To Catch a Wolf (39 page)

steady on your feet.”

"I prefer to stand.”

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Cecily leaned against the desk and folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, I informed

your brother of your location when he arrived earlier than you had estimated. He would

have discovered your absence soon enough." She sighed and shook her head. "You

will recall that I made you no promises—quite deliberately. I prefer not to break my word

if it can be helped.”

"What else did you tell him?" Athena demanded when she fell silent.

"Why, merely that your judgment was not sound, and that you should perhaps live

elsewhere for a time to gain much-needed experience and become detached from your

various

obsessions. I am happy to say that your brother agreed with my judgment.”

"Obsessions?”

"Your charitable causes, of course, which drive you to such excess. And also your

infatuation with Holt—for is he not the real reason you went to the ranch? To be with

your wild-man lover?”

A week ago she could have answered in the negative with complete sincerity. Then she

had told herself that

Caitlin's welfare was her sole reason for the unprecedented journey. That willful naivete

was dead.

"Morgan is not my lover," she said calmly. "But I love him. He has an honesty you would

never understand.”

Cecily laughed. "Indeed. Is he the knight in shining armor come to rescue you from life

as a cripple?”

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"It is because of him that I can walk," she said. "He gave me the courage to challenge

the things I had always believed without question

about the world, and myself.”

"And now you see the truth?" She continued to chuckle unpleasantly. "How amusing.

Since you are so devoted to complete honesty, you will be most unhappy to learn that

your Morgan Holt is less than the noble savage you believe.”

"What do you mean?”

"Why, have you never asked him about his past? Have you so little interest in the honor

and good name of your brother and the respect of your friends?”

Cecily knew nothing of Morgan's true nature, or of Athena's. Her insinuations bore on

some other secret, one that Cecily plainly considered most detestable. And she was

right

what did Athena know of his past, except that he had suffered?

"I know that Morgan is a good man," she said. "What he did before—”

"Is far worse than your imagination can conceive. You take such pride in helping the

destitute and ignorant, the great and needy unwashed, and yet you remain so sadly

callow." She put on an air of mock regret. "My dear Athena, it is indeed time that you

knew the truth. Your lover is far worse than an uncouth boor who should not be allowed

among civilized people. He is a murderer—a convict who spent years in prison. And

you, child, are simply another one of his victims.”

Athena was hardly aware that she was moving until her back struck the wall. For a

moment her thoughts were in chaos, and then she knew exactly how to respond.

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"You are a liar," she said. "You would say anything to further your own cause

whatever that may be. If you think that you can win my brother by tricks and stratagems

such as this, you are the one who is sadly mistaken. Once I tell him how far you will go

to become his wife—”

"Do you think that is all I want?" Cecily's lids dropped over her eyes, as lazily vicious as

a panther's. "Oh, yes, I do intend to marry your brother. And I do want you out of the

way

which will be so much easier now that you must no longer be carried to and fro

like a spoiled princess." She laughed again. "No, not a princess. A goddess. The

goddess Athena, always ready to condescend to the unfortunate of any rank, and

bestow her vast wisdom and generosity upon an unenlightened world. Yet all the time

you perched so high upon your throne, you have had no idea how society regards you.”

"But you will tell me, won't you, Cecily?”

"As your friend, I have no choice." Cecily toyed with the cuff of her sleeve. "You fancy

yourself a leader of Denver society, and I suppose you are—if only because your

brother is one of the most important, influential, and wealthiest men in the West. No one

wishes to offend him by offending you. But when the ladies come to your house for

meetings and bully their husbands and brothers and fathers into making donations

do

you think they do it out of sheer admiration and devotion? Oh, no. They pity you,

Athena

and they have come to resent what you force them to do with your 'gentle'

persuasion. You make them suffer guilt for not feeling as you do. And so they allow you

to rule them in small ways—and go about the rest of their lives without you quite

happily.”

All the breath squeezed from Athena's lungs. "You are new to Denver society. You

cannot know—”

"I am not such a newcomer anymore, dear girl. You have helped with introductions, and

your brother's partnership with my father has done wonders for my position here. The

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crowning touch was in giving me control of the Winter Ball which I have perfected in

ways your dull sensibilities would fail to grasp. It will be a triumph, I will take the credit,

and Denver will have a new princess to adore.”

Athena's legs had gone beyond the point of mere pain and felt like blocks of ice. "I do

have friends in Denver. They will come to realize what you are, and so will my brother.”

"Will they?" She clucked sadly. "Your brother is already convinced that I have been right

all along in my warnings about you. He has had the evidence that you cannot be trusted

to run your own life, especially not in Denver among so many unprofitable memories. I

always knew that having a cripple underfoot would be annoying, but you have a will

strong enough to oppose mine. Soon you will be gone to New York, and Niall will ask

me to marry him. And as for your lover

I doubt that you need be troubled by him ever

again.”

The doorframe bit into Athena's palm. "Why did Niall return to Long Park?”

"It should be obvious. Once I told him what Holt is, he knew he must personally see to it

that such a foul criminal—a man who killed his own father—is driven from Colorado.

