Scandal of the Season (29 page)

“No,” she said, finally looking at him. “I just assumed he was some man who paid for her services, and she would not know which man it was.”

“Ah,” Anthony said with a smile. “That makes sense. So now that you have determined I am her father, I should make arrangements to bring her to my home.”

Victoria attempted to blink back tears but one slipped down her cheek. “Yes,” she said. “I suppose that is the correct thing to do.”

“I see.” Anthony stood and started to walk closer to her bed. “Suppose I tell you I am not Bronwyn’s father?”

“We both know you are. That is why you were so angry with me. You thought I had kept that from you.”

“True, but only because I assumed she must be mine based on age and looks. Considering I met Lady Whitely on the night you and I had sex at the church, and didn’t meet with her again for a year, I had assumed Bronwyn must be our daughter.”

“But that is not true,” Victoria cried. “You had sex with Lady Whitely and it must have happened two months before we ever met. Bronwyn was born seven months after we had relations the first time.”

“Yes, your first time.” He walked back to the bed and leaned over her only inches from her face. “And my first time too.”

Her breathing turned shallow as he hovered over her. “You are lying.”

“I am not. You were the first woman I was ever with. You were the only woman I wanted to be with that night.”

“Then how—”

He cut her off with a soft kiss. God, he’d missed her kisses. “Bronwyn is my sister.”

“Bronwyn is what?” Victoria asked breathless from his kiss.

“She is my sister.”

Victoria frowned at him as he sat on the bed next to her. Perhaps the accident did something to her mind. Because if Bronwyn was his sister then either his father had had sex with Lady Whitely or…

“Oh, my God,” she said, staring at him. For the first time she noticed how much his smile reminded her of Lady Whitely. He’d told her that he’d met his ‘dead’ mother that night ten years ago. And Ancroft had mentioned they had gone to Lady Whitely’s. “How? Is she really your mother?”

He walked to the door and closed it so this went no further. “Yes.”

She had no idea what to say to him. Suddenly so much about the man made sense. His lack of respect for women, his lack of trust especially with women, his reaction at the church that night. Her heart quickly ached for him.

“How did you find out? You told me that you had discovered she was alive that night ten years ago.”

Somerton walked back to the bed, sat down, and clutched her hand. “Nicholas and Lord Kesgrave took me gambling for my eighteenth birthday. Then they figured they should introduce me to the pleasures of the flesh. They brought me to the house next door. When Lady Whitely walked into the room, we could only stare at each other.”

She could not imagine how hurt he must have been to find out his dead mother owned a brothel. Squeezing his hand, she felt a tear fall down her cheek. “Oh Anthony, I’m so sorry you had to find out that way.”

“As you can imagine, I was in shock. I pilfered a bottle of brandy and ended up at St. Georges where I took a young woman’s innocence.”

“But how?” she mumbled. “How could she have opened a brothel?”

He told her about how his mother had left the children and his father’s response. But that still did not explain everything.

“I still don’t understand. How could she afford to open a brothel? She would have needed money. And you told me your father gave her nothing.”

Somerton grimaced. “Believe it or not, before she owned the brothel, the original owner found my mother on the street, attempting to prostitute herself. According to my mother, she never would have made a penny on the street. The owner brought my mother in and immediately realized how intelligent my mother was. Mrs. Lee taught my mother the business and sold it to her four years later.”

“Just like your mother brought me into her house,” Victoria whispered.

“Yes.”

Wincing from the pain, she moved her hand to stroke his cheek. Finally hearing the truth from him made her love him even more. But she had to stop loving him. This didn’t change what she heard in the hall this morning.

Slowly, she drew her hand back. “Anthony, thank you for telling me the truth. I will never tell a soul that she is your mother.”

“What else is wrong, Victoria?”

“Nothing,” she said with a catch to her voice.

“Then why do you look as if you might cry?” He brought his hand to her cheek.

She let her head rest into the warm strength of his hand. “I am not about to cry.”

At least not until he was out of the room. Then she wouldn’t be able to stop her tears.

“Look at me, Victoria.”

She blinked and looked up into his warm hazel eyes. She couldn’t look away even if she’d wanted to.

“I love you,” he whispered. “When you were shot I thought I would never be able to tell you how much you have changed my life. For the better.”

