Brotherhood 02 - Broken Promise (3 page)

Austin stared at her while his mind absorbed what she’d just said. The expression on her face left no room to doubt her words, and yet…

He rose from his chair and walked to the window. Her gaze was so direct, so challenging, so contradictory to the soft lines of her face that he needed to separate himself from her. She already affected him far more than any woman had since his early youth.

He didn’t like the way his body had reacted when he’d pressed her against the door. Her touch shattered every nerve in his body, and when he looked into her fearless ebony eyes, time stuttered. Even though he’d tried not to, his gaze had moved downward until it halted on her lips. Bloody hell, he’d wanted to kiss her.

The woman’s husband was hardly cold in the grave and he was entertaining the most improper thoughts he’d ever had for a woman. What the hell was wrong with him?

He braced his hands on either side of the window frame and looked out. He had to focus on the job he’d been hired to do, except what she’d just told him made that almost impossible.

He turned. “Why do you believe Penderly wants the child dead?”

“Because he’s already tried to kill him once.”

Austin’s insides clenched as though he’d been struck by a boulder. She had to be mistaken. The man who’d come to ask for his help was desperate to find his family. Not destroy it. And he hadn’t mentioned having a grandson. Austin would wager he didn’t know there was a child.

“Are you sure someone wants to harm the child?”

“Yes, Captain Landwell, I’m sure.”

“What makes you think Penderly was behind the attempt?”

“Who else would want to kill an innocent child?”

“Maybe they weren’t after the child.”

“Then they were after…me.”

“Perhaps they weren’t after either of you.”

The look she gave him said how wrong he was. “Where is the babe?”

She lifted her gaze. “He’s asleep.”

“Is Miss Bentley with him?”

Lady Fledgemont’s expression fell and she shook her head. “She…didn’t survive the trip to London.”

“What happened?”

She swallowed and clutched her hands in her lap. “She wasn’t strong enough. Caring for her mother, then her father, then losing them both, took a toll on her health. When she came to us, she was nearing exhaustion.”

She turned her gaze from him as if reliving that time was difficult for her.

“After Gregory died, I’m afraid I wasn’t quite myself. Miss Bentley was left with caring for me, as well as Jonathan. Then, after the attempt on Jonathan’s life, we were forced to leave Wakemoor in the middle of the night and travel for several days without stopping.

“Each day she became weaker. I feared she wouldn’t reach London—and she didn’t. We arrived at an inn several hours from London, called the Horse and Bridle. She was so weak she was unable to continue. Miss Bentley died there.”

Tears filled Lady Fledgemont’s eyes but she blinked rapidly to keep them from spilling down her cheeks. It was obvious to Austin that the two ladies had truly formed a friendship, but from somewhere, Lady Fledgemont found the inner strength to keep from making it a weakness. It took a moment before she was able to continue.

“The innkeeper’s wife, Mrs. Carmichael, was more than kind. She did everything she could to make Miss Bentley’s last days as comfortable as possible, but the poor girl was too weak to go on.”

Lady Fledgemont clenched her hands in the fabric of her skirt. “We buried her there, in the cemetery near the parish church.” She lifted her gaze and challenged him. “You can go there if you don’t believe me. The vicar can show you the grave.”

“How long were you there?”

“A fortnight. Perhaps a few days longer.”

“Then you left with the baby.”

She nodded. “I took Jonathan and continued to London.”

“Why did you choose London, Lady Fledgemont?”

His question seemed to surprise her. “London was my home before I met Gregory. Where else would I go?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps some place far away from the Earl of Penderly if you were truly afraid of him.”

“Believe me, I am. But I doubt Lord Penderly frequents these parts of London.”

“Would you take me to your son?”

A look of doubt flashed on her face, then evaporated as if she realized it was impossible to prevent him from seeing the boy.

She led the way across the room and out the door.

Austin followed her down the hallway, then up the stairs. She stopped at the second door on the right and slowly opened it. He stepped in behind her.

Bright sunshine streamed through the two windows, lighting the room with a fairy dusting of sunbeams. The baby slept in a basket in the corner.

