if hes wicked (6 page)

think your uncle and your wife know of every little thing you have done over the past year?”

Julian thought about that possibility for a few moments and then shook his head. “No, I think not. They have obviously kept a watch on what I was

doing, and where, or hired someone else to do it so that they could plan their attempts to kil me, but I can think of several times when they would have had a good chance of succeeding yet nothing happened. And I did gamble and there were some losses, but nothing too severe.”

“Then I believe it might be wise to conjure up a few sizeable debts, ones that could be produced quickly if the sale of certain properties looked

imminent. Think of which properties you would truly regret losing and write a chit deeding it or its profits over to me or Edgar or both of us.”

“You have an astonishingly devious mind,” Julian said, unable to hold the thought back any longer.

“Thank you.”

“I wil give some hard thought to which properties I truly do not wish to lose and then see to it that you and Edgar have the proper papers to hold up

any attempt to sel them for a very long time.”

“Let us pray that we wil not need a very long time to clean up this treacherous mess. Now, what about that wil ?”

“As I said, I made a new one when I realized Beatrice had betrayed me, but I cannot be certain if it stil exists. About six months ago, during one of

my more sober days, I had a meeting with my solicitor and I got the strongest feeling that he had been corrupted. I told myself Beatrice’s betrayal was just making me too suspicious.”

Leo nodded. “Possibly, but probably not true in this matter. A copy?”

“There is one at Kenwood House, but if my solicitor does not stand behind it, it may not be worth very much. In it I left much of what was not

entailed to Edgar, my sister, or my mother.” Julian grimaced. “Even if the copy has been found, Arthur could try to do as you have suggested—declare me

incompetent at the time it was written.”

“It could stil serve to slow down any sales or gross thievery. It would tie their hands with al sorts of convoluted legalities. In truth, it could tie their hands in ways they have never been tied before.”

“Of course. I have heard a few men bemoan such legal tangles from time to time. Yet, I would have thought my uncle clever enough to foresee al

that. And Beatrice cannot believe she wil be my uncle’s countess now that I am dead. Nigel is my heir, and Arthur and Beatrice cannot marry anyway.

Even if my uncle was not married already, he is too close a relative to me to marry my widow, is he not?”

Leo shrugged. “So he proves your marriage is not valid. Most women would shy away from the scandal that would cause but not, I think, your wife.”

“Sadly true, and neither she nor my uncle would care that such a thing would mark my son as a bastard.”

“Seeing as they were wil ing to let the child die—nay. And, remember, they think the boy is long dead.”

Julian tensed. “If Arthur plans to marry Beatrice, then my aunt Mildred may be in danger.”

“Quite possibly,” agreed Leo, “but not to worry. I have someone watching over her and your little cousins.”

Staring at Leo in growing wonder, Julian asked, “Someone similar to the relative you have watching over my brother in Canada?”

“In some ways, but better and far more suitable. A mature woman who now acts as a companion to your aunt and a governess to the girls.”

“How much protection can a mature woman be?”

“A lot, and her two hulking sons are always close at hand.” Leo smiled. “Your aunt needed some new footmen, you see.”

“And they al have, er, gifts?”

Leo smiled faintly. “I know you find it al very difficult to believe, but, aye, they al have gifts, ones that wil make it nearly impossible for your uncle to hurt your aunt.”

“I do not mean to insult you by doubting your word,” Julian said and then grimaced, knowing his doubt was indeed an insult, for it implied that Leo

was a liar.

“Doubt causes me no injuries. If I had not grown up with such gifts, if they did not infect my entire family like some strange plague, I am not sure I

would easily believe in such things, either.”

“Are you given to having visions, too?”

“Not as Chloe does. I am not even sure you could cal what I have
the sight.”
Leo shrugged again. “I simply, and often abruptly, just
know
things.

Sad to say, I usual y just know dark things, dangerous things. What I am very good at is knowing that someone is lying—by word, deed, or appearance.”

