by Lora Thomas
“Where is he? I demand you bring him to me this instant!”
Thomas fought the desire to turn away from his study and head out the door to Holland’s. Or better yet, go back upstairs and make love to his wife.
“It is about time you got here,” Josephine seethed.
“This is my home. What I want to know is, why are you here?”
Josephine cocked her head to the right superciliously. “To inform you that I have made arrangements for Clayton to reside here.”
“If Clayton steps one foot in my home, I will toss his ass out.”
Josephine’s sneer widened. “It is not your home anymore, Thomas. It is mine.”
Thomas remained calm. He had to, for he knew it would irritate his mother further. He approached the buffet and poured himself a snifter of brandy. Swirling the liquid in his glass, he allowed his mother to think she had won.
“I am glad you have decided not to fight me on this, Thomas. I am a gracious mother and will allow you until tomorrow to collect a few mementos and personal items you wish to take with you.”
“And where would I go?”
Josephine snorted with disgust. “I truly do not care. Go to that dreadful Lord Hawke’s or your father’s whore. I do not care where you go.”
Thomas glanced over his shoulder. “You honestly detest me that much?”
“I loathe everything about you.”
He turned to face his mother, his affect flat. “Why?”
“Why?”
“Yes, why? Why do you hate me? What have I done to make you hate me so? And do not say that the reason you despise me was that I was conceived by force.”
“I do not have to stand here and take this!”
“Take what? All I want to know is why.”
A bitter laugh left Josephine. “Why? You truly want to know why? I will tell you. You are a constant reminder of the promise Timothy broke. He wanted an heir. I wanted children. We made a bargain. If he stopped seeing his whore, I would grant him a son. He agreed, but only if I changed my attitude.” She snorted. “He stated I was too much of an evil shrew to tolerate. But I was reasonable, and despite what you may think, I did love your father, so I agreed. The instant he found out I was expecting a child, he broke his word and returned to that slut.”
“I had nothing to do with that.”
“No, you did not. Yet you nearly killed me. You split me from front to back. The midwife could not stop the bleeding, so she called for the doctor. They worked until the bleeding stopped, but it left me near dead.”
“But I was not responsible for that.”
“And when you came out of my womb, you looked like him. How could I love someone who looked exactly like the man who made you? By that time, I had grown to hate your father.”
“But I was just a child! And not any child, but your child!”
“You were his child! The second he laid eyes upon you, I could see that he loved you and not me. He did not even ask about my well-being. I heard him. Clear as I am hearing you now. He did not ask how I was. He did not ask to see me. He asked to see his child. He entered the room and went straight for you, held you up, and spoke. I heard his words, and they haunt me to this day. He said, ‘I cannot wait for her to see you.’ Even as I lay in the birthing bed, nearly dead, she was all he could think of.”
Thomas’s brow drew down in shock. “All this hatred is because you are jealous?”
“I was his wife! He should have been concerned for me. Not her. Not you. Not the creature he used to trick me. Not the creature who nearly killed me. Not a creature that so easily turned on me.”
“How did I turn on you? I believe you were the one who abandoned me.”
“Why would I want you? Every time I picked you up, you cried. Every time I smiled at you, you would scream. Every time I looked at you, you protested. And I came to the realization that you came out of my womb hating me.”
Thomas stared at his mother in disbelief. She had gone mad. Mad from jealousy. Bitterness and betrayal had caused her to turn on her only child. He could not hate Timothy for his actions. Timothy had always been loving to Thomas. Yet, if his mother’s words were real, he could see his mother’s reasoning as well—her hatred for Timothy. He hated what Iris had tried to pull on him. It was not love that caused his animosity towards Iris but the notion of betrayal. How he hated to admit he could see Josephine’s reasoning. But still, it did not give her cause to hate Thomas.
“Yet when Miriam held you, you smiled. When Miriam spoke to you, you cooed. When you heard Miriam’s voice, your screaming would stop. You are just like your father. You betrayed me for that Duchess Whore. I hate you both and wish nothing but misery for you. Miriam deserved to be beaten by her husband.”
