She shook her head. How could he think she would just leave and waste this heaven-sent opportunity to get to know each other? He was the only real sibling she had. Nick"s att.i.tude had brought it home to her, as nothing else could have done, that she had to stop regarding Hugh Bredon"s sons as her brothers.
Though even if she had had wanted to leave, she had nowhere else to go and no means of getting any where. She was wanted to leave, she had nowhere else to go and no means of getting any where. She was not not going to turn up on Monty"s doorstep, in only the clothes she stood up in, and grovel to him for admittance! Not when she knew she was the very last person he wanted to see. going to turn up on Monty"s doorstep, in only the clothes she stood up in, and grovel to him for admittance! Not when she knew she was the very last person he wanted to see.
She took a sharp breath, raised her head and stared sightlessly out of the window. She had hoped that after a good night"s sleep, she would have come up with some notion of what she ought to do next. But the sad truth was that she had no idea how she was going to get out of this fix.
The same tree that obscured the view from her bedroom window grew right outside this room. But by pressing her nose against the window pane, she could make out an area of greenery in the centre of the square. That was what she would do! Take a walk: maybe that would clear her mind. At least it would be better than moping about indoors, feeling sorry for herself.
But when she opened the door to the hall, she found Akshat standing right outside.
"Are you leaving, Mem Sahib? Is there any message you wished to leave for Stephen Sahib?"
"N-no!" she denied hotly. "I just thought I would get some fresh air. It is such a lovely day, and there seems to be a sort of little park area just outside?"
The servant"s stance relaxed. "Please wait here, Mem Sahib, while the girl fetches your bonnet and coat."
"Oh, but I don"t have a coat with me!"
"Stephen Sahib has provided all you may need," he stated firmly.
He certainly had! Midge"s throat felt thick with emotion as she backed into the library to wait for the maid who brought her some very serviceable out door clothing. Surely, this must mean that his att.i.tude towards her was mellowing?
"I am to accompany you, Mem Sahib," Akshat informed her, as he opened the front door.
"Oh, I am sure there is no need for that. I am only going to take a turn about the square!"
"Stephen Sahib has ordered me to guard you with my life while you are his guest." His hand made a slight movement towards his waist, and she saw, with astonishment, the jewelled hilt of an oriental-looking dagger tucked into the belt.
Midge blinked. His statement and his gesture towards the knife belt seemed rather melodramatic to her, but she had no intention of wounding the sensibilities of a servant who was so determined to carry out his master"s orders to the letter. Besides, she had had read recently that two people had been killed by soldiers when a mob had attacked a Tory minister"s home. She was not certain how far from this area that event had taken place, but she supposed it might have left Londoners a little nervous. read recently that two people had been killed by soldiers when a mob had attacked a Tory minister"s home. She was not certain how far from this area that event had taken place, but she supposed it might have left Londoners a little nervous.
It felt unreal, going down the front steps, carefully wrapped up against any chance breeze, and duly escorted by such an exotic armed body guard. She stifled the urge to giggle. Why, her own aunt had not had her chaperoned so zealously!
Though the area was not a fashionable one, all the houses that stood round the square, Stephen"s included, looked as though they belonged to prosperous families.
He must, she thought with some surprise as she craned her neck to look up at the window of the room she"d slept in the night before, be quite a wealthy man.
So why had he turned up at her wedding, wearing clothing that made him look like a vagrant?
She could not understand him at all. One minute he was wrecking her wedding, the next he was providing her with a body guard. He dressed like a Gypsy, yet lived in a house fit for a gentleman.
She shook her head, feeling suddenly over whelmed by it all. And she was so tired! All she wanted to do was crawl back to bed, pull the covers over her head and shut out every single one of her problems. Akshat shadowed her back to the house and handed her over to the maid.
She fell deeply asleep the moment she laid her head on the pillow and did not wake until the maid came clattering in with a can of hot water.
Midge sat up, rubbing her eyes and pushing her hair from her face.
"What time is it?"
"Time to be getting dressed for dinner, Miss," the woman replied with a hint of reproach in her voice. "Mr Stephen is back from work and waiting for you."
The woman clearly adored Stephen, she thought, rather startled, as she got out of bed and stumbled to the wash stand. She seemed to think Midge should have been eagerly awaiting his return, not lounging about in bed.
Stephen had provided her with another outfit, this one suitable for evening wear. When she looked at herself in the mirror, Midge thought she could have dined anywhere in such a beautifully tasteful garment. The under skirt was of pale blue satin, with a gossamer-fine silk over dress in an even lighter hue. She caught a wistful expression on the serving woman"s face, as she set about brushing her hair, and wondered if she was the one who had been sent out to buy the gown.