“By damn, but that must be helpful.” Julian puzzled over the sadness that briefly swept over Leo’s face.

“It is, but it is also a curse in its own way. We al lie, do we not? I have come to accept that; can even see that it is necessary at times. Due to the

work I do for our government, king and country, I have also become very proficient in the art of lying. As a smal , sickly, homely child, however—”

“You, sir, were never a homely child.”

Leo nodded in silent thanks for the compliment, but continued, “I
was
, if only because I was so sickly, and we al know that what one looks like as a child does not always carry through to an adult. Add to that a mother who found such
gifts
increasingly alarming and, let us just say, it was difficult. On the other hand, I can know when a woman’s beauty is more false than true, more artifice than nature,” Leo drawled and smiled.

“That is a gift many men would like to have.” Julian sighed, thinking of al the grief such a gift might have saved him.

“Unless, of course, it tel s you that the woman who is tel ing you what a great lover you are is lying through her pretty teeth.”

“God forbid. Did that—no, forget I asked.”

“I wil . Back to the matter at hand. I believe your aunt and cousins need not worry us. If it is your uncle’s plan to rid himself of his wife once he is the earl, then she is safe unless you and Nigel die. The title and estates would not go to the sons of your sisters?”

Julian slowly shook his head. “No, it fol ows only through the males. Since my father is dead, if Nigel and I die without issue, that leaves no male in

my father’s line, so it jumps over to my uncle and his line. After that there are only cousins, some quite distant. Arthur is the first Kenwood in written

memory who has not bred a son, only daughters.”

“Which might mean the man would then look for a new wife.”

“Only if he cares about passing down the heritage to a son. These papers imply that he is only interested in the wealth of the estates and titles.”

Julian rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “By what I can see written here, once Nigel and I are gone, Arthur wil try even harder to wring every coin he can out of the estate. Whoever comes after him wil find little of value left.”

“And that is why we now make plans to try and put some very strong restraints on him.”

“That we can do, and now I can even see how. What might not be so easy is how to prove that he and Beatrice tried to kil my son and me. You

have little here and none of it would hold up very wel against my uncle’s skil with words or deception, nor against the connections he has made over the

years. Not friends, but confederates, and some unwil ing ones.”

“Ah, blackmail.” Leo nodded. “I did learn that he is very skil ed at discovering those secrets one wishes wel buried and wields them wel . I have

extracted a few from his grasp, but the sort of threat he holds over some of the men, and women, is not one easily fixed or uncovered.”

Julian stared at Leo in surprise. “How do you know he has secrets he can use?”

“I work for the Home Office, if you recal .” Leopold grinned. “The men I work for are very good at ferreting out secrets, and they do not like anyone

to be able to get a tight grip on one of the people they use. I gained a lot of my information on your uncle through my work for them. Not al of his gains are from your pockets. We suspect he sold information to the Americans and is now offering his services to the French.”

For a moment Julian felt strongly inclined to
succumb
again, but he fought off the light-headed feeling brought on by the extreme shock of learning a traitor had tainted the Kenwood bloodlines. His line was wel dotted with rogues, debauchers, pirates, and a host of other not so proud figures, but never a traitor. The Kenwoods had al been loyal to England. They might have fought on opposite sides in the wars over who would rule Her, cheated Her, stolen

from Her, and criticized Her, but none had ever betrayed Her to an enemy. There had been an unbroken line of loyalty to country in the Kenwood family

right from the raw beginnings of the family. Julian did not want to think that his uncle had stepped over that line, broken it, and brought such deep dishonor to the family name.

“Are you certain?” he asked Leo.

“As certain as we can be without the hard proof that could put the man on the gal ows,” replied Leopold. “The Home Office feels that if we can

hang him for other crimes, such as kil ing you—”

“But at the end of this game, if we win, I wil not be dead.”

“Nay, but others are, and the many attempts upon your life are enough to hang the man or banish him from the country. The men I work for would

prefer a more final end to this, however.”

“So would I. If Arthur was stil alive at the end of this, I would always feel as if I had a knife at my back.”

