“Insisted,” he cut in to correct.
Georgina pursed her lips. “Well, if we’re going to get particular, you did—”
“Don’t go there,” James warned.
She smiled sweetly at her husband, despite his scowl. Boyd managed not to laugh at them. Did these two really think he and his brothers had never figured it out? James had forced their hand when he’d let them all know their sweet, innocent sister had shared his cabin—and a lot more—with him. And he did it deliberately.
“And what about Amy and Warren?” Georgina continued. “As soon as you and your brother found them in bed together, that changed your opposition to him, didn’t it? You would have dragged them straight to the altar if Amy hadn’t stubbornly dug in her heels and insisted she wouldn’t have him until he proposed to her.”
“You made your point, George,” James said with a sour look that he then turned on Boyd. “I’m going to assume you didn’t have your way with her without her permission?”
“That isn’t even close to amusing, Malory.”
“It wasn’t meant to be. And since your indignation answers that, then, yes, unfortunately, this does change everything. But don’t think you’ll convince Tony this easily. He’s very touchy right now about this particular daughter. Years lost, regrets, self-blame—despite how smoothly she’s fitting into his family, it’s all still sitting on his shoulders.”
“Yes, but you’re going to be on Boyd’s side in the argument, aren’t you?” Georgina said smugly.
Up went one of James’s golden brows. “Isn’t it enough that I’m not going to kill him?”
Chapter 52
KATEY LOOKED OUT THE COACH’S WINDOW. The Millard mansion loomed ahead. The trees on the drive and all around the mansion were barren now, empty of leaves—like the lives inside that big house. Her father was taking her there. Roslynn had offered to come along. Judith had wanted to come, too, but Anthony wouldn’t let them. He’d merely said it was something Katey and he had to do alone, but Katey suspected he was afraid that their visit would turn ugly and he didn’t want to subject them to that. After all, they would have to get past Letitia again to see her grandmother.
Katey held Anthony’s hand in the coach and repeated to herself over and over that this other family of hers, the Millards, weren’t important to her anymore. She had his family now, and they had welcomed her into their lives wholeheartedly. From the moment she’d entered that house on Piccadilly and Judith had come running to latch on to her waist with the biggest hug she was capable of, Katey had been filled with such peace.
“I knew it, I knew it,” Judith had exclaimed in bubbling delight. “There had to be a reason I liked you so much, and there was!”
“And how did you know,” Katey asked with a warm smile. “I thought they weren’t going to tell you.”
Roslynn Malory had appeared to say, “Tony sent a runner to inform us that you were back. I felt I ought to prepare her, but it’s a good thing you didn’t take too long getting here! Welcome home, Katey.”
Roslynn came over to hug her, too. Katey had cried. In that moment, she really felt that she had a home again. And Anthony came in mumbling something about females and their contrary tears of happiness.
It had been quite a homecoming. The Malorys drifted in and out that day and the next, all of them coming by to assure the newest member of their family just how glad they were to have her. She had no doubts after that, not one. And last night at the family dinner Roslynn had arranged, Katey got to meet one of Boyd’s brothers as well, Warren, the other sibling of his that she was now related to by marriage!
What a surprise Warren Anderson turned out to be. Married to her cousin Amy, Edward’s youngest daughter, Warren looked nothing like Boyd. Much older, much taller, she would never have guessed he was Boyd and Georgina’s brother if she wasn’t told. She wouldn’t have guessed either that he was a part of this family, from some of the derogatory remarks she heard the Malory men sending his way.
“Back again, Yank? What a pity.”
That had been James’s remark, but Anthony was quick to join in: “You really should take longer trips—and leave Amy and the children at home. They might miss you a little, but we certainly won’t.”
“Might as well give it up,” James told his brother. “He’s too dense to catch the hint.”
They sounded so serious, Katey was surprised enough to ask Roslynn about it when she caught her alone. “Why do the Malorys ridicule the Andersons?”
