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“It will ease nothing. W
hat it will do is ensure that I never have to bear it again.” Vanessa inclined her head toward Baxter. “Would you like to fill her in, darling?”
“Vanessa … you let me believe … all these years … that Trenton Kingsley terrorized you … why?” Baxter’s eyes were damp. “Why?”
“To ease your conscience, darling.” The pathetic Vanessa of moments ago had disappeared, replaced by the vindictive, regal queen who preceded her. “It was far easier for you to blackmail and ostracize a madman who threatened your sister’s life than a mere suitor who rejected her.”
“I’ve always hated Kingsley and you knew it!” Baxter protested. “All you had to do was tell me the truth. Dear Lord, Ness …” His voice trailed off. “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”
“What difference does it make now?” she snapped impatiently. “The important thing is, now our plan will be that much easier to accomplish. Because now”—she flashed a malevolent smile at Ariana—“we have Ariana to help us.”
“Help you!” Ariana’s eyes widened. “You’re the one who must be mad, Vanessa. I have no intention of helping you hurt my husband.”
“I rather think you will.” Vanessa tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Unless you want your husband, rather than a murder suspect, to be a murder victim.”
Ariana and Baxter gasped simultaneously. “Vanessa, what the hell are you talking about?” Baxter asked shakily. “We never spoke of murder. Our plan was to drive Kingsley insane and have Ariana leave him on those grounds, taking his money with her.”
“Yes … that is what we discussed, isn’t it? The only problem is, we grossly underestimated Ariana’s touching loyalty to her husband. Obviously, she will never desert him of her own accord, will you, darling?” Vanessa raised derisive brows in Ariana’s direction. “Therefore, a bit of coercion is in order.”
“Coercion?” Baxter sounded ill.
“Yes. You see, Baxter, in order for us to permanently enjoy Trenton’s outrageous fortune, we would have to force Ariana to leave him, and then, once the money was in our hands, ensure her silence by having her vanish… for good.” Vanessa sighed. “I, better than anyone, know how difficult and tedious that sort of disappearance can be—unless one truly is dead, of course. The easiest thing, under the circumstances, would be if Ariana really were dead. Then Trenton would be framed and convicted of the murder and you, dear brother, would receive a large portion of his vast fortune as compensation for the loss of your only remaining sister.
“But just to demonstrate to you both that I still do have a heart,” Vanessa continued, ignoring the horrified looks on both Ariana’s and Baxter’s faces, “I will assure you that I have no intention of killing my own sister. Therefore, that course of action, no matter how effective, is rendered totally unacceptable. See?” she announced, her tone laced with scorn, “I do have a conscience.”
Neither Baxter nor Ariana replied.
“In my opinion,” Vanessa concluded, “the best alternative is to have Trenton committed to a lunatic asylum. Then Ariana can freely indulge in his wealth … as can we. That is our best choice.” She turned cold green eyes on Baxter. “You offered to assist me. Now is your opportunity to do so. Convince our sister to write a letter to her husband, stating her fear of his violent instability and begging him to seek help; tearfully advising him that she will otherwise have no alternative but to leave him forever, assuring him that if he agrees to commit himself, she will stand by him until he recovers … and have her add whatever other romantic drivel you deem necessary. Actually, have her write two letters, one to be delivered to Broddington, the other to Spraystone. That way Trenton will be sure to receive it, regardless of his whereabouts. If things go as I hope, Trenton will be committed to an asylum and we will be quite wealthy.” Her jaw tightened. “And with enough money I can make certain Henri never hurts me again.”
“And if I won’t write the letter?” Ariana demanded. “If instead I go directly to the authorities and tell them of your sick scheme?”
“Then I’ll kill your precious husband, Ariana.” Vanessa smoothed back her hair. “Remember, a corpse cannot be convicted of murder. And even if I am discovered alive and sentenced for my crime, it would be preferable to going back to Henri. So you see, baby sister, I have nothing to lose.”
A coldhearted smile touched Vanessa’s lips. “Unfortunately, darling, you do.”
CHAPTER
25
BRODDINGTON SEEMED UNUSUALLY SOMBER, almost as if, during the duke’s absence, a heavy cloud had settled upon its sculptured walls.
Trenton frowned as he mounted the steps, wondering if the unsettling sensation were only his imagination playing peculiar tricks on him. Lord only knew, it was quite adept at doing that. Still …
“Quiet, isn’t it?” Dustin verbalized Trenton’s thoughts aloud, scanning the grounds before following his brother through the front door. “At this time of day, Ariana is normally trailing about the gardens, taking notes on various flying creatures. Unless she’s …” He glanced toward the main staircase, silencing the remainder of his thought. If Ariana were nowhere to be found, she was probably in Trenton’s new sitting room, putting final touches on the wall hangings.
“Unless she’s where?” Trenton jumped on Dustin’s hesitation.
“Your Grace! I wasn’t expecting you!” Jennings hurried toward them, blinking his beady eyes in distress. “I didn’t receive word you’d be returning today.”
“I sent no word,” Trenton returned. “On impulse, I decided to return from Wight with the marquis. So you can calm yourself, Jennings. You had no way of knowing I’d be arriving at Broddington this morning.”
Jennings visibly relaxed.
“Is the duchess already dining?” Trenton asked, handing Jennings his coat.
“Why, no, Your Grace. The duchess has been away from Broddington since daybreak.”
Every muscle in Trenton’s body went taut. “Where did she go?”
