Fairest of Them All (Marriage by Fairytale Book 4) Read online

  She didn’t know what to think of the duke. He seemed to be a paradox. On one hand, he surrounded himself with gloominess, but he insisted everyone else be surrounded by cheerfulness. He obviously craved to be a part of the world even as he chose to remove himself from it. Exactly how could she reconcile these distinctions in the same gentleman?

  “It’s a shame we didn’t get to meet your new step-daughter,” Viola’s aunt told her.

  “Yes, it is.” Viola couldn’t help but be curious about the young lady.

  She hoped Lady Tabitha hadn’t chosen to stay away during the wedding because she didn’t want her to be here. She didn’t know whether to believe the duke or not when he’d told her Lady Tabitha wasn’t able to attend the wedding. A wedding was an important event. Even if Viola hadn’t been able to go to see her brother buried, she still viewed his body before the gentlemen took him away. It’d been her last chance to say goodbye. Weddings were a chance to say hello. She couldn’t help but worry Lady Tabitha didn’t want her there.

  “Is there really a step-daughter?” Joanna asked, a skeptical expression on her face.

  “Of course, there is,” Viola replied.

  “How do you know for sure?” Joanna pressed. “Was she here when you came to proposition the duke for marriage?”

  Viola’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “I didn’t realize you knew the word proposition.”

  “It’s a new one. The tutor taught it to me last week.”

  “Do you know what it means?”

  “Yes. It means to suggest something.” She paused and narrowed her eyes at Viola. “You’re trying to distract me so I’ll forget what I was saying.”

  “No, I was merely making a diversion.” When Joanna frowned in uncertainty, Viola added, “I was only providing a momentary distraction. To answer your question, Lady Tabitha wasn’t here when I came by to proposition the duke to choose me for marriage. She was out shopping for gowns to get ready for her first Season.”

  “And she wasn’t here today for the wedding,” Joanna said.

  Viola sipped more wine. “That would be accurate.”

  “Are you even sure she exists?” Joanna asked.

  At this, her aunt laughed. “What a silly question. Of course, she exists. The duke was looking for a wife because of her. You already know this.”

  “He could be making Lady Tabitha up,” Joanna replied. “It could be an excuse he uses in order to find ladies to marry.”

  Viola couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Just where did her sister come up with such nonsense? “That’s not the case. She does exist.”

  Joanna shot her a pointed look. “How do you know this?”

  “Because the duke and butler have both referred to her,” Viola said.

  “Maybe she did exist at one time,” Pamela began, a look of horror coming over her. “Maybe the duke killed her and is keeping her in a trunk in the attic.”

  Joanna gasped and put her fork down. “That would explain why it’s so scary up there.”

  “And why he never lights a candle,” Pamela added.

  Viola tapped the table to get their attention. When they turned their gazes to her, she said, “You will stop this kind of talk at once. None of it’s true.”

  “Can you prove it isn’t true?” Joanna asked.

  Frustrated, Viola glanced at the corner of the room where the butler was sitting. She waved to him, and when he noticed her, he hurried over to the table.

  “Tell my sisters that Lady Tabitha is alive and well,” Viola told him.

  Though he seemed confused as to why she should request him to do so, he told Joanna and Pamela, “Lady Tabitha is alive and well.”

  Joanna rolled her eyes, and Pamela leaned toward her to whisper something.

  Oh for heaven’s sake! Viola stood up and went around the table. When she reached her sisters, she knelt between their chairs and whispered, “This will stop at once. You will not discuss this anymore. This won’t leave the room, either. I won’t have you spreading this to your friends.”

  “You’re right,” Joanna replied, also whispering. “It’s too terrible to even think about.”

  Pamela nodded her agreement.

  “It’s not true,” Viola insisted.

  After a moment, Joanna said, “All right. It’s not true,” in a way that told Viola she wasn’t convinced of it.

  Viola let out a frustrated sigh.

  Her aunt chuckled. “Children have such wild imaginations. Pay them no mind.”

  “But if they spread rumors—” Viola began.

  “They won’t,” her aunt interrupted. “I’ll make sure of it.”

  Viola supposed that was the best she was going to get. At least she could trust her aunt to keep them from doing any damage to the duke’s or Tabitha’s reputations. She returned to her chair, and after a few moments, she was able to continue eating her meal.

  ***

  After her aunt and sisters left, Viola was surprised the butler told her that the duke wished to have a word with her. She hadn’t expected to return to the attic for quite some time. She couldn’t think of any reason he had to talk to her.

  When the butler added that the matter had to do with Tabitha, it made sense. The duke probably had instructions on what she should do to help Tabitha attract potential suitors. Though her aunt had tried to give her ideas on how to appeal to gentlemen, Viola hadn’t been successful. With any luck, Tabitha would fare better than she had.

  She followed the butler up the dark steps leading to the attic. This time he knocked on the door.

  She heard the door open, and the duke asked, “Is Her Grace with you?”

  “Yes,” the butler replied. “She’s behind me.”

  She heard the butler enter the attic. Taking that as her cue, she followed him, stopping two steps into the room. If she knew where the furniture was, she would venture further in. As it was, she would wait for the duke to take the lead.

