The Longing (31 page)

“I’m sorry, Amelia.” He sighed. “I won’t ask
you to forgive me. I know I’ve hurt you too many times for
that.”

Amelia turned to face him, knowing Kyle
really didn’t understand what it was going to take for them to make
their marriage work.

“I
have
to find a way to forgive
you, Kyle. We
both
have to learn to trust and to forgive
each other because someday we’ll have children who will learn how
to live by our example. They’ll need us to understand and forgive
their mistakes instead of punishing them.” She met his eyes,
begging him to help her save their marriage. “How in God’s name are
we going to teach them to trust and forgive if we aren’t capable of
it ourselves?”

It
took ten days before Duke came to the house wearing his sheriff’s
badge and a frown that looked similar to Kyle’s own expression when
he was deeply upset.

Duke nodded to Kyle then stepped inside and
glanced at Amelia, who was sitting on the parlor floor playing with
the kittens in her wounded quiet way as she’d been doing every
evening since Kyle had told her about Catherine. They still worked
together and Amelia performed all but one function of a dutiful
wife, but there was a wall of hurt-filled silence surrounding her
that Kyle knew he couldn’t breach.

Kyle turned back to his brother. “I can tell
by your expression it isn’t good news, Duke, so don’t sugarcoat
what you’ve got to say.”

“All right. Richard wasn’t a lawyer. He
didn’t even graduate from college.”

Amelia’s face blanched and she glanced at
Kyle as if asking whether he knew about it, which of course he
didn’t.

“He worked in a shipyard for two years.”

Kyle stared at his brother as if he were
speaking in a foreign language.

“The man I sent to investigate Richard
visited Samuel Klein at a place called The Law Office. Richard and
Sam
were
partners in that business.”

“That was Richard’s law firm,” Kyle said, but
Duke shook his head.

“It was a gaming house. Sam claimed he met
Richard at a shipping yard where they had worked loading cargo on
ships. They started a gambling business in a small room in the back
of a friend’s shop, then over a period of a year they managed to
save enough money to open their own business.”

Kyle shook his head. Richard had written home
announcing the opening of his own law office. There had to be a
mistake. “This can’t be right.”

“It is, Kyle. According to Sam, Richard
handled the financial end of their business and he supposedly
embezzled a good portion of their money before Sam got suspicious
and started digging through their books. Sam knew the law wouldn’t
help him get his money back, so he confronted Richard and made him
sign over his share of the business to Sam.” Duke’s expression
softened and he looked at Amelia, his eyes filled with compassion.
“Sam also learned that Richard was blackmailing your father and
that’s why Sam sent the letter.”

Kyle glanced at Amelia, but she sat frozen on
the floor, her expression filled with dread.

“He said your father had delivered a payment
to Richard every few weeks,” Duke continued, “but during his last
visit, Sam eavesdropped and heard Richard threatening to tell the
authorities about Albert Cameron if your father didn’t keep paying
the counters.”

Amelia glanced at Kyle, but he shrugged,
unable to fathom the connection. “Your father banked with Albert
Cameron, didn’t he?”

“Yes. Papa and Albert were friends. What
could they have been involved in that would get them in trouble
with the authorities?”

“I don’t know.” Kyle pinched the bridge of
his nose and closed his eyes, trying to sift through the confusing
information, but none of it made sense. To even consider that a
smart man like Richard was involved in blackmail was ludicrous.

“I didn’t want to believe it either, Kyle,
but I trust the man who gathered this information,” Duke said. “He
wouldn’t give me facts unless he’d verified them.”

Kyle lowered his hand and sighed. “I’m going
to talk to Richard.”

“So am I,” Amelia said, getting to her
feet.

o0o

Amelia, Kyle, and Duke followed Catherine
into the parlor where Richard was reclining in a chair with a wine
glass in his hand.

A smile lit his face when he saw Kyle, but
she knew the shine of Duke’s badge had caught his eye. He lunged to
his feet in one smooth motion and Amelia had to admire his ability
to act the part of a pleased host. “Is the Pemberton closed this
evening?” he asked, but his cocky grin faltered when Duke and Kyle
exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

“May I offer anyone a glass of wine?”
Catherine asked, her hands shaking as she reached for the wine
bottle.