She walked to the makeshift cradle and looked down on the sleeping babe. Her face lit with a warm smile filled with that special love a mother has for her child.

Penderly’s grandson had a full head of curly blond hair, damp with perspiration and pressed to his forehead. His face was full and round, and his cheeks were dotted with two red circles. Austin didn’t consider himself a good judge of babies, but Penderly’s grandson looked to be quite a handsome little fellow.

“This is Jonathan.” She brushed a damp curl from his forehead. “He was up most of last night.”

“Is he ill?”

She shook her head. “He’s teething.”

Austin wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, but he wasn’t about to ask. Teeth weren’t nearly as important as her accusation that the child was in danger. “You said you thought someone intended to harm the boy.”

“No, Captain Landwell. I didn’t say I
thought
someone intended to harm Jonathan. I said someone tried to
kill
him.”

Austin studied the determined look on her face. “Tell me what happened.”

She lifted her gaze. “May I ask you a question first?”

He nodded.

“How did you find me?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes. I thought I’d covered my trail enough that no one would find me. I just want to know what mistake I made that led you here.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t make a mistake, Lady Fledgemont. You made yourself obvious.”

“How?”

Austin lowered his gaze to the babe sleeping in the cradle. “People are naturally drawn to a woman with a babe. They remember her. They remember the babe. All I needed to do was mention that you were recently widowed and traveling with a babe. I explained that I was your brother and had come to take you home to be with your family but you must not have received my letter because you left before I arrived.” He looked at her and smiled. “Everyone was more than willing to offer any information that might assist me in finding you.”

“I see.”

“Don’t feel bad. There wasn’t anything you could have done to hide the babe.”

She sighed. “I suppose not.”

“Now, continue with why you’re convinced Lord Penderly hired someone to kill his grandson.”

She sat in a chair beside the cradle and reached out to touch the babe. Her fingers trembled as if reliving the event was uncomfortable. She lifted Jonathan’s tiny hand and placed her finger in his palm. He clasped his fist around it as he slept.

It took several more long seconds before she spoke. “Miss Bentley and I stayed at the cottage in Wakemoor where Gregory and I had made our home. I fully intended to remain there forever.” She looked up. “I thought we were safe there. I didn’t think Penderly would bother with us once he realized I wasn’t a threat to him. Then, one night, I found out how desperate he was to rid the Penderly name of any connection to an actress.

“Jonathan woke during the night. He was hungry.” She smiled. “But that wasn’t unusual. He still wakes up during the night demanding to be fed. I fed him and he fell back to sleep. But I couldn’t sleep. That’s when I heard it.”

She released the baby’s grasp and stepped to the opposite side of the room. A small fire crackled in the grate, not a blaze, but enough to warm the room. She shivered, though, as if she was chilled.

“At first I thought it was the wind, or perhaps an animal close to the cottage, then I realized the noises were closer. Someone was in the house. If I’d been asleep, I wouldn’t have heard the sounds. When the stairs creaked, I knew the intruder was on his way up.”

She twisted her hands in front of her, then hugged her middle as if warding off the cold. But Austin knew she wasn’t shielding herself from the cold. It was fear.

She turned and he saw the lingering memory of the terror still in her eyes.

“I grabbed a poker from the fireplace and hid behind a tall armoire. A man walked into the room and made his way to where Jonathan slept.”

She was trembling now. From where he stood he could see her body shake. She gave a small cry and clasped both hands over her mouth.

Before he could evaluate his actions, he crossed the room and gathered her against him. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”

She didn’t pull away like he thought she might, but remained close to him—as if she found comfort in his arms.

“I watched him, thinking he only wanted to see the babe, only wanted to know for sure that there was a child. Then, he lifted the quilted blanket that covered the babe and brought it down over Jonathan’s face.”

She trembled harder and Austin moved his hands along her arm, comforting her, holding her closer.

“I don’t remember striking him, but one minute he stood over Jonathan’s cradle, the next he lay crumpled on the floor.”

