Lord Sinister (Secrets & Scandals Book 3) (6 page)

She jerked away.

Tears she could no longer contain slid one by one down her cheeks.  “I do not need you to buy me a house, nor do I want your money.”  She dashed the traitorous wetness away.  “I will not accept your offer, my lord.  Ever.  So you can quit wasting your time trying to persuade me with such base tactics.”

His brows shot up and he took a step back.  “That’s not what I—”

“It doesn’t matter.  Alex and I will manage on our own as we always have.”  She crossed her arms.  “My new governess position pays well and I have been assured employment for many years to come.”  She raised her chin three full inches.  “I will be able to take care of Alex very well on my own.  As you can see, my lord, I do not need your assistance.  And I sure as hell do not want it.”

CHAPTER 5

Julian paced before one of the large windows in the gold salon of his sister’s massive town mansion, his thoughts in turmoil.  He never should have let them go.  At the very least, he should have pressed harder to escort Amelia and Alex to their destination.  Then he could have settled the nagging sensation that continued to torment him, whispering that something was wrong.  Thoughts plagued him for not only what he had done to Amelia in the past, but for not helping her when she needed him now.  Unfortunately, she wouldn’t hear of him seeing them safely to their destination.  He frowned.  Why did the directions he overheard her giving to the hackney driver seem familiar?

Out in the street below, he watched a phaeton race by in a cloud of dust and shook his head.  Perhaps he should have done more to insist Amelia receive his assistance.  The stubborn woman would not listen to his apologies, though.  Nor would she hear any discussion of him making amends, monetary or otherwise.  She continued to insist she was better off with him staying away from her, that she had a fresh start and he would do nothing but remind her of how horrible her life had once been.  He settled his forearm against the wall and bowed his head.  Staying away was much more difficult than he thought it would be.  He worried that she would do as well as she indicated, that Alex would be happy and have an opportunity to study the stars.  That the two of them would find the peace and joy once denied them.  That
he
had once denied them.

It also drove him to distraction he would never see them again.

He blew out a harsh breath, wishing he’d had more time with them.  Perhaps he could have said or done something to make Amelia change her mind.  He should have tried harder, should have made it perfectly clear that he had the ability to make her life easier.  That he
wanted
to make her life easier.  Alex could have gone to the finest schools and studied astronomy, as the boy truly wanted.  Julian gritted his teeth.  He damn sure should have found a way to keep them close.  That’s what he should have done.

“If you don’t tell me what is bothering you, Julian Alexander Westland, I’m going to box your ears.”

Julian smiled momentarily before turning from the window.  He cocked a brow.  “What makes you think something is bothering me, dear sister?”

Megan pulled a face and marched into the room.  She placed her knuckles on her non-existent waist and frowned up at him.  “I know you, Julian.  I know you very well.  You might as well tell me.”

“You might as well tell her,” agreed the voice from the doorway.

Julian glanced up.  “Nick.”  He greeted his brother-in-law and they shook hands.  Then he watched in amusement as Nick assisted a very pregnant Megan onto the sofa.  Trying to keep the smile from his lips, Julian sat in one of the chairs across from them.

After the tea arrived, his sister poured them each a cup, her movements hasty instead of graceful.  Obviously, she wanted to continue her interrogation.  “All right, Julian, what is it?” she asked as soon as he had cup in hand, confirming his suspicions.  “Did something happen on the ship?”

He raised his eyes to the colorful, coffered ceiling, wondering what he should say.  How much he should reveal.  But when he glanced back at his sister and opened his mouth, the entire story just tumbled out of its own accord.

Megan shook her head when he finished, her amethyst eyes dazed.  “So Amelia wasn’t lying when she came to you ten years ago?”

Julian set his now tepid tea aside.  “Apparently not.”  Remorse made his voice raspy.

“If I recall correctly, you had good reason for dismissing the girl,” Nicholas said.

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Her cousin, Diana, told me that Amelia would soon arrive on my doorstep and tell me she carried my child.  She was adamant the claim was a lie, insisting Amelia’s objective was to become the next Duchess of Kenbrook.”

