be no rest for her until the truth was known. Not just the truth about Lady Leanora, but the wicked, ugly truths behind all of Darlington Castle’s secrets. Lady Leanora’s perfidy, Cassandra’s death, Gideon’s innocence, and the truth about Cecilia herself.
The truth about the lies she’d told.
She wanted to blurt it all out to Mrs. Briggs, to unburden herself with a confession and weep on that motherly shoulder, but Gideon had to be the first to hear those truths.
Cecilia pasted a trembling smile on her lips and turned to face Mrs. Briggs. “You go ahead, Mrs. Briggs. I, ah…I need to have a word with Lord Darlington before I retire.” Gideon would come to her. Sooner or later, he’d come, and when he did, she’d tell him everything. Until then, there was nothing for her to do but wait.
Mrs. Briggs studied Cecilia in silence before taking both her hands. “A fire is a terrible thing. I used to live in fear Darlington Castle would burn one day, but now the worst has happened, I see it as a chance to start anew.”
“A chance for who, Mrs. Briggs? Not Lady Cassandra, and not her infant son.” Cecilia wanted with all her heart to believe hope could rise from the ashes, but the frightened, defeated part of her wondered how one could overcome such devastation, such loss.
“For Lord Darlington, Cecilia.” Mrs. Briggs squeezed her hands. “He’s a young man, one I hope will have years of happiness ahead of him. He never deserved to suffer as he has.”
“No, he didn’t.” Angry tears flooded Cecilia’s eyes. An innocent man who’d borne unimaginable loss, then been victimized a second time by his own sister-in-law, someone he should have been able to trust.
The Murderous Marquess. Whatever else happened between her and Gideon, Cecilia would see to it that malicious slur was consigned to the flames. If nothing else, she could do that for him.
“Oh, my dear.” Mrs. Briggs patted Cecilia’s cheek. “It will be all right in the end. You’ll see. Now, promise me you’ll rest after you’ve spoken to Lord Darlington.”
Cecilia swiped the tears from her cheeks. “I will.”
“Good girl.” Mrs. Briggs didn’t say any more, but left Cecilia alone by the window, waiting.
By the time Gideon appeared hours later, the haze of smoke rising from the charred remains of Darlington Castle had turned the sky above a steely gray. Underneath the ashes and soot, his face was pale and lined with exhaustion.
He paused in the parlor doorway when he saw her. “Is everyone all right?”
“Yes. Isabella is sleeping. Amy is with her, and Mrs. Briggs in a nearby bedchamber. Duncan and Fraser, and Lord Haslemere and his men—”
“Ready to collapse, but otherwise well enough. Duncan and Fraser will stay in the gamekeeper’s cottage until the castle is habitable again.” He gave a short laugh. “If it ever is. Perhaps I’ll leave it in ruins.”
Cecilia flinched at the bitterness in his voice. “Gideon—”
“Haslemere and his men are returning to Surrey later this afternoon. There’s no reason for them to stay, now our ghost is gone. No place for them, either.”
The mystery of the White Lady had been laid to rest, yes, but what of the other secrets, the nightmares hidden inside the stone walls of Darlington Castle? Only Cecilia knew the truth of what Lady Leanora had done. How could she tell Gideon his beloved wife and child had been sent to early graves by his brother’s mad wife?
As gently as I can, one word at a time.
Cecilia drew in a deep breath. “You knew about Isabella all along? That she wasn’t your brother’s daughter?”
Gideon dragged a hand through his hair. “Yes. Isabella doesn’t look a thing like my brother, but she does bear a striking resemblance to Darlington Castle’s former steward.”
The hazel eyes.
“If Isabella had been a boy, I’ve no doubt Leanora would have tried to pass him off as the heir. Nathanial knew everything, of course. He was hardly at Darlington Castle at all in the month Isabella was conceived. It didn’t matter to him—he loved her with all his heart—but all the love in the world won’t save Isabella from scandal if the truth of her birth is revealed.”
Cecilia thought of Isabella’s bright eyes, her lively mind, and sunny smile, and her heart sank in her chest. It broke her heart such a beautiful, loving child as Isabella should suffer for her heartless mother’s sins.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Cecilia asked quietly, trying to hide her hurt.
“I’ve never revealed Isabella’s secrets