Authors: Cheri Chesley
Tags: #romance, #romance historical, #fiction fantasy, #fiction literature, #romance books free
He squatted down to eye level. “Hello,” he
said softly. “And who are you?”
Royce turned his unmistakable eyes to his
father, grinned, and held up two fingers.
Brendan heard Shannah stifle a sob. He
glanced down to see tears streaming down her cheeks.
“My, what a handsome boy you are!” Chris
said. “And you’re two years old? Such a sweet lad.” He glanced at
Shannah and frowned. “You know, he looks a lot like Garnette, more
than what I’d suspect from a sib . . . .”
Brendan was gratified by his brother’s
shocked expression as Chris turned back to look at the babe.
Chris reached a trembling hand to touch
Royce’s curly head. “His eyes. But how?”
“I think you’re old enough that I don’t have
to answer that question,” Brendan told him.
Tears formed in Christopher’s eyes. “She
never said a word. Why wouldn’t she tell me?”
“I’m sure she tried,” Brendan said. “The
letters were intercepted.”
But Chris couldn’t stop staring at his son.
He reached out to him again. Royce, sensing something had changed,
lowered the toy and watched Chris. He didn’t squirm away, or cry,
but just seemed to wait.
“We’ll talk later, Chris,” Brendan said. “For
now, just get to know your son.”
Chris sat on the floor next to Royce. “My
son.” He breathed the words with reverence.
Brendan took Shannah’s hand and pulled her
from the room. She tried to protest but he proved stronger.
“My lord,” she said when he’d closed the
door. “I think I should be in there. The children don’t know your
brother, and Royce could become frightened.”
“It’s time they get to know each other, don’t
you think?” he asked, towing her down the hall.
“I only think I should be there in case they
need me.”
Brendan stopped and looked at her. She
withdrew her hand from his grasp and stepped back, against the
wall. He took a step toward her, closing the gap between them, and
lowered his forehead to hers.
“Now that Christopher knows about his son,
you and I need to have another talk,” he whispered, trying not to
think of how close her lips were to his.
“Do we?”
Shannah jumped when someone cleared their
throat, bumping his head. Brendan straightened and looked to find
his mother at the top of the stairs, watching them. Or rather,
glaring daggers at Shannah. He stepped between them, blocking
Shannah’s view with his shoulder.
“Yes, we do.” He put a little more force into
his voice. “Come down to my study with me.”
“Brendan, you will be late for dinner,” his
mother informed him.
“You have my permission to eat without me,
Mother,” he said, drawing Shannah down the stairs. “I doubt
Christopher will be there, either. Eat well.”
He didn’t pay any attention to his mother’s
harrumph of displeasure, but it bothered him that Shannah might.
With some relief he closed them both in his study and latched the
door.
“Your mother seems unhappy with me,” she
said.
“That would be a drastic understatement, my
dear.” Brendan motioned to the chair she favored. “Do sit
down.”
“Will this be a lengthy discussion?” she
asked as she sat.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I’ve never had
this particular discussion with anyone before.”
Her lovely eyebrows came together and she
frowned at him. He nearly laughed at how adorable she looked.
“At first, this may seem odd but I do hope
you will hear me out to the end.”
“I will try, my lord.”
He took the chair across from her and leaned
forward with his elbows on his knees. “Marry me, Shannah.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“What is your goal as guardian of your
siblings? To see them well raised and prosperous, correct?”
She nodded. “In a manner of speaking, my
lord. I also realize now that Christopher will take over Royce’s
care, but I don’t want to be cut off from him completely.”
“Nor should you be,” he agreed. “As his aunt,
it’s your right.”
“But I don’t have to marry you to secure that
position,” she said. “I already am Royce’s aunt.”
Brendan smiled at her. “I realize that. But
I’m looking for a solution that will solve everything, not just
that solitary issue.”
She must have recovered her composure
somewhat, because she smirked at him. “How can you believe marrying
me would solve everything? I refuse to believe I’d have your
mother’s approval.”
“I’m not looking for my mother’s approval,”
he told her. “I’m looking for yours.”
