by Wendy Vella
“Your sister's nanny would not allow her to come back downstairs with us, James. In fact, she locked the door to Samantha's rooms and I heard her yelling at your sister.” She hadn't actually heard her yelling, more a venomous hiss, but still, it would have terrified Samantha. “When I tried to enter the room, she would not allow it, and told me to go away. I would ask that you go upstairs and retrieve her at once.”
“I am sure Miss Billerson knows what is best for my sister, Eden.”
“In that I am afraid you are incorrect, Duke,” Essie said. “She is a mean-spirited virago who has your sister completely cowed, and I have just spent five minutes trying with little success to get her open the door.”
“Essie, calm down, love.” Dev came forward to place an arm around her.
“’Tis true, Dev, Miss Billerson had Samantha in tears when she tore the doll from her earlier, and said the only fit place for it was the fire,” Dorrie said.
“She is mean and has a mouth that does not know how to smile,” Somer added.
Eden could see their words had shocked James.
“I am sure I would have heard had Samantha's nanny been mistreating her.”
“From whom, James? Certainly not Miss Billerson, and as you said, Samantha is scared of you.”
He winced as she spoke, and she hated causing anyone pain, but Eden knew this must be dealt with. She could not allow that sweet little girl to suffer any longer.
“Samantha told us that she is afraid of Miss Billerson because she makes her kneel on the cold floor to say her prayers for an hour five times a day. She calls Samantha the devil’s spawn and says that it is her duty to rid her of the evil that is in her soul.” Dorrie stepped in front of Eden to speak to the Duke, and Somer followed. “But she is not evil, James.”
“When can we eat?”
“Soon, Warwick.” Cam picked up his brother and moved closer to the fire. Dev followed, leaving the Duke alone with four angry Sinclair sisters.
“Surely I would have known.” He said the words mostly to himself as he looked at each sister. Eden saw the exact moment he realized they were speaking the truth.
“Excuse me.”
He rushed from the room and Eden followed. His long legs took the stairs two at a time, even though she knew the action must hurt his ribs. She lifted her skirts and tried to keep pace with him. Reaching the top, she pulled out her earplugs and heard Miss Billerson's nasty words.
“You must pray longer this evening to purge the evil influence of the heathen Sinclairs.”
James did not stop at the door. Instead, dropping his shoulder, he charged at it. The door gave and slammed into the wall, and he stalked inside with Eden following.
She saw Samantha huddled on her knees praying beside the bed. Miss Billerson stood behind her with a switch in her hand, which she appeared to be using to poke Samantha.
“What is the meaning of this, your Grace!” Miss Billerson glared at Eden. “I cannot be expected to instruct your sister with these interferences. These Sinclair women are undermining what I have striven months to teach your sister.”
“Have you ever struck my sister?”
Eden shivered at the words. His tone may have been soft but the thread of rage was evident to all in the room.
“Come to me, Samantha,” Eden said softly as she saw the Duke's fists clench at his side. The little girl looked at her brother, then to Miss Billerson, before scrambling to her feet and running to Eden. Picking Samantha up, she held the shivering body close. “It's all right now, sweetheart.”
“It is important to rid her of the evil influences.” Miss Billerson's words now held a quiver.
“Answer the question.”
She looked like a turkey as she gulped in several mouthfuls of air, but Eden felt no pity for the woman. She had tormented this poor child.
In two strides the Duke had the stick in his hands. Lifting it high, he drew his arm back.
“You cannot strike me, your Grace!”
Eden thrust Samantha to Essie, who had just entered the room. Stepping forward, she wrapped her fingers about James's raised arm.
“While I wish to see this woman punished as much as you, James, it will not help if you do so in front of your sister. Nor will you like how it makes you feel when you come to your senses.” The muscles beneath her fingers were rigid, each one tensed and poised to strike.
“Lower the switch, James.”
Eden saw the turmoil in his gaze as he slowly did as she asked. He then braced the wood between both hands and snapped it in front of the woman before throwing it at her feet.
“I cannot strike you, and do you know why, Miss Billerson?”
Shaking her head, the woman took a step backward.
“Because the blame is as much mine as yours.”
Eden heard the self-loathing in his voice. He was blaming himself for Samantha's treatment at the hands of this woman, because in his eyes, he had neglected his sister himself.
“Had I taken more interest in my sister's welfare, she would not have suffered at your hands. Now pack your bags and leave this inn tonight.”
“But where will I go?”
“I will send a servant and carriage to take you to the nearest town, and from there you are on your own.”
“Your sister needs me, your Grace, she has an evil soul that must be purged,” Miss Billerson pleaded.
“No!” James roared. “Never speak of my sister again. She is all that is pure and sweet and it is you who are filled with evil, you and that man who fathered her.”
Eden watched him battle with the rage inside him.
“Now leave before I withdraw the offer of my carriage.”
She watched the woman scurry from the room, and saw the foot Essie, her sweet gentle sister, stuck out to send Miss Billerson flying out the door to land in a heap outside.
“Oh dear, Samantha, look at silly Miss Billerson lying there on the floor.”