Amelia curled her fingernails into her palm,
hoping the gouges would distract her from the searing pain in her
heart.

Kyle shook his head, but spoke to Richard.
“You might prefer that we meet in private.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“I have a friend who went to visit Samuel
Klein,” Duke said and Richard’s face paled. “Would you like to
finish this conversation after the ladies leave the room?”

“Of course not,” Richard said, as if he had
no cause for concern and no idea why they were standing in his
parlor worrying Catherine. “I’ve already told Amelia that Sam was a
friend of mine.”

“You also told her that Catherine had been
having an affair with Amelia’s father,” Kyle said in his
straightforward manner.

The wine bottle shattered on the floor and
Catherine gaped at Richard. “That’s not true!”

“Of course it isn’t,” Richard said smoothly,
clasping Catherine’s arm and moving her away from the broken glass.
He faced Kyle, his eyes brimming with anger. “I
never
told
Amelia that lie.”

Amelia gasped. “You told me that Papa was
supporting Catherine, and when I asked why, you insinuated very
clearly that they were having an intimate affair.”

Catherine’s shocked expression turned to
outrage. “To my knowledge your father never contributed any
financial assistance to my household. I barely knew the man.”

Amelia ignored Catherine’s denial, sensing
Richard was using those precious seconds to formulate excuses and
possible ways to manipulate the situation to his advantage. “You
were blackmailing my father for your own gain, weren’t you,
Richard? I want the truth or I’m walking down the street to your
uncle’s house and telling him everything Duke has uncovered about
you.”

Kyle crossed his arms over his chest. “And
I’d like to know why you claimed to be a lawyer when you were
working in a shipyard on a dock?”

Catherine swung an incredulous look at her
stepson. Instead of exhibiting the shock or shame Amelia had
expected Richard became livid. “I worked as a dock hand because Tom
Drake killed my father!”

Amelia’s breath whooshed out and she grabbed
the back of the sofa. Dead silence filled the room. Catherine
buried her face in her hands; the rest of them stared at Richard as
if he’d just shot them in the gut.

“What are you talking about?” Kyle
demanded.

“Five years ago your wife cried on her
father’s shoulder, and when I refused to marry her, Tom attacked
me. My father tried to pull him off, but Tom shoved him and he fell
from the second-story floor that we’d been installing.” Richard
glared at Amelia. “The fall killed him.”

“Wait a minute.” Kyle glanced at Amelia then
back to Richard. “Why was Tom trying to force you to marry
Amelia?”

Richard snorted. “Why do you think?”

As if Richard had slugged Kyle in the chest,
he staggered back a step. He looked at Amelia, his eyes begging her
to deny Richard’s accusation.

“How could I tell you?” she asked quietly,
her heart breaking over the look in his eyes.

“The same way I told you about
Catherine.”

Catherine gasped, but Richard snorted. “How
honorable of you to tell Amelia about the two of you.”

Kyle wheeled to face Richard. “How could you
sit beside me that night at the Pemberton and not say a word about
this? Christ, Richard! You came to our wedding. You ate at my own
damned table! How could you do that?”

“The same way you could sit beside me night
after night pretending to be my friend, while knowing you were
sleeping with Catherine.”

“That was a different situation, and you know
it!”

“How?”

Amelia wanted Kyle to explain the difference
as well, but he just glared at Richard. “You’re the man Tom begged
me to keep away from his daughter. You were at Tom’s mill the night
of the storm, weren’t you? You’d gone there to force Tom to make
another payment, then you came to the Pemberton Inn.” Kyle snorted
and shook his head. “No wonder Tom was so upset when I asked for my
money.”

“You’re damned right I made him pay. And I
would have foreclosed on his mill if you hadn’t bought it.”

“Why?” Kyle shook his head. “For God’s sake,
you were destroying that man.”

“What did he do to us?” Richard gestured to
Catherine. “My father was still dead. His money was tied up in the
business he shared with his brothers and they controlled his money.
If I would have left Catherine’s welfare up to my closefisted
uncles, she would have starved. I needed money to finish
school.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Kyle asked. “Why
didn’t you graduate and become a lawyer?”