Shannah stood so quickly he was forced to sit
back. “You’re impossible!” She walked around the back of the chair
and faced him. “Why are we even having this discussion? We’re from
two different worlds, and there’s no way of bringing those worlds
together.”
Brendan chose to remain calm and hear her out
rather than continue pressing his case. “What makes you say
that?”
She glowered at him. “You know what.”
“No, really,” he insisted. “Please
explain.”
“Why can’t I continue on as Royce’s nanny, or
his governess? I could train myself to be a governess.”
Brendan’s smile faded and he slowly rose to
his feet. “Boys outgrow nannies and governesses. Besides, I’m not
sure I’d be able to stand that.”
“What do you mean?” She stepped to the side
of the chair.
He closed the distance between them in two
steps, and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “I swore an oath to
never compromise a girl in the family’s employ,” he said, taking
delight in how she leaned into his touch. “You, my dear, test my
resolve.”
Shannah sighed so softly he may have missed
it if he’d been any farther away. “You’re confusing me,” she
accused, taking a step back. “Stop that. You know we’re far too
incompatible to make a good match.”
“What makes us incompatible?”
She sputtered. “Too many things to list.”
“I can wait.” Brendan folded his arms and
gave her his most patient look.
“Fine.” Shannah raised a single finger. “I’m
a servant.”
He shrugged. “I have servants.”
A second finger joined the first. "I'm
stubborn."
"So am I."
Shannah lifted a third. "I snore."
That brought a true grin. "How do you
know?"
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Four
fingers. "I'm extremely argumentative."
"So am I," he said.
Her frown deepened. "No, you aren't."
Brendan's smile widened. "Yes, I am."
"No, you aren't," she repeated, too
distressed to catch on. "You're ever the pacifist."
He snorted. "Hardly."
"Why do you want this, Lord Brendan?" she
asked. "Do you think all you have to do is make a request and
everyone leaps to do your bidding?"
Brendan looked over at his desk, where an
abandoned tea service sat. Millie had probably had it sent in hours
ago. The tea would be cold, but that didn’t bother him if it worked
to prove his point. He gestured to it. "Pour me a cup of tea, would
you, dear?"
Shannah was halfway to the teapot before she
stopped. "Oh no, my lord. I know what you're doing."
Brendan affected an innocent look. "Me? I am
doing nothing." Then, as an afterthought, "The tea, please,
Shannah."
She continued. "You're trying to prove me
wrong," she accused. "Cream?"
"No, thank you.” Brendan spread his arms
wide. “I'm not trying to prove anything, dear girl. I already
have."
"Have what?" She now stood directly in front
of him.
His grin was surely devilish. "Proven you
wrong. You will marry me."
"How do you know that?" Shannah’s perplexed
expression proved almost impossible to resist.
He pointed at her hands. "Because you brought
me a cup of tea."
She looked down in shock to see that he was
right. She handed him his tea, and sank to a chair. “Perhaps
everyone does leap to do your bidding. I know I have.”
Her expression turned contemplative as she
studied him. Brendan set down his cup, and breathed deeply. She
hesitated long enough to make him nervous. For once he had no idea
what she was thinking.
“You hardly know me,” she said at last,
though this was half-hearted at best.
“Don’t I?” Brendan went down on one knee in
front of her and took her hand. “I know you’re selfless, and brave,
and that you don’t consider the cost when helping others. I know
you work hard, and that family matters more to you than anything. I
know when you love someone, you do it with your whole being. I’ve
seen it with the children.”
She smiled. “It’s impossible not to love the
children.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know it took you no
time at all to stumble into my heart. I had no resistance.”
Shannah gave him a look of such wonder he
found hope. “Your heart? Are you saying . . . ?”
“I love you,” he whispered.
“You can’t fall in love in only two days,”
she said.
“I didn’t. I’ve loved you from afar, but only
realized it today. You have no idea how long you’ve held my
interest.”
She lowered her gaze. “How can I know if this
is real?”
“Time,” he told her. “Time will prove the
truth of my words.”
