It was a blessing that Alicia had the heart that she did and chose a staff of similar nature. Any money she received went to the children, which was the reason that for all of Alex’s life, she’d never seen Alicia’s personal home change in any way. The house was clean from head to toe, but there was never a new book on the shelf or a new painting on the wall. The furniture was that of the past, and even when Chris tried to help, still Alicia refused. Always, the children came first.
Not even the fear of death would change that, Alex suspected. Alicia had been born to take Mary Elizabeth’s place.
Mary Francis had not.
But Alex took no offense in Mary Francis’ claim that she didn’t like children. For her entire life, she'd never let it show when near the children. She smiled and laughed with them. They were the only beings in the world that she didn’t speak sharply to. She had no mercy for a man who crossed her.
In the end, the people Mary Francis liked were very few and were currently in the room.
Now, she was adding Justin to the list.
Mary Francis went on, staring at Alex, and Alex knew she would not enjoy what was said next. “I should have warned you against Michael. He was always a beautiful child. Everyone thought so. The boy could run to the market and come back with treats that had been simply handed to him. Everything had been handed to him. He never appreciated you. Never a thank you was said and never an apology.”
Alex knew this, and the conversation always made her feel like a fool all over again.
One minute, she and Michael had simply been friends, but when she’d left Best Homes, they’d become more. She’d lived with him. She’d worked so he wouldn’t have to. She’d loved him.
And then he left her for someone else.
Alex turned to Christmas and found him watching her closely, as though he knew her thoughts and recalled the day she’d come to his door, crying about her woes. He’d not judged her. He’d simply let her in, given her the room next to Rose’s, and that was that.
Nash had come over the next day and asked if she wanted Michael’s legs broken, making her laugh for the first time. By then, Reuben had already left for the military, so he’d never known about Michael, but she watched his reaction when Mary Francis brought him up and it wasn’t pleasant. Reuben had known Michael as well. It seemed that only Alex had been blind to his nature.
For the first year after Alex left Best Homes, she’d worked as a laundress. Once she’d gone to live with Chris, however, she’d begun working at the Toy Store. It was a new life for her and one she’d done so well at that he’d left her to manage it while he went on to do only heaven knows what. Some days she was lucky to see him at all. She always wondered where he was. He’d simply tell her, “Business,” and that was it.
Alicia turned to Mary Francis. “Compared to Michael, you’ll likely approve of anyone else who takes an interest in Alex.”
Alex shook her head. “Chantenny is not interested in me.” She turned to Reuben and said, “Tell them.” Reuben knew. How many times had Reuben voiced the same thing over and over again the other day?
She waited for her brother to cut in, but when he spoke, they were not words she’d been prepared for.
“He didn’t have to come,” Reuben said.
“What do you mean?” Alex asked.
Reuben was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes set on her. “He’s here. He didn’t have to come.”
Alex didn’t know where her mind was going, so she said, “He came because she heard that Alicia was hurt and had information.”
“And who is Alicia to him?” Reuben countered.
Alex leaned back in her chair, the words delivering a punch with a strength that would have set her off her feet had she been standing. She shook her head. “He was concerned.”
“Maybe he was,” Reuben said. “But he came for you.”
“Doesn’t mean he plans to marry her,” Nash said.
“With the way he was a moment ago,” Chris said in a cold voice, “he'd better.”
She turned to Chris. “What way was he?”
Chris turned his head and met her gaze. “He was possessive.”
“Possessive?” She didn’t understand.
Chris leaned over to grip the couch arm, holding her eyes. “He placed his arm around you, and when I met his eyes he tightened that hold as though he had more claim over you than I did. It was a bold move and if he hurts you, Nash is going to break his legs.”
“Aye,” Nash said in agreement.
Alex’s stomach fell at the thought. She’d thought with certainty that Nash had been jesting when he’d suggested breaking Michael’s legs, but Chris never jested. He didn’t know how to. “You can’t break the legs of a lord,” she whispered.
Chris stared at her, and Alex knew why. He didn’t enjoy hearing the word ‘can’t’. Men and women had been telling Chris he couldn’t do things his entire life, but he’d proved them all wrong.
Alex tried again. “Don’t break Lord Chantenny’s legs.”
“I wasn’t asking your permission,” he replied and then stood.
Alex looked at the men who’d become her brothers; all of them looked menacing right now. They were handsome but had none of the flair of the upper-class without their rules and restraints. She knew they could be deadly. It had been years since she’d seen Reuben, but she’d read poetry about the kind of toll that war took on men and could only guess what his conscience would allow. On the other hand, she knew Chris and Nash well, yet still there were times when she thought she didn’t know them at all.
Alicia tried to lighten the mood with a laugh. “I’m sure Lord Chantenny will not do anything that will get his legs broken.”
“As am I, since we are nothing more than friends or rather simple acquaintances.”
