A Scandalous Past (Regency Romance, Book 4) (29 page)

“Something that could hurt your sister?”
Brendan roared, rising from his seat, pounding his fist on his
desk. “Would that you were so concerned about her before our
marriage.”

“Someone should have watched her better, I
concede. But—”

“Not
someone
, Avery! You! While
you’ve been licking your wounds over my dead wife, your sister has
been subjected to that monster you call a mother. And
now
you’re worried about Cordie? A little late for that.”

The baron’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean
by that? What do you mean my mother is a monster?”

Brendan’s gaze darkened, while the images of
his wife’s scarred back flashed in his mind. “Let me be perfectly
clear, so there are no misunderstandings, Avery. You have a
sadistic mother. And when I saw the injuries she’s inflicted on
Cordie over the years, I wanted to kill her with my own hands. I
still want to, but that would only bring more pain to my wife and I
refuse to hurt her, so I’m controlling my temper as best I can. But
you’d be wise to limit my exposure to your mother.”

“Injuries?” the baron echoed, his frown
deepening.

How blind was the man, for God’s sake? “More
than I can count, all across her back.”

“Oh, my God.” Gregory Avery’s mouth fell
open. “I—I had no idea. When we were children mother would…but I
didn’t think she still was,” he added in a horrified whisper. “Why
didn’t Cordie say something? Why didn’t she tell me?”

Most likely because his head was buried so
deep in the sand, she couldn’t depend on his help. Since Avery
looked so forlorn, Brendan kept that thought to himself. Cordie was
safe now. It wouldn’t do any good to berate the man for a past he
couldn’t change, and there were no more younger sisters that needed
protecting.

He did, however, still need his mother’s
letters. “Your sister is very independent. Perhaps you’ve noticed.”
Brendan sighed. “Listen, Avery, despite our…history, we’re family
now. Trust me when I say it’s important I get those letters back.
My future depends upon it. So does Cordie’s, since she’s my
wife.”

Gregory Avery’s green eyes blinked at him.
“That bad?”

Brendan nodded. Once.

“Then you’re going to have to tell me what
it is, Clayworth. If we don’t find them, I’ll need to have a plan
to take care of Cordie, if whatever this is catches up with
you.”

“She’s my wife. I’ll keep her safe.”
Besides, he’d never entrust her to Gregory Avery’s care.

“You can’t even keep yourself safe.”

Brendan shook his head, then roughly rubbed
his brow. Her dowry. He could put it in a trust for her. If he was
found out and hung, the title would go into abeyance. The crown
would seize all of
his
assets. But Cordie could get by with
her dowry. He was sure he could convince her to watch after Rose
and Thomas for him. Once she got to know them, she’d love them, he
had no doubt. Never had he met a woman with such strong loyalties.
She wouldn’t let anything happen to Thomas or Rose. Cordie was a
strong, willful woman. If he set things up right, she’d survive.
With the enormous amount her family had bestowed on her, the three
of them could live comfortably—without her ever having to reside
under an Avery roof again.  Perhaps he could move a sizable
amount into a trust for Thomas as well, and then—

A knock on his door brought him back to the
present. “Come,” he barked.

A lanky, auburn-haired fellow poked his head
inside the study.
Richard Lester
. Could his day get any
worse? “Ah, Lester. I heard you were back in Sudbury.”

The young vicar blushed. Brendan wanted to
yank the white collar from around his neck and strangle him with
it. Rose did not need
this
.

“Lord Clayworth,” Lester said softly. “I was
hoping to speak with you. Is now a good time?”

Brendan glanced at his brother-in-law. “Find
out from your mother where she has my letters, Avery. We’ll finish
this later.”

The baron nodded, stood, and quietly quit
the room.

Brendan gestured to the vacated seat. “Sit,
Mr. Lester.” He sank into his own chair, arms folded across his
chest, leveling the vicar with his sternest look. It was with only
the slightest degree of satisfaction that Brendan noticed Richard
Lester gulping uncomfortably. “Well?” he asked irritably.

“I understand congratulations are in order,
my lord.”

