Macbeth's Niece (35 page)

When she had finished, Jeffrey stared into
the fire for a few moments. “I never thought to hold the title. I’m
not even sure if I want it.” She sat quietly, giving him time to
think things through. Finally, he asked, “Aidan came to see
you?”

“Yes, he came shortly after I met Mary on
the street.”

Jeffrey frowned. “Why did my brother visit
you?”

Momentarily nonplussed, Tessa hesitated. How
much of Aidan’s conversation should she reveal? “He…was concerned
for my welfare and he…expressed hope that the future will be
better.” It sounded weak, even to her own ears. “Why do you
ask?”

Now Jeffrey answered too vaguely: “I only
wondered how he took the news of my return. It may be hard for
Aidan, after thinking he was heir to Brixton, to find I am alive.
Of course, I will be more generous to him than William ever was,
but still, to be master is more desirable than to be second, no
matter to whom.”

Tessa nodded agreement. It would be hard for
Aidan to accept Jeffrey’s return, considering the circumstances.
She’d felt his disappointment at the news when she’d revealed it.
Still, Jeffrey was his brother, and Aidan seemed a man who had
always adjusted to what life demanded. He would simply have to
adjust once more.

Another question formed in Tessa’s mind, and
she asked, “Did you truly lose your memory when you fell into the
sea?”

“Yes, that was no act.” His face reflected
the pain of it. “I did not know who I was or where I came from.
Things came back to me, but only in bits. I remember almost
everything now.” His eyes told her he recalled how their
relationship began. “After I saw you that day dressed as yourself,
the pieces of my past began to form into a comprehensible whole.
You, Eleanor, and Brixton, the things I care about.”

Tessa chose to ignore his inclusion of her
in the listing of things he cherished. “Yet you gave no sign you
knew me then.”

Jeffrey’s eyes crinkled as he grinned at
her. “One of the more vivid images was of a furiously angry girl
vowing to someday avenge her grievances against me in any way
possible. How could I be sure that same girl would not take the
opportunity to have Hawick throw me into his donjon for
eternity?”

Tessa blushed as she remembered. “I have
forgotten that vow, Jeffrey, and I wish you no harm.”

“I came to that conclusion soon after, but
then I was forced to betray you to Hawick to save your life when he
learned you carried gold.” Jeffrey frowned in curiosity. “Why did
you not use Macbeth’s gold to ransom me?”

“After meeting the people in that place,
Banaugh and I decided Hawick would take the money and kill us all
anyway. Besides, I—I thought you were content at Hawick’s
with—”

Jeffrey smiled again. “With Mairie? Oh,
Tessa, if you knew how evil that woman is.”

“I have had some words with her,” Tessa
responded, “and I have an inkling.”

“Maire wants wealth and power.” Jeffrey
scowled. “I amused her, but when my brother showed no interest in
paying ransom, my usefulness at Hawick’s was much in doubt. I was
trying to work out a plan for escape when you arrived.”

“Better if I had not come. Then you’d only
have had yourself to consider.”

“Mistress macFindlaech, I would not have
missed those moments locked in the storeroom with you for
anything,” he teased, and she felt the warmth rise in her face.

“And the buffet in the eye, did you enjoy
that too?” Tessa grinned, then grew serious. “I wish now I’d given
Hawick a few like it.”

Jeffrey’s face sobered also. “You must watch
for Hawick, for I fear he’ll show in London soon.”

“Hawick come here? But why?”

“Mairie hinted as much to me once. They have
their sights set on wealth and power, and they will use the
connection with Malcolm to advance themselves. The king will soon
return to England to wed Princess Margaret, and the English will be
forced to accept his entourage and treat them as guests, even men
like Hawick.”

“I see.”

Jeffrey’s dark brows bent in thought. “This
Englishman Hawick deals with has gained the trust of people in high
places, for his information is reliable and valuable to the
outlaws. If Ian joins with him here in England, they could make
even more trouble than before. One thing is sure. His presence can
bode no good for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tessa, he is your husband, whether
willingly or no.”

Tessa felt her neck and cheeks turning pink.
Jeffrey had to know the truth.