Mary Francis sighed lightly and gave a far-off look into the corner. “I once had an acquaintance of my own. A dandy of a gentleman, always dressed immaculately... Actually, I had many.”
“Aunt Francis, no more!” Alicia said just as the sound of Justin’s feet were heard coming down the hall.
The old woman once again ignored her niece, but at least leaned toward Alex and spoke in a low voice. “Take my advice and enjoy the earl while you can, dear. You’ll never look as young as you do today. Don’t look a gift horse—”
“Be still,” Alicia said as Justin made it inside.
Alex leaned back and looked at the entryway.
Justin seemed slightly winded. “They’re gone.”
Alex took a deep breath of relief and was sure that only Justin could have succeeded at such a task. Reuben had tried to clear the street at the toy store, as had Chris. Justin had only been away for moments and already Alex felt a sense of peace.
But the feeling vanished at Chris’ next words to Alicia and Mary Francis. “Did Mary Elizabeth keep any other journals that you know of? Anything that could lead us to Alex’s mother?”
The two women looked at one another and shook their heads.
“I’ve never come across the journals,” Alicia said. “Though I don’t have much time to look over every book she kept. I’m quite busy usually.”
“Of course,” Chris said. “Do you mind if we search the house?”
“Not at all.” Alicia stood. “I’ll get Liz to help as well.”
“I’d like to help if I might,” Justin said. No one seemed to think it odd that the earl was choosing to remain yet another minute in a place that was far from what he was used to.
Alicia smiled at him. “Yes, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, my lord.” Then she left the room and everyone spread out. Reuben hesitated before leaving Alex alone with the earl, but eventually he left like the others and Alex was forced to meet Justin’s eyes.
There was nothing that said ‘acquaintance’ with the way she was feeling about him.
* * *
14
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
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The lower floor was warm, the air thick, and even with the power of the lamps at their feet it was dark. Yet where Alex was concerned, Justin’s senses were on high alert.
She was quiet, which Justin knew was unusual, even though he hadn’t known her very long.
He could never fully say he understood her feelings. She’d just discovered who her father was and now she was working to find her mother. He’d wanted to ask what was on her mind, but with their current company he remained silent.
Chris was a few feet away, shuffling through stacks of papers in silence with his own lamp. The others had gone to other floors and even into the orphanage itself looking for any writing that belonged to the place’s matriarch.
He watched as Alex concentrated on the crate before her on the ground, shuffling through it while seeming to discourage conversation by answering all his questions with as few words as possible.
He’d decided a few minutes ago to give her time, but he planned to intervene soon.
She reached for another crate and out of it came a broken vase. The piece, were it whole, looked as though it would have been expensive, but in its ruined state it was worth nothing.
Still, Alex smiled at it, and he couldn’t help but ask his next question.
“Is that vase familiar to you?”
Alex turned to him. She still had a smile on her lips when she nodded. “I don’t have many memories of Mary Elizabeth Best, but it is as though my mind knew she would not be around for long and managed to find a way to cling to as much of her as possible.”
Justin waited for her to say more.
She leaned back on her heels and cradled the broken blue and white vase in her hands.
“Did you break the vase?” he asked.
She looked at him and shook her head before looking back down. “A boy that once lived here did.” A flicker of pain caused her brows before she cleared it and placed the vase back in the crate before moving on to the next.
“Was it Smith?” he asked, believing the pain to have been caused by the death of someone she knew.
She shook her head but said no more.
He found a crate with a wooden box and pulled it out. “Was Ms. Best upset by the broken vase?”
“Very,” Alex said. “I believe it had been given to her by someone she cared about.” She glanced over at him as she reached for a trunk that was against the wall. When she opened it, pungent fumes from the past were released. “I’d never seen her so distraught before. I believe that’s the reason I remember it so well.”
“It was given to her by her father,” Chris said from his corner of the room, his back to them as he spoke. “Ms. Best had told Michael over and over again not to touch it, but he refused to listen.”
Alex stilled and looked at her brother’s back with hard eyes. “Chris,” she said with warning.
Oblivious to the look he was receiving and obviously ignoring the tone, he went on, “Michael never listened to anyone. To this day, I believe it was the only time he was ever punished.”
“Let’s speak of something else,” Alex said.
Chris turned and looked at her. Then his gaze fell on Justin before he turned back to his corner.
Alex let out a breath and continued to push clothes in the trunk out of the way.
Justin knew there was a story there, but he let it go since it seemed she didn’t feel like speaking about it.
But he wanted to break the silence. More so, he wanted to get to know her better. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his hand and then the rolled sleeve of his shirt. He’d removed his jacket and gloves long ago. “What’s your greatest memory of Mary Francis?”
She pulled out an old dress and said, “She used to hum when we did the laundry together. I was only five, so at most I helped move clothes from one end of the room to the other for the older girls. I liked her humming.” She was smiling again.
“She was a great singer as well,” Chris whispered.
