to be safe.

“Going somewhere?”

“With you. We either travel together, or I will follow on my own.” As easily as that, Gabriel knew any plan to leave her behind would be futile. With a curt nod, Gabriel headed off to pack.

For better or worse, they would finish this together.

* * *

D
iana waited
until she confirmed Gabriel actually went to his room instead of slipping out the back, then headed toward the study. Samuel looked like hell, lines bracketing his mouth, his skin clammy and pale as he struggled not to cough. Diana went to the sideboard and poured him a large glass of water.

“You didn’t tell him you were dying.” She kept her voice soft, but felt sure Samuel heard the underlying accusation.

“I couldn’t.” Samuel wheezed and took a grateful sip of the water. His face was flushed when he leaned back. He sighed heavily, resting his hands across his stomach. “He will find out soon enough.”

He gave her a fond look and patted her hand. “I couldn’t bear to miss what happens next. You have nothing to fear, child. We have things well in hand. Just you wait and see.” He gave her a wink.

That’s what worried Diana most. Samuel was an old man. Dying. The trip home would be a hard for him, and Diana feared it would be his last. “The excitement—”

Samuel waved away her objections. “I need to do this. After all the harm I have done to you and your family, this is the only thing I can do to make amends.” He gave her a significant look. “Allow me this last chore. It’s the only thing that will ease my soul before I die.”

Giving into the inevitable, Diana held her tongue, and Gabriel entered at that moment.

“Ready?” Even though he was angry at her for ruining his plans, she marveled at the way his eyes lit up when he saw her—like she was something precious.

“Yes.” Diana helped Samuel to his feet. Without another word, they piled into the carriage. Before the door closed, Jack wiggled inside, trying to make himself as unobtrusive as possible, burying himself under her skirts as if to hide from Gabriel’s glare.