Dance with Deception: Scandalous Secrets, Book 1 - Exclusive Edition (Scandalous Secrets - Exclusive Edition) (31 page)

Gwen stood and walked toward her. She then bent down, clasping Victoria’s hands within her
own. “Please tell us what is wrong.”

Tori’s firm stare held Gwen’s. “Why aren’t you happy here?”

“Oh darling,” Gwen embraced her sister-in-law’s petite form. “I am happy.”

“No, you’re not.” Tori pulled away. “You were but now you’re not. Not since your father’s visit. Why?”

Gwen didn’t answer at first, as if she hadn’t been prepared for this line of questioning so Sebastian intervened. “It’s complicated, Victoria, but it’s nothing to concern yourself with.”

Victoria turned toward her brother, her intense gaze unnerving him.

“What did you do?” Her stern tone stopped his heart. “What did you lie about?”

This time, Gwen interceded. “Tori, none of this involves you. You have no reason to be upset with your brother.”

“You’re not denying it because it’s true.” Tori surveyed her brother through narrowed eyes.

Gwen turned toward him and the sight made her chest ache. His complexion had turned ashen while his eyes betrayed his pain.

She did the only thing she could think of. Gwen lied. “Tori, your brother didn’t do anything—”

“Stop protecting him!” Victoria’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “I heard your fight last night. I know he did something horrible to chase you away.”

She turned toward her brother again, anger emanating from her every word. “I know you lied to her. I know you hurt her.”

“I didn’t mean to. I thought I was doing the right thing.” Sebastian rose, rushing to his sister before stroking her back. “Everything will be all right. I promise you—”

“You are a liar!”

“Tori, don’t say that.” Gwen’s eyes narrowed. “Your brother has been nothing but honest with you.”

“Stop protecting him!” Tori leapt to her feet, tears streaming down her cheeks as her chair slid backwards slamming into the wall behind it. “And stop treating me like a child!”

Gwen reached for her, but Tori stepped away.

“Victoria,” Gwen pleaded, “please listen to me”

“I’m sick of listening! I wish I never heard any of this! Perhaps the next time you have a fight that I’m not supposed to know anything about, you’ll do so at a lower decibel. Then I can ignore it as you clearly want me to.” With that last retort, Victoria fled the dining room.

Sebastian started to run after her but halted under the arch of the door. He raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t even know what to say to her.”

Gwen reached for his arm. “Give her some time to calm down. Then you’ll be able to straighten things out with her.”

“How do I defend my actions when even I find them to be inexcusable?” He turned toward his wife.

“Allow me to speak with her.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ll make certain Victoria understands.”

“Do you think you’re impartial?” he asked, a
grin tugging at the corners of his full lips.

His jibe was welcome. Gwen found it far easier to accept than his earlier wounded expression. “Who better to speak with her than the woman who has already forgiven you?”

“You have?” Sebastian reached for her, cupping Gwen’s face in his hands.

“I know you weren’t malicious.” She placed her hand over his. “Forgiving you was easy. Allowing myself to trust you again is what is so damn difficult.”

“Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

“As we are both painfully aware, the truth hurts.” In contrast to her words, her tone was surprisingly light, almost humorous.

“Now you tell me,” he quipped. “Thank you for defending me to my sister.”

“I owe you at least one rescue, maybe two.”

Sebastian’s hands still cupped her face. He knew he could kiss her and he wanted to. From the expression sweeping her cherished countenance, she wanted the same thing. He didn’t kiss her, though, opting instead to wait for his wife to come to him, now certain that she would soon do just that.

Gwen pulled away. “I should check on Tori.”

Sebastian waited in the doorway as he watched his wife ascend the grand staircase. She forgave him. That in and of itself was a miracle, but he knew something else, something he was certain his wife hadn’t yet realized.

She was beginning to trust him again.

The little seeds were planted within his heart at
the way she jumped to his defense with his sister and the way she clutched his hands when she knew he needed her. Time would heal her wounds. He believed it to be true.

“Sebastian!” Gwen shouted from the top of the stairs. “Sebastian, she’s gone! Victoria’s gone.”

