Blackmail

*Zac*
These are words I have never spoken to another woman. Tensing, I wait for thunder to boom and lightning to strike, for surely the angels are laughing at my downfall. I, who have always been so damned careful not to involve my heart, am holding my breath, waiting for her to respond.

“Say something."

She opens her mouth, then closes it. Her eyes mist. I watch as her delicate throat works to swallow. A bright smile forms, and joy turns the whiskey to gold. She releases a light laugh. “I love you, too.”

I grin and thread my fingers through her hair. "I know. You told me when you were so very angry at me that day in the library. Terrified me, you know. Saying the words to you now seems inadequate somehow. They should be larger, bigger to encompass all that I feel for you."

“They are perfect.” She laughs again, burying her face in the curve of my neck. “I want to run through a field, climb a mountain, swim an ocean. You have filled me with such joy."

“Give me a few more moments and I shall fill you with something else entirely yet again." I grin.

She jerks upright, her cheeks burning a bright red that almost matches her hair. “Were you shocked by what I did? I don’t know what possessed me."

“Feel free to shock me anytime." I tell her.

Her laughter touches me once more, as soft as the tinkling of glass bells. “I rather enjoyed it."

“As did I."

She gnaws on her lower lip. “Jeanette tried to tell me… but I didn’t believe her. But I know now that I would do anything at all for you. Anything. I thought I loved you in Scutari, but what I have come to feel for you since we married… it knows no bounds. It’s terrifying and yet, and yet it makes me feel so remarkably safe."

I study her beloved face. “Then why the nightmare? Did all the talk today of my supposed exploits bring it all rushing back to the surface?"

“It doesn’t matter. I think I have banished them for good. You’re mine now. And I know nothing will ever change that."

*Calliope*
“Lady Calliope?"

I think I will never grow accustomed to the new title. I’m sitting on the floor, playing with Zane in the nursery at Roseglenn, doing my best to engage with someone who is more interested in his hands and his feet than anything I can wave before his eyes. I glance up at the serving girl. “Yes, Winnie?”

“You’ve a visitor… a Miss Whisenhunt. She says it’s most important that she speak with you."

Icy dread slithers down my spine. Zac has gone to London to see to some matter, and I want Fancy gone before he returns. I scramble to my feet with such urgency that I nearly lose my balance. “Where is she?”

“In the front parlor, my lady."

I rush out of the nursery and down the stairs. It doesn’t matter why Fancy is here; Zac loves me. He has told me so. He has shown me so. We are a family, the three of us. Nothing will break us apart.

I come to a halt in the hallway near the front parlor. I pat my hair into place, wishing for the first time that I hadn't cut it, that it is still as long and glorious as it once was. It had outshone Fancy’s. I pinch my cheeks to ensure I have color. I straighten my spine. I feel as though I am preparing to face an army of vampires. I am prepared to win.

With a confidence I don’t exactly feel, I stride into the parlor. Fancy is standing near a glass case, studying the various figurines that adorn it. Turning, she smiles, one that doesn’t reach her eyes.

“I hope you will forgive me for intruding, my lady, but I have an urgent matter with which I’m certain you can help me."

I don’t quite trust that smile. “I assisted you once before, Fancy, in Paris. I’m not certain I have anything else to offer you."

She tilts her head slightly. “Not even tea?”

I feel everything within me go stiff. Why on earth is Fancy truly here? She has the power to tear asunder everything I have built. As calmly as possible, determined not to give any hint of my trepidation, I wander over to the wall and yank on the bell pull. When the serving girl appears, I say, “Tea, please.”

“And biscuits," Fancy adds. She holds up her hand, showing a small amount of space between her thumb and forefinger. “As well as little cakes if you have them.” When the maid leaves, she looks at me. “I do so enjoy sweet things."

“What precisely is it that you want?"

Ignoring me, Fancy lifts a small clock from the mantel, studies it, and sets it back down. “You do have a very nice residence. I would have not thought Zac would do so well for himself."

“It’s Draco’s. He allows us to live here through his good graces. He can take it away at a moment’s notice.”