"We are very much alike, you and I," she
began, looking at her hands. "You say you only just realized you
love me, when it is I who just realized I love you."
It took a few seconds for her meaning to
reach him. When it did, Brendan lifted her chin with his fingers
and met her eyes. "Are you certain of this?"
Shannah tried to nod. "Yes, my lord."
“Call me Brendan,” he instructed just before
his lips settled on hers. “My Shannah.”
He stood and pulled her into his arms for a
proper kiss. Her shy smile encouraged him. The moment their lips
touched transported him—he knew his life would never again be the
same. They would share their future together. Always.
Shannah ended the kiss long before he’d
finished, but as she pressed her head against his pounding chest he
conceded it wiser to stop.
“We should tell the children,” she said. “So
much has changed.”
He laughed. “That’s a beautiful
understatement, my dear.”
CHAPTER 15
In the nursery, they found Christopher pinned
under a sleeping Royce. Matthew had taken Kora to the window sill
and was reading to her. Shannah’s heart melted a bit seeing Royce
so comfortable with his father. Matt’s face, however, worried her.
He looked filled with confusion and conflict.
She wanted to explain everything to him right
away but didn’t want to wake the baby, who had recently begun a
promising drool spot on Christopher’s shirt.
Chris noticed them then. “Hello,” he said in
a carrying whisper. “Sorted out your differences, then?”
Brendan squeezed her hand. “We have.”
“Splendid.” Chris turned his eyes to Shannah.
“Would you mind giving me a hand?”
“He’s had a difficult couple of days,” she
said as she hurried to lift Royce off of him. He hardly stirred but
tucked his head under her chin. “He’s simply worn out.”
“He wore me out.” Chris groaned as he got to
his feet. “Here, I can take him now.”
Shannah hesitated, though she knew she
shouldn’t. Sharing Royce would take getting used to, though once
the babe was settled again in his father’s arms she had to admit he
looked better there.
“I have to thank you,” Chris said. “For
taking such good care of him all this time.”
“It was my pleasure.” She tucked away the
seed of fear she still felt for Royce’s future. Even with a father,
it would not be easy growing up as an illegitimate child. Society
tended to be especially harsh there. “I think, though, he will
prefer a quiet life away from a lot of activity and
socialization.”
Christopher’s eyes showed confusion. “What do
you mean?”
She froze, uncertain how to explain.
Brendan seemed to understand, however. He
squeezed her shoulders. “Illegitimate children can still legally
inherit title and wealth,” he explained gently. “If the father
claims them and puts them in his will.”
Chris looked affronted. “Royce is not
illegitimate.”
This time Brendan looked confused. “But you
said that you left before marrying Garnette.”
Christopher shook his head. “I’m surprised at
you, Bren. I would never abandon the girl I loved with no
protection. The night before I was sent away, I snuck out to see
her. We woke a magistrate in Gilcrest and paid him to marry
us.”
“Why would you go two towns over to get
married?” Shannah asked.
“Because Garnette insisted it be our secret,”
he explained. “Any local magistrate would have reported the news
directly to my father. Garnette was still bent on getting their
approval before announcing our marriage. She even wanted to stage a
second wedding for them, but that first wedding was ours
alone.”
“You have documentation, I presume,” Brendan
said.
“Naturally,” Chris replied. “Our marriage
certificate is tucked away in my favorite book on the shelf in my
room. I couldn’t risk anyone finding it, and Garnette didn’t have
much privacy at home.”
“I don’t believe this.” Shannah felt as
though a great weight had been taken from her. “You truly married
her? She never said a word.”
“Like I said, she wanted my parents to
approve of her.” Christopher’s eyes had grown sorrowful. “And I
couldn’t leave her alone with nothing. I regret I could only leave
her with my name.”
Brendan grinned then. “You left her with more
than that.”
Christopher’s abrupt laugh startled Royce,
who stirred. Chris patted his back soothingly and rocked him until
he settled again.
It melted Shannah’s heart that much more.
“I’m so relieved.”
“To be honest, so am I,” Brendan said.
“Tomorrow we can update the official record of his birth, naming
you as his father.”