Page 85 of His Dark Heart
Elizabeth's head flew around to see Caroline in the doorway. The viper’s cold, toothy grin flashed like lightning, and she slipped into their sacred space. The cruel lady surveyed the large chamber and nodded her approval.
“'Tis a fine abode, but I shall have a new bed made when I am High Lady.”
“That is presumptuous, even for you, Caroline,” Elizabeth hissed. She turned to her husband, but he was no more than a defeated sack of flesh, and for an instant, she did loathe him. “However, I know you would say anything to turn me against William. You tell nothing but lies, and I can tell the truth from lies, witch.”
“Ask your husband, my lady,” Caroline sneered. “Ask what he wanted that night in my chambers at Netherfield. Before I bedded him, that is.”
“William,” Elizabeth asked. “It is not true. You did not ask her for a spell.”
He merely nodded.
She was struck dumb for a moment. What had she said again and again? The past was the past? She had never been so aware of how directly her words had affected her future. Had it not been for a few uttered syllables George would be alive, Papa's health would be better, and she would still be a country gentleman's daughter. Had it not been for a few uttered syllables, she would never have returned to her seat on a horse, she would not have a friend in Jane, and she would not be carrying the child of her one true love.
With a little effort, she slipped down to her knees before her husband and took his hands in hers.
“The man I fell in love with is somewhere inside this vile self-made prison. That dark heart is not your true heart. Your true heart loves me, loves our child. The strong, clever, proud man is in that heart, and I need him. We need him. I forgive you. I have told you that the past is the past. Let us learn from the mistakes we have made. Somewhere, someone special made a plan, and in that plan, we were meant for each other, no exceptions. I forgive you.I forgive you.”
“No!” Caroline cried. “That is not how it is supposed to end! He is mine. He has always been mine!”
Struggling for a moment to stand, Elizabeth managed it with grace. Proud and strong, she faced her enemy, glowering with all the anger, frustration, and sadness she had held within her soul for weeks. Her hands covered her belly, drawing attention to the babe inside her. The witch fumed.
“The child he has given you can just as easily be stolen away!”
“No, it cannot.” William’s voice was as icy as Elizabeth's glare. “Witch, you will not threaten my wife or my child. I shall see you burn for your crimes.”
“You seem to forget, my lord. If I am exposed, then you shall be too. If I die, all your power dies with me.”
“Back in my more wicked days I took great pains to abolish any proof of our relationship, Lady Caroline. And who will believe the accusations of a witch who is desperate to save herself?”
The cruel, immoral yet powerful Lord Darcy of long ago seemed reborn before her very eyes, and it was a strange yet wondrous sight to behold. He stood tall, his imposing figure towering over them both. She stepped aside, allowing him to grab the witch about the throat. William pinned her against the wall.
“I have killed men for less than the torture you have inflicted upon me. I will not tolerate any further interference from you. I love my wife, I love my child, and I would never abandon them for the likes of you. Your ways are old, and your future is dark. Take heed of my warning and you will walk away from this. Threaten me again and you will die.”
He released her. She tumbled back against the wall, her eyes wide and frightened as she gasped for air.
“You will lose,” she rasped. “In all of this, you shall be the one to lose.”
He leaned forward, a humourless grin on his face as his eyes became level with hers. Softly, his voice dead calm, he said, “Ah, but, Caroline, I just won.”
“Nay!” She cried. “Gads! It was not a threat. It was a warning. The Fates! They spoke!”
William opened the door and called for the guards at the end of the hall. When they appeared, he tossed the witch at them.
“Take her to the dungeon and inform her brother that I need to speak with him in the morning.”
“Yes, my lord.”
* * *
Caroline whimpered and whined and wailed as she was dragged away, but it all fell on deaf ears. Darcy closed the door and turned back to his wife. Her warm, loving eyes made him soften again.
“For a moment, I thought I had lost you to the man you were when I met you,” she whispered. “For a moment, I thought we had lost you.”
“Neither of you shall ever lose me. I have serious doubts about letting you out of my sight ever again. She will pay. She reduced me to a quivering, terrified lump of man, and I shall not forgive that. There will be justice for her sins.”
“And what of your sins, my lord?” Elizabeth asked, her question solemn.
“I do not know,” he replied. Had she truly forgiven him? This was at the summit of his needs now.
