Jonathan Barrett Gentleman Vampire (70 page)

“I left the house carrying some of James’s clothes,” she said. “I changed into them, then cut across the fields to get to town, before any of you arrived.”

Sweet heavens. She must have taken the idea from the play I’d given Anne to read. Certainly a woman would have greater ease of mobility and be less noticeable in men’s clothing.

“What did you do?”

“Watched and waited. When I saw Knox in the room with you, I broke the window and shot him, then ran. James led them in the wrong direction, away from me. I got back, changed again, and went on to the house with no one the wiser.”

“Then what?”

“That was all. The whole thing had been so much of a risk and all for nothing because you obviously didn’t know anything harmful against us. I then told James to work on the girl. Marriage to her was safer and more profitable. Besides . . . there would be others soon enough.”

Others?
I didn’t take her meaning right away. It was too awful to see, I suppose, and when I did, I wished that I hadn’t.

Elizabeth was only to be the first in a series of marriages. Now that they’d worked out their ploy, they would eventually venture forth to take full advantage of any number of other women with a fortune. These were gainful days, for the war was daily making vulnerable young widows eager to have a strong protector help them look after their inherited assets. Over the years the Norwoods would be able to accrue thousands of pounds with little effort or expenditure of their own funds.

Of course to proceed to others, they would have to find a way of divesting themselves of Elizabeth’s company fairly soon, but in these unsettled times it would be simple enough to arrange something with Ash and his cutthroats. Mention of it had already been made to him and an agreement struck weeks back before the wedding.

And, apparently, he would come calling soon, on one of the three nights of the full moon.

The idea was to make it look like another rebel incursion, an attack taking place on a night when it would be least expected. Norwood was to emerge full of anguish to relate the sad tale of how he’d been knocked unconscious trying to defend his house, awakening after all was over to discover the body of his bride, foully murdered by the pitiless raiders in their quest for booty. How easy for him afterward to collect his inheritance from her estate and leave, playing the part of a grief-stricken widower.

How it must have rankled when I’d shown up unforeseen on the first of the nights they’d allotted for the deed.

It had been the topic of Norwood and Caroline’s intense converse while I’d seen to the horses. Their disagreement was whether to keep me there to be killed too or see to it I departed and was kept too busy to return. Caroline’s insistence on going home was to insure I’d be well away from things. Originally she was to remain to provide another witness to the assault and perhaps go into distracting hysterics if needed later on during the aftermath. With my miraculous survival of the two previous attempts on my life, she’d developed a kind of wary superstition of my luck and would take no chances.

Her plans had been laid; she did not want me around to risk the least disruption of them. But to get me out, she’d have to go as well, and Norwood hadn’t liked it. His dear and loving wife was the more clever of the two, after all; he’d wanted her with him, just in case anything unanticipated did arise.

I had been able to control myself up to this point. Their attacks upon others, their murder of Knox, their murders using Ash as their weapon, their attack upon me, upon Father, none of it had been pleasant to hear, but I’d just been able to stand it.

But not this—hearing this cold recitation of the fine points of how they intended to kill my dearly loved sister. It was impossible for me, impossible for any man with a heart to endure. Until the words were out of her lips, I thought I’d reached the furthest limit of rage. Now a raw and roaring blast of it tore through me like a wild storm.

I was lost to it . . . utterly lost.

Blind and deaf to all reason, all restraint, it clawed its way out of the darkest places of my soul—

And right into Caroline’s.

* * *

When I came to myself, I was on the other side of the room, face to the wall, hands pressed to my thundering skull as though to keep it from breaking to pieces. It felt as though someone had scooped my brain out and dropped it carelessly back again the wrong way around. Sick and dizzy, I was sure that something dreadful had happened, but was as bewildered as a newly wakened sleeper. It took a moment to sort dream from reality.

The dream was a fading memory of a shapeless dark
thing
that had bounded up from some deep place within me. Ugly and huge, if my amorphous anger could have taken on a such a hideous form and size, it might have looked like that. It had been all force and fury, erupting forth, filling the room, filling the world, overflowing it, overwhelming it. It bellowed and raved, smashed and hurled this way and that before finally driving itself into another vessel other than myself. It seemed too large for the other to hold without shattering.

