Deadly Secrets by M J Marlow (good short books .txt) 📖

her feet. “It’s time, Lord Marston,” Amory stuck his head in. “The Vicar is waiting in the Conservatory for you and your bride.” “Bride?” Elis looked at Marston in confusion. She couldn’t think past the word. “Is someone getting married?” “We are, sweet Elissa,” Marston said as he took her to the door. He kissed her on the lips very gently. “You are going to be my wife.” “Why?” Elis frowned and looked to him for some explanation. “I don’t understand.” He was watching her quite closely. “Why?” “Because I adore you, Elissa Milosevic,” Marston said to her and watched her eyes. She was locked into a state of confusion and couldn’t seem to pull out of it. He was going to enjoy having her as his wife. “I will be a loving and considerate husband for you.” Elis looked up at him and just could not get past the confusion. She knew there was something wrong with what was happening, but she couldn’t remember what that could be. Marston turned her over to her aunt and she was put into a wedding gown. Twenty minutes later, she was led into the Conservatory where she was married to lord Marston. She was still trying to understand what was going on as the carriage pulled away from the estate. Marston kissed her and she just sat there until she felt his hands at the bodice of her gown. “No,” she shook her head as his hand caressed her breast. She began to whimper as the memory of what had happened when she was five came crashing through the confusion. “Please don’t hurt me,” she sobbed. Marston looked at her in shock. He had never had a woman react to his touch in terror. He pulled her into his lap and just held her as she cried. He kissed her hair, and then her cheek and she turned and looked at him in confusion. “You’re not going to hurt me?” “No, my pretty wife,” Marston choked as he held her closer, “I am never going to hurt you.” He kissed her very gently and pulled the blanket up around her. “Sleep now, my angel. When we get to my estate, we will talk.” Elis nodded and closed her eyes and Marston cursed Patricia Kensington. How could she have damaged her own niece like this? A lovely child like Elissa should not be terrified of being loved. He was going to do his utmost to see to it that the girl knew what it was to be loved and appreciated by a man who adored her. If Elis wanted her niece to stay out of lady Kensington’s hands, then he was going to do his best to see that happen. In fact, he thought as an impish grin lit his face; he was going to make it his business to make the woman pay for what she had done to damage this innocent child. They arrived at his estate as the sun set and she was still sleeping. He carried her inside and told his staff his wife and he were not to be disturbed until morning. He asked the cook to send them up a light supper and continued walking. He could feel their shock as he went up the stairs. He knew everyone had believed he would never marry. He had been convinced there would never be a woman worthy of him; but he knew that was no longer true. He laid his bride on the bed and knew he was not worthy of her. “Am I really your wife?” she asked as he was coming out of the bath. There was still a twinge of confusion in her eyes but he could see it clearing. “Yes, Elissa,” he told her honestly. He was never going to lie to her. “You are my wife.” He saw her frown. “If you do not wish to be my wife, I will release you. I will go sleep in the other bedroom and in the morning we will have the marriage annulled.” “Is that what you want?” Elis asked him as she met his eyes without fear. “What I want is to love you, my dear wife,” Marston told her plainly. “I want to help you forget the terror of your childhood and learn to love and be loved as you should be. And,” he said as he sank down on the bed next to her, “I want to make your aunt suffer for the hell she had put you and your family through.” “I don’t love you, lord Marston,” Elis said honestly as she continued to look into his eyes, “but we are married. I will try to be a good wife for you if you promise me you will never hurt me or mine again.” “I can promise all that and more, my angel,” Marston sighed in relief. He took her hands in his and kissed her palms one at a time. He felt her shiver and saw a flash of fear in her eyes. “I can still sleep in the other room,” he said as he stopped. “I do not want to do anything to cause you fear.” “You are a good man, lord Marston,” Elis choked. “Why were you pretending otherwise?” She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. “If all we can ever be is loving friends, is that enough?” “If I can have you in my arms, my angel?” Marston smiled as he moved closer to her, “I will be quite content.