Blackwells: My Timeswept Heart Part 35

Dane sat in the chair, his body tense and tightly coiled as Gaelan shoved Whittingham into the room. His gaze shifted, skewering the fat man. "I want a detailed plan of Rothmere's house."

"Surely you are mad, sir!" Nigel bristled, straightening the cuff of his nightshirt. "He would kill me."

Dane stood abruptly, the chair sc.r.a.ping back. "I will kill you if you do not!"

Nigel staggered as the man lunged at him like an enraged panther, his muscles rippling as he lifted Nigel up to meet his face.

"You will draw a map," his tone was glacial, his eyes narrow, predatory. "And if I find a crevice or a corner out of place, be a.s.sured this world is not large enough for you to escape me. Is that clear?" Nigel nodded meekly, the thought of bargaining 372.

with this man quickly tossed aside. Though his appearance spoke of a man living on the edge of his emotions, it was those eyes, burning with hatred, pale frost green, displaying a desperate need for revenge, that sent Nigel to quake in his slippers. He needs a kill, he thought. And 'twill not be me.

"You cannot get to him. Tis impenetrable unless he allows you entrance."

"Nothing is that safe." Dane released the man with a snarl of disgust.

" 'Tis so." Nigel straightened his clothing. "Over forty guards, a moat, the walls. Tis why he selected the location."

Dane shoved Nigel into a chair and pushed parchment and graphite in front of him. "Draw as if your life should depend on it." The look Dane dealt the man said that it did.

I at least will be prepared, Dane thought, raking a hand through his hair, then rubbing the back of his neck. It was tearing him apart to know Tess was in Phillip's hands. His stomach twisted, clenching in a tight knot. His worst nightmare. Phillip had the upper hand. And if I were not so driven with revenge, he railed silently, Tess would be safe. Sweet Christ! After finding the priest-he wasn't certain she was even alive. Nay! He immediately banished the agonizing thought. Phillip enjoyed the taunt, the torture Dane was suffering, knowing the twisted b.a.s.t.a.r.d had possession of his most cherished love. I must get to her and soon. She is intelligent and resourceful, he reminded himself, trying to regain control of his emotions, and she is exceptionally 373.

strong for a woman. He'd no doubt she was already attempting to regain her freedom, taking advantage of what lay at her fingertips. But Phillip was mad, and madness brewed unG.o.dly power. Dane had to get inside the white fortress and, it seemed now, he must be invited.

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CHAPTER THIRTY.

"Allow me the honor of introductions."

Phillip's voice jerked Jess's attention away from the veranda doors. The couple walked beneath the archway with an almost comical flourish. "Don't bother. You're Phil, I'm Tess, and she's Elizabeth Cabrea."

Lizzie's eyes widened, and she glanced quickly at Phillip.

Bennett's log had revealed the gruesome details about Desiree's murder, and Tess supposed the man had intended to blackmail Phillip, but now she needed to put that knowledge to good use. And Tess knew her target. The weakest link.

She moved slowly around the room, casually examining the knick-knacks. "What did you do, Lizzie, hold Desiree down for him?"

Elizabeth paled. "Nay!"

Tess spared her a glance. "You enticed her to come with you that day, didn't you, Lizzie?" she asked, fighting to keep anger from her voice. "Kinda like leading a lamb to slaughter, wasn't it?"

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Elizabeth dropped into a chair. "Phillip, make her stop."

"Cease, Lizzie,** he warned. "She knows naught." "Suit yourself, Phil." Tess shrugged, observing his reaction, turning a Dalton piece over in her hands. He was frowning, and she knew it was because of her clipped speech. "You betrayed all women, Elizabeth. You delivered that innocent girl into his hands, and for what? Money? What was your cut?" Tess's gaze bounced off the deep blue stones draped around her neck. "Those sapphires? You got cheated, big time," Tess said disgustedly replacing the porcelain. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lizzie's shoulders droop a bit more. "My husband will be pleased to know you're here, too." Tess lifted a silver creamer from a service, then put it down when she saw her reflection, the bruise on her cheek an ugly purple. No wonder it hurt so bad. Servants paraded into the dining hall, each bearing a tray laden with food. Her stomach protested at the sight. Jeez, it was four in the d.a.m.ned morning!

"Blackwell cannot rescue you, my dear," Phillip said with a ring of smugness. "This dwelling is impenetrable."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, running a finger over the polished sideboard. "For Dane?" Let them stew, she thought. "Sit down, Mistress Blackwell," he commanded, taking his seat.

At the mention of her name, a slender dark-haired man clad in black paused in his serving, his 376.

wary eyes darting to Tess, then Phillip. She caught it, Rothmere didn't, too busy with filling his plate. Was the butler an ally? The staff had refused to utter a word when she tried to question them earlier. Jeez. Were they prisoners, too? Tess wondered if she could trust one of them to get a message to Dane as she dropped into a chair, staring at the platters. I can't eat this stuff, she thought, uncertain if the food was poisoned, which was probably silly since Phillip and Elizabeth were digging in like there was no tomorrow. There wasn't, for them, she thought confidently, scooting eggs onto her plate.