“We don’t,” Roslynn was quick to assure her. “It’s mainly just Tony and James. Those two form a solid front against opposition, and, well, the Andersons did try to hang James when they first met him. They also beat him senseless. And despite hearing how their sister loved him, they tried to keep him and Georgina apart.”
“I heard about that,” Katey admitted.
Roslynn chuckled. “Well, you’ve seen how James is, so you might understand why they’d have reservations about entrusting their only sister to him. But while it may sound as if they hold him in contempt, they aren’t serious about it these days, and Warren knows that.”
Katey understood—somewhat. And since Warren was amused and simply laughed off the remarks, he obviously knew the Malory men weren’t really trying to insult him.
This was the older brother that Boyd had held up as an example to her, of a man who took his wife and family to sea with him. And Amy, vivacious, perky, bubbly with happiness, apparently didn’t mind that arrangement at all. She was the second female in the family who had those dark Gypsy looks from their ancestor the way Anthony did. But she had one other thing that was most odd.
Laughing about it, Amy said, “I don’t really tell fortunes, it’s just that I get very strong feelings.”
“She had me rush us back to England because she sensed there was going to be a new Malory in the family,” Warren added. “As usual, she was right.”
“I thought it would be a new baby!” Amy chuckled. “But I’m glad it’s you instead, Katey. You and I are going to be best friends, you know,” she said with absolute confidence, then she leaned forward to whisper, “Put that heartache away, m’dear. You’re going to be more happy here than you realize. I’ve already bet on it.”
Katey didn’t find out until after Amy and Warren went home last night that Amy had never lost a bet in her life, that if she wanted something to happen, she merely had to bet on it and it would happen! Jeremy told Katey all about Amy’s unusual ability and complained how often Amy had used those bets against him. Katey found the whole thing preposterous. A family joke, maybe, that she just hadn’t heard the punch line to yet?
But Amy’s remark about heartache had been too close to the mark, yet how could she know that Katey had stood for hours on the small balcony outside her room after she retired her first night there, watching, waiting, hoping for Boyd’s arrival, and she did it again last night! With two days come and gone since her return to London, she was beginning to fear that he wasn’t going to come back to England at all, that the angry things she’d said to him about never wanting to see him again had convinced him to give up on her.
But no one in the family knew that she had those fears, so Amy couldn’t know! Katey let them see only her happiness to be there and be a part of the family, because that happiness was very real.
And then Anthony informed her over breakfast that morning that as soon as they’d docked, he’d immediately sent a man to Havers Town to find out Sophie’s condition from her doctor. “I wouldn’t put it past Letitia to try to claim your grandmother still isn’t well enough for a visit. And the doctor informed me she is well. As hale and hearty as a woman her age can be. So if you’d like to head to Haverston today, I already told Ros to pack us for an extended visit.”
They left London before noon, Anthony, Roslynn, Judy, and herself. They didn’t arrive at Haverston until almost evening, though. Anthony suggested they wait until morning to ride over to the Millards, but Katey didn’t want to w
ait. It wasn’t quite dark yet and she wanted to see her grandmother right away so she could enjoy a few days at Haverston without this meeting looming over her.
She had thought she didn’t need anything anymore to fill in the gaping hole in her life that her mother’s death had left, because she had the Malorys now. But the same anxiety that had been present the last time she’d approached this mansion was back again. She’d been kidding herself. Deep down, she still wanted her mother’s family to be part of her life.
Chapter 53
I’M SURE YOU’LL BE DELIGHTED to know that as soon as Mother was feeling better, she gave me a severe setdown.”
Those were the first words Letitia Millard said as she opened the door and extended her arm with an exaggerated flourish to usher Anthony and Katey inside. The exaggeration made it apparent that it wasn’t her choice to let them into the house.
Anthony had promised he’d be on his best behavior for Katey’s sake. She wasn’t really sure what that meant, but it included a cordial nod to Letitia and the remark “Would it help to know I have relatives I’d prefer to shut the door on as well?”
