Tempting the Marquess (19 page)

“Oh!” Livvy gasped. “You don’t mean—”

“The contents of the note were reprinted in the
Daily Post
. The ton loves a scandal, and this was the most shocking affair since the Duke of Lansdowne’s daughter ran off with his stable master. Well, you know how gossip spreads, and it wasn’t too long before the boys at Harrow got wind of it. From what William told me, Jason got into terrible rows trying to defend his mother’s honor. He refused to believe she was running off when she was killed, but then what child wants to believe his mother consciously deserted him?”

Livvy’s heart ached for that little boy. She could envision him clearly, for he must have looked very like Edward. She remembered Edward’s stoicism during the asthma and imagined Jason putting on the same brave face while daring the larger boys to repeat the slander. What she wouldn’t give to go back in time and comfort that lost, angry little boy.

“William had no choice but to tell Jason the truth about his mother. After that, Jason never spoke of her, and he ignored all of William’s attempts to discuss what had happened. William was never convinced Jason had moved past his mother’s abandonment. Though Jason was already a grown man when his father and I wed, I vowed to look after him. It seems I’ve muddled that.”

Her expression became thoughtful.

“But perhaps it is not too late to make things right,” she mused.

She met Olivia’s eyes.

“Do you love him?”

Livvy didn’t realize she was crying until she tasted the salt of her tears. She nodded miserably, unable to speak.

“Oh, my dear!” Aunt Kate pulled her into her arms. “Don’t cry. It will all work out, you’ll see. Now lie down and close your eyes. You must get some rest. We’ve a busy day tomorrow, what with packing and planning how to bring my stepson to his senses.”

Livvy sighed. “It’s silly, but I feel as though going home would mean the adventure is over. Besides, Mama is sure to realize something isn’t right and she’ll persist in questioning me. I’m afraid I’ll tell her everything, and—”

Her aunt held up a hand. “Say no more. We’ll go to the town house. I’m afraid London will be quiet this time of year—”

“That is quite all right. I have no desire to see anyone.”

She rose and began to prowl around the parlor, pacing back and forth like one of the caged lions at the Tower of London.

Her aunt looked up from her plate and shook her head, a slight smile upon her face.

Olivia frowned. “What?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking it wasn’t so long ago that I was sitting and watching your sister try to wear holes in the carpet. You girls certainly know how to keep life interesting for your old auntie.”

Olivia went over to her and rested her cheek against the top of her aunt’s head. “You’re hardly old, Aunt Kate. Besides, just think of this as practice for when Charlotte is older.”

Lady Sheldon reached up and patted Olivia’s cheek. “Heaven forbid.”

Charles entered the room and Livvy launched herself at him.

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her, patting her back. “Livvy, my love, if this is the kind of enthusiastic greeting I get for sleeping in, I vow never to rise before noon again.” He set her apart from him. “Enough of that now. Jason can’t be long behind me, and I have no wish to arouse his ire.”

“There’s no fear of that,” Livvy said. “He’s gone. That’s why I must speak with you.”

She waited until he had got some food, and then seated herself next to him.

“Jason and I had a bit of an altercation last night.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘altercation’?” Charles asked warily.

“A lovers’ quarrel,” Aunt Kate supplied helpfully.

Charles’s face lit into a grin. “Finally!”

“It was not a lovers’ quarrel,” Olivia ground out.

“Call it what you like,” said Aunt Kate, getting up and moving toward the door. “I’ll leave the two of you alone now. I think it’s best if you two work out the next bit on your own.”

Once her aunt had gone, Livvy faced Charles, her face grim. “When Jason returns, I need you to tell him the true circumstances of Laura’s death.”

Charles’s face grew shuttered. “No. You know as well as I do that he’ll not forgive me. He’ll prevent me from seeing Edward. What’s happened is in the past. As you’ve said, it can’t be changed. There’s no reason to revisit it.”

“Yes, there is. I learned something last night that changes everything. It’s not pleasant, but you need to know.” She took a deep breath. “Jason hasn’t been mourning your sister all this time.”

“I don’t understand.”

“All these years, it’s not grief he’s been consumed by, but hatred. Charles, he thinks Laura was having an affair.”

It took a few moments for her words to sink in.

Charles pushed back his chair and jumped to his feet. “That’s outrageous. No one who knew Laura could ever believe her to be capable of such a thing. That bastard. How dare he think that. She loved him. She would have done anything for him. That’s how she was with the people she cared about. That’s why she could never say no to me—” His voice cracked and he sat down heavily, burying his face in his hands.

“I’m so sorry, Charles,” Olivia said softly. “But you must see that it isn’t fair to your sister’s memory to have her husband, the father of her child, so mistaken about the circumstances of her death. Aunt Kate believes there is some reason, something that has to do with his mother, which made Jason misconstrue the circumstances of Laura’s death. Until he knows the truth, he won’t be able to heal. He’ll never find peace.”

“I’m not certain he deserves it,” he said angrily, getting to his feet.

Livvy told herself to be patient.