“Was she?” Alex asked in surprise.
Chris met her eyes. “She was the best I’ve ever heard.”
Alex smiled. Even in the shadows, Justin thought it the most beautiful thing he’d never seen.
Chris stood. “I’ll go check the next room.” The lower floors held two storage spaces since Mary Elizabeth seemed to have collected many things over the years and her family had thrown away nothing.
Chris left, but Justin could not turn his gaze away from Alex.
Her eyes finally caught his, and he was surprised by her laugh. She was staring at him strangely. Her head was tilted, which caused a black curl to fall to the side. Her face and throat glistened with her own perspiration.
She leaned forward, and Justin closed the space. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lips. She made a sound as though trying to say something, but when she sank against him and surrendered Justin swore he’d never felt anything better. Her hands slipped into his hair and dragged him closer.
And he’d certainly never tasted anything as good as Alex. She was like forbidden fruit that he could not deny himself, soft and sweet.
She pulled away and began to giggle, very unexpected but equally as pleasant coming from her. “I didn’t mean to kiss you.” Her gray eyes seemed to flicker like stars in the lamplight.
He settled her closer and said, “I’ve no complaints.”
She laughed more quietly and whispered, “You’ve dust on your face. I was only trying to wipe it away.”
“Ah,” he said, unbothered by her words so long as she didn’t try to move away.
Her hands slipped to his brow and moved gently over his skin. When she was done, she said, “Better.”
And he agreed, his heart aching with the knowledge.
Everything was better. His entire life felt better with her in it.
And he decided not to delay in telling her so.
“Alexandra.” He placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead before placing his there. Her eyes had closed but fluttered open to meet his. Her expression was as serious as his own.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and held on.
“Alexandra, I would be honored if you would accept—”
“If she was a lady, I’d declare her well compromised,” a feminine voice from the door said, one he’d not expected to hear in this place.
Lucy Ann.
“But since she’s not a lady…” another cheeky voice cut in. The rest of the statement went unsaid, but Justin could only imagine how Selina would have finished her thought.
Justin pulled away and stared at his sisters. Their eyes were on Alex and their expressions were far from kind.
His sisters were considered very beautiful young girls, both possessing blond hair like their mother but the same blue eyes as their father. Justin had inherited his own eyes from his mother, though the countess had said Justin looked more like her own father, Justin’s grandfather, the Viscount of Theems.
The words had not been a compliment. Justin knew almost nothing about the man who’d fathered his mother, since he’d died from an accident years before Justin had been born, but what he did know was that whatever the viscount had done was a direct result of who Christine Padmore had turned out to be.
And though Justin didn’t know his maternal grandfather, part of him blamed the viscount for his own sisters, who’d also inherited his cruelty.
But the ugliness could only be revealed when one looked within, because on the exterior they were lovely.
Their skin was unblemished and pale from remaining indoors for most of their lives, but at the heart of them, they were dark.
It was a different darkness than the one his mother had possessed, but they’d done well to follow in her footsteps. Their cruelty, especially Lucy’s Ann’s, had no limits.
Lucy Ann was the eldest at nineteen and had a slimmer face than Selina, who was sixteen
with naturally blushed cheeks. Neither were married, and it was no wonder why. Justin could hardly put up with them. He couldn’t think of a single soul in England who’d volunteer to do the same.
“How did you get in here?” Justin said as he slowly pulled away from Alex and got to his feet. He assisted in helping her to stand as well before she took a step away.
“Mr. Smith’s servants supplied the information to your location after we told them we had dire news to deliver to you. Now, as to how we got inside this place… It’s an orphanage.” Lucy Ann looked around the basement and covered her mouth with a cloth. “I said I wished to make a donation and once we told the little maid that we were your sisters...” She waved her hand dismissively. “She took us to the sitting room before walking away, but since I refused to sit in such an unkept place, I thought it best to come find you myself.”
“Sisters?” Alex asked and took another step back.
Selina smiled at her, but it was done without warmth. “We wanted to see you for ourselves. The papers didn’t mention how pretty you were.”
This was the reason Justin truly avoided his sisters.
Somewhere during their upbringing, they’d become like this: mean-spirited, vile, and very popular amongst the Beau Monde for it.
He remembered a time when they’d been sweet, a time when he’d enjoyed their presence, but that had been a very long time ago.
Had he been able to think clearly after his father’s death, Justin would have tried to correct the damage that his mother had done. Instead, he’d sent them away to deal with their grief on their own.
He wasn’t sure that had been the best decision now that he was thinking clearly. He looked over at Alex and found her face set in that stony look she’d had the day they’d met.
“I see now why my brother is obsessed with you,” Selina went on.
“Selina—” Justin started, but was cut off.
“You came here to find me?” Alex stepped toward them and gave a short laugh. “I’d say it’s likely that you’re the obsessed ones.”
The Legend of the Earl Page 10