“No, he’s not.” Her voice was low, and she
stared down at her hands, tracing the last of the Scottish bramble
scratches, almost completely healed.

“What?”

“Hawick is not my husband, though he thinks
he is. I was…married to someone else before I left England.”

Jeffrey’s face turned to stone.
“Really.”

How could she explain her feelings of
desolation over Eleanor’s death, William’s callous treatment of
her, and the news of Jeffrey’s disappearance and assumed death? She
saw he was controlling his anger by sheer force of will. “Who?”
came out between clenched teeth.

“Cedric—Lord Acton.”

Jeffrey sat perfectly still for a few
moments, struggling to control the flush that spread across his
cheekbones. He swallowed once and his eyes closed slowly, like
curtains falling over a stage. When he opened them a change had
come over his face, and she saw the old look of amused scorn. “So,
the little Scot caught herself an English lord. Well done, Tessa. I
needn’t have worried, it seems. You land on your feet like a cat,
every time.” Pushing back his chair, Jeffrey stood and bowed
ironically. “Your servant, Lady Acton. Perhaps you, your husband,
and I shall meet at court from time to time.”

“I am not Lady Acton. At least I will not be
for long,” Tessa hurried to explain. “An annulment is being sought.
Aidan said it won’t take long—”

It was the wrong thing to say, for Jeffrey
came to the obvious conclusion. “So you hoped to exchange Lady
Acton for Lady Brixton. Even better. Although Cedric is the
wealthier, you’ll have a much easier time controlling poor Aidan,
besotted as he is with you. I did not believe him that day at
William’s London house when he told me that you and he—” Jeffrey
stopped, again getting the better of his anger. “Good night, Lady
Whoever-you-may-be when it’s finished. I wish you well in your
quest for a wealthy mate.”

Tessa fought for something to say to make
him stay, to make that look disappear from his face, but he was
gone as she sat with her mouth open, still trying to form the
correct words.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Tessa remembered nothing of returning to the
inn that night. She had a dim memory of Banaugh’s questioning face
and Mrs. Goode’s kind inquiry into her health. She could not bear
to talk about it. She’d reassured them and gone quickly from the
warm little shop into the cold, not noticing it at all. Banaugh
followed her to the inn to protect her from scoundrels, but she was
unaware of it.

Questions flooded her mind. How had she
gotten into this situation? What should she do now? How much longer
could she take the range of emotions that knowing Jeffrey Brixton
caused her? She had gone from fear and despising to admiration
and—when she would admit it—love, but now what was left? And what
were his feelings for her, to cause such a reaction at her
confession? Did Jeffrey truly love her after all, and had that love
been killed by the news of her hasty marriage to Cedric?

In her room at the little inn, Tessa paced
for hours. She finally accepted fully that she believed nothing ill
of Jeffrey at all. She saw his past actions with new clarity. His
abduction of her that long-ago night at Inverness gave proof of
good character rather than evil. A bad man would have simply killed
her and saved himself much trouble. In a situation fraught with
danger for himself, Jeffrey had done what he could to protect
Tessa, taking her to Eleanor where she had been treated well and
protected.

At the times when she’d seen his cool,
amused exterior torn away, beneath it was a man of strong emotions.
She could still feel the passion he’d shown when he’d let down his
guard. The stoically proud person he showed to the world hid
Jeffrey’s pain at the maltreatment he’d received from William, his
shame at having nothing to call his own, and the pain of his true
love, Eleanor, being beyond his reach, now forever. If he had begun
to care for her, his pride had kept him from declaring it,
believing as he had that he would remain landless for years,
perhaps forever.

Recalling the look on his face tonight
threatened to break her heart. One minute he’d been her friend, and
the next, he had shut himself off from her completely.

Another thought sent her mood even lower.
Jeffrey would soon become Lord Brixton. Even if she weren’t
attached to someone else, what would he want with a penniless
Scotswoman whose family was disgraced? Jeffrey was now a rich man
with his pick of English girls. It was a miracle he’d even come to
see her at all. Things would change quickly when he took up his new
title.