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Do you think you could call me Thomas, my sweet?” “Thomas,” Elis nodded and put her arms around his neck. “Show me what it is to be loved as a person should be loved.” Patricia was quite pleased with herself as she came out of the Study one morning three months later. She and Natasha had left England the morning after Elissa and Marston had been wed, following them on their honeymoon trip. Natasha was so deep in worry over her lost child that she was giving her no trouble. And the foul peasants who had dared to marry into their illustrious family were dead. All she needed now was to find the child and have her returned to the house, and everything would be perfect. So she was shocked when the front door burst open and her brother stormed in, his eyes blazing with anger. Behind him was his wife, their sons, and Patricia’s sons. And behind them was Anton Milosevic and his son and future daughter-in-law, who was holding a familiar infant in her arms. She went white as she saw them; they were supposed to be on their way to slaughter by now. “What have you done, Patricia?” Percival demanded as he made her sit down on the couch in the front room. “What is this I hear about Elissa being married to lord Marston.” “They were married here three months ago,” Patricia nodded. She saw his look of rage. “He is a man of rank and he is giving her everything she could ever want.” “Except a life of her own choosing!” Anton hissed. He stood as far away from the woman as he could, his fists clenched in anger. “How dare you make such a decision for my granddaughter.” “I wasn’t going to let you marry her off to one of your foul breed!” Patricia snapped at him. “Marston is quite happy with her. He will treat her as a lady of her rank should be treated.” She could see they didn’t understand. “I love my niece. I want her to have the life that Elizabeth should have had, not live out her days with a man who can’t hold his head up among our peers!” “If she loved a man,” Percival snapped at her, “he would always be welcome in my home. Damn, Patricia. How could you be so hateful! Elissa was damaged by what happened to her as a child. Do you think Marston is going to care enough to treat her with the care she needs?” He was white with anger. “It is probably far too late to have the union annulled.” He turned to Huntley, who had materialized in the doorway. “Go to the man, Huntley, and find out what it will cost for him to divorce her. I will not have her married to a man who would abuse her.” He turned to his nephews. “Take your mother upstairs and sedate her, Everett. I will talk to her later when I have calmed down enough so I do not strangle her.” “I only did what was best for her,” Patricia protested as her younger son led her away; “for our family.” They were not listening. “You would pollute our family blood line with these mongrels! I could not let it continue!” Percival sank down on the couch with a curse. For several moments there wasn’t a sound in the room as the men came to terms with what had happened. Elis had been married to a man they had all one their best to keep her away from. They had been unable to prevent it and they were stunned by this fact. Natasha came downstairs and her grandfather held her as she cried and blamed herself. When the storm was over, she pulled her child into her arms and sank down rocking her in relief. Everyone was safe, except for Elissa. “They did that to her,” she whimpered; “because she wouldn’t tell them where she’d hidden my daughter.” Her eyes lit up for a moment. “You should have seen her! She climbed out the window and down the side of the house with Elizabeth tied to her.” The image of her determined little sister carrying Natasha’s daughter to safety only made her loss more painful. “It’s all my fault!” She looked at her uncle. “How could Aunt Patricia be so hateful? Ursa never did anything to deserve such a fate.” “Ursa?” Percival asked her. “Papa called her that first,” Alexei smiled softly as he remembered. “He loved the stars, so each of us had a pet name after a star or constellation. I was Orion, the hunter.” He saw Daniel nodding his understanding. “Natasha was Andromeda, his princess, and Elissa was Ursa Minor; the little bear. So we grew up calling each other Ori, Meda, and Ursa.” “And we just call her Monkey,” Philip said softly. He saw her grandfather and siblings look at him. “Elissa loved to climb when she was little: trees, buildings, rooflines; it didn’t matter, she would scale them all. She used to give Father heart attacks when we would ride up to visit and he would see her dancing along the roofline or dangling from a tree branch.” For the next half hour they all shared their favorite memory of Elissa. Anton, who had never had a chance to know her as a child, was enchanted by the stories. It just made him more determined to see to it that she was removed from a marriage that had not been her choice. He was the first to notice the shift in the feeling in the room. Suddenly there was a sparkle that had been missing, dispelling her anger and grief. “Is this a wake?” Elis’ voice sounded from the doorway. Her family looked up to see her standing there, holding hands with the monster they had been discussing. “You make it sound like I’m dead.” She saw the anger in their eyes and she tightened her hold on Marston’s hand. “Our wedding may have been unconventional, but we are married and you will accept him. I do not want to lose you all over this, but I have chosen to remain with Marston.” “It does not have to be that way, Elis…” “Yes, it does,” Elis told them, looking very shy and uncertain for a moment as her hand went to her abdomen;