“But he won’t. He’s the good brother. The one who watched out for the other two, even though he is the youngest. Zac resented his brothers… their titles, their power, Draco’s wealth. That’s the reason he worked so hard to excel in the bedchamber. He wanted to outshine his brothers in some regard, so why not pleasure? Has he shared all this with you?”

“What has this to do with anything?” I ask impatiently.

“Ah, our tea.”

I think I’m going to crawl out of my skin after I pour the tea and am forced to watch Fancy prepare it. How can a spoon that moves that slowly stir up anything at all? I know Fancy is being deliberately difficult. If I didn’t have so much to risk losing, I’d tell her to go to the devil.

Finally, at last, Fancy sits back and takes a sip of tea. “Delightful." She licks her lips. “I have been thinking about our situation."

The words send a frisson of unease through me. “What situation?"

Fancy smiles benignly. “You have something that belongs to me.”

“Zane does not belong to you. You walked away from him.”

“But I was distraught after learning that his father had died. It broke my heart to look upon Zane and to see his father and to know he would never again be in my life."

I manage to keep my eyes from rolling. “You think that tale will gain you sympathy?"

“More so than yours. You lied, deceived, and used a babe for your own gain.”

“No. You guessed right last night. I do wear my heart on my sleeve. I loved Zac then, and I love him now. We’re happy… the three of us. Zane, Zac, and I. Why would you take that from us?"

“Is it fair to say that you have discovered that a night in Zac’s bed is worth any price?”

“Is that the reason you’re here? Making all these innuendos and claims? For payment?”

“Oh, Calliope, you must understand my position."

Fancy picks up a tiny cake and pops it into her mouth. I pray she chokes on it. I thought she was beautiful when I first met her. How looks can deceive.

Fancy swallows the cake, sips her tea, and continues to breathe. Pity.

“I never expected Zac to do so well for himself, but he was fun. I had no desire to marry him. I wanted someone who could offer me... more. When I realized I was with child, sentiment and fear prevented me from ridding myself of it before it was born. Ambition prevented me from keeping it."

“Him," I snap. “He is a him. Not an it."

“Spoken like a true mother. You do know that a marriage built on a foundation of secrets will surely crumble.”

“What the devil do you want?" I demand.

“My plan had always been to serve as some lord’s paramour, to be pampered and cared for, to warm his bed. Hence, Lord Dearbourne. Unfortunately, I failed to take into account that not all men are as talented in the bedchamber as your husband. Most are bumbling oafs.”

I huff, “Then leave Dearbourne and find another."

“He is my third since my return from Paris. I am weary of the hunt, and I’m sure you are weary of waiting to learn why I am here." Setting her cup aside, she leans forward, determination and a hard glint in her eyes. “I have given a good deal of thought to our little secret, and I’m certain you wish it to remain between us. I want to live in luxury without requiring a man. Four thousand pounds a year should do it.”

I dare not understand what I’m hearing. The consequences are too dire. I fight to hold on to my confidence, not to give any hint that I suspect where this is leading, for surely, even this hoyden wouldn’t go there. "Why are you telling me this?”

“Why, my dear girl, you are naïve. I expect you to give it to me.”

“We were friends. I wiped your brow when you were nauseous. I helped to deliver...”

“My babe?” Fancy asks with an arched eyebrow.

How had I so badly misjudged this woman? She was a nurse. She’d gone to the war. She had attended the wounded and sick. Zac had cared for her. How could he have cared for someone as vile as this? How could I have befriended her?

“I don’t have that sort of money," I say, my mouth suddenly so dry that I can barely form the words. “I had no dowry. My weekly allowance is a pittance." It suffices for me; I wish for no more. My needs are few. But this request is beyond the pale.

“Surely you have a household allowance. Steal from that. Sell the silver. Pawn your jewelry. I don’t give a damn how you manage it, just make it happen." She rises to her feet in a rustle of silk and satin. “I don’t expect it all at once. You may make weekly payments. But make no mistake. I want it. I want it all. Or your husband will learn who the true mother of his son is."