Page 25 of Taming of the Rake
“You forged that will, or you twisted his mind while he lay dying,” he snarled, spittle flying from his mouth. “I don’t know how you did it, but I’ll expose you for the lying—”
His words broke off on a gurgle as Powell’s large arm appeared from over her shoulder like a striking snake, his palm slamming into Tobias’s throat. Regina shrank away from the pair as Powell backed the other man toward the door, nearly lifting him off his feet. Her blood had frozen to ice, and she was numb everywhere except for where Tobias had touched her. The scorching brand of his fingers seemed to have burned away the sleeve of her gown and the flesh of her arm straight to the bone. However, when she stared down at herself, everything was intact. He might have left a mark, but then her fair skin had always been easily bruised.
It took her half a minute to breathe through the darkness encroaching on her vision as a flood of memories overwhelmed her—of being grabbed that same way just before a palm cracked against her face, of being shoved against walls and over pieces of furniture. Another half a minute passed before she realized that if she didn’t find her voice and stop Powell, he was going to murder her cousin-in-law.
“Powell, that’s enough,” she managed, though she could not look at either man just now. Violence hung heavy in the air around them, and Regina wanted nothing more than to escape it. “I think Tobias understands now that his behavior was unpardonable. We should give him the opportunity to take his leave while he still can.”
The gurgling sounds of Tobias being strangled died away and then came the rustle of clothing being adjusted. Regina kept her eyes fixed on the wallpaper, controlling her breathing and doing her utmost to keep from collapsing into a sobbing heap on the floor. She was stronger than that, could endure a raised voice and a hand gripping her arm. She had already lived through far worse; Tobias didn’t have the strength to break her.
“Both my solicitor and yours have agreed that the contents of Randolph’s will were sound and legal. There is nothing for you to contest, and you risk making yourself look even more the fool if you continue on this course. Might I suggest you be content with the generous stipend I have offered and move on with your life? Oh, and now that the matter is settled to my satisfaction, I must inform you that I’ll not receive you in the future. Should you need to communicate with me, a letter will suffice. Good day.”
Tobias’s protests fell on deaf ears as the sound of scuffling indicated that Powell had begun to see him out.
“You heard my mistress. Time to leave.”
Regina sank into the nearest chair once they were gone, releasing the breath she’d been holding. To keep from bursting into tears, she turned over the matter of Randolph’s will. Like Tobias and everyone else in the extended Hurst family, Regina had been shocked by the revelation that Randolph had left her everything—the house and estate, every penny of his money, and all his valuable possessions. The house had been passed down through generations of gentry farmers, and over the years had been filled with expensive furnishings, not to mention the safe in the study which held a collection of jewels previously owned by several Hurst women, including Randolph’s mother. In one fell swoop it had all become hers, and she could hardly fathom how or why.
Her husband suffered a slow and painful death after his horse had spooked and thrown him. The beast trampled Randolph before bolting, leaving him a pulpy heap of broken bones and purpled, bruised skin. He was carried back home by servants and tended by a surgeon who had not been optimistic regarding his chances of survival. Regina had stood at his bedside, stoic and silent as the physician explained the extent of his injuries. The man seemed to think she was in shock as she stood there staring at Randolph without truly seeing. Instructions for his care had been related to a maid, and the surgeon even left a tonic for her ‘delicate nerves.’ He had tried to shoo Regina from the sickroom, supposing that the sight of her husband’s broken body was surely more than a gently bred woman could bear.
What a ridiculous idea. But then, the doctor had not understood why she could only stare at Randolph in a silent stupor. The sight of her husband’s swollen and discolored face had hypnotized her, the devastating beauty of mangled limbs and a chest that struggled for every breath holding her in their thrall. She wondered then how he had ever been able to make her afraid of him. Randolph had seemed so large before, so terrifying—an indestructible force of nature hellbent on crushing her. But, as she’d listened to the wheezing of his breaths and studied the broken fingers and crooked nose, it had surprised her to find him pitiful.
Ordering everyone from the room except Powell, she had stared down at him for a long while without moving or speaking, taking stock of all his injuries, counting them in her mind. Interestingly, they didn’t even come close to matching the ones he had inflicted on her over the years. Yet, there he was, brought low and at the mercy of her and the servants who had witnessed his abuse, and often been on the other end of it themselves. There wasn’t a soul within this house who would care if Randolph died a slow, excruciating death.
