Sherbrooke Twins

“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 pla

“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.

Douglas said quickly, “Why did you foist this charade upon two i

“How very smart you think yourself, my lord. When I found out how Janine had been involved with you, when she finally told me how she’d lied to Georges, it was then that I started thinking what could come of it. Only a fool doesn’t take a risk when there is such a huge gain.”

Douglas looked again at Judith. “She has made you want to be a murderess. You can still stop this madness, Judith.”

“I am sorry to say, my lord, that I agreed immediately when she presented her plans to me. Am I bad? Oh yes, I think so.”

Her smile was so very lovely, her eyes filled with intelligence and beauty and cleverness. But there was so much more. Jason saw clearly now, saw the darkness in her, and beyond that, nothing more.

Judith smiled at him, a smile filled with such disregard he felt it to his soul. “I never could tell you apart, not like Corrie, who can tell which one you are from your shadow. Now don’t move. I’m an excellent shot, as is my aunt. Your plan might have worked if James had been here, and that silly little Bow Street Ru

Jason met his father’s eyes, and nodded, nothing more.

Douglas said slowly, “So Lady Arbuckle is another victim?”

“Well, she certainly isn’t my real aunt. Just look at that face of hers, the ugly old cow. To gain her cooperation, my brother and two of his friends took over their country home, Lindsay Hall, in St. Ives. She was to introduce me to London society, and I would meet you. In exchange, her husband would live. A fair trade, don’t you think?”

“And is Lord Arbuckle alive?”

“I don’t know,” she said.

Douglas said to Judith even as he moved another couple of inches away from Jason, “You ordered Lady Arbuckle to keep away from the family, didn’t you? And that’s why she’s kept to her bedchamber.”

“Yes, my lord. I no longer needed her. I had my real aunt here, already completely accepted in your precious household. A

“He’s not all that pathetic, Judith,” Marie said. “He still has most of his teeth. Almost as many as I have.”

Judith laughed, a contemptuous laugh that turned all of Jason’s raw pain and soul-numbing fear to rage. He felt another bolt of anger for Hollis, a man so honorable and good, his soul shined through his eyes.

Jason wanted to leap on her, put his hands around her neck and squeeze the life out of her, but his father grabbed his arm and steadied him.

Marie said, “It was a treat to listen to you stumble around, to know that I could have poisoned all of you at any time, but Judith wanted to kill you, so what could I do? Don’t move, my lord, because if she misses you, then it is I who will shoot you.”

Douglas said, “You want to know what I see, madam? I see a young girl who wants what isn’t hers and is prepared to kill to gain it, a young girl you’ve twisted into a monster. As are you, her aunt. Did Georges ever see through you, madam?”

“Yes, but it didn’t matter. The madness had him, made him a pathetic creature. But he endured, remembering scraps here, telling Louis things he shouldn’t have. It cost me very little to hire a man to kill him.”

Judith didn’t seem to care that her aunt had killed her father. She said, “Enough! I don’t wish to kill everyone in this house. I must shoot you, my lord.” She flicked a look at Jason. “And you too, I fear, Jason. A pity. You really are such a beautiful lad.”

LOUIS CADOUDAL WAS nearly over the edge. James felt numbing fear, felt his heart pounding heavily against his chest; he didn’t want to die; he didn’t want to leave his family, leave Corrie. In that instant, James saw Corrie’s face, saw her smiling up at him, touching him, kissing him. She loved him, had always loved him, but now she loved him as a woman loved a man. And he would give his life for her, he always would have. It had happened so suddenly, this knowledge that he wouldn’t want to continue if she were no longer in his life. And he knew if something happened to him, it would destroy her.

James felt calm flow through him, and determination. He wasn’t going to leave Corrie, ever. He knew that he had to control this madman, and that meant keeping him talking. He said easily, “You know, Louis, your English is quite fluent. How did you manage that?” And as he spoke, his fingers were sifting through the ancient hay that covered the rotted floor, to find something, anything, to help him.

Thank God it did the trick. Louis Cadoudal took a long deep breath, the wild color in his face faded, and he even laughed. “After my father died, we went to Spain. And after that, Ireland. I even had an English tutor. Since I was young, I learned to speak your ridiculous language without an accent. If you are wondering, my father had rich Irish cousins, a very good thing. My poor father, how he wanted to go down in history as the man who’d dispatched Napoleon. But he didn’t. He loved you English, wanted me to be an English gentleman, and it appears that is exactly what is to happen.”

“I don’t think so. Everyone knows about you, Louis. How can you imagine that you can simply kill me and my father, present forged marriage lines to the magistrates, and expect them to welcome you into the fold?”