Anger filled Thomas. “You ungrateful, hateful shrew! You dare to tarnish Miriam’s name. At least she tried to be my mother. Hell, I thought she was. You did not even make the effort. You want all things in life to come easily to you, without work or effort. I was a child who needed a mother, not a monster. I might have cried, but did you ever ask why? Father told me I kept colic for the first year of my life. That is why I cried. Yet you did not care. He told you and claimed you said I deserved to suffer because you had.”
“You did deserve to suffer! I prayed for your death! I wanted him to feel pain like I had. To feel what it was like to lose someone he loved. I lost him to Miriam!”
“You bitch! You cannot compare the two. They are entirely different.”
“I can and I will! You will not convince me otherwise, Thomas. He deserved to suffer like I had to upon his betrayal. Do you know what a broken heart feels like?” Josephine clutched her chest. “It feels like someone is ripping your soul from your body.” Suddenly, her maniacal laughter filled the room. “But at least I get my revenge now, for Timothy’s beloved heir will have nothing that belonged to him. Clayton will get this house, and I will burn everything else to the ground.”
Thomas had to keep his temper in check, but it was hard. He wanted so desperately to strike his mother. To slap her out of existence. Instead, he gave her a verbal punch.
“Neither you nor Clayton will get anything, for I have married.”
A quick intake of breath came from Josephine. “How? Lady Iris is not wed.”
“Catrina Wilcox.”
“Wilcox?” Josephine hissed. “Branson Wilcox’s sister?”
“Yes.”
“You lie!”
“I do not. I have the documents signed and witnessed. Catrina and I have been married for nearly two weeks now. So you see, you will not get anything that belonged to Father.”
“I want to see them.”
“When the lawyers make certain all is in order, and the event is properly recorded.”
A sneer pulled Josephine’s lips. “You do not trust me?”
“No. I know you would attempt to destroy them before anyone could see the papers.”
Josephine turned from Thomas, her hands fisted tightly at her side. This could not be happening! She whirled around to face him. “When did you marry?”
“August ninth.”
Josephine’s sneer increased. “You were born on August sixth. That would mean you married days after your birthday.”
“No. My birthday is on September sixth.”
“No. August,” Josephine said in desperation as her heart rate increased.
“No. September sixth is the day I was born.”
Thomas watched the color drain from Josephine and the look of triumph leave her face.
“You never can remember when you gave birth to me. You can remember everything else but not the date. Why is that?”
She stared at Thomas but did not speak.
“I will tell you why. Because it is not important to you. The only thing important is what keeps your hatred for me burning in your soul. Now get out.”
“I will not allow this to happen. I cannot allow it to happen.”
Thomas calmly approached his mother and sto
od before her. “I said, get out.”
“I will not allow this!”
Thomas roughly took her upper arm.
“Unhand me,” Josephine demanded, attempting to pull free of Thomas’s grasp.
Thomas did not let his mother’s protests stop him. He wanted her out of his house. He turned and pulled her from his study. He was dragging her down the hallway to the front door when he saw Henry open it. Thomas stopped in his tracks. The only audible noise in the room was the shocked gasp that came from Josephine. Miriam stood in the threshold. The tension suddenly escalated to the point that electricity could be felt in the room. It was the first time that the pair had been face-to-face since the reading of Timothy’s will.
Miriam did not move. Thomas could see the surprise upon her face. Miriam’s blue eyes widened, and her lips parted. And just as quickly, her presence changed. Pulling her shoulders back, she proudly raised her chin.
“You,” Josephine hissed, now attempting to approach the door.
Thomas held fast to his mother’s arm.
“Release me this instant, Thomas,” Josephine protested as she continued to try to pull away from her son.
“No.”
“Do not deny me my vengeance,” Josephine said.
“What would you do?” Miriam finally spoke with a cool reserve.
