She didn’t know what he felt for her but right now, it mattered little. Her choices were scant. Come morning, she would sit him down and lay bare her predicament, in hopes that he would do what he could to help her and her sister. If his heart held even a fragment of care for her, Amelia prayed that he would. And if he did not, well… she shuddered to consider what she might do. She couldn’t wait another week to annul the marriage and wait some while longer to receive her inheritance before she madeher move. It would be too late and she might never see her sister again.
…But there was another thought that niggled at the back of her mind. How would he react if he learned the truth of her family? If he was so intent on ruining her father, there must have been a good reason. And she had not yet discovered it. What if her father had committed an unforgivable sin toward him? Would he throw her out if he learned the truth? Worse, would he try to ruin her and her sister as well?
It was best not to think on that for now, however likely the scenario might remain.
Amelia gazed sorrowfully at the letter in her hand, then returned to her chambers to leave it on the vanity. There was no hope of sleep tonight. There was simply too much on her mind, her heart was being besieged by anxiety.
A nightcap might help,she thought.
She made for her dressing gown. With only a candle to guide her, she exited her bedchamber, heading in the vague direction of the kitchen, perhaps for a glass of warm milk. Or perhaps she should seek solace in the bottle. Would that help her sleep? It seemed anything would do presently.
As she passed the parlor, however, a loud crash halted her steps. Amelia froze, her mind instantly rushing back to the last time she’d heard such a sound in the dead of night. This time, shehardly hesitated before she headed inside, eyes scanning the room expectantly for Gideon.
Unlike last time, he was sprawled over a chaise with one leg propped up and an arm thrown over his face. Amelia quickly closed the door behind her, setting her candle down on a side table. He was oblivious to her approach. There was a large empty decanter on the floor, which had likely been the source of the noise. It seemed he had beaten her tothatidea.
Amelia watched him briefly, his sleeves rolled up to his elbow and his dark hair curtaining his face. Bending down, she retrieved the decanter. “Did you drink the entire thing tonight?” she asked softly.
Gideon lifted his arm from his eyes, peeking up at her. At the sight of her, he let out a sigh. “Marvelous,” he slurred. “Now, I’m imagining things too.”
“You are not imagining anything, Gideon,” she said calmly. After the range of distressing emotions that had assaulted her in her chambers, Amelia would allow nothing more than calmness right now. “Come, let us get you to your chambers. It wouldn’t do to sleep here.”
He didn’t respond, so she sighed and set the decanter back down. She reached for his hand, hoping to guide him to a stand. But suddenly, he pulled her into his chest, knocking the wind out of her lungs. Gideon didn’t give her a chance to process what was happening when he wrapped both arms tightly around her waist, not allowing her to move.
“I don’t want you to annul the marriage,” he murmured into her hair.
The room slammed back into immediate focus. Suddenly, Amelia’s heart began drumming in her ears. How did he know about her plan? She’d never breathed it aloud to a soul before.
Before she had the chance to think of a response, he continued, “It was ‘pposed to be simple. Just make you uncomfortable… with the thought of being married… that you begged for annulment. Even dug into your past. That’s so absurd…”
He chuckled, then took in a deep breath. “For an illusion, you smell delicious.”
She almost wanted to correct him again, but instead, she held her tongue, curious to hear more. “What did you learn about me?” she whispered.
“Nothin’ ‘mportant,” he exhaled wearily. “Doesn’t matter. Nothing does. How can I let you annul… when thinking of separating from you brings my heart unbearable torment.”
Her heart began to race for an entirely different reason this time. But Gideon seemed too engrossed in burying his face into her hair., oblivious to it all. She could feel his breath on her neck as he shuffled his face a little, almost using her hair as a pillow now.
“Before you… everything was just right… My life, my name, my plans. Had it all in hand, and the endgame… revenge, it was soclose. I am so close…” He exhaled heavily, tickling her neck, but she did not dare disturb his confession. “We can be happy. Man and wife. He won’t haunt me anymore…”
“He?”
“My brother. My dear, dear brother.” Gideon’s embrace grew even more firm, and then he let out a sound that she’d never thought she’d hear, a sound that shattered her into a million pieces. A sob. “Those devils. He did nothing to them. Just a child… so young to leave. But those men, those serpents… they ruined everything…”
“Where is he?”
“Dead.” The word struck Amelia to her core. “If… wasn’t for them… Jasper’d still be here. Maybe sick, but I could have saved him…”
Amelia couldn’t fathom a response. Her own tears gathered at the thought that he might be crying, vulnerable, and it was wounding her soul. The agony in his voice was heart-wrenching. Who were these horrible men that had inflicted such pain on Gideon’s family?
As if he heard her question, Gideon went on, “Those serpents. Georgely, Scranton, Wilshire, Whitehill, Mooreville, Marlowe, Appleby.”
Amelia went deathly still. Surely, she’d heard wrong. Surely her father’s name hadn’t been listed as one of the evil men who had ruined Gideon’s family and brought about his brother’s death?
He took a deep, ragged breath, his exhalation heavy with the scent of alcohol. “They preyed on Father… knew he was soft. In over his head. Thought his skill with cards could make up for his light pockets. Thought he could save us, save Jasper. I warned him. But he didn’t listen…” His words started to fade, slurred, heavy with sleep. “…they took everything we had… left us with nothing. Jasper paid for his sins.”
“He’s just a memory now. Father’s just a memory now,” he slurred, the words slow and laden with weariness. “The hatred for those devils… the Masked Rogue… will not forgive.”
The dots were connecting far too slowly in Amelia’s mind, sluggish from the horror that consumed her. The mere thought that her father had been instrumental in causing Gideon such pain, that Gideon’s brother did not stand a chance at survival because her father had helped to take that away, was suffocating her. Her father’s actions birthed the Masked Rogue. Inadvertently spawned the monster she had scorned most of her life…
