The Duke of Morewether’s Secret (27 page)

“Oh hell!” Christian leapt from the cushions and ran towards the front of the house. He wrenched open the front door. Thank heaven; she was still lying on the bench. “Lucy, you can come inside.”

Her eyes grew wide with excitement. “Oooh. Did you crack the house?”

“What? No. Just come inside.” What an imagination his child had. He blamed her mother.

“What happened to your eye?”

“Thea’s brother happened to it.”

“I missed all the excitement?” Lucy stamped her foot even as she followed him back to the study. “That always happens.”

As soon as they entered the study, Alexios stood from the chair behind the desk. Except for clouting brothers-in-law it seemed the Greek had good manners. Christian indicated Lucy. “This is my daughter, Miss Lucille …” And then he stumbled on her last name. If he was claiming her, she ought to have his name, oughtn’t she?

Lucy filled the silence. “Clarke.”

“No, Belling,” he amended.

Alexios reached for her hand. “Your father doesn’t know your name?”

“We just met.” Lucy informed him. “I’m a bastard too.”

“Lucy.” Christian exclaimed. He indicated she should take a seat and joined her.

“Trying to keep her a secret, eh?” Alexios gave him a look of disdain.

“No.”

“You still haven’t said what you’re doing here?” Alexios asked again.

“I’m here to fetch my wife.” Sort, simple and to the point. Alexios didn’t need any more information than that.

“She’s not here.”

“That is obvious. If you tell me where she is, we’ll be on our way.”

“She left yesterday with our younger brothers.”

Christian’s stomach filled with dread. “Left where?”

Alexios leaned back in the chair, a look of satisfaction replacing the animosity. “For London.”

Christian jumped to his feet. “Bloody hell. If you’re lying to me, I’ll —”

“You’ll what?” Alexios remained seated, his glass of whisky resting easily on the arm of the chair. “What are you hoping to accomplish here? I doubt that if Thea’d still been here, she’d have spoken to you anyway. She was fiercely angry at you.”

He paced the length of the room, stopping long enough to refill his glass. “Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.”

Lucy poured herself a cup of tea when the tray arrived. She added an eye-popping five sugars. “He was going to sing her a song I wrote.”

“Lucy, you’re not helping.” What would it take for his daughter to stop trying to fix his life?

“It was a good song, if I do say so. He would have sung it eventually.”

“Did you know there are horses out back? Right there in the field. Take the rest of that sugar out there and see the horses.” Christian pointed towards the door and gave her a look that bespoke his frustration.

“I’ll go,” Lucy said and scooped all the sugar into her pocket. “But only because I love horses.”

“God love her,” Christian said after she’d quit the room. He strode to the desk, placed his fists on the wood and leaned in. “What did Thea tell you?” He’d be damned if he’d be intimidated by a no-account weasel and his flimsy desk. He was the bloody Duke of Morewether, and he always got what he wanted. Usually. He had anyway, until the Greeks came into his life.

“She told me she got married. I was shocked. She wasn’t going to London to find a husband.”

Christian snorted. “So she said.”

“I don’t know what happened between you two. She was secretive about it. All I know is she was hurt like I’ve never seen her before.” Alexios took a long drink. “That makes me want to kill you.”

Christian returned the glare with a measured one of his own. “It’s not going to happen today.”

“Just let her go. You can go back to your old life of whoring and making bastards. Thea will get over you faster that way.”

“That’s never going to happen.” He sure as hell hadn’t sailed across the ocean and climbed Mount Olympus only to let her go. “I came here to explain myself to her and, by God, I’m going to do it.”

“What are you going to explain? Why did you drag that poor girl all the way over here? Thea didn’t know about your bastard when she married you did she? She never would have agreed had she known. How did you think you’d keep that secret?”

“Stop calling her my bastard. She’s my daughter.” Christian fought the urge to crawl over the desk and throttle the man. “Besides, I didn’t bring her, she stowed away on board. I only found her after we’d sailed.”