“Why would Amelia’s cousin do such a despicable thing?” Megan asked.

He sighed.  “I don’t know.”

“Obviously, Diana was jealous of Amelia,” Nicholas answered, then continued as Julian started to frown.  “I could see how hard Diana was trying to gain your attention, but you were rather absorbed in Amelia at the time,” he finished softly.

Julian knew Nick was referring to the bet with Jeremy.  God, could he feel any worse?

After a moment of silence, Megan placed a hand over her rounded middle and asked, “Well, where are they now?  Amelia and Alexander?”

As Julian started to answer, a knock sounded.

When Nick gave permission, the butler entered the room carrying a silver salver with a folded scrap of paper lying on the center.  “A message for his lordship.”

Julian rose from his chair and took the note, anxious to have his question answered.  He read the words, then read them again just to make certain his eyes were not playing tricks.  “Good God,” he whispered, panic surging within him.  Of all the places in and around London, this had been the last place he thought Amelia and Alex would go.

“What?” Nicholas and Megan asked in unison as they approached.

“I overheard Amelia give directions to a hackney driver just after we parted company.  But all along the way here, I kept thinking there was something oddly familiar about where she was going, and every instinct told me something was wrong.  So I sent out a few inquiries.”  He glanced down at the note crumpled in his white-knuckled fist.  “And I have my answer.”

“What is it?” Nicholas asked.

Julian lifted his head, finally able to identify the tiny tremors racing up and down his body.  Terror.  “I was right to be worried.”  He passed the note to his friend.

Nick’s eyes widened as he read the three words scrawled clearly across the page.

“I have to go,” he gritted out, then spun on his heel.

“Wait, Julian, where are you going?” Megan called as he marched across the room.

“To find out just what in the hell is going on,” he spat over his shoulder.

“See that ash just there, Alex?” Amelia pointed to one of the trees along the dusty road as their carriage lumbered past.  “When I was your age, my nanny told me that if you take a twig from an ash tree and draw a circle on the ground around a snake, it will soon starve to death.”

Surprised when she didn’t receive a response, Amelia turned to her passive son staring out the opposite window and heaved a sigh.  She could feel his sadness.  Alexander missed the man he could never know was his father, the man who had become his friend.

However, she was certain Alex’s attention would soon revert back to the stars and planets.  In time his good humor would return.

She just wished the cursed man hadn’t given her son an invitation to visit him at his estate.  Thankfully though, Lord Julian would remain in London for an entire month first, which would give her time to think of a reason Alex couldn’t go for a visit.

She hoped.

“I wish we could have stayed with the commander—I mean, Lord Julian.  I must remember to call him that now that we’re no longer on the ship.”

Amelia glanced out her window and kept her eyes fixed on the hazel hedgerow they were now rattling past.  She had wanted Alex to say something, but she hadn’t meant about
him
.

“Isn’t it amazing he is a marquess, Mama?”

“Hmmm,” she replied, watching several wrens take flight into the grey sky above. Charcoal clouds were gathering overhead and she hoped to arrive at their destination ahead of the rain likely to fall.

“I wish you were going to be the comm—Lord Julian’s governess instead of Mr. Giles’s,” Alex grumbled.

Amelia’s breath caught.  The possibility that Lord Julian had married and produced children never once occurred to her.  Now why did that thought bring a sharp stitch to her chest?  What did it matter to her if he had a family of his own?

Oh, why did she have to see him again?  She pressed a hand to her pounding heart.  Why did she have to be reminded of how she had once yearned for his affection so much it hurt?

Thankfully, she was older and much, much wiser.  Never again would she be so foolish as to give her love so easily to a man.  Especially to a rake like Lord Julian.  Yes, her heart would be forever safe, encased in a thick shell forged out of rejection and heartbreak.

“But you can’t be Lord Julian’s governess.  He told me he’s not married.”

Amelia rested her throbbing forehead against the side of the coach and released her breath.  She would not feel relief at Alex’s statement.  No, she would not!