The girl lifted her head from Essie's shoulder briefly before burrowing it back down.
“Take Samantha to our room please, Essie. James will come for her shortly.”
Eden watched her sister leave, and then she was alone with the Duke. Angry, confused, and hurting, not unlike a wounded animal, he stood with his back to her, fists clenched, shoulders straight. She could hear the rasp of his breathing as he struggled to control his emotions. Moving forward, she placed her hand on his arm once more.
“James, please, she is gone now and Samantha will be all right, I promise you.”
“I should have known!” The words sounded like they had been ripped from his chest. “We were thrust upon each other so suddenly. I-I thought I had done the right thing by getting a governess for her. She was so scared of me, every look and touch she would flinch, and I was helpless to know how to reach her.”
“You will both begin to heal now.”
He turned so suddenly Eden would have fallen backward if he had not steadied her. His hands gripped her arms, pulling her closer.
“He didn't tell me about her because he wanted to break her like he tried to do to me. That sweet little girl lived with that monster and I know exactly what he did to her, as he did it to me before I was forced to leave.”
“Who, your father?” Eden whispered. He was looking at her but not really seeing, lost in the memories of his childhood.
“Yes, he destroyed everything he touched.”
“I'm so sorry.” Eden had had a father who tried to break her, but her siblings had kept her sane.
“Please, James, do not be too hard on yourself. The situation that was thrust upon you was not of your making and cannot have been easy on either you or Samantha. Sometimes things appear to be different than what they actually are. You did not know she was being mistreated by Miss Billerson, and your sister, for whatever reason, chose not to inform you.”
“Samantha's care lies solely with me, Eden, and I have failed her. Therefore, it is I who am to blame.”
“No!�
�� Eden said, grasping the lapels on his jacket as he tried to brush past her.
“Yes!” He tried to ease her aside, his hands moving to her waist.
“And if you are to blame, what then? Will you chastise yourself and put more distance between you and your sister? Surely that can help no one.”
“Eden, now is not the time for this conversation. I need to see Samantha and you need to go back to your family.”
She placed one hand on his chest and wondered what was going on behind those eyes. They were suddenly shuttered—she could read nothing in the brown depths. Where before there had been rage, they were now blank.
“Please talk to your sister calmly, James. She needs your understanding and love—”
He shut her up by kissing her.
Eden was stunned. His lips were soft when she'd expected them to be hard, his hands on her back branding her through her clothing, and Eden felt weakness flood her veins. Following that was a need for more. The urgency she had experienced saving his life was back. She needed him to touch her, wrap his arms around her body and hold her close. She wanted to feel his skin, feel his hands on her body. Dear Lord, it was a kind of madness that filled her. As if she wanted to crawl inside this man and be part of him.
His mouth ravaged her lips; where one kiss stopped another started until Eden couldn't draw a rational thought into her head. Climbing to her toes, she threw her arms around his neck and held on. His chest was hard against her breasts, the pressure almost too painful to bear. She felt his lips nip her chin then move to her neck and a moan welled from deep inside her, her head dropping backward to allow him better access.
“No!”
Eden stumbled forward as the Duke wrenched himself away from her. “No,” he said again, this time softly as his hands steadied her. “I cannot take advantage of you like this, not with your family below. I owe you too much to disrespect you like that.”
“I-I do not understand?” Eden tried to focus on his words.
“I was angry, Eden, and needed an outlet for that anger. Unfortunately, you were it.” He raked a hand through his hair, sending the dark waves in several directions.
Flinching, she took a step backward as his words doused the flames inside her.
“I used you and that is beneath me. I beg you to forgive me.”
God, that hurt. He had felt none of the wondrous emotions that Eden had. He had used her to slake his rage, and nothing more.
“I understand.” Eden lifted her chin. She would not show this man how much his words had hurt her, but she felt a need to strike at him as he had her. “And I would appreciate it if you stuck to the original pact.”
“Pact?” he queried as Eden walked to the door.
“Turn to me only when your life is threatened, Duke. We both know that this is all my family is good for in your eyes. After all, the proof is already laid out before you.”
Eden would have smiled at the sound of his teeth clamping together if she were not biting her lip to stop herself from crying.
“Eden, let me—”
But she was already walking to the door, and once she had passed through it, she closed it quietly behind her. Head high, she continued to her room, where she put a smile on her face for Samantha. After hugging the little girl, she then moved behind the screen to change her clothes.
When James arrived, she had just finished. Essie greeted him, and then the sisters left the room, leaving the Raven siblings alone together.
Dev shot Eden a look as she stepped into the room, his brows lowering as he studied her face. He knew her better than anyone, and no matter how much she tried to hide how she was feeling, he would know. However, much to her relief, he chose not to question her.
The Sinclairs were their usual boisterous selves at the dinner table. Occasionally eyes strayed to the two empty seats, yet no one commented. James and his sister had as yet not returned. Beef stew and bread were brought to the table and they fell upon the meal like a pack of ravenous animals.
