In the Garden of Temptation (37 page)

Catherine relinquished Annabelle to the
nursemaid, who had materialized from the shadows, and came to stand
at the head of the staircase, horrified by what had just occurred.
She raced down the stairs to her husband’s side, skinning her knees
as she fell to the floor beside him.

“
Edgar,” she cried, “I
didn’t want this to happen.”

She went to touch his face, and even in his
agony he flinched away from her.

“
No,” he moaned.

“
Won’t you let me offer you
comfort even now, Edgar?” Tears of remorse gathered at the edges of
her eyes and slipped unheeded down her cheeks.

“
If I could not take a hand
to save my very life, how can your touch comfort me now?” He gasped
the words slowly, one at a time.

Catherine could think of no response, for in
the end his affliction would finish his wretched existence.

An eerie rattling began in his chest, and a
trickle of blood bubbled on his lip, oozing from the corner of his
mouth. He turned sightless eyes on his wife, clearly aware of her
although she believed he could no longer see.

“
I did love you,” he croaked
faintly, his voice as frail and brittle as old tissue
paper.

Then he was gone, and with him went the
demons that had plagued his so mercilessly.

His wife put her face in her hands and wept
for the pathetic person who had passed into another world. She did
not love him, never had. Her grief did not stem from the loss of
someone dear, but for the futility of the baron’s unnatural life.
To exit this world leaving no one who cared was an utter
tragedy.

She watched as Robby and another footman
removed the body, and she was overcome by the irony of the
situation. Now, only in death would Edgar have the warmth of human
touch, and he would never know. More’s the pity.

*****

Tender hands lifted Catherine from the cold
floor, and she looked into Adam’s face.

“
Come, my love,” he said
gently, “there’s nothing more you can do.” He whisked her up into
his arms and moved to the stairs. “Where’s your lady’s room?” he
asked Edna Fielding, who stood nearby.

The maid led the way and Adam strode behind
her, clutching his precious load. “Thank you,” he said in dismissal
as he entered the chamber and kicked the heavy door into place.

Adam set Catherine on her feet. The tears had
ended, but she appeared to be in a state of shock. With unsteady
fingers he undid the hooks on the front of her gown, easing the
garment from her shoulders. She wore only a shift and he tried not
to notice her shapely limbs as they came into view, for this was
not the time to suggest lovemaking.

He refrained because of her sensibilities,
not his own. In Adam’s estimation, with the baron’s death they had
cleared their greatest hurdle. He would have been a hypocrite to
pretend otherwise, and he had no intention of doing that.

And gone was the sense of urgency that had
always accompanied their relationship. She was his now—nothing
stood in his way. He would wait for a more appropriate opportunity.
He still had not spoken of her father’s death, but with all that
had happened this night, he could not bring himself to mention that
just yet, either.

He escorted her to the bed, and she followed
without demurring as he helped her climb between the crisp, cool
sheets. He supposed if he did what he ought, he would leave her to
sleep. Certainly, for appearance’s sake he knew it was the thing to
do, but it simply did not seem to matter. He disrobed down to his
skin and joined her beneath the covers.

Adam drew her into his arms, and she nestled
her soft body into his embrace. Already Catherine slept, for he
could feel the gentle, warm puffs of her even breathing on his
throat. Certain this intimacy would never allow him to rest, he
closed his eyes, prepared to play the martyr. Within moments he was
unconscious.

*****

A rising cloud of dust in the distance
alerted Catherine to the impending arrival of her company. She
stood at the entrance to the castle, waiting for her visitor. Her
stomach was knotted with apprehension, and it dropped in panic as a
horse-drawn vehicle rounded the lane and came into sight. Why, oh
why had Adam chosen today to talk to the magistrate? She wished he
were here to help her get through this frightful meeting.

The carriage came to a stop at the base of
the walk on the circular drive, and the coachman leapt down from
his perch to open the door for the lone passenger. Catherine
pressed the front of her skirt with nervous fingers and forced a
smile of welcome.

She stepped forward with the intention of
offering her hand but when the gentleman straightened and looked at
her, she screamed in terror and fell back from him. Edgar! But
that’s impossibile—Edgar was dead.

“
Are you all right?” the man
with Edgar’s features asked, concern furrowing his brow.

“
Who are you?” she implored,
stricken.

“
Why, I’m Edward Bourgeault.
Oh, I see,” he said, his eyes lighting with understanding. “My
brother did not tell you we were twins. This must be rather
shocking.”

Understatement that, she thought. She felt as
though she had been dropped off the side of a cliff.

“
I’ll recover,” Catherine
said as she drew in a shaky breath. “Won’t you come in,
sir?”

He smiled congenially and followed. “It would
be like Edgar not to mention such an important detail. I’m somewhat
surprised he spoke of me at all.”

“
He did so reluctantly,” she
admitted as she escorted him to the parlor. She asked him please to
be seated and offered him refreshment.

“
No, no thank you.” He
paused for a moment, watching her. “You are as beautiful as I have
heard.” The words were complimentary and without
insinuation.

She smiled graciously as she sat down across
from him. “I appreciate how kind you’ve been. Your letter was very
reassuring.”

“
And why not?” he asked,
leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. “You’ve had a
terrible time of it, I’d be willing to wager. If you think I hold
you responsible in some way, disabuse yourself of the notion
immediately. I loved my brother, but I suspect he is the cause of
his own demise.”

“
I think he was very ill
toward the end,” Catherine agreed. “He was irrational at
times.”

Edward did not speak for several minutes as
he studied the landscape outside the window, and then he brought
his gaze back to hers as though he had come to some weighty
decision.

