Abandoned to the Night (The Brotherhood Series, Book 3) (14 page)

“I am still struggling to absorb all that I have seen and heard this evening.” Grace sighed. “Elliot has a son. I cannot believe it. Though I knew the truth the moment I laid eyes on him.”

“I know.” Evelyn smiled sympathetically. “I cannot believe we have met the golden-haired devil from Bavaria and are still standing to tell the tale. She was not as terrifying as I imagined.”

“No,” Grace replied dreamily. “Despite her confidence and the obvious strength that emanates from her, I think she looks sad, so very sad and lonely.”

They walked towards the tavern.

“Did you see the expression on her face when you asked about Leo?” Grace continued.

“I recall seeing a similar expression on your face,” Evelyn said with a chuckle. “The day we left the apothecary, and you said you would just call around to see Elliot but were gone all afternoon.”

The memory of the time spent in Elliot’s bedchamber came flooding back to warm her cold bones.

“It was rather a special afternoon,” Grace said feeling the heat touch her cheeks. “I don’t know how I am going to find the courage to tell him about the child.”

“All things happen as they are intended to. I am a firm believer in that. You will know what to say when the time comes. I wonder if—” Evelyn stopped abruptly, her attention distracted as Alexander came charging out of the tavern door.

Grace gasped. “I don’t think I have ever seen him look so cross.”

“Leave this to me,” Evelyn whispered. “He is always rather amorous when he is angry.”

“How the hell did you manage to leave your room?” Alexander yelled as he stopped directly in front of them. “Where the hell have you been?”

Evelyn stepped forward and placed her palm on his chest which worked to soothe his ragged breathing. “We’re fine. There is nothing to worry about.” She held her arms open and twirled around. “See. But I am tired and would like to go to our room and lie down.”

A look passed between them. His heated gaze devoured her and she gave a coy smile in response. The passion they shared shone from them like the brightest beacon, and Grace was thankful she could not hear the salacious nature of their thoughts.

“I suspect Elliot is just as angry,” she said, feeling a sudden urge to race to her room, to soothe him, to take him into her eager body in a bid to delay the pain her revelation would cause.

“Angry does not even begin to describe how he feels.” Alexander’s sombre expression did not worry her. She had seen a similar look many times before.

“I should go to him.”

A loud crashing caused them all to jump back as a candlestick came hurtling out of a bedchamber window. It landed with a clunk on the cobbled walkway, along with shards of broken glass.

“Good heavens!” Evelyn gasped as she clutched Alexander’s arm.

A few men came running out of the tavern, tiptoed around the debris as they stared at the strange object on the ground.

“Elliot has completely lost his mind,” Alexander said. “It has taken me the best part of an hour to calm him down and then when he came back to find you’d gone.” He shook his head as though the event was too distressing to recount.

Grace did not wait to hear any more. She raced into the tavern, pushed past those eager to step outside to witness the commotion, tripped on the stairs in her hurry to reach her husband.

The door to their chamber was wide open. Elliot was sitting on the edge of the bed,
slumped forward, holding his head in his hands.

“Elliot.”

“I asked you not to leave.”

Grace closed the door and came to sit by his side. “I’m sorry if I went against your wishes.” She placed her hand on his back. “I did not mean to hurt you or make you angry. That’s the last thing I would ever want.”

When he looked up at her, it wasn’t anger she saw in his eyes. She saw pain and anguish. “It seems I cannot trust anyone anymore.” Bitterness infused his words. “It seems Leo couldn’t wait to betray me. After everything I have done for him.”

“But Leo worships you,” she said incredulously. “He hangs on your every word. What has he done to warrant your contempt?”

Elliot’s mouth curled up in disdain. “He has taken the golden-haired devil to his bed. Apparently, they formed an attachment when she turned him. Conveniently, he had forgotten all about it.”

After noting the look of longing on Ivana’s face at the mere mention of his name, Grace was not surprised. “What did Leo have to say about it?”

Elliot shrugged. “Nothing worthy of my attention. Oh, he followed me, tried to explain, but I’ll be damned before I give him a chance to justify what he’s done.” He jumped up suddenly, thrust his hand through the mop of ebony hair as he paced the room. “God, it makes me retch just to think of them drinking each other’s blood.”

“They drank from each other?” While it might sound horrifying to some, Grace found the idea rather erotic. “Is Leo in love with her?” He must have developed a deep attachment if he had forgiven her for taking his humanity.

“Love?” Elliot mocked. “Neither of them would know the meaning of the word. Leo thinks with his cock.” Upon hearing her gasp, he said, “Forgive me. I’m just so damn angry with him.”

“I know what she did to you, and I do not blame you for despising her. But I do not think Ivana is the devil you make her out to be.”

Elliot stopped abruptly, gazed at her beneath hooded lids. “Ivana? I did not tell you that was her name.”

Grace swallowed. She would not lie to him. “We met Ivana at Herr Bruhn’s house when she came to visit the children.”

“You met her?” Elliot took a step closer, his wide eyes scanning every inch of her body. “If she laid a hand on you then—”

“We spoke to her. That is all. Herr Bruhn said—”

“Who the blazes is Herr Bruhn? And how the hell did you manage to leave this room?”

Grace wasn’t sure which question to address first. “I used wax in my ears, tried to ignore the sound of your voice.”

“Wax? Why? You knew I would be frantic with worry if I came back to find you gone. Anything could have happened to you. She could have sunk her fangs into your neck. She could have—”

“But she didn’t.”

“If I cannot trust you to do what I ask—”

“You know you can trust me,” she cried, rushing to him and taking his hand.

“Can I?” he sneered. “You left this room when I specifically asked you not to.”