Dev tried to rein his siblings in but Eden suspected his hunger was as great as theirs, and soon he too was shoveling in large mouthfuls. She sat to his left and tried to eat, which was not easy as she had no appetite.
The Duke's kiss had been unexpected and that was why she was unsettled, Eden reasoned. Surely if she had received several such kisses she would realize just how unspectacular James's had been. Yes, Eden told herself, this was why she had reacted as she had, there was nothing to compare the experience with. Once she was in London she was sure to receive another kiss from someone, and would see instantly that James's kisses were in fact average, or even below average. Feeling much better about the entire incident, she was able to sit calmly as the door opened and in walked the Duke and his sister.
None of the Sinclairs commented on their reappearance, although by silent mutual consent they started using their table manners, and ate as if they were dining with the Royal Family.
James guided Samantha around the table. He watched one of the twins move to the next seat, thus leaving a space between them for his sister.
“Thank you, ladies.” He held out the chair for Samantha and then pushed it closer to the table once she was seated. His little sister gave him a nod, her face serious.
“You're welcome, James,” Dorrie or Somer said. He really must work out one from the other.
The only other empty seat was next to a twin and beside Warwick Sinclair, which was a new experience for James, as he had never shared a meal with children, and in all honesty was not particularly looking forward to the prospect. His father had believed children should be kept out of sight while the adults ate, and in this James had agreed; the Sinclairs apparently did not.
“Pass the potatoes to James, Warwick.”
James had found Samantha with Essex and Eden. When he had entered the room, they had silently left. Essie had given him a gentle smile; her sister had ignored him, which was no more than he had deserved.
Crouching before his solemn-faced sister, he had then apologized to her. He had told her what he should have months ago—explained that he had not known of her existence until the death of their father, and that he had had no idea how to care for her, and that was why he employed Miss Billerson.
“I promise to do better now, Samantha, but you must trust me.”
Her reply to his words had made him ill.
“Do you promise not to st-strike me if I say something you dislike?”
Her face had been clenched in fear and James had known how much those words had cost her.
“I will never hurt you, Samantha, I promise,” he had vowed. She had looked at him for a long time and then just when James had believed she would not answer him she had nodded and taken the hand he held out to her. He had stayed there for several minutes, just clutching her small fingers until they both felt calmer. Only then had he stood and led her down to their evening meal.
Eden sat across from James, careful to look at everyone but him. She had changed into a gown of the palest lilac. Matching ribbons were threaded through the neckline, which settled on the top of her breasts, and he felt his body tighten as he remembered them pressed to his chest. Her hair was simply pulled together at her nape, yet the look was more alluring than any he had seen in society.
She was danger to James. Dangerous in a way that would make the wall he had built to protect himself crumble. Just pressing his lips to hers had created a fire inside him, and that told him to keep his distance from her in the future. James did not want to lose control; control was how he had survived. Control ensured his life was as it should be with no deviations.
He had said what he had to hurt her, to push her away from him, and her reply had surprised him. She hadn't cried or cursed, just stated calmly that in the future she would be available to him only in the capacity of a rescuer. She had spirit, Miss Eden Sinclair, and were he a man wanting a spirited wife he would look no further, but he wasn't and never would be. James had no room in his life for anyo
ne but Samantha from this day forth.
“I choose dessert!”
James was wrenched from his thoughts by the youngest Sinclair.
“Oh please, you always choose dessert. Can we not stretch our brains further than food?” Eden scoffed while winking at her youngest brother.
“Tartlets!” Warwick Sinclair cried, bouncing up and down in his seat.
James looked at the boy. Surely he was not asking too much to eat his meal with only the gentle hum of conversation, if indeed there must be conversation. And what the hell was he doing screaming out the word tartlets? He had not seemed unstable, yet surely this conversation indicated something was not as it should be inside his head. But then, considering his siblings....
“You cannot just cry tartlets. What kind?”
James swiveled in his chair to look at one of the twins, who was questioning her brother. What were they talking about? There were no tartlets on the table. Perhaps half of the Sinclairs were unbalanced but hid it well? Samantha just smiled and shook her head as he gave her a questioning look.
“Berry tartlets and the accompanying sentence must be in Latin.”
“I'll take berry,” Essex Sinclair said slowly. She appeared deep in thought.
“I'll take tartlets.” Cambridge Sinclair laughed. “I've always been partial to tart... lets.”
Devon Sinclair glowered at his brother then rolled his eyes when Cam poked out his tongue.
How the hell was James to digest his food with all this nonsense, whatever it was, going on around him? He could cope with a child calling him James—just—but this carry on was not good for his digestion.
“But Egbert roasts rodents year-round? You could not have done better than that?” Essie scoffed, she then added a sentence in faultless Latin.
Eden laughed as her sister poked out her tongue. It was a beautiful sound, rich and full and the smile reached her eyes. Why the hell did he have to notice things like that about her, and why was Essex quoting phrases that included rodents at the dinner table? James's head was beginning to ache. He wondered if he should leave the room and take his sister with him before the Sinclairs displayed more of their disturbing behavior.