“I thought so too at first, but what would Laura want you to do, Charles? Isn’t it time you grow up and take responsibility for your actions? Jason deserves to know the truth. And if you won’t tell him for his sake, do it for mine.”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat.

“I love him,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to fall in love. I never meant to. But I did. And now I’m terrified. He’s a good man. I know he is—” Her voice broke on a sob.

Charles pulled her up out of her seat and enfolded her in a hug. “I’m sorry, Livvy. Don’t cry. You’re right. He’s a good man, and it’s long past time for me to confess my sins. Whatever my penance, I’ll do it. Don’t worry, Jason will come around. I always knew I was blessed to have Laura for a sister. Now I shall be doubly blessed, for when you and Jason wed I’ll gain another beloved sister.”

Olivia sniffed. “Jason is lucky to have you.”

“I’ll have to rely on you to make sure he realizes it.”

“I think he knows. Deep down.”

“As in, somewhere between the eighth and ninth circles of hell, deep down?”

Livvy gave a watery laugh as they sat back down. “I am lucky to have you, too. I never thought I should want another brother. You will see why when you meet my older brother, Henry, but if all brothers were as nice as you I should want dozens.”

He patted her hair. “I guess I didn’t tell you about the time I took the heads off of all Laura’s dolls.”

Olivia laughed and shook her head. “And so the fantasy ends. Henry did that to Izzie once, but she got him back. I believe Weston Manor is the sole possessor of a headless rocking horse. I shall never forget the way Henry screamed when he woke to find a horse head in bed with him.”

“Good Lord! Remind me never to get on your sister’s bad side.”

“She can be quite terrifying,” Livvy agreed, “but I must confess that I was the one who came up with the idea.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Olivia shrugged. “It’s a gift.”

Charles choked on his eggs.

Livvy got up and pounded him on the back. “Aunt Kate and I have been making plans,” she said. “We are leaving for London later today.”

“Then I will take my leave as well.”

Livvy frowned. “But you have to stay and talk to Jason.”

Charles shook his head. “You’ll have to get Jason to come to London for that. I suspect my brother-in-law will try to kill me when he finds out, and when he does, I would at least like the chance of someone overhearing my screams for help.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she brushed at them with the backs of her hands.

“You’re not going to cry all the time, are you?” he asked. “Because that wouldn’t be very fun.”

“I’ll try not to,” she promised.

“Now you are betrothed,” Charlotte pronounced. Then she hissed, “Give her the gift, Edward.”

Edward pulled a watch out of his pocket and thrust it at Olivia. She admired it, not knowing what else she was to do with it. It was a fine piece of work, with the family crest engraved on the front and a large ruby set into the clasp. She tried to hand it back to Edward.

“No,” Charlotte said, “that’s for you to keep.”

“It’s a symbol of my love and demotion,” Edward added.

Livvy fought back a smile. “That’s a lovely gesture, Edward, but I have a feeling this doesn’t belong to you.”

“It will,” Charlotte reasoned. “It belongs to my brother, and the things that are his will be Edward’s someday. I told Edward he had to give you a present after he proposed. It was the only thing we could find that was small enough to bring. There wasn’t that much room, you know.”

Oh, she
knew
.

When they had set off three days ago, Charlotte had been insistent that Mister Dog, as she had named the puppy Jason had given her, ride along in the carriage with them. Aunt Kate had said she wouldn’t consider it. The resulting tantrum had been so deafening, Livvy had begged her aunt to give in this once and allow the dog to lie on the floor.

When they reached their first stop, Aunt Kate saw the puppy had not only slobbered all over her pink kid slippers but had also managed to chew the satin bow off one foot, and she declared she wouldn’t travel another mile with such a horrid, smelly beast. She ordered Dimpsey to fetch the dog’s crate, and Charlotte began to howl. Her reason became apparent when Dimpsey returned with Edward instead of the crate.

“It seems we’ve acquired another pup, my lady. He was hiding in the crate.”

Aunt Kate had trained a steely gaze on her daughter. “The crate has to be latched from the outside, does it not?”

“Yes, my lady,” Dimpsey answered.

“Then
someone
must have assisted in stowing him away. Charlotte, might you be able to guess who this
someone
is?”

The little girl hugged Queenie to her chest and affected her most innocent look. “No, Mama.”

“Do not lie to me.”

“I’m not lying,” Charlotte said. “You asked me if I could
guess
who it was. I know very well it was me, and you can’t guess at something you already know.”

Aunt Kate let out a long-suffering sigh. “I begin to understand why some mothers eat their young.”

They decided that Edward might as well accompany them to London, where they could ensure he would be properly supervised. They dispatched a groom back to Arlyss with a note for Gower explaining the situation and asking that he notify his master as soon as he arrived home.

And that was how she had come to be in the nursery of her aunt’s town house—actually, she supposed the place truly belonged to Jason—holding what was undoubtedly an heirloom (also belonging to Jason) that Jason’s son had given her to seal their betrothal. She wondered that she had been so desirous of an adventure. How had she forgotten that heroines were made to suffer dreadfully before the happy ending? They were always crying, complaining of raw nerves and the sense of impending doom.