Only, how would a woman who worked in a bachelor house hold know what to buy for a lady? She looked at the woman out of the corner of her eye with misgiving. Although she spoke politely enough, her voice was quite coa.r.s.e, her accent reminding Midge of the women who sold flowers and fruit outside the theatres she had attended whilst staying with her aunt.
Better not ask too many questions, she decided as the maid draped a matching shawl about her shoulders. A man as blatantly virile as Stephen was bound to have a mistress. Though, she frowned, this gown had surely been purchased for a lady of quality, not a lady of the night.
Stephen was sitting in the small parlour Akshat had taken her to the previous night, tapping one forefinger irritably against the arm of his chair.
"I must thank you for your generosity, S-Stephen," she stammered as he got to his feet. "For taking me in last night, when I was in such distress, and having me cared for today with such kindness."
"It is no easy matter to ignore blood ties," he said gruffly, gesturing towards the open dining-room door impatiently. Midge could see a table had been laid for two.
He held her chair for her, and when she was seated, took the place opposite her and flicked his napkin across his lap with a snap.
"I find it significant that our paths should cross at this time," he said enigmatically as a young footman in smart green-and-gold livery ladled soup into her bowl.
Midge stared at Stephen. He spoke as if their meeting had been some kind of chance event, but he had deliberately revealed his existence on her wedding day.
"Where does your destiny lie now, I wonder," he said, once the servant had departed soundlessly. "You have run away from your husband. Do you now wish to make your home with me?"
Midge dropped her spoon into her bowl with a splash. She had not not run away from Monty. Not intentionally. But, oh, dear, that was how it was going to look. She felt her cheeks heating as she clumsily tried to retrieve the spoon without getting soup on her fingers. Her aunt had always chided her for acting without thinking, warning her that one day her impulsive behaviour would lead to disaster. run away from Monty. Not intentionally. But, oh, dear, that was how it was going to look. She felt her cheeks heating as she clumsily tried to retrieve the spoon without getting soup on her fingers. Her aunt had always chided her for acting without thinking, warning her that one day her impulsive behaviour would lead to disaster.
She rather thought this might be a disaster of some magnitude. She had already decided she had too much pride to go round to Hanover Square. Slinking back to Shevington Court, knowing what she knew, would be even more demeaning.
But if she stayed here with Stephen, everyone would would a.s.sume she had left her husband! a.s.sume she had left her husband!
Which was a totally outrageous thing to do. Her aunt had warned her that the heir to the Earldom of Corfe would expect his wife to look the other way when he began to have affairs. Walking out of a marriage of convenience, on the flimsy pretext that she could not bear to think of Monty with a mistress, would create a scandal that would make his stepmother"s affairs pale into in significance.
She extricated the spoon and held it, dripping, over the bowl, her mind whirling.
"You may do so, if you wish."
She looked up, startled. "I had not thought that far ahead," she admitted, worrying at her lower lip. As usual, she had not been thinking at all. Only reacting to the news that Gerry was dead, and she was all alone. Her instinct had been to fly to the only person in the district she felt she had any connection to. And then, when Nick had repulsed her, she had done the same thing again. Exhausted, distraught, all that was in her head was the knowledge that Stephen was nearby.
A smile tugged at the corner of Stephen"s mouth. "If you lived with me, I would let you do whatever you wanted," he murmured seductively.
She set down her soup spoon firmly, her heart sinking as everything suddenly became clear. Everything he had done, from the moment they had met, had stemmed from a spirit of hostility! He was not inviting her to stay because he had suddenly developed fond feelings for her. He was just thoroughly looking forward to watching Amanda Hebden"s daughter scandalizing the Ton.
By coming here, she had played right into his hands.
She picked up a napkin to wipe her sticky fingers clean, her appet.i.te ruined. His att.i.tude hurt her almost as much as Nick"s rejection.
"I wish I could stay with you, but not like this!" she said. "I only want to get to know you. Because you are my brother. Even though you harbour so much bitterness towards me. Stephen-" she reached her hand out towards him across the table "-none of what happened to you when we were children was my fault! And it makes me want to weep to learn of the terrible things you have been through-"
He reared back from the table so suddenly that his chair over turned.
"I do not want your pity!"
"What do do you want then?" Why was it that she always seemed to be the one holding out her hand, reaching out to others, and they always, in the end, recoiled from her like this? "Why did you contact me again, after all these years?" you want then?" Why was it that she always seemed to be the one holding out her hand, reaching out to others, and they always, in the end, recoiled from her like this? "Why did you contact me again, after all these years?"
He turned from her as he righted the chair. When he spoke again, his voice was flat. "I have a destiny to fulfil. Justice must be done."