“I will wrap my hands around your neck and watch the life leave your body. I want to witness your death. I want you to suffer, as I have had to suffer.”
“You have had to suffer?” Miriam questioned, keeping a calm tone.
“Yes. For my husband’s betrayal. For his infidelity because of you.”
“I had nothing to do with Timothy’s betrayal of you.”
“Liar!” Josephine yelled.
“I am many things, but a liar is not one. If you want to see the reason why Timothy was unfaithful to you, the reason he could not live with you, then take a look in the mirror and listen to your words. It was your hatefulness that drove him away. Your cynicism and cruelty. Your belittling and general unhappiness. He only married you because a contract had been signed.”
“You harlot! You dare to attempt to tarnish my hatred for you? For him? Society knows I am the actual victim. Society knows you for what you truly are. A homewrecking tart who deserved what life has given her. You think they care that you are a duchess? Do you actually think the ton cares for your company? They pity you. They mock you. And all believe that the beatings the duke gave you were justified for he knew your character when he married you. He should have killed you when he had the chance.”
“Enough!” Thomas yelled. The grip he had upon his mother’s arm tightened to the point she cried out in pain.
“You are hurting me!” Josephine protested as she tried to wiggle free from Thomas’s grasp. “Release me. I am your mother!”
“No. You are nothing to me. You are a hateful shrew who I no longer want the association with. Leave this house and leave my life.”
“You cannot do that to me. I am your mother.”
“I can and will. You only want to claim relation to me to increase your acceptance into London society. But no longer. I hereby disown you and declare that Miriam is my mother.”
“Thomas,” Miriam spoke, a warning to her voice. “Do not place the relationship you have with your mother in jeopardy because of me.”
“No. All Josephine did was bring me into this world. You were always my mother. Now please step aside, Miriam.” Thomas’s expression was resolute.
“Do not defend me, you tart!” Josephine screeched at Miriam. She then addressed Thomas. “You ungrateful child! You deserve Miriam and that Wilcox woman. I hope that Wilcox slut breaks your heart like your father broke mine. I hope that Wilcox whore takes a lover, and he plants a seed deep in her womb. I hope you are forced to raise another man’s bastard as your own!”
A determined set came to Thomas’s firm jaw. Miriam knew that look. It was the same expression Timothy would get when his mind was made up. Miriam knew there was no talking Thomas out of this. When his mind was set on something, you had to let him see it through. She stepped to the side but left the door open.
Josephine did not take notice of the warning in Thomas’s expression. “You deserve to be punished for your father’s sins. For constantly defending him. You think you can so easily be rid of me? I brought you into this world and deserve compensation for all the pain that the three of you have caused me. No, now the four of you if you count that Wilcox girl. Too bad, her brother failed in his plans.”
“What plans?” Thomas growled.
“To marry that little tart to his driver. Everyone in Swindon knew of his intentions. But you had to ruin that, too. Just like your father, you only want to cause hardship in families. You should have never married that girl. But you were never one to turn away a pretty face that easily raises its skirts for you. You like women with loose morals and deserve the hell that comes with it. But I will have my vengeance against those Wilcoxes for you will break that girl’s heart, and she will yours as well. Your misery will cause me happiness.”
Thomas began dragging his mother to the door but was surprised when she took the lead. Josephine eagerly approached, and when beside Miriam, she drew her hand back. Thomas jerked his mother away from Miriam.
“If you strike her, I will strike you,” Thomas warned.
“You ungrateful—”
Josephine did not have the opportunity to finish her rant, for Thomas pushed her out the door. Josephine tumbled down the few steps and hit the ground hard. She scurried to her feet and turned to face Thomas.
Thomas did not speak. A hardness had settled over his green eyes, and for the first time in her life, Josephine realized that she had overstepped her bounds. A feeling that no words could describe settled in her stomach. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt like she was about to vomit. A tightness settled in her chest, and it became difficult to breathe.