“
First, let me say, Edgar
was always complex. He could be moody and difficult but unstable, I
would swear to that. I’ve tried for years to determine exactly when
he became different, and one incident stands out very lucidly in my
mind.” He paused and cleared his throat. “The subject is delicate,
you must understand. Forgive me if I offend you.”

“
If you think you know how
Edgar came to be as he was, I’d like to know.”

“
I’ll take you at your word.
When we were boys, around about eight summers, a distant cousin
came to visit. We were very fond of him, looked up to him,
especially Edgar. He was older, but he spent a great deal of time
with us. One afternoon I went fishing with him alone and, to put it
as politely as possible, he made improper advances toward
me.”

“
Dear lord!” she
gasped.

Edward nodded. “As you say. I told my father
and the cousin was gone within the hour. I never thought much on
the incident after that—it left no scars of which I’m aware, but
about that time my brother began to change. I’ve come to believe
that my cousin must have been more successful in his attempt to
seduce Edgar than he had been with me.”

“
How sad.”

“
Yes, indeed. Edgar did not
alter all at once, you understand. It was a gradual thing, but by
the time he reached adolescence he could not tolerate anyone
touching him. He was a very angry young man.”

“
Why was he angry with
you?”

He sighed. “When we were about nineteen or
twenty, I can’t quite remember, he became part of a group of
aristocratic youths who were involved in some very unsavory goings
on. They drank and gambled, which was not unusual, but I also think
they committed some illegal acts. What angered the countryside was
the ravishing of a local village girl.

“
Of course, I knew Edgar
could not be part of that, but he refused to acquit himself of the
charges so ashamed was he of his disability. Thank goodness my
father was dead by that time, for I don’t know how he would have
stood the disgrace. But my mother still lived. I told Edgar he must
clear his name and forget his friends. He would not, therefore, I
packed our belongings and took Mother back to her people in
Cornwall. I met my future wife there and decided to
stay.”

“
Is that what he meant when
he said you deserted him?” Catherine asked.

“
I’m afraid so. He felt our
leaving gave credence to the rumors surrounding him, and we’d left
him here to bear the brunt of his supposed crimes. The talk
eventually died down, but Edgar vowed never to forgive me, and he
was nothing if not spiteful. We did not heal the rift between us,”
he said in obvious regret.

“
I’m sure recounting this
history has been painful, but I appreciate your candor. It helps me
to understand Edgar better. Much of what he did was baffling to
me.”

“
No doubt,” he concurred.
“When do you leave?”

“
This evening after the
funeral.”

“
Your young man is
here?”

Catherine was uncomfortable for the first
time. “You know of him then?”

“
I have contacts on the
estate who keep me informed.” He smiled at her. “I am not unaware
of what has been happening.”

She gazed at him sadly, unable to think of
anything to say.

Edward pulled forward on his seat and took
her hand across the short distance that separated them. “My dear, I
was sincere when I told you I did not hold you responsible for
Edgar’s predicament. He should never have taken advantage of your
unfortunate situation to force a marriage. What he hoped to gain, I
can’t imagine.”

She noticed humor lines around his eyes as he
spoke, and all at once he did not look like Edgar at all.
Mesmerized by the kindness she saw reflected on his features, she
realized that a gentle mind behind Edgar’s homely face would have
made all the difference.

“
I can’t tell you how much I
appreciate your understanding. I won’t lie—it has been a
trial.”

“
Is there anything of value
on the estate that has come to mean something to you? I want you to
feel free to take whatever you wish.”

“
Oh, absolutely not,” she
said. “It would not be right.”

“
Come, come, there must be
something after all these years.”

“
I can’t think of—” She
stopped as a sudden thought struck her. “Well, perhaps…”

“
Tell me,” he encouraged
her.

“
If you should ever decide
to sell Edgar’s grays, I would like first crack at
them.”

His broke into a brilliant grin. “Ah, yes,
the twin grays—my brother was obsessed with them, I’m told. I
always thought it interesting he named them Cain and Abel. Somewhat
ironic, don’t you think? They are yours,” he said
magnanimously.

“
I couldn’t possibly.”
Startled by his generosity, Catherine regretted having made the
suggestion.

“
It’s settled,” he insisted
as he came to his feet. “I’m not much of a horseman, so it causes
me no pain to part with them. I thank you for making it so easy for
me. Now, I think it’s time I became reacquainted with my
home.”

He did have a trait in common with his
brother, she thought ruefully as she watched him leave. He could
bully one into doing a thing that seemed totally unsuitable.
Truthfully, though, she was secretly pleased.

*****

The funeral had been dreary and Catherine
felt drained. Her heart went out to Edward Bourgeault, for she
sensed real grief there. He had done his best to remain aloof, but
clearly he was having a difficult time of it. She suspected all the
years and all the miles had not been enough to destroy the special
bond that had existed between the brothers. And for Edgar’s sake
she was glad there had been someone at that dreadful little
ceremony who had sincerely mourned his passing.

“
Are you ready, my
dear?”

Adam joined Catherine at the foot of the
staircase where she stood in the middle of a virtual sea of
traveling bags, giving last minute instructions to a weeping
Edna.

Catherine nodded in his direction then turned
back to the maid. “Come now, I told you it is only until we are
settled. We’ll send for you just as soon as we are able.”

“
But who will care for
Annabelle?” Edna bawled as she clutched said infant to her
breast.

“
I think I’m up to the
task,” Catherine said kindly, reaching for her baby. “I must take
the wet-nurse, and with all this luggage there simply is not enough
room for one more. Now buck up. The time will pass
quickly.”

“
Yes, my lady.” The maid
sniffed mistily as she ran the back of her hand across her pink
nose.

“
Besides,” Catherine
whispered, “Robby’s still here.”