'I think someplace deep inside you, William, you know. It's simply too painful to admit it. Everything is going to come clear soon enough.' He took his half-brother's hand. 'It will be all right. No matter what the truth is, I won't let you stand alone. Trust me.'
William looked pale as death; slowly he nodded.
Tysen awakened Jeremy, helped Mary Rose fasten her gown, then herded the three of them to the dining room. Barnacle, Cook, and Mrs. Black were there as well, lined up like troops ready to be deployed.
Thomas said without preamble, 'Aunt Libby, who is William's father?'
'His father was the earl of Lancaster, Thomas. He is a Malcombe, just as you are a Malcombe. The only pity here is that he is the younger, not you. He could have been the earl, not you, but Madeleine came along too quickly. That was an impertinent question. You will apologize.'
'Mother, it's too late now,' William said quietly and laid his hand on her shoulder. He was ready to face it now, had to be ready. He added, his voice thick, 'Mother, please, it's time for the truth. If for no one else, then for me.'
'My dear boy, Thomas is lying. Your father is the earl of Lancaster.'
'Aunt Libby,' Thomas said patiently, 'you know that neither William nor I in any way resemble the earl of Lancaster. Both of us look more like our mothers than anyone else. It is up to you, ma'am. Who is William's father, Aunt Libby? Tell us now. Tell William now. There's really not much time. Meggie's gone and we must find her before it is too late.'
She stubbornly shook her head.
'Madam,' Tysen said, rising from his chair. 'My daughter is in grave danger. You will tell us the truth now or I will do something I will probably regret. Now, madam, the truth, if you please.'
William said very quietly, pain and dread mixed in his voice, 'It is Lord Kipper, isn't it, Mother?'
She turned utterly white, froze in her place, her eyes fastened on her folded hands.
'Lord Kipper,' Tysen repeated slowly.
'Yes, William,' Thomas said, 'I believe he is your father and that explains everything, now doesn't it?'
Madeleine said, 'But William is not beautiful like Lord Kipper is. What a wretched thing. How very unfair.'
'But, Thomas,' William said, ignoring her, 'I was with him, I swear it to you, when Jenny was taken. That's why I believed I must be wrong. You see, I was beginning to wonder why he gave me so much attention, wonder why he always inquired so closely into what I wanted to do, how I felt about things. He was acting like-a man who was related to me, like a man who wanted to claim me somehow, to teach me, to guide me.'
'Like a father,' Thomas said.
'Yes, and it scared me to my toes. That's why I came to your bedchamber early this morning. I knew I couldn't wait. But I wanted you to tell me it was nonsense, I really did.'
'Yes,' Thomas said, 'I know Lord Kipper was with you. That just means that he hired someone else to help him.'
Libby said very quietly, 'I didn't want to believe it, truly, I didn't. I forced myself not to think about it. When Jenny MacGraff disappeared, I was relieved, pleased that she was gone, that she wouldn't drag your name down by marrying you. I wanted her to have run off to Dublin. I prayed it was true. I was lying to myself. And look at what has happened. I'm very sorry.' She looked up at her son, closed her hand over his. 'I'm very, very sorry.'
William was shaking his head, not looking at his mother.
Libby said, 'Niles has had Bernard Leach here for a good long time now.'
Thomas said, cocking his head to the side, his voice puzzled, 'But Lord Kipper bedded Marie Leach, he said so, said that Bernard was a sot and a clod. It was obvious to me that Lord Kipper had nothing but contempt for Bernard Leach. Why would he let Bernard stay with him?'
Libby shrugged. 'I saw Bernard. I wasn't supposed to, but I did, out by the stables one morning when I was leaving. Why was he there? I don't know.'
'He was there as Lord Kipper's tool,' Thomas said. 'That's it, then. We know enough. William, sir, Jeremy, are you ready?'
Chapter 35
THOMAS WOULD COME, her father with him. Perhaps even Jeremy. She had to keep herself alive, just had to. She remembered she'd sworn to Thomas she would never leave him. She wasn't about to break that promise.
Lord Kipper had fallen silent. He was standing over Jenny MacGraff, a thoughtful expression on his face. He looked suddenly vicious. She watched him lift one of his riding boots and kick her in the ribs.
Meggie saw red, reared up onto her elbows. It hurt, but she didn't care. 'You bastard, don't do that again. Damn you, you miserable coward!'
Lord Kipper ignored her. He said,
Meggie saw that Jenny was lying on her side, huddled in on herself on the bare floor. She was slight, her hair pale, her skin very white. She was very young and very pretty. She was also alarmingly pale. She was wearing a simple muslin gown that was twisted about her knees, woolen stockings, and one black slipper. The other one had come off her foot and was lying several feet away from her.
'No,' Lord Kipper said, his voice meditative now, as if he were speaking to himself, 'I could not allow her to marry William.' Then he looked over at Meggie. 'Don't you understand yet? This merchant's daughter couldn't be the next countess of Lancaster. Any fool in his right mind would realize what a bitter jest that would be. Thomas forced my hand when he ordered William to marry her on Sunday. I had to do something, and so I did. And then yesterday at the damned tea party your husband set up-William was so very close. And I saw that everyone else was now thinking about that. Everything would soon come down on my head and I couldn't have that, not until I'd fixed everything.'
Meggie said slowly, 'You are willing to kill three innocent people because you want William to be the next earl of Lancaster? Blessed Hell, why would you care who is the earl of Lancaster? It's nothing to do with you.'
'What a stupid question, Meggie. Haven't you yet realized that I am William's father?'
Meggie said nothing for a full minute, then quietly, nodding slowly, 'You should be ever so pleased then that he got Jenny pregnant. He also got another girl in Glenclose-on-Rowan pregnant. He is just like you, isn't he? Like father like son. Do you hate the women you have despoiled?'
'Don't be ridiculous. Women are women, they are to be used, to be enjoyed. All of you are silly creatures, at least most of you are. As for my son, in that William much likes to bed woman, yes, he is like me, actually like practically all men, truth be told. Some of us are masters at it, most aren't. Unfortunately, William is one of the latter. He does not have my charm or my brain, but I will teach him. Surely he will improve once he knows that I am his father, once he knows what I have given him. Yes, once William knows that the old earl of Lancaster was so obsessed, so gripped with the belief that he could not trust a woman to bear his son and not another man's, he will thank me, he will bless fate that gave me him as his father and not that miserable old man. Interesting, isn't it? The old earl sewed the seeds of his own destruction. His father was the same way, I understand.'
'Evidently, the old earl was right not to trust Libby, wasn't he?'
'He shouldn't have distrusted her, she never gave him a reason. Our brief liaison was discreet, William the result. No, Titus Malcombe was a mad, stupid man. At least I had Libby come here to Pendragon after he booted her and William out. I've looked after both her and William over the years. I expect William will be so relieved that Lord Lancaster isn't his father that he will fall upon my neck.' Lord Kipper grinned at that thought, and for just an instant, there was a warmth in his eyes. 'I will bring him to live with me for a while, to complete his education.'
'The earl of Lancaster was Thomas's father, wasn't he?'
Lord Kipper shrugged, eyes dead again. 'I know that Madeleine played him false one time. Was he Thomas's father or was his father Madeleine's lover? I don't know. I don't really care. Yes, William will learn everything from me, his real father. He is still very young. He will not disappoint me.'
Meggie said, 'If he doesn't learn, will you kill him, too?'