“Please, don’t.” She could not bear to hear his words of love and know that they could not be together.

“Don’t what? Tell you how much I love you? Tell you that I almost died watching you fight for your life, and I was unable to help you?”

“Stop!” She turned away from his hand and let her head rest on the pillow. “Stop torturing me. I cannot be your mistress.”

“I don’t want a mistress, Victoria. I want a wife.”

“But you don’t want me.”

He took her chin and forced her to look at him again. “You are the only woman I have ever wanted to marry.”

“You told Lady Whitely that you didn’t want to marry me. I heard you this morning right outside my room.”

He laughed softly. “You need to stop eavesdropping on conversations. You tend to get things all wrong.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My mother had been discussing who she thought would make me a proper respectable wife with my father. They both agreed that Miss Coddington was just the thing to set my reputation right. I told my mother this morning that I would never marry that girl.”

“Oh,” she whispered, ashamed of listening in on their conversation.

“My mother knows that I love you. Sophie knows. And I can pretty much guarantee that your friends know, too. I might have been a bit difficult when they asked me to leave the room a few times.”

“You, difficult?” She smiled. “I cannot imagine that.”

He tilted his head back and laughed.

“So everyone knew that you loved me, except me?” She laughed softly. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“You saved my life by shooting a duke. You wouldn’t give up my name when whipped.” He smirked at her and her heart raced. “I think I have a feeling.”

“Your birthday is tomorrow and Christmas two days after that.”

“So it is,” he commented, wondering why she brought up that topic.

“I haven’t bought you anything for either,” she whispered.

He smiled down at her. “Seeing you up and awake is the best present you could give me. And if you want to give me something then give me your consent to become my wife.”

“Very well,” she said with a watery smile. “I will marry you, Anthony.” She bit down on her lower lip in thought.

“I know that look,” he said.

“What do we do about the orphans? I cannot desert them.”

“Why would you need to? Most women of the
ton
do charity work. This is yours. You can hire someone to help Maggie with the children.” He paused and looked down at their joined hands. “But do you think we might be able to have Bronwyn come live with us?”

“What do you think your mother would say?”

“I think that as long as she can visit us, the idea would please her.”

“I would be honored to have her visit us. Although, there may be talk.”

“I do not care if there is talk. People can say she is our child, my child, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is we are together and my sister is with her family.”

Her heart swelled with emotions but still she had questions. “What about your wish to gain your respectability back? Marrying me will not help your situation. In fact, if anyone ever discovered my past then you would be ruined.”

“A wise man told me that respectability was overrated. He also told me I would marry for love.”

She tilted her head. “Who said that?”

“Nicholas.”

“A very wise man.”

Anthony watched the turn of emotions on her face and knew she still was worried. And honestly, after his encounter with Lady Farleigh, he had a few doubts. “Are you worried about the fact getting out or what might happen to your social status?”

She laughed softly. “What social status? My only concern is the effect it might have on you. You wanted your respectability back.”

“Well, there is something we could do. But I will warn you that it is rash and possibly foolish.”

“What is your idea?”

“We let the scandal out. We leak the gossip that you are really Anne Smith before we marry. I cannot marry Victoria Seaton anyway. It wouldn’t be a legal marriage.”

Her blue eyes widened. “That would be scandalous indeed.”

“I do believe if we discuss this with our friends they will support us.”

She truly liked the idea but hesitated remembering his words only a few weeks ago. “And if they decide their wives should not be around a woman with a background like mine?”

He should never have put the thought in her head that her friends’ husbands would never allow them to see her if the scandal of her background came out. Most of the men would not care as long as Victoria married him. And nothing would stop those ladies from visiting Victoria. They all knew from experience that scandals only last until another one replaces it.

“I believe your friends would never listen to their husbands in regards to you.”

“They are all a little headstrong,” she said with a giggle.

“A little? After seeing how they attempted to bully me the past few days, I’m starting to feel sorry for their husbands.”

Victoria giggled and then winced from the pain. “Do you really think this scandal idea might work?”

He smiled at her. “We would be the scandal of the season. At least the Christmas season. I’m quite certain once the Season arrives, we will be old news and some new scandal will have taken our place.”

“It is a rather wicked idea,” she said. “And I rather like it…and you.”

He brought her hand up to his mouth. “And I rather love you.”