Bride for a Night(136)

“Juliette cost me more than my yearly allowance.” Harry lifted his lashes to reveal the torment in his eyes. “It was with her urging that I became such a reckless fool. I was desperate to impress her with my daring deeds and my boundless wealth.” His jaw tightened. “And of course, she was clever enough to be forever prodding my jealousy toward you. I would have done anything to prove I was as worthy as you in her eyes.”

Gabriel heaved a rough sigh, shoving aside his stab of guilt as he considered the implications of his brother’s confession.

“Including an offer to establish Jacques as the local vicar of Carrick Park?” he asked.

“Yes.” Harry shook his head, then bit off a curse as the movement jostled his wound. “A difficult task, I might add,” he seethed.

It should have been an impossible task, Gabriel silently acknowledged, detesting the thought that church officials might have been bribed or bullied into turning a blind eye to Vicar Gerard of Carrick Park.

“Someday I wish to hear how you accomplished such a feat,” he warned.

“Someday.”

Gabriel allowed his brother to remain evasive. He would eventually discover the truth of the matter. But he was suddenly struck by a more pressing question.

“I do not comprehend why you agreed to wed Talia if you were being supported by Jacques.”

Harry flushed, revealing a genuine embarrassment for his heartless behavior.

“I had a brief moment of conscience,” he said, smiling wryly at Gabriel’s sudden scowl. “It is true, although I do not blame you if you find it difficult to believe. I thought that once I had my hands on Dobson’s money I could cut my ties to Jacques and walk away unscathed.”

“You thought he could be bribed?”

“Absurd, of course.” His sharp laugh cut through the hushed silence. “I was assured that there was no means to end my…partnership with the damned Frenchman.”

“And that is when you fled to Calais?”

“Yes, once again forcing you to pay for my sins,” Harry acknowledged, his expression hardening. “But no more. I have learned my lesson, I swear. Things will be different in the future.”

Gabriel shied from his brother’s heartfelt promise. He desperately wanted to believe that Harry had truly changed, but how often had he been disappointed in the past?

“Enough of this, you must conserve your strength while I fetch some help,” he said brusquely.

Once again Harry’s fingers dug into Gabriel’s arm, keeping him from rising.

“First I must give you this,” Harry said, wincing as he fumbled beneath his jacket and at last pulled out a folded piece of parchment that he shoved into Gabriel’s hand.

Shifting to catch the faint light cresting the horizon, Gabriel unfolded the paper and scanned the list of names that were written in a neat column.

He frowned as he recognized several of the gentlemen. “What is it?”

“The names of those Englishmen hired by Jacques.”

Even suspecting the truth, Gabriel felt an icy dread settle in his heart. Christ, just how deeply had the rot penetrated?

The men on the list were gentlemen of society, some of them members of parliament. Gentlemen of power and influence who could cause untold damage if they truly had sold their loyalty to Napoleon.

The question was how Jacques Gerard managed to lure, or perhaps even force, them into becoming traitors and how willing they had been to betray their country.

“How did you get your hands on this?” he rasped.

Harry returned his hand to cover his wound, his breath hissing between his teeth in pain.