  “Thank you,” she heard the duke say.

  After that, she heard footsteps retreating down the steps and the attic door shut.

  “I’m coming over to you,” the duke told her before she heard him walk over to her. He reached for her, and his fingers brushed her arm. Again, she experienced the thrilling sensation that made her feel much too excited to be in a dark attic. “It’s just the two of us this time. I wished to discuss something with you in private. First, I’m going to take you to a chair. All right?”

  She swallowed. “All right.”

  He took her hand and guided her further into the room. She hadn’t bothered to count the steps to figure out how far she had to go until he stopped and said, “We’re at the chair.” He set her hand on the top of the chair. “There’s a desk in front of the chair.” He took her other hand and put it on the smooth, cool surface of the wooden desk. “I’ll sit across from you on the other side of the desk.”

  She hid her apprehension over the idea of sitting in the chair. It wasn’t that she minded sitting down. It was the idea of sitting in it while in complete darkness. After a moment, she sat in the chair. It was soft. In fact, it was one of the most comfortable chairs she’d even sat in.

  She heard footsteps, a chair scraping across from her, and then the sound of the duke settling into the chair.

  “Perhaps it might be easier to converse if we referred to each other by our Christian names,” he began. “I’m Evander.”

  Evander. She liked it. It made her think of a beautiful summer evening where the sunset lit the sky in a multitude of colors. She didn’t know why that particular image came to mind, but it was the first thing she thought of.

  Since he had paused, she figured he intended for her to respond. Clasping her hands on the arms of the chair, she said, “I’m Viola, but I think you already know that since I mentioned it in my missive.”

  “Yes, but I failed to tell you my name, and I hadn’t suggested we be informal in our speech when we were together.”

  Though he couldn’t see her,
she shrugged. “We’re married now. It makes sense we should address each other by our names.”

  “Yes, I suppose it does.” He paused then continued, “I’m not sure how to bring up a certain topic, but it’s something I must do. You need to be prepared.”

  Her grip tightened on the arms of the chair. On its own accord, her mind went to her sisters as they tried to figure out why Tabitha hadn’t been at the wedding.

  “Tabitha’s been through a lot of pain in her short life,” Evander said, his voice quiet in a way that suggested he was choosing his words with great care. “She lost her mother, and then she lost two step-mothers. She’s afraid she’ll lose you, too.”

  So far, that didn’t sound bad. He hadn’t told her Tabitha was tied up in a room somewhere in the townhouse or that she was dead. She shook her head to will her sisters’ comments from her mind. No. All they’d said had been nonsense. She’d married Evander in order to help Tabitha with her first Season.

  She shivered. It was the darkness. She’d only been in this room for a few minutes, and already, the oppressive feeling hanging in the air was pressing in on her, making her thoughts go in areas no rational mind would go. How could someone live up here and keep sane? Didn’t this ever get to Evander? Maybe it did get to him. Maybe he had lost his mind long ago. It would explain why he believed he was under a curse.

  “I explained that I was marrying you so you could chaperone her to all the events she’ll need to go to this Season,” Evander continued. “I wish I could tell you she was happy with the arrangement, but…” His voice drifted off.

  Forcing her attention back to what he was saying, she replied, “Does she resent me for taking her mother’s place?”

  “No, she doesn’t resent you. She’s afraid. The curse has killed all of the other wives I’ve had, including her mother. She worries the same will happen to you.”

  “I don’t believe in curses.”

  “I didn’t either until my second wife died because of it.”

  She might believe in it, too, if she lived in this attic. She shivered again and hugged herself in a protective gesture.

  “Are you cold?” he asked.

  He’d heard her move? Surprised, she said, “No, I’m not cold. It’s just so dark in here. I feel like I’m suspended in the air and there’s nothing around me. How can you live like this?”

  “When no one’s here, I light the candle.”

  There was a candle in the room? She almost asked him to light it but recalled how adamant he was about hiding his face. She took a deep breath and slowly released it. After a moment, she was able to get her mind back to the reason he’d brought her up here.

  “So, is it safe to assume that Tabitha wasn’t here for the wedding because she didn’t want to be?” she asked.

  “Yes, it would be safe to assume that. I’m sorry.”

  “Why should you be sorry? It’s the truth.”

  “It’s not a pleasant one. I had hoped she would be happy to spend time with a lady who isn’t a maid. She doesn’t have any friends. She hasn’t had a chance to meet people. We had spent most of her life at my estate. I made several attempts to bring people over so she could meet them, and there were times when I took her to their estates. But then, it became apparent the curse was too powerful. I couldn’t interact with the world anymore like I used to.”

  She noted the sorrow in his tone and thought to comment on it when he continued.

  “She suffered because of it,” he said. “She wasn’t able to have a normal childhood. I don’t want her to live like this for the rest of her life. I want her to have a normal Season. I want her to meet people. I want her to have friends. I want her to get married. I want her to have children.” He paused. “I want her to be happy.”