“How much longer, Mama?”

Amelia blinked, realizing she hadn’t even prepared for her new position.  She should be using this time to consider what to teach the children instead of wasting her thoughts on that man.  She turned to her son and gave him a wide smile.  “Not much longer, Alex.  Mr. Giles said it was just about an hour’s carriage ride north of London dock.”  She leaned forward.  “Are you excited to meet some children near your own age?”

He lifted a shoulder.  “I suppose.  How many children does Mr. Giles have?”

Amelia would not allow her smile to slip.  Truly, she should have asked more questions, but once Mr. Giles had told her the position paid out forty-five guineas per year, she could hardly think of anything else and agreed to take the job without further discussion.  “I’m not certain, but we shall soon find out.  Did you hear what I said earlier about the tree?”

Interest sparked in Alex’s light gray eyes.  “Does drawing a circle around a snake with an ash twig really kill it?”

“Perhaps that should be our very first scientific experiment with the other children.  What do you think?”

The corners of Alex’s mouth tipped up, then his smile bloomed full.  “I think I am going to like that you’re a governess.”

She grinned in return.  “Me, too.”

“Does the ash tree do anything else to snakes?”

“Actually, it does.  The ash is supposed to provide protection against snakes.  Legend says that if you place ash leaves all the way around your house, a snake will not enter.  Supposedly, snakes cannot pass over a circle made with the leaves of an ash tree.”

Alex leaned forward.  “We should see if there is any truth to that legend, as well.  What else?”

“Well, we must be careful not to harm the tree while performing our experiments.”

The carriage slowed, but Alex didn’t seem to notice.  “Why is that?”

“Damaging an ash tree is thought to bring very bad luck.”

They turned onto a drive and Amelia caught a glimpse of their new home.  “Look, Alex.  Look there,” she said, pointing to the large house in the distance.

He moved to the seat beside her and glanced out of the window.  His eyes grew round.  “We’re going to live there?” he whispered.

“Yes,” Amelia replied, her own excitement mounting.  She studied the white, triple-story structure a moment, then slipped her gloves onto her shaking hands.  When she had been Alex’s age, the house would have seemed insignificant compared to her father’s sprawling mansion.  Now, it looked a palace.

When the carriage shuddered to a halt at the rear of the house, Amelia took a deep breath, tamping back her nervousness, and opened the door.  A servant stood waiting to escort her down the two iron steps.  She had forgotten such a luxury existed.

“Hello, I am Amelia Wesson and this is my son, Alexander,” she said with a smile once she and Alex exited the coach.

The man blinked, then inclined his head.  “Herman Raines, mistress.”

Mr. Raines retrieved her trunk and began toward the house.  She turned to her son.  “Well, Alex, I guess this is it.”

Not taking his eyes from the large house, he nodded.

And as the coach started to roll away, Amelia took Alex’s hand and they followed after the servant.

Taken to a back stairway, Mr. Raines led them to the third floor.  When he paused before a door, Amelia, seeing that his hands were full, approached.  “May I?” she asked, placing her gloved hand on the dull, brass knob.

For the second time Mr. Raines seemed surprised by her kindness.  And as she opened the door, she wondered about that.  Perhaps Mrs. Giles was not a nice employer.  She remembered how wretchedly her stepmother had treated their servants and frowned as she stepped into the room.  The very tiny room.  What a contrast to the size of the house, she thought, peeling off her gloves.  But she did not mind.  She was the governess, not a guest.  Observing the neat bed, washstand, and table, she realized it wasn’t as drab as the apartment in New York.  It would do nicely.

She turned as Mr. Raines set the trunk on the center of the floor.  “When will I meet the children?” she asked.

As the man straightened, Amelia thought she saw a flicker of confusion enter his eyes.  “Introductions shall commence soon, mistress.  Now, if you will come with me, I will show you to your room before your meeting with Mr. Giles concerning your duties.”

She drew her brows.  “Isn’t this my room?”

“It’s for the boy,” he said, causing Alex to swivel around and stare at them with wide eyes.