Phillip wanted her husband, and she was nothing but a lure he had to keep alive until Dane arrived. G.o.d, what a morbid thought! But what if she could find something better, she pondered, glancing out the open doors. Guards shifted back and forth like Dobermans sniffing prey.

"I suggest you banish all thoughts of escape, Mistress Blackwell," Phillip said, and Tess glared at the skinny b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

"Never say die, Phil."

His brows drew together thoughtfully, unable to recognize her accent. "Might I ask where you hail from?"

"The twentieth century. How about you?" Score one for the good guys, she thought when Phillip choked on his tea.

He cleared his throat. "It will do you no good to fabricate tales, mistress." Then he shoved a large portion of sausage into his mouth.

"Tales, huh? I know this might come as a shock, but I don't lie." He gave her a condescending look. "You've got it all figured out, don't you? Dane will storm this-this crumbling pile of rocks, and you'll have a chance, right?" Another annoyed look. "Guess again, chump. He didn't travel this far to do something so predictable. Regardless of his loyalty to me, he'll get you, Phil." Tess looked pointedly at Elizabeth. "You, too, Lizzie. Was it your suggestion that Phillip slit Desiree's wrists and allow her to bleed to death in that potting shack?"

Tess. .h.i.t a nerve, at least in Elizabeth. The color drained from her features while Phillip absently toyed with a dinner knife, looking at her more strangely than usual.

"I suppose cutting out her tongue so she couldn't talk was your idea, eh, Phil?" Tess took a sip of juice.

"Oh, Lord, Phillip -!"

"Shut-up -Lizzie." She obediently paid close attention to her meal.

"Was that before or after you let those men have at her?"

He didn't respond to her latest dig, but simply wiped his lips and tossed the napkin aside, then leaned back in the chair. Without a command a servant was instantly at his side, removing his plate.

"I would restrain that flip tongue, mistress."

Tess shrugged. "Call me reckless. How long have you been stuck here, Phil? A year? Two? Don't you want it over? Or are you two planning to spend the rest of your lives hiding like cowards?"

"I am well-pleased with my home, my life. I see 378.

no reason to change it."

"Come on, Phil, give me a break! Your warehouses are in ashes. Whittingham has probably been arrested by now, spilling his guts to save his own skin. And you can't tell me you didn't expect Dane to come after you!"

His eyes'narrowed a fraction, and Tess sought to twist the knife a little.

"Nah." She relaxed in the chair. "You didn't think he'd find you at all. You led him here, you know, with Bennett, the attacks on the ships. Might as well have left a trail of bread crumbs."

She was far too clever for a female, Phillip thought, the reminder of his mistakes gouging at his composure.

"What's the connection between you two, anyway, besides that you killed his sister and stole his family's fortune?"

Phillip stood abruptly. " "It was my fortune! Mine!"

Now we're getting somewhere, she thought. "How so? It was in his home, in the possession of his father."

"Grayson Blackwell stole from my father! His partner! And the wh.o.r.eson kept all when my father was killed!"

"Isn't that how it goes, though? Remaining holdings to the surviving partner?"

"Nay, it belonged to me!"

She shook her head. "I don't think so, guy. It should have gone to your mother, or did you just evolve from swamp slime?"

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Another nerve, she thought when he reddened and clenched his fists. Tess went for the jugular. "What happened to your mommy, Phil?"

Elizabeth nearly fainted, slumping in the chair and fanning herself. "Mistress Blackwell," she whispered, daring a glance at Phillip. "I beg you not to pursue this subject."

Tess didn't give a c.r.a.p what she wanted. "Weren't your parents married?" Tess was a b.a.s.t.a.r.d, and it didn't mean squat to her, in her time, but here- Phillip was still, unbelievably rigid, then like the smoothing of fabric, he relaxed and settled into his chair, crossing his legs.

"Aye, they were wed." Tess marveled at the sudden change. "But Father left her for another woman." Beneath the table Phillip took Elizabeth's hand. "Since his marriage to my mother was arranged, he claimed to have never loved her, and the focus of his devotion turned to his-convenient," he said with disgust, "and their sp.a.w.n." Tess heard an odd sound, a soft snap, and Elizabeth screamed once, sharp and loud. Tess looked from one to the other. Elizabeth was battling tears, and Phillip grew calmer by the second. "Mother perished from a broken heart and, well, his wh.o.r.e-" His smile was a slow one, filled with a s.a.d.i.s.tic satisfaction. "I daresay she met with a most unfortunate accident."

Elizabeth looked away, her quickening breath heard from across the table. Phillip just kept staring, empty, cold. It was better than a confession.

"The child?" Tess ventured softly.

"Well-tended, I a.s.sure you."

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Elizabeth's once pale skin flamed red, and she fumbled under the table, tears spilling from bleak eyes. Phillip rested his elbows on the linen-covered surface as she twisted away and fled the room. He linked his ringed fingers, appearing neither to notice nor care about her departure as he addressed Tess. *

"One would believe you would already be privy to this information, Mistress Blackwell. Or are there secrets in your new marriage?"

Tess ignored that. "I gather you know my husband as something other than simply the brother of your victim?"