"What kind of justice is there in conniving at my ruin?" She sighed. "I could understand you wanting to hurt my grand father for taking you away from the only mother you had ever known and committing you to that horrible place, but he is long dead. What have I ever done to deserve your enmity?"
"You were brought up in luxury," he said in a voice so cold it sent a shiver down Midge"s spine. "And now you have married a rich and t.i.tled man. You have never gone hungry one day of your life or had to steal just to stay alive." He leaned forward, his palms flat on the table. "Your grand father stole everything from me! I should have been brought up just like you. Oh, I know I would never have inherited our father"s t.i.tle. I will never be anything but a b.a.s.t.a.r.d in the eyes of the society that has taken you to its heart. But he could have made sure I had a decent education and the kind of patron age that would have ensured a respectable career. Instead, I have had to claw my way out of the gutter..."
"Oh, Stephen," she sighed. "Our father"s murder left a shadow over us all. Not just you! You must let go of all these vengeful thoughts. Have we not all suffered enough because of what our parents did?"
"Who has suffered? You?" He laughed at her mockingly. "You have paid nothing!"
"Oh, haven"t I?" Quite suddenly, she came to the end of her tether. Leaping to her feet, she swept the half-empty soup bowl to one side with her forearm. "I have paid for being Kit Hebden"s daughter all my life! You say you have had to claw your way up. At least you could! Because I am merely a female, I have had to exist on handouts, like the beggar you say you were. Yes, I have married a rich man, but only because he needs an heir to set his father"s mind at rest. And because my step brother asked him to take me off his hands. And because he wanted some woman he would not shed a tear over, should I happen to die in child birth. I have always been expendable. I am so in significant in the scheme of things, your mother could not even bother to curse me!" She laughed a little hysterically.
"It is only sons that matter! Our parents fought ferociously over your fate! Did you know that? My mother told me that, not long after you were given to her, Grandfather came storming to the house, demanding you be sent back to your real mother. And my mother ran up to the nursery and held you while the two men went at it hammer and tongs in the hall. She wept because she feared Father would toss you aside as easily as he had tossed aside all the mistresses she"d known about to that date. And once you actually had had gone, Mother just stuck me in a nursery, and forgot all about me. Married a man old enough to be her father, because he had three sons to replace the ones she"d lost. And because he promised to search for gone, Mother just stuck me in a nursery, and forgot all about me. Married a man old enough to be her father, because he had three sons to replace the ones she"d lost. And because he promised to search for you. you. I trailed along behind my new brothers, doing all I could to earn the tiniest crumb of affection, working my fingers to the bone to earn my place in that family, but when it comes right down to it, n.o.body has ever cared if I am alive or dead!" I trailed along behind my new brothers, doing all I could to earn the tiniest crumb of affection, working my fingers to the bone to earn my place in that family, but when it comes right down to it, n.o.body has ever cared if I am alive or dead!"
By the time she had finished, she was breathing hard and trembling all over.
"My, my-" a mocking smile tilted one corner of Stephen"s mouth "-and you accuse me me of being bitter." of being bitter."
He went to the side board, poured two drinks and handed her one across the table. Midge had no idea what it was, but she took a most un lady like gulp of it before dropping onto her chair like a stone. Stephen sat too, sipping at his own drink with a thoughtful air.
"You have no more need to hang on the coat-tails of your rich husband, Imo. You could join forces with me."
"In your vendetta, you mean?" She shook her head. "Oh, no. I cannot feel anything but pity for all the children of the men involved in whatever it was that happened that night."
Stephen"s eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean, whatever whatever happened? Leybourne murdered our father!" happened? Leybourne murdered our father!"
Midge sighed, and pushed the hair back from her face wearily. "I am not about to start arguing with you over that. What does it matter now?"
Stephen drained his gla.s.s and set it down with quiet deliberation before answering her.
"I came across a journal written by Lord Narborough. About the events leading up to that night and what happened after wards. The pages dealing with the murder itself are missing."
"Are you saying you think he has some thing to hide?" She set her gla.s.s down on the table with a frown.
He paused again before answering. "You surely do not think he deserves to have done so well out of the whole d.a.m.ned business, do you? Just think, Imo. Out of the three men concerned with breaking the code and catching the spy, only Lord Narborough is left standing. What does that tell you?"
She shook her head in bewilderment.
"Narborough was the only eye-witness. What kind of man is so eager to give the kind of testimony that was certain to send his avowed friend to the gallows? We both know where Leybourne was those times he was supposed to have been consorting with enemies of the state. In bed with your mother! In bed with your mother! And Narborough knew that too!" He paused, a nerve jumping in his jaw. "At least Leybourne was gentleman enough not to drag her name into it. Narborough had no such qualms!" And Narborough knew that too!" He paused, a nerve jumping in his jaw. "At least Leybourne was gentleman enough not to drag her name into it. Narborough had no such qualms!"