“Thomas, please,” Josephine said. “Let us discuss this.”
“There is nothing to discuss. I have heard you berate Miriam my entire adult life, and Miriam always defended you. Even when I close this door, she will defend you. I always listened to her counsel when she advised me to not defend her. Miriam would tell me to not defend her honor to you, for she knew what she was. I disagreed with her decision but listened to her counsel, for I did not want to hurt her. As for my wife? Catrina is a kind, pure soul and does not deserve your viciousness. When you insulted my wife, you crossed the line. Leave and never grace my presence again.” With that, Thomas shut the door.
“Thomas, you should not have done that,” Miriam said.
Thomas did not turn to face Miriam. He simply stared at where his hand rested on the door.
The sound of a skirt rustling on the steps caused him to turn. Catrina stood at the bottom of the stairs. He could see the moisture glistening in her blue eyes.
He did not speak as he approached Catrina. He was hurt. He did not know why breaking the ties with his mother was so painful. She had been cruel and demeaning to him his entire life. But it still hurt. He did the only thing he could do to help ease his pain. He embraced his wife.
Thomas had been correct. Catrina could hear their argument upstairs and wanted to slap Josephine when she called her a bitch. But seeing the hurt in her husband’s eyes caused her animosity to wane.
“Tell me what you need,” Catrina whispered in Thomas’s ear, her arms wrapping tightly around her husband.
“I only need you,” Thomas spoke.
Miriam watched the scene before her and smiled. Despite the hostility that had just occurred between Josephine, Thomas, and herself, she was happy for Thomas. After a few minutes, Miriam cleared her throat.
Thomas released Catrina and turned.
Catrina looked at the woman by the door and marveled at her beauty. She had only heard the rumors of Miriam James’s beauty but took them for what they were…rumors. But she knew now that the gossip was true. Miriam Ja
mes was beautiful.
“Let us proceed to my study,” Thomas said, taking Catrina’s hand.
The trio entered Thomas’s study. Thomas kept hold of Catrina’s hand and approached the fireplace. Catrina was surprised by Thomas’s actions. She knew he did not care for public displays of affection. Granted, they were not in public, but they were in front of another.
Miriam approached a chair but did not sit down, a sly smile upon her face. “So this is the infamous Catrina Wilcox. Or is it as I suspect and she is a Summers now?”
“Your assumption would be correct,” Thomas supplied.
“It is so nice to finally meet you.” Miriam approached. “Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Miriam James, Dowager Duchess of Whitmore.”
“It is so very nice to meet you, Your Grace,” Catrina spoke, giving a small curtsey. “I am Catrina Summers.”
“You mean, Lady Catrina Summers, the Viscountess of Huntsley, do you not?”
Catrina’s lips curled slightly upward. “I am still becoming adjusted to the title.”
Miriam reached outward with both hands. Catrina cautiously placed her hands in Miriam’s. Miriam gave a reassuring squeeze.
“I know how you feel, Catrina. I was once a stranger to this world myself. In time, it will become second nature.” Miriam’s eyes locked with Catrina’s, and the duchess smiled. “I do say, do I see a bit of spark behind those blue eyes?”
Catrina’s lips parted, and she closed her eyes.
Miriam laughed. “Do not be ashamed of having spirit, my dear. You must have it to survive the ton. They will feast upon you for you have married into the most nefarious family in all of England.”
“Nefarious?” Thomas questioned with humor. “Do you not mean notorious?”
Miriam gave an indifferent shrug. “Both. There is much to the history of Thomas’s family. Their ties to the St. Johns. The Winters connection to the abduction of one of their own. And, of course, Timothy’s relationship with me. You see, dear Catrina, you must have patience to survive the wagging tongues of the gossips. You must have hide thick enough to handle the pricks of their teeth. You also must have the spirit to stand up for your family. It is a fickle world in which you now live, and you must learn to navigate it better than others. But do not fret. If you allow me, I will show you how.”
