The urge to cry came upon her, but Lucy held back. She had to be strong for her sister and brothers, all of whom stood at their father’s grave and said their final goodbyes. Rue cried silently with Freddy beside her. Aunt Sera held baby Dinah, who didn’t fuss. Chase and Colby were on either side of Lucy, staring at the grave as the coffin was lowered into the ground.
She stared out at the mourners, at least thirty in total. Viola and Polly had come with their parents, as well as their two older brothers and their wives. Many friends and acquaintances of the family had also come to give their condolences regardless of the past few days where the Daugherty name was smeared in the papers. Her father had been well liked and respected by most of London society for over five decades, and something as tawdry as mention of an illegitimate son out for revenge didn’t stop the support as was shown at the funeral mass and now at the cemetery.
When the priest said the final blessing, the crowd dispersed. A few close friends talked with her siblings while she studied her father’s final resting place next to her mother. A pang of anguish hit her. Both her parents were dead. She had never made her peace with her father. He died unaware of all the heartache he caused during his life.
A wave of dizziness came upon her, and she closed her eyes. She had passed out only once in her life. That was three days ago in the drawing room when she first heard about her father’s passing. When she woke up, she was in her bed and Aunt Sera was by her side. She found out later Tisha had caught her and refused to leave until she knew Lucy was well. Her father had to drag her away.
Tisha. Would she ever see her again?
Something brushed her elbow, and she opened her eyes. Turning, she swallowed back a gasp of astonishment at the woman standing before her.
“Irena, what are you doing here?” She walked a few steps away where no one could overhear them talking.
“You didn’t see me at the church and among the rest here?” Irena pouted.
She gritted her teeth. How dare Irena show her face? “You shouldn’t be here.”
Irena’s bottom lip poked out. “I’m here to pay my respects as a friend of the family.”
“Friend? Now is not the time or place to be funny.” She turned to leave, but Irena’s arm shot out, blocking her exit.
“We need to talk. I won’t let you leave until we do.” Irena motioned with her chin toward Lucy’s siblings who still chatted with the mourners. “I would hate to cause a scene. Don’t you agree?”
She still thinks she can manipulate me. She thrust aside Irena’s arm. “Let’s talk under the tree near the edge of the path.”
She stomped away without waiting for an answer. When she reached her destination, she stared ahead, refusing to look at Irena.
Irena scowled. To anyone else, she appeared sullen. To Lucy, it was all an act to gain sympathy.
“I’m giving you five minutes at the most. Your time starts now.” She took out her pocket watch.
“Someone has finally grown a backbone after all this time,” Irena murmured.
“Insulting me is not helping your case. You now have four minutes.” She willed the time to move faster.
“There are a million things I want to say to you, but they will have to wait. I never meant to hurt you or your family. Mr. Lovett gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse and I took it. You can’t blame a woman for wanting something better.”
“Mr. Lovett could give that to you?” she asked, skeptical of Irena’s explanation. More like Irena’s way to keep Aidan in line if one day he decided to reveal her secrets regarding her husband’s death.
“Yes. I know you don’t believe me, but Mr. Lovett and I had grown close. I was lonely and you were…. I needed companionship, and he was willing to offer me that.”
The pretext in her voice didn’t go unnoticed by Lucy, but she didn’t want to be bothered with contemplating the reasoning behind Irena’s actions.
“What does any of this have to do with me? It appears you’ve moved on.” She lifted a finger when Irena opened her mouth. “But you haven’t. You say Mr. Lovett could give you that companionship you lacked or missed, but you also grew close with my father and were courting.” Her stomach rolled at the thought of Irena and her father intimate in some manner.
“You shouldn’t listen to such gossip. I respected your father, and as I told you, he became a welcomed friend. I-I never got over you. Every day since you made me leave you that summer because your husband—”
“Stop it! I can’t listen to you talk about Giles that way,” she spat. “He was a good man who I betrayed because I was weak—”
“You were weak because you still wanted me and loved me.” Irena shifted forward.
She backed up against the tree and held up her palm to ward Irena off. “Whatever we had is in the past. All I feel for you now is revulsion. You can’t expect me to forgive you after what you did to Colby and then blackmailed me in order to get what you want.”