Looking at the night’s events more clearly,
Tessa convinced herself he had come only in gratitude for her
attempted rescue at Hawick’s castle. Her heart hated the thought,
but nothing she had experienced indicated love on Jeffrey’s part.
Gentlemanly concern for a lady’s welfare sometimes, desire at
others, but not love. Turning her face to the wall, Tessa willed
herself to once again accept a future without Jeffrey Brixton in
it.

Proof of Tessa’s conclusions became ever
more real over the next few days as there was no sign of Jeffrey.
She moped around the inn, feeling more confined than she’d ever
felt before. A note from Mary asking her to visit to Hope House on
Thursday lifted her malaise a little. Bursting for some word of
Jeffrey, she accepted the invitation despite the dread of meeting
old acquaintances.

Tessa didn’t know what to expect from the
Hope family, but she was welcomed politely by the older Hopes and
with warmth by Francis. Mary, of course, was thrilled to see her.
Francis blushed and fell back into his old stammering ways but
eventually became more at ease in her presence. Mistress Hope,
typical of overbearing mothers everywhere, dominated the
conversation with pronouncements about the dire state of the world
and vague faults of “the young,”, to which the only rejoinder
needed was an occasional nod. After a polite hour or so, the older
woman left to do some visiting of her own, and Francis and his
father went to another room to examine some correspondence, leaving
Mary and Tessa a chance to really talk.

“Tessa, how is it with you?”

“Mary, I thank you for the loan you so
kindly provided. It saved us, my old friend and me. Now he has
employment, and we shall soon pay back the money.”

“It’s not necessary,” Mary smiled. “I was so
glad to see you again after wondering for months if you were dead
or alive. I still consider you part of the family.” She glanced
slyly at Tessa. “And I think someone else would like to make that
relationship official. Am I correct?”

Her heart leapt for a moment until she
realized Mary meant Aidan, not Jeffrey. “It was hinted there were
certain feelings present, but—”

“Aidan is going to have that silly marriage
to Cedric annulled, since it was never consummated.” Tessa thought
Cedric might be willing now that she had no connection to the
Scottish throne and his dream of siring kings. “Oh, Tessa, how
wonderful it would be if you were in truth a part of the family.
Just think, we would be cousins and could be godparents for each
other’s children.” Mary blushed.

“Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
Tessa teased, and Mary’s even deeper blush said all that was
needed. “I am so happy for you!”

“Francis is thrilled, and his father makes
the most ridiculous suggestions. That I should not look directly at
ugly people or animals, lest the babe take on the look of them.
Even my mother-in-law is pleased with me for once.”

They discussed her pregnancy for a few
moments, but Mary finally returned to the former topic. “I do hope
you and Aidan make a match. He loves you, I think, and Jeffrey will
be more generous with him than William ever was, so he’ll see that
you have everything you could wish for. Aidan has been wonderful
through William’s illness, seeing to things and helping out where
he could. I used to worry about him, but I believe he will settle
down once he has a wife.”

It seemed Tessa had not convinced Aidan she
would not marry him, for Mary obviously had been told otherwise.
“He had to go to York, but he said he would return today or
tomorrow, so as to meet with Cedric,” Mary went on.

Tessa paled. “Lord Acton is here in
London?”

“Oh, yes.” Mary smiled sympathetically. “I’m
sure it will be awkward for you, but you must eventually face him.
It’s about the annulment Aidan plans to speak with Lord Acton.”

Dear Aidan, always efficient, always trying
to be helpful. Knowing he had his own motives for wanting her to be
free of Cedric, Tessa wasn’t as enthusiastic as Mary. Still, his
help would be welcome if he was successful. She turned the subject
again to Mary.

“Please tell me more about this child you
are carrying. When will he make his appearance, as near as you can
tell?”

As Mary chatted on about the baby, Tessa’s
mind wandered in several directions. If she were free of Cedric,
what would she do? Where was Hawick, and what trouble was he
plotting? Would Jeffrey ever forgive her for marrying Cedric? To
the last question, sadly, she thought she knew the answer. The Lord
of Brixton Hall did not want to see her again, and she must forget
the feelings she had begun to allow to grow in her heart. The
Brixton she wanted would not have her, and the one who wanted her
aroused only feelings of affection, not love.