Brendan narrowed his eyes on the man. “Two
years ago, Lester, you left our fair village to seek your fortune,
breaking my sister’s fragile heart in the process. Now, it’s not
your fault she fell foolishly in love with you, but I do hold you
responsible for the way in which you left. A terse note and nothing
else.” The vicar shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Only to return
now, to offer me congratulations on my marriage? You’ve taken up
Mr. Pitney’s post and think things can go back to the way they were
before?”

“My lord, allow me to explain…”

“Leave Sudbury. Leave Derbyshire, Lester.
Leave England, for God’s sake. I’ll finance the entire thing. But I
won’t let you destroy Rose like—”

“I want to marry Lady Rosamund,” the soft
spoken vicar nearly shouted.

“No,” he answered coolly.

“But, my lord,” the man pleaded, sliding
forward in his seat. “Hear me out. I know I made a mistake when I
left. I shouldn’t have done so. I never intended to hurt Rose—”

“Lady Rosamund,” Brendan growled. The
collared bastard would at least show his sister the respect that
was due her position.

“I never intended to hurt Lady Rosamund,”
the vicar amended quietly. “I love her, Lord Clayworth. I always
have. That’s why I left. I knew she loved me too. But nothing could
come of it. My father would never have allowed me to…” His voice
trailed off.

“Your father was right, Lester. Are you
daft? You’ve spent enough time with my sister to know she
isn’t…normal.  She can’t marry you or anyone else. Aren’t you
concerned about your issue? Do you want your children to have
tainted blood?”

The vicar leapt from his feet. “Don’t you
dare say that about her!”

Truly, Brendan had never seen so much fire
in the young man before. Still it was a pointless conversation.
Rose wouldn’t ever marry. “Go home, Lester.  And stay away
from my sister. I don’t want her heart broken again.”

“You’re the one breaking it this time,” the
young man hissed.

“Well, I suppose it’s my turn then.”

***           

Tristan left his chair and took the spot
next to Cordie on the settee. He draped his arm around her
shoulders and squeezed her elbow. “You don’t know how relieved I
am, Cor. I know you were opposed to Clayworth, but he seems like
the decent sort.”

Cordie’s irritation drained from her and she
shook her head at Tristan. He was so concerned about her, it would
be difficult to remain angry with him. “He is the decent sort,” she
agreed.

“Do you think you can be happy with
him?  Do you want one of us to have a talk with him? Make sure
he knows he has to treat you well or else.”

Cordie nearly blushed, thinking about
exactly
how
well her husband treated her. “There’s no need
for that, Tris. I’m certain we’ll rub along well.”

A few feet away Russell frowned. “What do
you suppose he wanted with Greg? Something of a sensitive nature?
That sounds ominous.”

Tris shrugged. “He probably wanted to talk
about the dowry.  A hundred thousand pounds! What was Greg
thinking to increase it to such a level? It comes off as desperate
in the worst sort of way.”

Cordie cringed. “Mother was convinced I’d
never marry.”

“It was a foolish thing to do. Probably kept
the right sort away,” Russell added. “There’s only a few reasons a
girl has a dowry that size.”

Before Cordie could find out what those
reasons were, she noticed a pretty, flaxen haired girl standing in
the doorway. She’d seen the girl once before and would never forget
her beauty. Lady Rosamund Reese. Quickly, she stood and smiled at
her sister-in-law. “You must be Rosamund.”

The girl barely nodded, looking like a
frightened kitten.

Cordie smiled and stepped towards the girl.
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Rosamund. I’m Cordelia, and these
are my brothers Lieutenant Tristan Avery and Captain Russell
Avery,” she said, gesturing to herself and the two officers.

Lady Rosamund furrowed her brow and tilted
her head to one side as if she was trying to sort them all out.
Then she nodded, silently.

Reaching her new sister-in-law, Cordie
linked her arm with the girl, who looked to be two years her
junior. “I’m certain Lord Clayworth will be back shortly. Would you
care to join us?”

Rosamund worried her lip. “I’m getting
married,” she said quietly.

Cordie’s eyes widened. Brendan had made it
seem as if his sister would never marry, that she would stay with
them forever. Perhaps she was simply confused, since Brendan had
just married. “Are you?” she asked cautiously.

The girl beamed a smile, lighting up the
room. “Richard said so. He said he was sorry for leaving me before,
but he still loves me.”

