Page 68 of A Courtesan Countess Worth the Scandal
Nora shook her head. “No. It was part of a ruse to keep me safe from harm, but I suppose neither Liam nor I realized that the danger would follow us here.” She glared up at Edward. “But we have all but professed our love to each other, and I pray it won’t be long until we are wed, so I can be rid of you.”
In truth, she did not know where her affections for Liam would lead. Part of her hoped there might be a chance of marriage, but she was not a naïve girl anymore. For so long, she had existed in a world where women like her did not receive such blissful endings, and even though he had said he was falling in love with her, she could not quite bring herself to believe it. But Edward did not need to know that.
The vile man smirked. “I am glad of that, otherwise you would have to write that he is a bigamist in your next installment.”
“He is no bigamist,” Nora retorted, “and if you think you can wound me or manipulate me by revealing that Liam has been married once before, then you may save your efforts. I already know, and it does not matter to me.”
Edward’s smile twisted further into a cold, calculated grin. “That boy has always been a coward. He likely feared you might beat him half to death if he told you theactualtruth.” He took a step toward her and leaned down. “Élodie Westwood, the Countess of Keswick, is still very much married to my dear, foolish Nephew.”
“It’s beneath you to lie so blatantly,” Nora shot back. “Liam told me she died the night he discovered the betrayal. An accident on the staircase that took her life, most tragically.”
Edward smiled. “No, I should say it is beneath my Nephew to trick you so blatantly. Although, I daresay I shall give him a round of applause for almost getting away with it.” He gestured toward the cottage with the barred windows and metal door. “Lady Keswick is alive and well, and residing in this very prison, where my Nephew insisted I incarcerate her. You see, I have not simply been managing the Manor in his absence; I have also played the part of sentinel to his lonely, abandoned wife.”
Just then, three figures burst out of the trees, their tailcoats flapping out behind them as they ran into the center of the clearing. Liam led the trio, with Carlton and Denninson following close behind. But Nora did not know if she ought to be pleased by the sudden arrival of the proverbial cavalry, for there was something in Edward’s confidence that compelled her to believe him.
“Do not listen to him, Nora.” Liam raced toward her and crouched down so he could help her to her feet. “I have told you the truth. My wife died that night, at the bottom of the staircase. I attended her funeral, and so did Carlton and Denninson. Whoever my Uncle is about to show you, it is not her.”
Carlton stooped, breathing hard. “He is being honest, Miss Black. I saw the casket with my own eyes, and I watched it being lowered into the ground. There is even a headstone where she was laid to rest.”
Liam clutched Nora’s hands in hers, his gaze imploring. “The only thing I have not told you is that… there are many here who blame me for her death.” He dipped his chin to his chest. “That is why I have feared returning for so many years, so I would never have to hear anyone whisper “murderer” as I passed them by, ever again.”
“This is all too much,” Nora gasped, her lungs fighting for air. “I no longer know what to believe. In one night, I’ve discovered that a dear friend has told untruths to my worst enemy, that the man I adore is the nephew of that same enemy, and that… there is possibly a woman behind that door who is your wife. I can’t take any more.”
Liam held onto her hands as she tried to wrench them away. “And in one night I have discovered that I am in love, and that I cannot lose you, and that my Uncle is alsomyenemy. For anyone who could hurt you so foully is as good as dead to me.” He turned to glower at Edward. “You will be made to suffer for your wrongdoings, Uncle. I saw you drag her into the woods, I heard everything you just said, and you will not receive any mercy, just as you offered none to my beloved.”
“Youwilllose Miss Black, just as soon as she sees who you have been hiding behind this door,” Edward replied, clearly relishing the moment as he sauntered toward the cottage.
“Please, you must believe in me.” Liam returned his attention to Nora. “There were witnesses in the entrance hall who claim that I pushed Élodie, but I swear to you that I did not. We were grappling upon the stairs when she lost her footing, and my arms were so slippery with blood—my blood, spilled by her—that she lost her grip on me, too. I managed to reach for the banister in time, but she did not… and she fell to her death, cracking her skull on the ground. I did not kill her, but the blow to her head did. There is no possible way she can be in that cottage.”
Denninson gave a sage nod. “We would know of it, if she was. Moreover, you must have faith that our Dear Friend would never imprison someone for any reason, regardless of how angry or hurt he might have been. It is not in his nature.”
But Nora’s attention was no longer fixed upon Liam or his friends. Instead, her gaze rested on the door of the cottage, as Edward took out a large key and slid it into a sturdy lock. He turned it slowly, and Nora tried not to shudder at the sound of the rusty metal screeching.
“Nora…” Liam gave her hand a squeeze, but she ignored it. After all, the only way to be sure of who was telling the truth was to see what lay beyond that door. And if she looked at Liam now, she was afraid his handsome face and warm, caring eyes might divert her from a possible reality… that Liam’s wife was still living, and her hopes were about to be dashed.
“Miss Black, may I introduce you to Lady Keswick,” Edward announced, as the door swung wide.
Chapter Thirty
There, standing on the threshold of the cottage, staring blankly out into the clearing, was a pale waif of woman with shorn hair and a stark, silvery scar that ran from her temple to the back of her head. And though her cheeks were sunken, and the hollows around her eyes gave her the impression of a skeleton, Liam would have recognized her anywhere.
“What is the meaning of this?” he barked, his throat tight with terror. “This is not possible, Uncle. How have you engineered this? Did you select a young woman who looked like her? I know this is your doing. It has to be!”
“Oh, come now, you did not expect me to relinquish such a rare opportunity, did you?” Edward replied, his chest puffed with smug pride. And through that vulgar smugness, Liam realized that he had misjudged the man who had been more of a father to him than the man who bore that title.
He pretended to care for me. It has all been one elaborate falsehood.
Indeed, he would still be holding his uncle in the highest regard, if he had not heard the older man speak of his misdeeds with his own ears. And though it made him feel ashamed to admit it, he knew he would have found it difficult to believe Nora, if she had told him that his uncle was the one who had first dishonored her.
“I trusted you,” Liam rasped, his breathing shallow. Truly, his heart was breaking, for his uncle had been so very dear to him. He had been so much more than an uncle; he had been a father, when he had none. And this betrayal, in truth, was far worse than anything Élodie had ever done to him.
Back at the Manor, after Nora had excused herself, Edward had insisted on going to ensure that she was faring well while Liam spoke with some old family friends. Liam had fully believed that his uncle’s intentions were righteous and had even felt a ripple of delight that his uncle was paying such fond attention to the woman he adored. Now, he had to wonder what might have befallen Nora if he had not followed his instinct to check on her himself.
At first, he had not been able to fathom where Nora and his uncle had gone, for he did not think they would have wandered far from the gardens. Then, he had spotted a shadow in the distance, heading for the forest, and had heard a furious cry of indignation that he had recognized as Nora’s voice. He had rallied his friends and raced after his darling Nora immediately, thinking someone else had kidnapped her… only to hear everything of his uncle’s dark and unsavory past with the woman he adored.
“Did you not see Miss Black’s face when she laid eyes upon your uncle?” Denninson had said, as they had run for the woodland. “I do not know how, or why, but I have a feeling they know one another. Indeed, Miss Black looked rather like she had seen a monster.”
Now, Liam understood that Denninson’s suspicions had been well founded. Norahadseen a monster, and Liam had been made to see his uncle for what he really was.