His heart stopped. “What do you mean?” He bounded up the stairs two at a time, striding to his sister’s room.

“She’s not there,” Gwen explained. “Did you see her come back down?”

Sebastian called to his butler. “Winston! Have you seen my sister?”

The butler straightened. “No, your Grace, I have not.”

“Do you think she took the servant’s stairway?” Gwen asked.

“If I may, Your Grace,” Winston’s expression was apologetic. “I just came from there and didn’t see her.”

“See if she left a note while I check the stables,” Sebastian instructed his wife.

Gwen ran to Tori’s room in search of any clue where she may have gone while the butler followed his master. “Is there anything I can do, Your Grace?”

Sebastian darted down the main staircase, issuing orders over his shoulder, “See if any of the servants witnessed Victoria depart or saw where she was headed.”

His heart slammed in his ribs. If anything were to happen to his sister, Sebastian would never forgive himself.

Escorted by her faithful puppy, Victoria departed from Kellington Manor cloaked by the darkness of night. She chose to trek through the woods, convinced that her feet were the best mode of transportation. If she’d taken a horse from the stables or summoned a carriage, her brother would have caught up to her and that was something she couldn’t allow. No, she needed to teach him a lesson, and in doing so, bring Sebastian and his wife closer together.

Well aware that Sebastian would never have approved of her late night jaunt, Victoria reveled in his disapproval. Within the past twenty-four hours, she’d seen her brother in a new light. It was a blinding glare that hurt her eyes.

Her hero had fallen.

Victoria’s mind returned to her solemn journey. She gulped in an attempt to control her stammering heartbeat. With her home now out of sight, she began to doubt her logic.

Although the rain had been brief and had subsided a couple of hours earlier, clouds hovered in front of the silvery moon, leaving her path dark. With the ground slippery, Victoria’s Russian leather boots were already caked with mud and the bottom of her skirts were damp.

Victoria maneuvered through dark shadows, grasping her cloak tighter. In doing so, she tripped over a protruding root, which caused her puppy to
bark.

“Shush,” she beseeched her beloved canine.

By and large Victoria enjoyed her furry beast’s talkative nature and felt safe under her protective gaze. Tonight, however, Molly’s bark strained her last nerve.

Victoria’s heartbeat quickened and seemed to skip on occasion as her eyes darted through the darkness. Clouds flitted past the moon, offering her a brief respite from the deep black night.

Molly nudged her mistress’s legs with her wet nose and Victoria spared her a sweet grin. The dog had been growing by leaps and bounds, and with her increased physical strength and maturity, came an increased loyalty toward her mistress.

Victoria paused to stroke the soft fur around the canine’s collar, the mere touch steadying her nerves.

“You’re a good girl, Molly,” she whispered as her fingers worked their way behind one of the dog’s ears. “We’ll be there soon.” Her tone was reassuring, more so to convince herself than the canine.

Darkness enveloped them again and Molly nudged Victoria forward as if she were eager to reach their destination as well.

Throughout her trek, Victoria was well aware of her puppy’s bright eyes watching her. Comforted by those loving orbs, she journeyed farther into the darkness.

The clouds released the moon just as Ainsley’s dim lamps became visible. Eager to reach shelter, Victoria grabbed her skirts in tight fists, quickening
her pace.

She reached the top of Ainsley’s front steps out of breath, inhaling a large gulp of the crisp night air in her lungs as she rapped the brass doorknocker. The sound sliced through the thick silence of night.

When no one answered on her first knock, Victoria began to doubt her plan as her heartbeat thumped in her ears. What if Gwen’s father hadn’t left any staff in England? Perhaps Norris hadn’t stayed behind, after all.

The thought sent a chill of down her spine. She knocked once more, dreading the thought of trekking back through the dark woods.

The door opened with force, causing Victoria to jump.

“Dear Lord!” cried the gray-haired man Victoria recognized as Norris, the MacAlistair family’s butler. “My apologies Lady Victoria; I never expected you would be knocking at this hour.”