  Viola’s heart went out to him. Even as he tried to hide the tears in his voice, she detected them below the surface of his smooth words. He was a prisoner in this attic. Because of a curse that didn’t exist, he had removed himself from the rest of the world, and he was afraid Tabitha would follow in his footsteps. She didn’t blame him. She’d fear the same thing if she was in his position.

  “I’ll do everything I can to make sure she has a successful Season so that she can have the kind of life you wish for her,” Viola assured him.

  After a moment, he said, “I appreciate that. I hope she’ll be receptive to you when she meets you. You might as well know she’s determined to close herself off to you. She’s bound to be resistant to you at first. I promised her I would make sure the curse doesn’t touch you, but she’s worried I can’t do it.”

  “Why would she worry you can’t do it?”

  “She thinks I’m weak.” In a stronger voice, he insisted, “I won’t be weak. At no time will I allow you to see my face.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. She didn’t know what seeing his face had to do with anything, but she decided to bite her tongue. There were times when it was best to keep silent, and this was one of them.

  “I don’t mean to be harsh,” he added. “I’m doing this for you as much as for her. I don’t want to lose another wife, and I don’t want Tabitha to lose another step-mother.”

  Since there was nothing else she could think of to say, she replied with a simple, “I understand.”

  “Thank you.” Nothing happened for a long moment, and then he said, “I can’t think of anything else to discuss. Is there anything on your mind?”

  Besides how spooky it was in this room, her mind was blank. “No, not at this time.”

  She heard the sound of a chair scraping across the floor.

  “Are you standing up?” she asked.

  “Yes. I want to escort you to the door.”

  She heard footsteps come closer, and she had to fight the urge to recoil from him. Spending even this small amount of time in this room made her wary of being touched. She hadn’t expected to feel that way. She hadn’t felt that earlier. But then, he had been touching her most of the time during the wedding. He hadn’t had her sit in a chair that seemed to be floating in the air.

  Trying to push past the urge to stay within the confines of the darkness, she moved her hand through the air in the direction of the footsteps. When her fingers touched a pair of trousers, she jerked back.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so used to being here that I forget how it must seem to someone who’s new to it.”

  Did he sense the fear in her touch? Did he know how scary this place was to her?

  He wrapped his hand around hers, and at once, she felt much better. Instead of a voice drifting through air, she had someone solid she could touch. She clasped her hand around his, realizing even as she did so that her grip was tighter than it should have been. He slid his arm around her waist and helped her up. Relieved, she instinctively drew closer to him. She didn’t think she’d ever take the sunlight for granted again.

  “Next time, I won’t make you sit in the chair,” he said, his breath warm on her ear.

  She shivered, but this time, it wasn’t because of the darkness that was trying to claim her as it had claimed him a long time ago.

  He led her over to the door and stopped her before she bumped into it. “I didn’t intend for this to be so awkward for you. I didn’t do this with my other wives, so I wasn’t sure how to best handle our conversation. I ask that you be patient with me. I will figure out a way to make this experience more pleasant for you.”

  She cleared her throat. “Now that I’ve been up here when it’s just you and me, I’ll know what to expect in the future. I’m sure next time will be easier.” At least, she hoped so. She’d hate to think the darkness would creep over her again.

  He opened the door. “If you ever need to speak with me, remember to knock four times on this door. And if there’s anything I can do to help with Tabitha, let me know.”

  She wasn’t sure what he could do since he was up here, but she said, “All right.”

  He gave her hand a light squeeze and then guided it to the railing of
the staircase. “Would it help if I didn’t shut my door until you reach the one at the bottom of the stairs?”

  “Yes.” Sure, she’d come up here with both doors closed, but after being in the attic, it would help if she knew he was up here keeping watch over her, if one could consider listening to someone go down a flight of stairs as “watching” them.

  “I’ll keep this door open until you tell me you’re at the one down there.”

  She nodded, a ridiculous gesture since he couldn’t see her, and headed down the steps, taking her time as she let her foot find each step before descending down another one. It seemed to her that going up was much easier than going down. If she fell down, she could break a bone, or worse, her neck. But going up, she only risked falling forward on the steps.

  She finally managed to get to the bottom and called out, “I’m at the door.”

  She heard him shut the attic door. She hurried to open the one in front of her, and though she wasn’t standing in front of a window, the light made her wince. What a startling contrast it was to go back into a lit area after being in the dark for so long! It took her a couple of moments before her eyes adjusted to the dimly-lit hallway.

  Her immediate thought was that she hoped her visits with Evander would be rare, but then a second thought, one based on a desire foreign to her, hoped she might spend time with him often.

  She pushed aside both inclinations. What she needed to do was focus on her reason for getting married in the first place. In return for Evander securing her family’s future, she had promised to see to it that Tabitha had a successful Season. God willing, she’d be a much better chaperone than a lady who was looking for a husband.

  Chapter Five

  Viola finally got a chance to meet Tabitha that evening at dinner. After getting dressed in one of her black gowns, she headed for the drawing room and was surprised to see the young lady bowed over a book she was reading in her lap.

  Viola straightened her back. She could do this. She could go into the drawing room and introduce herself. After taking a moment to take a deep breath, her nerves settled. It wasn’t as awkward as sitting in a dark attic, but it was close. She released her breath and stepped into the room.