“Sympathy, Malory? Keep it,” Letitia said bitterly. “You know exactly where we stand.”
“No, you do, I don’t. But, that’s why I’m here, ain’t it? To find out.”
Letitia made a sound of disgust and marched into the parlor. They followed her. And there sat Sophie Millard, Katey’s only living grandmother. Katey’s eyes and expression filled with wonder. Sophie wasn’t nearly as old as she’d expected. She was merely in her midsixties. Her black hair was only just starting to turn gray. Her emerald eyes still held a lively sparkle. And Katey saw her mother so clearly. Had Adeline lived to this age, this is how she would have looked, Katey was sure.
A tightness filled her chest and throat, then the tears started. She wanted to run forward and hug Sophie, but her feet were rooted to the spot. Sophie might have dealt politely with Anthony and James when they’d visited a few weeks ago, but they were of the same social class as her. Katie feared that Sophie might treat her the same as Letitia had.
Oblivious of the emotion that was choking Katey, Anthony seemed just as surprised by Sophie’s appearance and said, “Madam, you look splendid, years younger than you did in your sickbed.”
Sophie chuckled at him. “What an odd compliment, but thank you nonetheless, Sir Anthony.”
She hadn’t even glanced at Katey yet, but that was Anthony’s fault. Quite unintentionally, he frequently captured women’s attention because he was incredibly handsome, so it was understandable that Sophie’s eyes had gone to him when they walked in.
Sophie looked at Katey now and her eyes widened. There was no need for introductions. They had both recognized each other instantly.
“Good God.”
That was all Sophie said. The seconds passed, an eternity in Katey’s mind. She couldn’t breathe. She was going to make a complete ninny of herself and faint.
And then she heard what she’d prayed to hear. “Come here, child.”
Sophie was holding out her arms. Katey needed no other encouragement. She flew across the room, dropping to her knees on the floor in front of Sophie and putting her arms around her grandmother’s waist, her cheek to her breasts. She was tall enough to manage it, and her tears came in earnest now as her grandmother hugged her back.
“None of that,” Sophie scolded gently. “Stop those tears. You can’t imagine how much I’ve longed for this moment, to finally meet you. Sit up here and let me see you.”
Katey moved up onto the sofa with an embarrassed smile. She wiped one side of her cheek with her fingers; Sophie wiped the other side.
“Oh my, look at you,” Sophie said in amazement. “You have her eyes. You have our dimples.”
They both grinned, making those dimples more prominent. They were quite a bit deeper on Sophie’s cheeks due to the looser skin of her advanced years, but this was where Katey had inherited hers from.
Anthony complained as he took a seat across from them, “I wish I’d seen the resemblance sooner. When I met Katey after her arrival in London, neither of us had any idea.”
“A mother sees things differently, and a grandmother does as well,” Sophie told him. “And shame on you, sir. When you implied you would be back for answers, you should have told me you would be bringing my granddaughter with you.”
“That wasn’t a guarantee. I had to find her first. She’d left England.”
“Ah, very well, then you’re forgiven.”
Anthony raised a brow at Letitia before he said to Sophie, “It’s beginning to sound as if you weren’t told that Katey came here on her own, and instead of being made welcome, she was shown the door and told never to come back?”
“No, Letty only admitted her rudeness to you and your brother.”
All eyes were on Letitia now. The woman didn’t look the least bit embarrassed. In fact, her expression turned mulish when she said in her defense, “You have been in a decline ever since that solicitor you retained in America sent word of Adeline’s death. Three times you’ve been sick enough to summon the doctor since then. This mourning has to stop. It’s killing you! And she”—Letitia pointed an accusing finger at Katey—“would have just made it worse. She’s going to bring back all the regrets and recriminations—”
“Stop it,” Sophie cut in. “I’m not the one with regrets. I’m not the one who chased Adeline away. And my mourning began the day she left England.”