She lifted her head and sucked in a small gasp. Their nearness seemed to surprise her and she stepped out of his arms. “I grabbed what I could fit into a bag and we fled. The rest you know.”

Silence surrounded them. He was glad. Enough questions raced through his mind to which he didn’t have answers. Could Penderly have been behind the attempt to kill the child? If so, he’d made a terrible error in judgment. One that could cost a child his life.

She stepped back to the cradle as if she could physically keep him from taking the child, if that was his intent. The glaring determination in her gaze told him how desperate she was to protect the babe.

“Penderly doesn’t want his family’s name tarnished with Jonathan’s blood—with an
actress’s
blood. He doesn’t want anything to do with Jonathan. And if you are naïve enough to believe he does, my child will pay for it with his life.”

Jonathan stirred in the cradle and she rolled him to his stomach.

She lifted her gaze and looked at him with an intensity that told him she was ready to do battle as she patted the babe’s back in an attempt to soothe him back to sleep. “It would be best for you to leave. Report to Lord Penderly that he has nothing to fear. Tell him the actress he so despised is dead. There’s no need to tell him you discovered Jonathan.”

Austin started to tell her how impossible that was, but the babe chose that moment to announce he was awake and had no intention of going back to sleep.

Lady Fledgemont gave Austin an angry glare as if it was his fault the infant’s nap had been cut short, then wrapped a blanket around little Jonathan and picked him up.

“He’ll want to eat now,” she said, to explain the baby’s fussing.

Austin experienced a wave of unease. “I’ll leave.” He stepped toward the door. He had no intention of staying in the room with a mother who needed to feed her babe.

“That’s not necessary. I can’t… uh…I mean, I… I have milk already warmed for him in the kitchen.”

Bright pink circles dotted her cheeks. She was obviously
deeply embarrassed. Maybe she wasn’t able to feed the boy. He’d heard of women who weren’t, especially in Society. Wet nurses were often hired to provide that service, but he wasn’t sure if Lady Fledgemont had the means to hire one. Or if that’s what she meant.

He suddenly wondered how much Viscount Fledgemont
had provided for his widow. Wondered if she had enough food for herself and the babe.

He studied her, looking for any indication she went without. Austin suddenly experienced an unfamiliar desire to make sure she was cared for, but told himself that being concerned with a female who was alone in the world was only natural.

She nestled the babe close to her and walked across the room. He remembered seeing his sister, Liddy, hold little Rachel shortly after she was born. Lady Fledgemont had that same look, the look a mother had for her child. His heart ached from seeing such warmth on her face, but he ignored it.

He swiped his damp palms against his jacket, then opened the door and followed her when she walked down the stairs.

“Can I do anything to help?” he asked when they reached the kitchen.

She shook her head. “I can manage.”

She placed the babe in a cradle close to the hearth and gave him a knotted rag toy. Little Jonathan promptly stuffed the cloth in his mouth and chewed on it while Lady Fledgemont heated milk. When the liquid reached a desired temperature, she poured a generous quantity into a glass jar. Then she attached an object that looked remarkably like a cow’s teat to the top of the glass and lifted Jonathan into her arms. She grabbed a blanket and sat in a wooden rocker near the hearth.

The instant she placed the nipple near the baby’s mouth, he reached for it and suckled as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

Austin wanted to laugh at how eager the lad was to be fed. “He has a healthy appetite. I’ll say that for him.”

Lady Fledgemont smiled as she watched her son eat. “He grows more every week. He’s going to be a big lad, like his father.”

Her expression changed from peaceful contentment to a haunted loneliness. She obviously hadn’t recovered from her husband’s death. “Does Jonathan resemble his father?”

She nodded, then smiled. “As you can tell, he didn’t get his coloring or his features from his mother.”

Austin compared the baby’s dark blond hair and bright blue eyes to Lady Fledgemont’s auburn hair and wide-set brown eyes. The lady also had an oval-shaped face with high cheekbones, and a pert nose that tilted at the end, where the babe had a round, chubby face with cheekbones hidden within the fullness.