Page 55 of Unseen

LADY DE LA CROIX’S THREAT

A zriel’s speedy recovery was remarkable, but nothing less than I expected from a cad like him. The doctor administered iodine, and no infection set in. Within a matter of days, Azriel was walking about again, and had it not been for the sling, one would not have even known anything had happened.

I, on the other hand, was not quite as relaxed.

And an unexpected visitor one week after the duel did nothing to appease my worries.

“Lady de la Croix has come to call on you, madam,” Mary said haltingly, eyes wide and face pale. “Shall I send her away?”

I quickly rose from my chair by the fireplace, Gertie grumbling from where she had been sleeping at my feet.

“No, I shall come down. But please do not inform Mr Caine that Lady de la Croix is here.”

“Yes, madam.” Mary looked as though she wanted to jump out of her skin, and I could not blame her. I did not feel particularly confident about this meeting myself.

Lady de la Croix stood in the foyer of Linmere, dressed all in black, her hands clasped across the loose bodice that draped over her swollen belly.

She glared at me as I approached, her disdain seeping through the veil that covered her face.

“Lady de la Croix, I presume?” I gave her a warm smile. “What a pleasure to have you in my home, though I wish it was under happier circumstances. You have my condolences.”

“Mrs Caine,” she said, her voice steely. “This is not a social call. As you understand I am in mourning after the murder of my husband.”

“Your husband’s death was deeply unfortunate, and completely unnecessary.”

Lady de la Croix’s eyes widened, her lips downturned in a furious grimace. “How dare you speak of him so. My husband was defending my honour.”

“And my husband was defending his own in the face of untruths, seeking to destroy his reputation.” My own boldness surprised me, but I was not about to be spoken down to in my own home, when this woman and her lies had almost cost me everything.

“I am not sure what satisfaction you might seek here today, madam.”

Lady de la Croix’s face shifted and a look of pure evil settled on her face. “I came here today to tell you that before my husband was murdered, he imparted some knowledge upon me. Something he insisted I know, in case Azriel Caine was successful in killing him.”

“And what knowledge is that?”

“That you and your stepson plotted to murder your husband.”

My heart jolted against my ribcage, and the floor swayed beneath my feet. But I stood firm, clasping my hands against my body, and forcing out an incredulous laugh. “My first husband, as you well know, died peacefully in his sleep. ”

“That is what you would say.” Lady de la Croix took a step towards me, her hands curled protectively over her belly. “But my husband, he knew.”

“Your husband, god rest his soul, knew nothing. And I would thank you to leave my house, and take your ridiculous accusations with you.”

“I will make sure that everyone in London knows who you are.” Lady de la Croix’s pained smile was almost maniacal. “I will make sure you both hang for this.”

“Get out of my house, now.” I could not believe how calm I was, watching Lady de la Croix stalk back out to her carriage.

My head was spinning, a million questions whirring in a loop, over and over.

How could de la Croix ever think that Azriel and I had plotted to kill Acton?

What cause could there have been? I told myself that he was bluffing, angry, simply mad with jealousy and looking for anything with which to lash out.

But what Grantham had told me about Azriel and de la Croix’s friendship seemed even more relevant.

And now only Azriel could tell me exactly why.

Azriel gazed at me lovingly as I washed his hair. “You spoil me, wife.”

I smiled, raking my fingers through his dark and unruly locks. “Soon enough you’ll be back to doing this on your own, don’t you worry.”

“Absolutely not. I rather enjoy this.” He leaned his head back, letting me wash the lather into the tub. “And I would like to think that seeing my naked form is rather pleasurable for you too?”

“I see your naked form every night in my bed, my darling.” I planted a kiss on his lips, running my hands over his wet hair. “You know what they say about too much of a good thing.”

“That it’s never enough?” Azriel grinned, curling his hands round the back of my neck and drawing me in for a deeper, longer kiss. When we parted he gazed up at me, brushing a stray curl from my forehead. “My beautiful wife.”

“And don’t you forget it.” I turned to fetch the pitcher of hot water, pouring more slowly into the water. Azriel took up his pipe, lighting it and puffing smoke into the air above him. “I love the smell of tobacco.”

“Oh yes?”

“It is comforting, somehow.” I exhaled carefully as I replaced the pitcher, and sat down on the stool beside the tub. “May I ask you something?”

Azriel drew his brows together as he looked at me. “What kind of question is that? You know you may ask me anything.”