He squinting in the darkness. “Are you alone? Where is the Duchess?”

“I am alone. My apologies for intruding, but I was taking a walk and wound up here.” Even to her own ears, her attempt to sound cavalier failed miserably. Victoria glanced over the butler’s shoulder, down the empty hallway, “Do you think I could come in? I’m a little cold.”

Of course, my Lady,” Norris stepped back, motioning for her to enter. “I apologize for being a bit slow this evening. I wasn’t expecting anyone, you see. Master MacAlistair ordered the house closed and I’ve been acting as caretaker. Just today I received a missive from Master Tristan asking me
to prepare it for his arrival in a few days. I haven’t gotten far yet with the preparations, I’m afraid.”

“It’s all right, Norris.” Victoria’s smile was sincere as she attempted to calm the poor man. “I understand.”

“What brings you here, my Lady?”

“As I explained—”

“If you’ll forgive me, my Lady, I believe there’s more to your reasoning than what you told me.” He bowed his head. “Young women don’t take walks alone at this hour.”

Tori arched her brow. “I had hoped to be a little less obvious. Apparently, I am in need of practice.”

Norris’ gray eyes softened. “Shall I have my wife bring you some hot tea while I write to—”

“Gwen?” Tori was quick to interrupt. She was certain Gwen would be more understanding than Sebastian. “Yes, please write to Gwen.”

“Yes, my Lady, right away. Follow me.”

The kind man led her into the kitchen where his wife stood brewing a pot of tea.

“Good gracious.” Her white cap bounced as she turned. “What brings you here, dear?”

Norris smiled in an agreeable manner. “I’ve already asked that, Mary. Would you pour Lady Victoria a cup of tea while I write to Her Grace?”

“Yes, of course. Come dear, I’ll pour you a big cup,” Mary asserted in a maternal tone. “You must have quite a chill, my Lady. Sit in front of the fire.”

Tori capitulated. After what seemed like a half an hour, her toes warmed. She sipped her tea while Mary handed her a plate of biscuits.

“How is Miss Gwen? I suppose I should refer to
her as ‘Her Grace.’ Force of habit, I suppose. I’ve known her since she was knee high.”

Victoria managed a grin, not feeling up to a conversation with the kind woman. To her relief, Gwen entered the kitchen sparing Victoria the need to respond.

“Victoria, honey, for goodness sake! Do you have any idea how worried your brother and I were?” Gwen hurried to the young woman and crushed her in a tight embrace.

“Are you angry with me?”

“No, right now I’m just relieved that you’re all right. Do you have any idea how worried your brother still is? He gathered a search party and was combing the grounds in search of you when I received Norris’ missive. I was forced to send a servant in search of him to deliver the news of your safety before heading over here.”

She released her sister-in-law and approached Mary. “Hello, Mary.” She hugged the portly woman. “Thank you for taking such good care of my girl.”

“It was my pleasure, miss. I mean, Your Grace.”

Gwen squeezed her hand. “Miss does quite well, Mary.”

“She was chilled to the bone when she arrived.” Mary’s tone was animated. “I gave her some hot tea to warm her. Will you both be staying here tonight?”

Gwen shook her head. “No, I’m taking her home—”

“I’m not going,” Victoria countered in defiance.

Even though Mary was like family to her, Gwen
refused to discuss such business in public. “We’ll discuss this later, Victoria.” Her tone brokered no argument.

“Please excuse me, Your Grace.” Mary curtsied before she continued. “Norris lit a fire in your old room just in case Lady Victoria would be spending the night.”

“Thank you, Mary. That was too kind of him.” Gwen stroked her sister-in-law’s back and the young woman shivered. “Oh, dear, you’re still cold. Let’s get you upstairs.”

Victoria rose clutching the blanket that Mary had wrapped around her shoulders earlier. “You’re not making me go home?”

“Not now. First, we’ll concentrate on warming you and making sure you don’t catch a death of a cold.” As Gwen turned to the good-natured servant, she noted that the woman was wiping down a counter, pretending not to overhear. “Mary, would you mind drawing some water for Victoria’s bath?”