Sherbrooke Twins

son, so I ask why do you want to kill me? It gains you nothing but the hangman’s noose.”

“Ah, that a brother of mine could be so stupid. It will gain me everything. You see, my first goal was to kill your bastard of a father for what he did to my mother, but then I decided that if I killed him, it wasn’t enough. He’d robbed me of my rightful life. My aunt arranged for a document that shows marriage lines between our father and my mother, dated before he married your mother. All of it legal. I will be the earl of Northcliffe, wealthy beyond my wildest dreams, and it will be justice.”

“No, it will be murder. My father didn’t rape your mother. He rescued her from a French general, a man who was giving her to his cronies. He brought her back to England for your father. It was a bargain he and Georges Cadoudal made. My father wasn’t ever involved with your mother.”

“A fine tale that. Make my mother out to be a whore, to sleep with dozens of men.”

“She was raped. Listen to me.”

“No. I’ll wager both you and your brother lapped this up like cats, huh? But all of it is a lie. My father said-”

“You already said that your father was mad, that he would say one thing, then retract it. It is true that he first believed my father had raped your mother, but when it was all sorted out, he admitted he’d been wrong, particularly when your own mother finally told him she didn’t know who had made her pregnant since so many men had raped her.”

“You want me to believe that I am some unknown man’s spawn? You puking liar! Goddamn you. No one raped my mother but your damned father. Before she died, my mother told my aunt-her own sister-that it was the truth, told her that no one had raped her except for the earl of Northcliffe and that I was his son. God, I’m going to love killing you.”

“This aunt of yours-she lied. Ah, let me guess her name. Is it Annabelle Trelawny?”

Louis laughed. “Certainly she is my aunt, just as I am my father’s son. I will become the next earl of Northcliffe. I deserve it. It is just.” He raised the gun.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

JUDITH, NOT JUDITH. But he’d heard the damning words out of the women’s mouths-out of Judith’s mouth, all that exquisite detail, and he understood it, surely he did, but he couldn’t seem to bring it into his brain and make it real to him, all the way to his soul. That cold recitation out of her mouth, the small derringer pointing at his father’s chest, it brought him focus, it enraged him. They’d figured out that Annabelle Trelawny had been involved, but Judith? He looked at his father, realized in that moment that his father had come to suspect Judith as well, but he hadn’t said anything, even when the three of them had met the night before.

She was standing no more than ten feet from his father. Why had his father come from behind his desk?

He knew the answer, of course. He expected James and Ollie to be hiding behind those draperies covering the glass doors onto the gardens, not him.

“Do come in, Jason,” Marie said. “No, I can’t tell you and your brother apart, but since my nephew has James, then you must be Jason. Do drop your gun, my boy, else I’ll put a bullet through your father’s chest. My precious Louis managed to cosh James on the head and drag him behind the stables. He is very likely dead now.”

“No,” Jason said. “My brother isn’t dead.”

Judith looked at him, but didn’t move the gun from his father’s chest. “Is this some sort of twin communication?”

“I don’t know, but he’s alive.”

“It won’t be long. My brother is stronger than any man I’ve ever seen. He’s been waiting for this day. He’s ready,” Judith said, then she smiled. “I wish to thank you for inviting me here to get to know your family, Jason. The truth is that I never wanted to come here; I only wanted to kill your father and be gone, but there were always people with him.” She turned to Douglas. “Even here, in your own home, your wretched wife never left your side, until now. Oh, I see now. Your precious wife isn’t part of your trap. Is Corrie part of it or just the three of you? Ah, yes, the men to do the bad business, leave the little females in a closet where they can have hysterics in private.

“Well, I’m not a weak, hysterical female, my lord. I demanded to be the one to remove you from this earth, even though my brother wanted the pleasure of it. Ah, Jason, do I see you considering perhaps throwing yourself at me? If you lift so much as a hand, I will shoot your father. Did I surprise you, Jason, when you awoke with me kissing you?”

“You know you did.”

“I had thought you would come to me, but that old crone, Lady Arbuckle, told me that you would never sleep with a woman who wasn’t your wife while under your father’s roof. The witch told me that if I had an ounce of breeding, I would know that.”

“No, I wouldn’t have come to you.”

“Do you want to know why I came to your bedchamber?”

“I was fool enough to believe that you cared for me.”

“Poor boy, did you really believe that? It was originally James I wanted, but Corrie was already in the picture, and I didn’t want to kill her. I believed I had you, but then Lady Arbuckle-that ridiculous vain old bat-told me that you were wild, not as honorable as your brother, and were known to keep a mistress. She told me you flirted with young ladies, made them fall in love with you, made them believe that it was marriage you had in mind, then walked away. It wasn’t going to happen to me.

“And that’s why I came to your bedchamber at midnight. I knew that if you took my virginity you would feel honor-bound to offer marriage, and so I would win. We were under your precious father’s roof, now weren’t we? A young gentleman, no matter his true nature, couldn’t get away with seducing a virgin without marriage, now could he? And that would mean that I could stay here as long as I needed to with no one wondering about it.”

Jason said to the girl whose lovely wicked eyes were now cold as the ice floes in the North Sea, “I loved you, Judith, and I was ready to ask you to marry me. What Lady Arbuckle told you wasn’t the truth. Why do you think she said that about me?”

Judith laughed. “I have no doubt at all now that the old bitch told me that in an effort to protect you; she doubtless hoped that I would give up trying to attach you since you were such a flighty scoundrel, and that would mean that I couldn’t use you. And so I did what I had to do. I will admit that it was no hardship. I believe I shall have to punish Lady Arbuckle for her pathetic attempt at betrayal. You’re every bit as honorable as your brother, aren’t you?”

“Judith, my love, let’s end it.”

Douglas said, drawing away her attention, “You want me to believe that your brother is planning to kill my son?”

“Oh yes,” Marie said. “As Judith told you, he’s ready. My dear, I told his lordship why I was doing this, that you and I have maintained the fiction for Louis, poor boy, such a romantic he’s always been, wanting revenge and justice for his dead mother, believing implicitly that it was only right and for him to be the next earl of Northcliffe.”

“Yes,” Judith said. “I even told him it wouldn’t be healthy for his soul if he killed his own father. He believed me.”

Douglas had stepped a bit farther away from Jason. “Is Louis such a fool that he actually believes this lie you’ve told him?”

“He’s not a fool, damn you! The truth is that I wanted to kill you. Now, I am really tired of all this. Jason, you weren’t to be involved. I am sorry about that, but it will make things easier for Louis when he comes back to claim his title.”

Jason said, his voice low and vicious, “You lie to yourselves, both of you. England will fall into the sea before Louis Cadoudal becomes the earl of Northcliffe.”

“Oh, it will happen, Jason. It will happen.” Marie was smiling as she raised the derringer.