Page 79 of The Bride Wore White

“Not yet. I’m sure he knows that good old Dad got Maud pregnant and that she disappeared to have the baby. I wouldn’t besurprised if he knows that Clara paid for the bastard to be locked up in a private boarding school fortroubled youthuntil the boy was in his teens. I don’t know if he’s aware that his mother paid even more money to have that young man locked up in afucking asylum for the insane at the age of thirteen.”

Harley hurled the glass containing his unfinished whiskey against the wall. No one moved. Prudence watched, shocked in spite of herself, as the shards cascaded to the floor. She was aware that Maud appeared both frightened and anguished. The only one who seemed unfazed was Jack.He probably saw that coming,she thought.

Harley took a couple of deep breaths and then poured himself another glass of whiskey as if nothing had happened. “I’m not insane. That’s what made it all so intolerable, you see.” He glared at Maud. “I was perfectly sane, but my mother had me locked up at the age of five, first in that school and then in the asylum.”

“Looks like you escaped from the asylum a few months ago,” Jack said.

“Yes.” Harley snorted and gulped some of the whiskey. “Naturally the first thing I did was set out to find my long-lost mother. After all, I needed to give her a change of address so that she could send the money to me instead of the asylum. My time in the hospital was not entirely wasted. The institution was very modern. The doctors there are running all sorts of experiments with new medications for those afflicted with nervous disorders. I was one of their research subjects. When I left, I took several vials of the latest drug with me.”

“That’s what you used on Clara Dover,” Prudence said. “You drugged her and then hypnotized her into thinking she was having visions.”

“It was an amusing game. She wanted so desperately to believe she had astonishing psychic powers. The more I assured her thatshe did, indeed, possess paranormal talent, the more she trusted me.” Harley winked. “And the more money she paid for my services. I started blackmailing her anonymously on the side, and that doubled my income. All in all, it’s been a profitable venture.”

“When are you going to inform Rollins that you are his half brother?” Prudence said.

It was Maud who responded. “After Clara’s will is read,” she said, very fierce now. “That’s when I find out if she kept her word or if she lied to me.”

Jack looked at her. “Clara promised to put Flood in her will?”

“We made a bargain all those years ago. She promised to see to it that my son would be looked after financially for the rest of his life if I kept the secret.”

“She wasn’t threatened by gossip about her husband having fathered an illegitimate child,” Prudence said. “But she was terrified that word would get out that the boy had to be locked up at an early age because of mental instability.”

“I had proof that Harley was Copeland Dover’s son,” Maud said. She clenched her hands into fists. “She knew she could not deny it.”

Harley chuckled. “I have a very distinctive birthmark on my upper chest. Care to see it?” He started to unbutton the collar of his shirt.

“Don’t bother,” Prudence said quickly.

Harley laughed and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Gilbert and Rollins have the same mark,” Maud said. “I watched them grow up. I saw them in swimming trunks many times. I saw the same mark on their monster of a father when he raped me. When I told Clara that I could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that my son was her husband’s child, she agreed to pay, first for that fancy boarding school and then for the asylum.”

“But now she’s dead,” Jack said. “That’s going to be a problem for you if it turns out she didn’t put Harley into her will.”

“She promised,” Maud hissed. “She swore to me Harley would always be taken care of. She knew I would destroy the Dovers and their business by telling the truth about the tainted bloodline.”

“Shut up, Maud,” Harley screeched. “You stupid woman. The bloodline isn’t tainted. There is nothing wrong with me. I’m a sane man who was falsely imprisoned in that asylum. I never murdered anyone. It was an accident.”

“What did happen to your roommate at boarding school?” Jack asked.

Harley made a visible effort and managed to get his temper under control, but Prudence could feel the currents of volatile energy sparking in the atmosphere. She knew Jack was aware of them, too. Harley Flood was a dangerously unstable man. There was fear in Maud’s eyes as she watched her son.

“Harley,” she said quietly.

He ignored her. Harley was fixated on Jack now.

“It was a fucking accident,” he said. “He fell off the dock and drowned. But the school authorities claimed I slammed a rock against his head and pushed him into the water. They were looking for an excuse to kick me out. You’re starting to bore me, Wingate.”

Maud gave him another desperate, fearful look. “Harley, that’s enough.”

Jack ignored Harley. He studied Maud. “According to the hospital, you went to see Clara last night. Was she alive when you left her?”

“Yes.”Maud was suddenly consumed with an anguished rage. She came up out of the chair with a jerky, panicky movement. “I didn’t kill her. Why would I want her dead? I wanted her to suffer. I had just found out Rollins was finally getting ready to have her committed. I was thrilled. She was going to spend the rest of her life locked up in an asylum for the insane. I could not have wished for a more perfect revenge.”

Prudence could have sworn that an electrified stillness had settled on the room. Jack, however, either was unaware of the strange tension or else he did not give a damn. She suspected the latter.

“Thank you for confirming my conclusions, Mrs.Hollister,” he said. “I knew this was about revenge. I understand most of it now.”

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