"Aye." He sipped his tea, the jibe bouncing off his thick hide. "We were educated together. At Eton."

Tess regarded her lap. Eton? Eton? Then it dawned on her and she looked up, her features pulling taut.

"Ann, I see you have heard of the school," he murmured. "The finest birching academy England has to offer a young pup."

"And the strictest." They beat students, Tess recalled, and inflicted horrible punishments for minor infractions. "How could your father send you there?"

"Grayson did, both of us." He leaned forward a bit, seeing no reason not to relay the tale since she wasn't leaving-at least not alive. "After my father's demise, Grayson provided me with an education and the barest essential but kept what was rightfully mine for his heir."

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r "Sounds to me like you were treated well. He could have done nothing." With a son like Dane, Tess decided, Grayson probably provided more than Phillip chose to recognize. "And you honestly don't know what went on between Grayson and your father?"

A muscle ticked beneath his eye, "I do. And need I remind you that I have sufficiently taken what Grayson prized most?" "Desiree," Tess answered, looking away. "Nay, his company," he said as if she should know better, and Tess shot him a contemptuous glare. He smiled thinly, coming to his feet. "The girl was merely a way to get closer to Grayson." He waved airily. "You must understand that the man had not known me since I was but a youth, with nary a notion of who I actually was," he said as he moved to the sideboard and lifted a small silver box, flipping the lid and dipping two thin fingers inside. " Twas remarkable, really. So easily duped." He brought the pinch to his nose and sniffed, depositing snuff into each nostril. "And Elizabeth-" he withdrew a handkerchief, watching her as he blotted at his nose, his wide lace cuff fluttering. "She was Dane's lover and had been in the Black-well household a'fore." He shrugged elegantly clad shoulders. " "Ivas simple enough," he said, enjoying the slight loss of color in her face.

Dane and Elizabeth? Tess couldn't picture it.

"Doesn't it bother you she slept with your enemy?"

"Nay. Of course not." He flicked a lace-ruffled wrist, strolling around to her side of the table. "I 382.

sent her to his bed."

"Gee. What a prince," she mumbled, scrambling to her feet and backing away.

"Phillip! How on earth could you tell her such a thing?" They glanced to the door, and Tess immediately noticed Elizabeth's hand wrapped in a sc.r.a.p of silk thaf matched her blue gown, one finger bound to a twig.

"Leave us, Lizzie." He sauntered closer as Elizabeth started to do as she was told. Tess's words halted her.

"You wh.o.r.ed for him." Her voice dripped with outrage as she stepped back. "How could you let him treat you like that?" She gestured to her wounded hand. "Like that! What the h.e.l.l's he got on you?"

Elizabeth's round-eyed stare shifted from Tess to Phillip, who wasn't paying her any mind. "You could not possibly comprehend the matter," she said.

"Try me, sister," Tess snapped, her hands on her hips. "After today I've heard it all."

" 'Tis none of your affair." Elizabeth bowed her head, cradling her throbbing hand but not before Tess recognized the glazed look in her eyes. She's taken something, and Tess wondered what drugs were available in this time.

Phillip stared at Dane's woman. Her disgrace will be a sweet victory. And to have Dane witness it would be-sheer ecstasy. His body heated to the thought, ingraining the image in his mind. Aye, 'twould be fitting to steal that from Dane also. He 383.

stepped closer.

Tess retreated until she found herself up against a warm body. She jolted, nearly leaping into Phillip's arms, but caught herself and glanced over her shoulder. A smelly man with a hideous scar across his throat blocked her retreat. Then his hands closed heavily around her arms. Phillip advanced. Tess swallowed, her panic rising as she looked to Elizabeth. The blonde stood motionless, a peculiar smile curving her lips. She made no move to stop him.

Dane shifted for a more stable balance on the tree limb, then sighted down the spygla.s.s, mentally comparing the white fortress with the sketch Whit- tingham had made. This was his third occasion to be perched like a bird as he searched for a sign.

Tess would do something if she could. If she was alive. Insects buzzed around him, birds squawked, yet he allowed nothing to destroy his concentration.

No guards outside the wall. b.l.o.o.d.y arrogant of you, Phillip. Torches blazed near the entrances and beside each window, illuminating the white structure like a pagan offering to the G.o.ds. His lips curved slightly, knowing the fires left anything beyond their glow in complete darkness. Another advantage.

With the scope to his eye, he scanned the towers, not doubting for a moment that Phillip would ensconce her in the most difficult to reach section of his private prison. His gaze swept the house again; then he paused, squinting harder, focusing through 384.

the gla.s.s on the farthest window. His smile was slow, his relief immeasurable. She was alive. Ahh, G.o.d bless you, my love! Then he had another look to be certain he wasn't imagining it. Dane almost laughed. "I was so like Tess to leave her panties dangling from the stone sill in sweet invitation.

Phillip saw the fear in those lovely eyes before she managed to cover it. "I have offered you much this morning, my dear. What will you provide in return?" He pressed against her, his cold fingertips drifting over the bosom her burgundy dress exposed.

Tess shivered with revulsion, turning her face away. "Like you said, Phil, you offered. I didn't push." Jeez, he had bad breath, too.