“Did you know de la Croix?”

“Yes, I suppose so.” He shrugged, sucking on his pipe. “In a way.”

“I only ask because at the Granthams’, you called him by his first name. It seems to imply that you may have known each other rather well.”

Azriel chuckled, shaking his head. “Ah yes, you would not have missed that, would you?” He gazed up at me with a sigh. “Has Grantham told you anything?”

“Only that you and de la Croix went to school together.”

“Yes, we did.” Azriel scratched his cheek with his thumb, and sighed.

“Fitzwilliam de la Croix was a very good friend of mine, once upon a time. Indeed, when we were boys, we were like brothers. I entrusted him with all of my deepest secrets. I even spent summers with his family at his house. I told him everything. ”

“Everything?” I asked slowly.

Azriel tilted his head, frowning at me. “What has brought this on? De la Croix is dead. Why would it matter whether or not we were friends?”

“His wife was here.”

Azriel rolled his eyes to the ceiling, puffing on his pipe. “I see. And what did she have to say?”

“Aside from feeling that her husband was murdered, she is also of the opinion that you and I conspired to kill your father, and are responsible for his death.”

“Mmm.”

“Mmm? Is that all you have to say?” I leaned on the edge of the tub, and Azriel turned his head back to face me. “She has accused us of conspiring to murder, and she has said that she will not rest until we both hang.”

“Ignore her. She is angry.”

“She said de la Croix told her this before he went to the duel.” I watched Azriel’s face carefully, only the quick drawn down flicker of his brows betraying him. “You say you told de la Croix everything. Did you ever say anything to him that would make him think we would do such a thing?”

Azriel leaned back in the water, swirling a hand through it, exhaling heavily.

“One night, not so many years ago, after a wedding at which I had seen the most beautiful woman I had ever beheld in my life…” His eyes raised to my face, and he gave me a sad smile.

“I became roaringly drunk. Mad with envy, cursing my father and the world for not giving me such a bride. For forcing me to watch him bring you home, here into this cursed house.”

“You were angry.”

“Yes, I was angry. Angry and young and drunk, and consumed with jealousy. So I turned to my friends, who turned me to the bottle.” He huffed out a laugh.

“I allowed myself one night, just one, to be unutterably angry at the injustice of it all. To rage over it. And it was on this night, that I said something to de la Croix, with heated blood. That I would kill my father and take you for myself.” He sucked on his teeth, throwing the pipe into the bowl on the table beside the tub.

“A ridiculous statement, delivered by a man who’d drunk enough whiskey to kill a horse.

But of course, the devious scoundrel held on to that.

Filed it away in his mind for further use.

I suppose that was the first sign that our friendship was not what it once was. ”

“When did your friendship change?”

“When he married the illustrious Lucy Ferrars.” Azriel’s face shifted into a look of disdain.

“A situation one can sympathise with, I suppose, given the one we found ourselves in. De la Croix had the illustrious name, a dukedom, but he was penniless thanks to the men who had come before him and made terrible decisions. De la Croix had the name, but the Ferrars had the money. And so pretty little Lucy was married off to him. And I no longer recognised my friend.”

I reached out to put a hand on Azriel’s shoulder, and he curled his own over it. “I am sorry.”

“She’s a terrible woman. A harlot, and not the honourable kind. Not like Rebecca.”

I smiled, shaking my head. “Rebecca is most certainly honourable.”

“That she is,” Azriel agreed with a nod. “But Lucy de la Croix, she is a woman with no morals. Whored herself around the high society of London the moment they returned from their honeymoon.”

“And he allowed it?”

“Yes, a pathetic cuckold. He was so dazzled by the riches, that he did not once think to see to his wife, to his family. It’s an outrage.” His eyes moved to mine, and he squeezed my hand. “Do not worry yourself. No one will believe her. ”

“I think you would be surprised what people will believe. The more outrageous the better. And it is not as though it would be so hard to believe it.”

Azriel lifted an eyebrow. “If you think I will let anyone hurt you, I will not.”

“There is only so much we can escape, Azriel. Here, we shall always be looked at with suspicion. And you say that no one will believe Lucy de la Croix, but those very people believed me.”

Azriel’s eyes widened with shock. “Do not speak so.”

“But it is true, my darling. I got away with it.”

“Stop this.” Azriel clasped my hand. “Do not even say it.”

“We will forever be looking over our shoulders if we stay here.”

“And where should we go?”