She could commiserate.

Jason was not going to be happy about this development with Edward.

She looked sternly at both children. “While this watch may be Edward’s someday, it is not his now. The two of you cannot go around snatching things that don’t belong to you. Stealing is very wrong.”

“We weren’t stealing,” said Charlotte. “We were more . . . borrowing.”

Livvy could see she was fighting a losing battle. She sighed and slipped the watch into her pocket, making a mental note to see it was returned.

“Are you mad?” Edward sounded worried.

“No, of course not. I know you meant well.”

Her voice wobbled on the last word. She grabbed Edward to her and kissed his cheek. Lord, she adored both of these children. She’d already started thinking of Edward as her own, and she knew exactly what could come of that—heartbreak.

Edward screwed up his face in distaste and rubbed at his cheek. “You’re not going to cry again, are you?”

“Of course not,” Olivia sniffled.

“You
sound
like you’re going to cry,” Charlotte said accusingly.

“Be quiet, Char. Isn’t it about time for the two of you to go help Cook? No, I haven’t forgot about your punishment. What you did was very naughty. But perhaps if Cook gives a good report of your work Dimpsey can take you to Astley’s later.”

“Oh, Astley’s is lovely, Edward. And maybe we can go to Gunter’s afterward for an ice.” She danced around in anticipation.

“Only after you have helped in the kitchen,” Olivia reminded her.

“If I’m going to marry you, I don’t think I should be doing work in the kitchen.” Edward crossed his arms over his chest.

Livvy thought fast. “You’re right. I just had no idea that you were going to take your responsibilities as my betrothed so seriously.”

Edward glared mutinously at Charlotte. “You didn’t say anything about responsibilities,” he hissed. Then he looked back at Olivia. “What sorts of responsibilities?” he asked suspiciously.

“As my betrothed you must stay by my side and pay lots of attention to me. If I want to go somewhere, you must escort me and stay with me until I am ready to leave. You have to play the games I want to play, and you must let me win most of the time.”

Edward was appalled. “I’d rather work in the kitchen!” He looked apologetically at Olivia.

Livvy laughed. “Well, I suppose I would be very mean to hold you to our engagement. You are hereby released. I only ask that you think of me fondly the next time you get betrothed.”

His relief was palpable.

“Of course, this means you will have to go down and help Cook. . . .”

Edward nodded and grabbed Charlotte’s hand. They ran out of the room before she could change her mind.

She went downstairs and sat in the drawing room. She hadn’t been there more than five minutes when there came a knock on the door.

Dimpsey poked his head round the door. “Sir Charles to see you, Miss Olivia. Shall I show him in?”

“Too late,” Charles said, pushing past Dimpsey as he entered the room. “How are you, my dear?”

“Quite well, actually. And you? Are you ready to bare your soul to the devil?”

“I only have to do so if you manage to get the devil to come to London. The odds of that happening . . .”

“Are not even in question,” Olivia told him, her eyes twinkling. “It just so happens that I have something belonging to Jason that I feel fairly certain he’ll want to claim. I have no idea how long he actually stayed away for, but as soon as he returns to Arlyss, he’ll be on his way to London. He might be on the road this very minute.”

“What would he want so badly? Laura’s diary?”

Olivia shook her head. “No, but that reminds me. Let me fetch it from my chamber and hand it over to you. After you have spoken with Jason, which will happen imminently, please give it to him. I believe he is the proper person to take possession of it. I’ll just be a moment.”

She moved to the door and was nearly bowled over by Charlotte and Edward running into the room. “Uncle Chas!” they chorused.

Charles’s jaw dropped at the sight of his nephew.

“Told you so,” Livvy preened. “Oh, don’t look at me like that! It’s not as if I kidnapped him. We found him hidden among the baggage at our first stop.”

“That was my idea,” Charlotte put in proudly.

“I don’t doubt it,” Charles assured her.

“What are the two of you doing here? You’re supposed to be helping Cook. It’s hardly a punishment if you’re not there to do the work. Off with you, now.” She shooed them out of the room. “I admit it is difficult to punish them when their plans have fallen in so well with our own.”

Charles gave Olivia a pitying look. “I suppose so. If your plan is to give Jason apoplexy.”

As if scripted, someone began furiously slamming the brass knocker on the door. Livvy and Charles looked at each other. It could only be Jason. Moments later their suspicion was confirmed when an angry shout rang out through the house.

“I think that’s my cue to hide,” Livvy said.

Charles nodded. “And mine to leave.”

“But you can’t
leave
. You have to talk to Jason.”

“Now?”
he exclaimed. “Do I
look
like I have a
death wish
?”

The man had a point.

“You don’t have to
talk
with him right now, but you must at least talk with him
about
talking with him. Otherwise he’ll take Edward and leave London before you get the chance.”

“Wouldn’t
that
be a pity,” Charles muttered.

“Charles . . .”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Very well. I had best get it over with now.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “you
had
. And I shall be right here listening to make certain you
do
.”