Before their arguing got any worse, Katey said, “Why did she leave? She told me you had disowned her, but I’m beginning to think it was the other way around.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Sophie said with a heartfelt sigh. “Adeline’s mistake was in going to her sister for advice about the baby instead of coming to me. With six years’ difference in their ages, they had never been close. And Adeline didn’t know that Letty had already convinced us that Sir Anthony was just amusing himself with her while he was at Haverston for the holidays.”
“I sensed that your husband didn’t think I was serious,” Anthony said. “That he was just humoring me.”
“Indeed, we all thought you’d get bored soon enough and hie yourself back to London. That a baby was the result instead seemed to support Letty’s contention that you were just a rake, and she went straight to my husband, Oliver, with the news. What followed happened so quickly, all in the same day, I never even had a chance to assure Adeline that I would support whatever decision she made. I never dreamed that decision would be to leave home.”
“But why didn’t she come to me?” Anthony demanded.
“Oh, she was going to. Never doubt it. That was her first answer when Oliver gave her his heartless solution, that she’d be sent off to have the baby in secrecy, then be forced to give it away. They overwhelmed her with their anger when she protested. My husband, and Letitia especially, placed so much guilt and shame on her shoulders, it was a wonder she was able to make any decision at all that day. When she said she would go to you, my husband locked her in her room. But Letitia, with all the animosity she had for your family, went to her and warned her that you’d never marry her, that you’d only been toying with her. Adeline must have believed her.”
“That isn’t true,” Anthony insisted.
“It doesn’t matter if it was or not if she believed it long enough to decide on the action she took instead.”
“But I wanted to marry her!”
“Did you tell her that?”
“No, I hadn’t yet told her. I was working up to it. I wanted to court her properly first.”
“And seduce her!” Letitia interjected, garnering a flush from Anthony.
Sophie shook her head sadly. “I doubt it would have mattered to my husband that your intentions were honorable. Letitia was Oliver’s favorite, and she managed to fire his anger against your family from the day you first came to call, enough that he wouldn’t consider a match there even if you had asked. She trotted out every s
candal associated with your family that she’d been able to dredge up, that the marquis was raising a bastard as his heir, the duels James had been involved in over women, that you had already had numerous scandalous affairs since you moved to London, proving you hadn’t gone there to look for a wife, that you were instead following in the rakish footsteps of your brother James.”
“There was no need for James or I to marry when both of our elder brothers had male heirs by then,” Anthony said in his defense. “I certainly had no plan to do so before I met Adeline. Falling in love with her changed that.” Anthony’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “Why was that allowed to even happen? If you all thought the worst of me, why didn’t you just show me the door to begin with?”
Sophie admonished him, “You’re a Malory. Do you really need to ask that? Oliver didn’t want to insult your family. And besides, we thought you’d get bored soon enough and return to London.”
“Adeline gave no clue a’tall that any of you had bad feelings toward my family. Why is that?”
“Because she didn’t know, not until that day we learned of the baby. Prior to that, my husband feared that she would end up insulting you, she was so young and impulsive back then. So she was merely warned not to put much stock in your attention, that you were merely being neighborly. It was stressed that you weren’t in the market for a wife. And we waited, and hoped, that you would just go away.”
Anthony raked an agitated hand through his hair. “Good God, she should have known I would protect her and our baby from her father’s heartless plans. I still don’t understand why she didn’t take the chance to come to me.”
“Because she believed me that you wouldn’t marry her, and why wouldn’t she?” Letitia said haughtily. “It was the truth as it appeared, that your only interest was in racking up conquests back then. She was devastated, of course, but that was no more than she deserved for shamelessly succumbing to your seduction. And while our reactions may seem heartless to you, you know as well as I that intentions are meaningless if no one knows of them other than you. You had done nothing in your life up to that point to suggest that you weren’t fast on your way to becoming a rakehell, which, as we’re all aware, you more than succeeded at for many a year.”
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