“Because I hated it. I hated school and I
hated law.”

“So the money you extorted from Tom was
wasted.”

“I built a great business with that
money.”

“You call swindling money from people a
great
business?”

“I never cheated our clients. My business was
as successful as yours is, Kyle.”

Kyle shook his head. “What the hell happened
to you? All this time you’ve let me believe you were my friend,
that you were a big-shot lawyer from Philadelphia when you were
nothing but a scheming, blackmailing gambler.”

“How dare you judge me!”

“Stop! This is all my fault.” Amelia backed
toward the door, unable to listen any longer to the pain and
suffering she’d caused in so many lives. “I made a bad decision
that caused this whole mess.”

“No you didn’t.” Catherine’s voice was quiet
but filled with conviction. “It started when I married Alfred
instead of Richard.”

Amelia froze. Duke’s eyebrows lifted, but
Kyle seemed to stop breathing.

“Catherine, don’t.” Richard caught her arm,
but she yanked away and turned back to Amelia and Kyle.

“I was in love with a man named Simon,” she
said, stepping away from Richard. “We were going to marry after the
war ended, but Simon never came home. I felt I was becoming a
financial burden to my father, so I married Alfred believing he
would take care of me. Richard came home from his first year at
college to find his father and I married. Richard was furious, but
I didn’t realize it was because he cared for me.”

Amelia had thought she couldn’t feel worse,
but Catherine’s words cut straight through her. Richard had wanted
Catherine the entire time he’d been seducing Amelia. Everything
he’d ever told Amelia had been a lie. He’d used her. And he’d tried
to do it again.

She looked at Catherine and wanted to hate
the woman, but it was only heartache and sadness that filled
Amelia’s chest. They had both been used. Amelia could understand
why both Richard and Kyle were attracted to Catherine’s beauty and
warmth. And she knew firsthand how easy it was to be drawn to both
Richard and Kyle.

Catherine’s expression filled with
compassion. “I had no idea Richard was blackmailing your father. I
thought he was a successful lawyer who could afford to support me.”
She cast a scathing glance at Richard. “I didn’t know he was a liar
and a cheat.”

Richard caught Catherine’s arms and turned
her to face him. “For five years, everything I’ve worked for has
been with your comfort and happiness in mind. All I’ve ever wanted
is to be with you.”

“How naive do you think I am, Richard? Five
years ago you were courting Amelia.”

“What else was I supposed to do?” Richard
asked, his hands gripping Catherine’s shoulders. “I came home to
tell you that I loved you and you were sharing my father’s bed! I
spent the summer with Amelia so I would stay away from you. Amelia
meant nothing to me.”

“You insensitive bastard!” Kyle grabbed
Richard by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.
“You have no idea the pain you’ve caused Amelia. She gave you her
goddamned heart and you used her.”

“Well, what did you do to Catherine? Where’s
the difference?”

“I
cared
about her, Richard. That’s
the damned difference.”

Richard snorted and Catherine faced him.
“Kyle asked me to marry hi, Richard. I said no.”

Everything inside Amelia collapsed and fell,
all her hopes, her dreams, her belief in Kyle. He’d told her their
affair had been casual. Now he’d admitted that he’d
cared
about Catherine enough to marry her. He’d wanted to marry Evelyn
because he’d loved her. He’d
had
to marry Amelia.

Richard yanked Kyle around to face a
gilt-edged mirror that ran from floor to ceiling. “Different faces,
Kyle. Same man.”

“Not even close, Richard. I haven’t lied and
blackmailed my way through life.”

“No, you’ve just plowed over anyone who got
in your way. You took advantage of Catherine and pretended she
didn’t mind being your whore.”

Kyle slammed his fist into Richard’s jaw.
Duke leapt forward to pull them apart, but Amelia fled outside,
unwilling to listen any longer, unable to be in the same room with
her husband and his lover, or witness the destruction she’d caused
in so many lives.

After Duke yanked Kyle off Richard, the two
men stood with chests heaving, glaring at each other. “Don’t you
have
any
remorse, Richard? Didn’t it bother you even a
little that you were blackmailing a good man into an early
death?”