“Oh, I’m sure he does,” Cordie said, for
lack of anything else to say. It was easy to see why Brendan was so
concerned for the girl. She was childlike. Innocent and shy. But
she was also stunning. Twinkling twilight eyes and pretty pink
lips. It was an unusual combination.

“I am sorry Mr. Pitney died. But now I have
Richard again.”

The earlier conversation with Thomas came
back to Cordie. Someone named Richard Lester had returned to
Sudbury, and Rosamund had been with him. Brendan hadn’t been happy
about the fact.

“And he said he’ll never leave again,” her
sister-in-law continued, now chatting much faster. “Isn’t that
grand?”

“Grand,” Cordie agreed, while her brothers
both shrugged.

“Brendan will be so happy.”

Not if the way he reacted in the garden was
any indication. Cordie led Rosamund around the room, hoping to find
out exactly what was going on. “Does Brendan know Richard?”

“Oh, yes,” Rosamund happily exclaimed.
“Richard lived here before. But his father didn’t like me and he
made Richard leave. But now he’s back, and he said he’ll never
leave again,” she repeated.

“Rose,” Brendan’s hard voice came from the
doorway.

Cordie and Rosamund stopped in their tracks
to face the earl. His sister’s face lit up once more and she ran
across the room, throwing her arms around him. “Oh, Brendan, I’m so
happy. Where is Richard? What day am I getting married?”

Holding his sister in his arms, Brendan’s
heart ached. He couldn’t remember the last time Rose was happy.
Damn Richard Lester for returning and filling her head with
fanciful ideas.  He pulled away from his sister and smiled. “I
see you’ve met Cordie.”

Rose scrunched up her nose and shook her
head. “Cordie?”

Brendan reached his arm towards his wife and
drew her to them. Cordie took his hand, and he smiled. With
everything else that was wrong in his life, at least he had her.
Maybe nothing would come of his letters. Whoever had them hadn’t
seen fit to use them in the five years since Marina’s death. Maybe
he was worrying for nothing. “Rose,
this
is Cordie.”

His sister shook her head. “No, Brendan.
This is Cordelia. She told me.”

He laughed. “Dearest, only her mother calls
her Cordelia, or her brothers when they’re angry with her.”

The two officers both chuckled from their
spots. “Too true, Clayworth,” Lieutenant Avery added with a
grin.

“Where is Richard?” his sister asked again.
“He wanted to speak with you.”

Brendan’s jaw tightened. “Richard had to
return home, Rose. We can discuss this later.”

She shook her head defiantly. “But he said
he wouldn’t leave. He told me. What day am I getting married,
Brendan? Richard said
you
would pick the day.”

His blood was nearly boiling over and he
wished the vicar was within sight, so he could unleash his
frustration on the man. “Rose,” he began with the practiced calm he
always used when speaking to her. “We’ll discuss this later. Right
now Cordie’s family is visiting and we are being rude.”

Rose shook her head again, just as
stubbornly as the first time. “I want Richard.”

“I’m sorry, dear, he isn’t here.”

“I want Richard!” she yelled. “What did you
do to make him leave? He told me he wouldn’t leave.”

Apparently, they wouldn’t discuss this
later. Brendan squeezed Cordie’s hand, hoping for her added
strength. Then he released his wife and grasped his sister’s elbow.
“Calm down, Rose. Let’s go to my study, so we can talk.”

“Let go!” Rose yanked her arm free and
bolted through the doors.

Without looking back at his wife or guests,
Brendan chased after her sister.  “Rosamund, stop this
instant!” he called after her.

She sped down the corridor and out the front
door, then slid to a stop. “Richard!” she cried with relief.

Brendan winced when he spotted the vicar on
the front drive. A muscle twitched in his jaw. Why was the man
still here? “Rose!” he yelled after his sister.

But she didn’t pay him any attention. She
raced down the steps and threw herself into the vicar’s awaiting
arms.

Brendan stalked forward. This had gone too
far. The man was upsetting his household, which he didn’t need at
the moment—not that he’d ever need it, but with the Averys in
residence now was the worst possible time.

“You said you wouldn’t leave,” Rose said,
tightening her hold on Richard Lester.

The vicar’s angry brown eyes pierced
Brendan, though he spoke very softly to Rose as he caressed her
back. “Shh. Don’t get upset, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere
except home.”