Permanently.”

Athena allowed her weight to sag against the wall. Morgan had killed his own father? It

was unthinkable, inconceivable. One might as well accuse Niall of killing his beloved

mother.

And yet Morgan was a werewolf. He was impelled by urges an ordinary man could not

understand. Was it so impossible that a man with a wolf's nature might kill more easily

than one fully human, could lose control to the beast within him?

She shook her head violently, sickened by her doubts. Morgan was no murderer

and

even to consider that he had committed patricide was absurd. Ludicrous.

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Niall had gone after Morgan, believing such stories, already driven by rage. It would not

be a simple matter of protecting Athena or society from a supposed murderer. Oh, no.

This would be personal. How much of an excuse would he need for his hatred to

become lethal? And how much would it take for Morgan to strike back with the same fell

purpose?

"Do you know what you have done?" Athena whispered. "You've not only endangered

Morgan but my brother as well.”

"Come, now. Do you have so little faith in your brother?”

Think, Athena. "Who told you? Who passed on these lies about Morgan?”

"They are not lies, I assure you. I have had the information from very reliable sources.

As for who alerted me to the grave danger Holt presents

you remember that horrid

snake-woman from the circus? It seems she has no more love for you than I have for

that red-haired hussy who set her cap for Niall. We found ways to be useful to one

another.”

Red-haired hussy. Who could she mean but Caitlin? Athena thought back on the times

she had seen her brother and Caitlin together. If there had been an attraction there, she

had been too caught up in her own problems to see it. But Cecily had not been so

oblivious.

Niall and Caitlin. It was almost as mad a notion as branding Morgan a killer. And

Tamar

she had always seemed to resent Athena, but why would she betray Morgan?

What did she know about his hidden past?

Cecily was right about one thing: Athena could not trust her own judgment, which had

been so horribly flawed from the beginning. She had put her faith in false friends,

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underestimated her brother's guilt and resentment, and complacently believed herself to

be a respected and useful member of society. Cecily might exaggerate the opinions of

the women of Denver, but there was a grain of truth in that particular claim that Athena

couldn't ignore.

I wanted to see, in myself and everyone else, only what made me feel important and

needed.

She met Cecily's eyes. "You have taught me a valuable lesson, Cecily. From this

moment on, I will not unquestioningly accept what others tell me. I will discover the truth

for myself, with my eyes open. Morgan will give me the truth, and Niall will listen to what

I have to say.”

"Even if he would—which I strongly doubt—you will not have the opportunity to speak to

him, my dear. You are to remain here, safe and sound. Remember?”

Cecily's smile filled Athena with such rage that she hardly perceived the emotion for

what it was. "How do you intend to stop me?”

The older woman's mouth dropped open, as if she had seen a wolf rise up on its hind

legs and speak.

"Do I shock you?" Athena asked. "Perhaps you do not know me as well as you think you

do.”

Cecily's mouth closed with a snap. "You will remain here as your brother ordered, or

”

"Or you will

what will you do, Cecily? Are you prepared to restrain me yourself?”

"The servants. Niall left strict orders—”

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"You assume that all the servants will obey without question.”

Cecily took a step back, her gaze flashing to the door behind Athena and then to the

bellpull in the corner of the room. She rushed around the desk to yank the cord.

Brinkley stepped into the room so quickly that Athena knew he must have been waiting

very nearby. "Miss Munroe," he said, "how may I be of assistance?”

"I called you here," Cecily said sharply. "Mr. Munroe left clear instructions that Miss

Munroe is not to leave the house unchaperoned. Miss Munroe may not be inclined to

cooperate. Please escort her to her room, and lock the door.”

"Do I understand that you wish me to imprison Miss Munroe?”

"Do not presume to question my instructions, or those of your employer! If you do not

feel capable of controlling one half-lame girl—”

"It is all right, Brinkley," Athena said. "I don't expect you to defy my brother.”

The butler raised a well-shaped brow. "Why, Miss Munroe, I do not recall any such

orders.”

"You—you heard him as clearly as I did!" Cecily cried. "I warn you, my man, if you

continue in this way—”

"I have been considering a return to England," Brinkley said to Athena. "Perhaps this

would be a convenient time to give my notice.”

Athena could have hugged him. "You can go if you wish, Brinkley, but I am sure you can

find excellent employment here in Denver if you must leave us.”

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"Perhaps. I fear that the other staff may also wish to give notice, if"—he looked down his

nose at Cecily—"they are compelled to take instruction from Miss Hockensmith.”

"How dare you!" Cecily started toward him, stopped, and glared at Athena. "You will not

get away with this, either of you.”

"Don't worry, Cecily. You can tell Niall that I forced you to let me go.”

"You

you can't! You can barely walk. How do you intend to—”

"I did it before, remember? And this time I can drive myself. If I leave at dawn, I should

be able to reach Long Park not too long after Niall.”

"You are mad! If you drive into the mountains alone you will surely meet with disaster!”

"It is kind of you to be so concerned, Cecily, but I have resources you know nothing of.”

Cecily's face hardened. "I will not let you go, servants or no servants." She gestured to