“You did not ask me, Elliot. You compelled me. It is not the same thing at all.” Grace gave a frustrated groan. “If anything, I should be the one with a gripe. You forced me to do something against my will. Why would you do such a thing?”

He sucked in a breath, grasped her upper arms. “Because I love you,” he blurted. “I cannot bear the thought of losing you. Without you, I have nothing. You are my world, Grace. Nothing else matters. Nothing.”

The depth of emotion in his voice made her heart swell. He pulled her close, enveloped her in a warm embrace.

“I love you.” She looked up and brushed her lips across his. She hated seeing him distraught. During their time in Yorkshire, he had been so happy, so carefree and she wished she could close her eyes and transport them back to that magical time and place.

But things were different now.

How was she to break the news to him that he had a son?

She pushed the thought aside for the moment. Elliot needed her to ease his fears, and she needed him too. Without another word, she pushed his coat from his shoulders, fumbled with the buttons on his waistcoat. Understanding her silent plea, they undressed each other with an urgency that expressed the raging passion they shared.

When he covered her naked body and pressed her down into the bed, she felt safe. When he filled her with each deep thrust, everything felt right again. A slower, more intimate expression of their love followed the frantic, lust-fuelled coupling. Both activities brought a soul-deep level of satisfaction. Both activities worked to relax them, to banish the anger and fear.

They lay together in sated silence, but Grace’s thoughts were jumbled and chaotic. The curtain blew back and forth through the hole in the smashed window, and she shivered.

“I have something important to tell you,” she said as she snuggled closer to Elliot’s chest. “And I don’t know how to begin.”

Elliot rolled onto his side to face her, brushed the hair from her cheek. “Nothing could be as shocking as what I have witnessed tonight.”

Grace sighed. “We went to visit Herr Bruhn. He takes care of the orphan children of the village, with Ivana’s help and support.” When his mouth twitched at the mere mention of her name, Grace said, “Just listen to me for a moment before you say anything.”

Elliot smirked, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes. “If my anger flares will you soothe it away with your soft hands? Will you caress me and stroke me until I forget what roused my ire?”

“I will do all of those things and more if you will just listen to what I must tell you.”

“Now you have my full attention.”

She thought it best to come straight to the point. “As I said, Ivana supports the children. They are the offspring of English lords who frolic with tavern wenches, with desperate women from the village.” Grace sucked in a breath, placed the palm of her hand over his heart. “That is why she bit you. To stop gentlemen like you fathering more children here.”

“Bloody hell!” he cursed. “I suspected that was the reason.” He fell silent for a moment while he contemplated her words. “I’ve never professed to be a saint, Grace. But I have always been careful in that regard.”

“You were not careful enough, Elliot.” She waited while he absorbed her words.

“Not careful?” he repeated, the faint lines across his brow growing more prominent. “What are you saying?”

She pressed her lips to his, pulled away and looked deeply into his brown eyes. “You have a son here,” she whispered. “A beautiful boy aged three. He lives with Herr Bruhn. Ivana reads to him and tucks him up in bed every night.”

He stared at her for the longest time, gulped and swallowed as he tried to speak. “Did … did the golden-haired devil tell you this?”

“I knew the moment I saw him sleeping so sweetly in his bed. He is like you in so many ways. Ivana merely confirmed what I suspected.”

He rolled onto his back, covered his eyes with his arm; his chest heaved as he struggled to control his breathing.

Grace knew he needed a little time to come to terms with what she had said. Throwing back the sheets, she climbed out of bed and pottered around the room. “I’ll drape a blanket over the window. We cannot risk the morning sun streaming through.”

“Come here. Come back to bed.”

Grace turned to face him. Her heart lurched at his tortured expression, but she knew she must not surrender her body to him. “My touch will not banish the ghosts this time, my love. You must embrace your emotions. You must examine your heart and your conscience.”

She could not ease his torment. She could not tell him how to react or what to do. If he made the wrong decision, if he chose to ignore his responsibilities then a part of her would not forgive him.

“I do not know what to think or feel.” He sat up, leant back against the pillow and dragged his palm down his face. “Who … where is his mother?”

“You must ask Ivana. You need to hear the story from her lips. Then you must meet your son. Only then will you know what to do. Only then will the answer become clear to you.”

He stared at her, his eyes conveying many unspoken words. “I … I don’t want to lose you.”

Graced rushed over to the bed. She tried to kiss away all of his doubts and fears. “You will never lose me, Elliot. We are bound together. Know that I will support you if you decide to take your son home.”

Elliot shook his head as his gaze drifted over her face. “You are a shining light in a world full of misery.”

Grace smiled. “And you are the most honest, kind and generous man I have ever known. Tomorrow we are to go to the castle. Ivana said we have many things to discuss. Listen to her, open your heart to your friend and brother and allow him the freedom to be happy.”

“You do not ask for much,” he mocked.

“Anyone can express anger, but it takes strength and courage to show forgiveness. Understanding Ivana’s motives might help to ease your pain.”

Elliot remained silent for a moment while he considered her words, and then he nodded, his shoulders sagging as he surrendered. “I will not disappoint you. I will do what you ask. I will be the man you want me to be.”

“You’re already that man.” Despite her reservations, she pulled back the sheet and straddled his naked body. She gave a coy smile, knowing what he needed to help soothe his spirit. “Perhaps you could show me again how much I mean to you.”

His mouth curved up into a wicked grin. “It will be my pleasure.”

Chapter 13

As soon as Ivana’s carriage rattled over the castle’s cobblestone bridge, her solemn mood improved. Just knowing she would spend the night encased in Leo’s strong arms was enough to chase away all morbid thoughts of the children and the Bruhns.