And so it proved.

I gradually became aware of the reality where it sat slumped at the table. Caroline’s eyes told the tale of what had happened. I’d seen such eyes on Tony Warburton after Nora’s temper had exceeded control and broken free while he’d been under her influence. She’d snapped his mind like a twig, and now I’d done exactly the same thing to this wretch.

Caroline stared at nothing, shivering a little. Each time she blinked, her head twitched slightly. Her trembling hands rested uneasily upon the table, inches from the incriminating letter.

Cautiously, watching her every move, I plucked it from her reach, folded it and tucked it away, hardly aware of the action. I also eased one hand into the pocket of her riding coat and drew out her pistol, placing it into my own coat pocket. It would not be a good idea to leave her armed.

But it might not matter. She paid no mind to me or anything else. With hard certainty, I knew that she had no mind left. It was just the same as before with Warburton.

Nora regretted her loss of control, though; I could not. I regarded Caroline with a bitter and unholy satisfaction. I could not raise the least shame for what I’d done to her, nor was there any desire to try. If that made me wicked, then so be it; it could hardly compare with what she and her husband planned for Elizabeth.

There was a sudden and strange peace within me, as though Caroline had somehow drained away my doubts about myself, about what I would have to do next. The attack might take place tonight or not, and I would rush there instantly to get Elizabeth away to safety. But aside from that threat I had determined my sister would not spend one more minute in that violating bastard’s company.

* * *

I hurried into the common room and was surprised to find all was as right and normal as could be. I’d had some idea that they might have heard a row coming from the private room and be alert to trouble, but though I got curious looks, no one said anything. All the noise had been in my head, it seemed, part of the dream . . . or rather, the nightmare.

Only Mr. Farr, who had witnessed my initial reaction to the letter, took it upon himself to come over and have his curiosity answered. “Are you all right, Mr. Barrett?”

Some dissembling was required, then. Very well. I knew I could manage. It did not take much to look dismayed and put a tremor into my voice. “A little brandy for Lady Caroline, she has suffered some sort of a fit.”

“A fit?” he questioned, even as he turned away to find the right bottle.

“One moment we were talking and the next she put her hand to her head and seemed to fall asleep. I got her to wake up, but she seems dazed. I want one of your lads to fetch Dr. Beldon as quickly as possible.”

“Certainly, sir.”

“Is there a woman who can sit with her?”

“I’ll see to it.” He came back with the brandy, full of bustling concern, which blossomed into a fearful shock once he saw the Caroline’s blank face. He immediately sent for his wife, then dispatched two of his stablemen off to my house to get Beldon.

It went smoothly and quickly, taking only minutes, better than I’d hoped, though I begrudged the time. I simply mirrored his feelings, then announced that I’d go fetch her brother, Lord James. This was met with grim approval. Yes, it was far and away the best thing that could be done; by all means her closest relative should be told of this strange illness.

Farr and Mrs. Farr were already speculating in hushed tones about apoplexy as I hurried out the door and jumped onto Rolly’s back. I clung hard to him until we were clear of the village, and then I partially vanished. Holding myself halfway between solidity and nothingness greatly lightened his burden and gave him more speed.

He seemed to sense my urgency and tore away like the wind.

* * *

No lights showed when I arrived at the house. Everyone had gone to bed.

My relief at this show of normality was physical. Resuming a corporeal body, I sagged exhausted in the saddle as though I’d been the one to do the running and not my horse. There was still time.

This was a small household, just Elizabeth and James and the valet, Harridge. They also had a cook, maid and scullery boy, all part of the same family, but they lived in their own house a quarter mile farther along. So convenient for the Norwoods, so convenient for Ash. Fewer witnesses. James had successfully isolated Elizabeth without raising any suspicions.

I dismounted and quietly walked to the front door, vanished and slipped through the narrow space of the threshold, reappearing on the inside. I had no plan, no idea of what I was going to do, only blind faith that the right path would present itself now that I was here.

