“I cannot seem to shake this dread,” she cried. “From the moment you departed till the day you returned, I have been consumed with concern. It is clear you are no longer the man you once were, and now I understand why. Have you given any thought to what might become of you should your scheme come to light?”
“It shall not come to light,” he pushed out, releasing her hand. “And I shall get what I want before anyone is any wiser.”
“And the innocent lady you intend on involving? What of her? She may very well be ruined by what you’ll do.”
“It is only what she deserves.”
Clarissa reeled back, shocked. “You cannot truly believe that. Her father’s actions should not reflect on her.”
“Do you know this lady?”
“I do not, nor do I need to. But I know you and—”
“You do not know me, Clarissa! You cannot possibly know me if you fail to comprehend my burning need for vengeance. And you cannot fathom the countless sleepless nights I have endured while meticulously piecing together my evidence, dispelling the falsehoods woven around our father’s name. Our righteous father who has never acted in vindication and yet suffered at the hands of those wolves.”
As the carriage rattled past a lamppost, light spilling inside for a fleeting moment, Michael caught tears shining in her eyes.
Still, her voice remained strong. “Papa would not approve of this.”
“Papa is not here to stop me. I am doing this for him. For you. For our family. To restore his name and our previous glory. To ensure that those who did such evil will not get away with it.” Michael sighed, leaning his head against the seat. His templeswere beginning to throb. “This is important to me, Clarissa. More than words can express. I need you to understand.”
Clarissa was quiet for a long moment. “Idounderstand, Michael,” she replied softly. “But even so, I cannot, in good conscience, agree.”
Michael decided not to respond to that, ignoring the stab of hurt he felt at those words. As his sister, he’d hoped that she would not oppose his plans when she eventually learned of it. But he should have known better. Clarissa was virtuous, her mind and heart uncorrupted by what happened to their family. Michael could not say the same for himself.
He ignored the faint voice in the back of his mind that warned him he was on the wrong path. He had not spent years chasing this vengeance to be dissuaded by the morally upstanding. Getting his revenge was his only reprieve, the only thing capable of bringing him peace.
He would stop at nothing to achieve that.
***
Edward’s chamber was shrouded in darkness, as he preferred, allowing barely enough light for Elaine to see as she helped him to his bed.
He’d spent most of the day in the drawing room, slipping in and out of sleep, murmuring to himself whenever he was awake. Now Elaine wondered if he might have fallen asleep on her again because he felt heavier than usual, his body weight pressing down on her shoulder.
“Nearly there,” she murmured, mostly to herself. She could barely make out the shadowy outline of his bed in the darkness.
At last, she felt the cool brush of the sheets against her knees. Bracing herself against the mattress, Elaine helped her father into the bed, adjusting his stiff limbs until he was settledunder the sheets. She tucked him in, certain that he must be deep in sleep by now.
As she began to walk away, his hand caught her wrist with surprising strength. It fell a moment later.
“Papa?” she spoke in the darkness.
She could not see his face but a moment later, his gravelly voice broke through. “Sit with me a moment.”
He sounded clearer than usual. Tonight must be a good night. Elaine nodded and quickly claimed the chair that was always by his bed. She would often sit there during the day with her embroidery while he rested, or when she would read to him.
“Yes, Papa,” she breathed, taking his hand in hers.
He cleared his throat. Elaine held her breath in anticipation. “I am…so proud of you, my dear.”
Tears rushed to her eyes, much to her alarm. She’d done so much crying today already, she couldn’t believe she had any tears left in her. “Why?” she asked, trying to sound light. “I have not done anything for you to be proud of.”
“You have grown into a beautiful young lady,” he rasped. “You have not left me to rot by myself.”
“Papa! Why would I ever do that?”
“There is so much you do not know, my dear.”