Regina had edged closer to the bed where he lay, a pitiful heap beneath the coverlet. He stared up at her with wide, pleading eyes, chin trembling as if he might weep. He hadn’t uttered a word, but Regina clearly saw the truth in his stare. He had known his life rested in her hands—that she could press a pillow over his face right then and he wouldn’t have the strength to fight her off. The temptation had proved nearly irresistible. The intent must have radiated from her, because even Powell acted accordingly, closing and locking the door so no one would witness her sin.
But then, a sudden sense of calm had washed over her, and Regina could only laugh. She’d had the power to snuff out the sputtering flame of Randolph’s life, but it would never be enough to repay his abuse or change the past. If anything, it would riddle her with guilt for the rest of her life, and she had no desire to live with Randolph’s ghost after he was gone. She would be free of him, completely.
“I wouldn’t waste the energy it would cost me to end your pitiful existence,” she had whispered without breaking his gaze. “I think I would rather allow God to decide your fate. But you should know that whether you live or die … you will never lay a hand on me again.”
Those had been her last words to him, though Randolph survived for several days after. She had charged a collection of servants to see to his every need and send for the surgeon if necessary. Regina then went about her life as if Randolph did not exist—which was easy to do when he could not leave his bed and dog her every step. His solicitor had been called for suddenly, but the matters of the estate and money meant nothing to her. If she was to be granted a dower’s jointure and house, so be it. If not, she would find some other way to get by. One thing she had been determined to avoid was crawling back to her family, who had abandoned her to Randolph despite knowing the extent of his mistreatment.
A few days after Randolph’s demise, the news of her inheritance had been more shocking than learning that her husband had been trampled half to death by a horse. While another woman might have been elated to have such welcome security, Regina saw her fortune as the burden it was. Not that she minded caring for her tenants and lands. She had Randolph’s agent to take care of such matters on her behalf, and thus far she had no reason to doubt his competence. However, while Randolph had alleviated some of her worries, he’d created others—in the form of his family. Tobias had been the most persistent, unable to accept that the will was valid. As Randolph’s closest living male relative, he had expected to take everything and now felt as if he’d been cheated.
“He’s gone, ma’am,” Powell said, drawing her attention to where he loomed in the doorway. “I’m sorry he got close enough to touch you. It won’t happen again.”
She forced a smile for his benefit, but doubted Powell was fooled. “Think nothing of it.”
“Begging your pardon ma’am, but it’s all I can think about most days. You’ve been terrorized enough, with me impotent to stop it. No, not impotent … cowardly.”
Regina came to her feet and closed the distance between them. Taking Powell’s big, rough hands in her own, she stared up into his dark eyes.
“If you had acted against Randolph, he would have had you arrested and taken away from me. Who would have been here to help me stand when I was low, or make me feel safe? Where else would I have found the will to live when I wanted to curl up and die? No, Powell … you did what I needed you to do by remaining close, helping me where you could, and giving me a kind face to look upon every day. Randolph might have hated me and my neighbors never really knew me, but you were the only person in the world who cared for me, and I owe you everything.”
His throat undulated with a forceful swallow, and for a moment he looked as if he might actually shed a tear. Regina would have counted it a miracle if he had, because the man rarely showed his emotions. True to form, he pulled himself together and squeezed her hands.
“And I owe you the same. I suppose that means we are beholden to one another.”
This time, the smile she gave him was genuine—a rare expression, but one he brought about easier than anyone else. “At least, until you meet the future Mrs. Powell.”
The tips of his ears went red and he shook his head. “No ma’am. I’m happy here, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Then you should remain. But you must promise to inform me the moment that changes, no matter how you think it might make me feel.”
She could see the defiance in his eyes, but he merely nodded and released her hands. He then trailed her from the morning room back to her waiting breakfast. Another footman had refreshed her tea, and now set a new plate before her, steam rising from the coddled eggs.
Her appetite returned now that the unfortunate business with Tobias had been settled, so she laid her napkin in her lap and took her first bite with relish. The rest of the day would be better, Regina would make certain of it. The future was hers for the taking, and her plans were set. All there was left to do was hope she could finally have that final missing piece, the thing that would make her whole.
Buttering a third slice of toast, she decided it couldn’t hurt to begin eating for two right away.