“As would I.”

“Do you think my uncle contributed much to the loss of the Colonies?”

“Nay. We never could have won that war, and a lot of us knew it from the first warnings in the air. Everything from the impossible logistics of

supplying men, even getting our forces over there, to the vastness of the land, the tenacity of the people, worked against us. Some like to blame the

French for the loss, but their aid to the rebels was not enough to credit them with the victory and, personal y, I think it demeans al the Colonials who fought and died for what they believed in. Again, we would have lost that battle anyway. I thought it a mistake from the very beginning.”

“In truth, so did I. That does not ease the bite of shame that comes from knowing my uncle was a traitor, however.”

“I did not think it would. I just wanted to pontificate.” Leo shared a brief grin with Julian but quickly grew serious again. “Your uncle’s treachery

against England does not need to become common knowledge.”

“There is comfort in that. How many know that Arthur might be a traitor?”

“Very few, and they are utterly trustworthy. If the problem were solved in some other way, they would destroy al of their records concerning your

uncle’s traitorous activities. They do not want to stain the good name of Kenwood. Your father was wel loved and greatly respected, as was your

grandfather.”

Julian nodded and slumped against the pil ows. He was exhausted and he knew some of it was because of the shock he had suffered over the

news that his uncle was a traitor. Leopold might have said that there was not enough hard proof to hang Arthur for that crime, but the men at the Home

Office would not even be hinting at it if they were not certain. They were just waiting to find enough to convince the courts since they knew they would need a lot of proof to convict a Kenwood of treason.

“If Arthur is decried as a traitor, it wil destroy my aunt. Not only does she come from a long line of honorable military men, but she wil lose

everything, and the stain of it wil cling to her daughters far longer than it wil to any of the rest of us.”

“Which is why the Home Office hopes that his crimes against his own country never come to light. Your aunt is wel liked and her family’s service to

the country highly respected. Indeed, a number of my superiors’ wives are amongst her very good friends.” Leopold smiled faintly. “One or two share most

news with their wives, respecting their intel igence and their integrity, and it was made very clear that your aunt and her daughters did not deserve to suffer for Arthur’s crimes. Trust me in this, even though efforts are being made to uncover the ful truth about his traitorous activities, it is mostly to cut away his contacts and leave him unable to continue to betray the country. The hope is strong that some other way wil be found to be rid of the man, and soon.”

“Do your superiors know that I am alive?”

“My direct superior and his own superior are the only ones who know. Sad to say, we believe your uncle has a grip on a few of our men. We are

working hard to find out who they are. After al , even if al they do is work to hinder us in finding out the truth about Arthur, they are a weak link and the Home Office cannot afford to have any weak links. There are some dark rumblings in France, and who knows where they wil lead us.”

“’Tis a shame my uncle did not use his obvious talent for ferreting out secrets for the good of England.”

“I fear working for king and country does not often make a man rich.”

“And wealth is my uncle’s god.” Julian sighed. “I fear I may be pushed to spil the blood of my own uncle ere this trial is done.”

“Let us hope that necessary chore wil be done by another. However, better that than the deaths of you, Nigel, and Anthony. And, mayhap, your

aunt. Better that wel -justified stain upon your hands than the unfair one upon the name of Kenwood.”

“Very true. And that is a truth I wil hold fast to, for it wil keep me from hesitating if I am faced with that choice.”

A sharp rap at the door ended the conversation, and Julian was relieved. The talking and the news that Arthur might wel be a traitor had sapped

his strength. He knew it was cowardly, but he wanted the conversation to end before he was told any more bad news.

The clock on the mantel told him who was at the door. It was time for another visit from his son. Julian was a little disturbed to discover that he was

keenly anticipating another visit from Chloe as wel . That interest had to be buried and buried deeply. He might have cut al ties to his wife, but, by law, he was stil a married man. Instinct told him that Chloe was not a woman one had an idle flirtation with. She was a woman who would drag emotion into it, and