“Ah, yes, young Colby’s debt.” Irena frowned. “You’ll be happy to know I no longer have it over his head. A friend who wishes to remain anonymous paid off the debt. It’s now out of my hands.”
“What? I don’t understand this at all.” She rubbed her forehead where a headache formed. Why would Irena willingly give up something that gave her such power?
“I would love to tell you who, but I promised that person I wouldn’t.” Irena shrugged.
“Now, I have to worry about someone else threatening Colby with arrest if he doesn’t pay his due?”
“Why should the responsibility be on your shoulders? Colby got himself into this mess, so he should be the one to get out of it. He also has Chase and Rue to support him.” Irena tilted her head, staring in a contemplative way that made Lucy uneasy.
“I think it’s best if I rejoin my family.” She shifted away, but Irena latched on to her hand. She tugged, but Irena wouldn’t release her.
“We’re not done.” Irena tightened her grip. “I’ll never be finished with you, no matter how hard you try to stay away from me. Perhaps it’s fate that brought you back to me.”
“You’ll be very disappointed.” She curled her fingers around Irena’s wrists and drew her near. A pleased look crossed Irena’s face, and her eyes drooped. Lucy lips twisted in loathing.
“Once and for all, you and I are through.” She lowered her voice and dug her nails into Irena’s hand, enjoying her gasp of pain. “You were a mistake, one I will regret for the rest of my life. From now on, you stay away from me and my family.”
“Oh, this is rich! Your claws have finally come out,” Irena purred. “I can’t wait to feel your nails on my back while you scratch me as we love one another.”
She thrust Irena aside and started walking away, but stopped when Irena announced she loved her.
Colby glanced up from one of the gentlemen he talked to and looked concerned. She smiled and waved. His stare shifted to Irena, and a grimace filled his face.
“Lucy, we have so much anger between us. I want nothing more than to move past this and move on and forgive and forget.” Irena fitted her front to Lucy’s back, and her mouth brushed across Lucy’s ear. “I admit the lengths I went through were shameful, but all I thought about was having you back with me again. Can’t you give me another chance? No one is stopping us now. We’re free to do whatever we want with whomever we want.”
A bubble of hysterical laughter almost erupted from her mouth. Irena had to be delusional. She twisted around and faced her nemesis for what she hoped would be the last time. “What, pray tell, do you recommend we do in order to forgive and forget?”
Irena’s expression shone with bliss. “We should go away on a holiday, just the two of us, to get to know one another again. I’m closing up my house and visiting Bath to take in the waters and then to Paris where I honeymooned. We can—”
“Stop, Irena, you’re talking nonsense. Hell will freeze over before I go away with you.”
Rage spread across Irena’s face, and her nostrils flared. She backed away from the emotional explosion that was sure to follow. Teague suddenly appeared at her side.
“M-Mr. McGrath, w-what are you doing here?” She inhaled deeply to calm her queasy stomach.
“My daughter and I came to give our condolences.”
Tisha stood near the tree. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she looked upset.
A wave of longing rushed over Lucy. It had been days since she had last seen Tisha, but it felt more like months.
“Mrs. Endcott and I are having a private discussion,” Irena snapped.
“I do believe this private discussion is now over.” He stroked his chin. “You’ve forgotten about our appointment to discuss our future business arrangement. We need to go over specific details before you go away on your holiday.” A wolfish grin appeared. “Just so I have it right, you’re traveling across Europe for six months then staying with your parents for the rest of the year?”
Something like a squeak came from Irena, but she quickly covered it with a cough. “If you think—”
“By then, all the questions about your husband’s murder will be forgotten.” He gripped the lapels of his coat and rocked on his heels, looking quite pleased with himself.
“Is everything all right?” Chase approached the group.
Lucy smiled up at her brother. “Yes. Perfectly fine.” Her smile faded when she looked at Irena. “Have a lovely trip, Marchioness.”
With Chase’s aid, she joined her family. She didn’t stop or acknowledge when Irena whispered her name. She was no longer a willing victim to a calculating and devious individual who had abused their love.
As the rest made their way to the carriages, she peered over her shoulder to locate Tisha. But Tisha had vanished. A sense of loss came over her, but she shoved it aside and continued walking.