Going to the front parlor, I busied myself with the tinder box by the fireplace and soon had a number of candles burning throughout the room. I wanted a lot of light. When I was done, I went to the entry below the staircase landing and bellowed out my sister’s name. I couldn’t bring myself to go up to their bedroom.

After a moment, Norwood called down, looking understandably astonished. “Jonathan? My God, man! What are you doing here? Has something happened to Caroline?”

“Jonathan?” Elizabeth hesitantly called.

“Come down, please,” I said, in a softer tone. I was not speaking to him. For a tiny instant, I nearly wavered and fled. I was about to deliver a terrible wound to a soul I loved more than life. Perhaps I should spirit her away with no explanation, leave the pain for later, when Father would be there to help.

“What the devil are you about, man?” Norwood demanded, sounding highly aggrieved and worried. He had much to be anxious about.

No
. I crushed my doubts.
Not one more minute with him
.

Soon they came, Elizabeth wrapped in a loose gown over her nightclothes, Norwood still dressed except for his coat and waistcoat.

Of course. He would want to be ready for his murdering guests when they arrived. Easy enough for him to make some excuse to Elizabeth so he could remain downstairs on watch to let them in. Caroline had given me to understand that midnight was to be the appointed hour on any of three nights. If they’d not arrived by then, he’d go up to bed as usual.

Norwood and Elizabeth followed me into the parlor and stopped, faces anxious, full of curiosity and not a small touch of annoyance at my intrusion.

“What is it, Jonathan?” asked Elizabeth, coming over to me.

“Yes,” said Norwood. “Is it the war? What’s wrong?” He stopped short, having noticed the pistol in my hand. It was Caroline’s. I had it pointed at the floor, but he was plainly wondering why I was in possession of it.

Elizabeth noticed as well and drew away. “What is it? What’s wrong? Was there trouble on the road? Is it Father? Is he ill or hurt?”

“No, nothing like that,” I said. “I’ve . . . I’ve learned something that you need to know.”

“Learned what?”

I drew out the letter. “This arrived from Oliver. It’s on the top page.” A cowardly way to tell her, but if I’d tried to speak the words would have choked me on the spot. Besides, I had to keep watch on—

“Really, Jonathan,” said Norwood. “What is so important that you had to come by at this hour? Where’s Caroline?”

Elizabeth took the letter and held it so the candlelight fell upon the damning page and read. Then she gave a moaning gasp and sat heavily on one of the chairs. “My God . . . .”

“Elizabeth? What is it?” Norwood, made uneasy with her failure to reply, faced me square, a much put-upon man defending his household. “See here, Jonathan, I won’t be having you barging in like this without a word of explanation.”

“Be quiet.” It was all I could do not to shoot him then and there.

He flushed. “And I won’t be spoken to like that in my own home even if you are my brother-in-law!”

“You’re no relation to me and you know it. Be quiet or I will kill you where you stand.”

His mouth dropped open, but nothing came forth. He saw how I looked. He put that together with the letter and finally, finally the true import behind my actions began to dawn upon him.

“Elizabeth?” I spared her a glance. She had become smaller and trembled as though chilled to the bone. The letter quivered so in her hand that she had to press the rattling pages against the chair arm to read it again. She’d have to read it several times, even as I had.

She turned to me, eyes pleading. “This is true, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” The word burned my tongue.

“It’s not some silly joke of Oliver’s . . . .”

“No. I showed this to Caroline. I made her talk. She was . . . unable to lie. She and Norwood are married. Everything they’ve told us is a sham.”

Elizabeth let the letter drop and stared past me, not to her husband, but to the monster who had betrayed her. Her eyes blurred under the welling tears.

“How
could
you?”
she asked him in a broken voice that pierced me right through the heart. “
Why?
”

“How could I what? Elizabeth—” He reached toward her, putting on a convincing show of bewilderment and tender concern. I cuffed him back with my free arm barely able to hold myself in check. Sensing the rage, he subsided, watchful.