She sucked in a breath, a horrible suspicion forming in her mind. "This is awful! Mother always said Lord Leybourne could not have done it! He was too much the gentleman to stab another man in a fit of rage...he might have fought a duel..." she pressed her hands to her forehead, breathing hard "...and then again, why would he have suddenly switched sides, when he had devoted his life to hunting down enemies of the state? He had no reason! And so much to lose..."
"Let us not get side-tracked by your mother"s opinions," he sneered. "She was no judge of character, was she? She would not have wanted wanted to believe she had taken a traitor and murderer to her bed. Just remember this, Imo. The spying stopped after they arrested Leybourne." to believe she had taken a traitor and murderer to her bed. Just remember this, Imo. The spying stopped after they arrested Leybourne."
"That does not prove anything!" she protested. "Except perhaps that the real spy became more careful. He was close to being found out. Father told Mother that it was so obvious, a baby could have worked it out. He shook the rattle in her face, and said that was how he was going to break it to them."
"Rattle?" said Stephen, mystified.
"Oh, he had bought a gift for the new baby," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Lady Verity, as it turned out. But never mind that," Midge continued. "If Lord Narborough was really the murderer, and he deliberately sent Leybourne to the gallows to conceal his own crime...using his reluctance to bring my mother into the scandal... Oh, how wicked!"
"You think...Narborough did all that?" Stephen said, his eyes narrowing.
But she scarcely heard him. "And his poor family! They lost everything! Who knows how they have been forced to live since then?"
"Oh, I do," he said, a malicious smile playing about his mouth. "I know where they all are, and exactly how they have been living. The depths to which the son has been forced to stoop. The humiliations that have been heaped on the daughters. Helena is out in the open now, protected by, of all people, Marcus Carlow. But the other girl is working as a paid com pan ion to a t.i.tled lady. Under a false name. Imagine that," he said with evident relish.
Midge went cold inside. "Stephen," she gulped, "if her father was a murderer, then justice has already been done. And more than done. But what if he was innocent?"
Stephen"s brows drew down into a fierce black scowl.
She waved her arm round the room, des per ate to find some way of preventing him from persecuting a poor girl who had already suffered more than enough.
"You have done so well for yourself, in spite of all the obstacles fate has thrown in your way. You have the wealth you say should have been yours. And you have earned it all for yourself. You should be proud of what you have achieved. You could live a good life, Stephen, if you would only let the past go!"
"You understand nothing," he snapped. "I cannot leave it until my part is played out. It is my destiny. The truth must come out!"
She pounced on that word. "If the truth truth is that Leybourne was hanged for a crime he did not commit, then you must not try to punish his children!" is that Leybourne was hanged for a crime he did not commit, then you must not try to punish his children!"
His scowl deepened. "What right do you have to come in here and tell me what I should or should not do! You know nothing!"
"I know that you have to stop hara.s.sing the innocent, or you will somehow pay for it!"
He reeled back, as though she had struck him, his face going pale. But before either of them could say another word, they both heard the sounds of raised voices from the hallway.
One of them was all too familiar. "Monty," whispered Midge in horror. How on earth had he managed to find her? And more to the point, why had he bothered?
She clapped her hands to her stomach. The Claremont heir. Oh, how foolish she was to get her hopes up. It was all about the baby she carried, not her!
But her heart was in her mouth as the voices grew more indistinct, and were then replaced by the sound of scuffling boots, slithering on the hall"s polished tiles. The man servant wore a knife in his belt! What if he used it! The sound of a body falling with a dull thud to the floor sickened her.
But when the door flew open it was Monty who strode in, tugging down his sleeves and straightening his cravat.
And even though the light of battle still burned in Monty"s eyes, Midge sagged down onto her chair with relief.
"Evening, Hebden." He nodded curtly to Stephen as he advanced across the room. Behind him, Midge could see the Indian man servant laid out p.r.o.ne on the hall floor, blood streaming from his nose.
"How did you manage to find me so quickly?" Stephen replied, looking curious more than anything else, as though it was normal for vengeful husbands to fight their way in during dinner.
"Left a trail a mile wide," replied Monty grimly.
Stephen eyed Midge with a frown. "I must be getting careless."
Midge had heard about Monty"s many exploits on the battle field, but until this moment, she had never really seen the warrior in him. Now, she quailed at the knowledge that he had fought his way into Stephen"s house and disabled an armed opponent, as a direct result of her own misbehaviour.
"Are you all right?" he growled, his eyes flicking to her brother. "Has he harmed you?"