“How damn inconvenient.”

“Yes,” Christian paused. “And no.”

The child chattered incessantly. She was nosey and opinionated and maddening. And he loved her. Loved her enthusiasm, ready laugh and desire to help him in any way she was able. Somewhere around Sardinia it had come to him, not like the crack of thunder when he’d fallen for Thea, heavy and daring and powerful. Loving Lucy had sneaked up on him and folded around him like an envelope, encompassing him in the simplicity of it. Before he’d left, he’d vowed to claim her, but now he didn’t want to let Lucy go.

“That’s what it was, though? Wasn’t it? Thea found out about your ba — daughter

Christian ignored the question. “One day? I missed her by one day?”

“Did you know about her brothers when you kept, what was her name? Lucille? When you kept Lucille a secret? You had to know how she’d feel about that, don’t you? Or did you not care?” Alexios rose from the desk chair, once again meeting Christian eye for eye. Alexios leaned forward, his fists on the desk as well, matching Christian’s stance. “You didn’t care did you? You titled English thinking you’re better than everyone else.”

“I didn’t have any secrets.” Christian growled the words, anger raising his blood pressure. “And I did know how she felt. I helped her get her brothers into a good school.” She would have managed eventually, but his interference definitely paved the way much faster.

“How very … magnanimous of you.” Alexios inched closer.

Christian had no reply. Alexios was predisposed to despise him, and he had no doubt anything he did or said was going to change that.

Alexios’s eyes narrowed, and then he poked too hard. “So you did her a favor because you thought that would get you under her skirts. What then, she forced you to marry her?”

White-hot fury lanced across Christian’s chest. He did fly over the desk that time. Fully intent on giving Alexios the beating he deserved, Christian was shocked when another hard punch to the stomach knocked the wind out of him, and he found himself on the floor, a booted foot on his chest.

“You leave my sister alone.” Alexios’s voice was hard and low with menace.

“I can’t,” Christian said. Shocked at being bested yet again, he heaved in a breath.

“Is it your pride? No one has to know what happened here. Go home and give her a wide berth. Based on what she’s told me, it’s what everyone will expect from a dog like you anyway. I swear to all the Gods, I’ll make your life miserable if you hurt her again.”

The pointed end of a fire poker appeared at Alexios’s throat. Christian couldn’t see her from his vantage point on the floor, but Lucy’s voice came from somewhere atop the desk. “Get off my papa.”

Alexios laughed then, but he took his foot off his chest. Christian rolled over and made it to his knees, then his feet. Lucy climbed down to meet him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

Christian kissed the top of her head. “I’ll never leave Thea alone.” He told Alexios. “I can’t. I’ll chase her to the end of the Earth.”

For a moment his brother-in-law looked defeated. “Why? Leave her be. She deserves better than the likes of you.”

“No doubt.” Being clobbered twice in one day by a man a good ten years younger than him was a sobering thing. Christian suddenly felt old and tired, more than his thirty-two pampered years should allow. “But she’s my wife, and I love her. I need her.” He glanced at the flaxen hair of his daughter. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’m working to make amends.”

Alexios stared at him long and hard, hands on his hips. Christian still struggling to catch his breath, bore the weight of his gaze patiently. Finally, Alexios looked away, his shoulders lower than before, his anger subdued. “Sit. Let me get a poultice for your eye.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

“London seems …” Alexios hesitated. The three of them were standing at the rail while the tide brought them in on the Thames. “Awfully dirty.”

“Compared to Santorini, yes.” Christian was so excited to be home he was almost vibrating with nervous energy. “The Equus farm is out in the country. Nothing but rolling green meadows. Your mares are going to love it.”

Once Alexios discovered Christian was the owner of the famous Equus Stables, his opinion of his brother-in-law was undeniably altered. Christian was impressed with all Alexios had accomplished with few funds but a remarkable understanding of bloodlines and breeding. When the time came, Christian invited Alexios back to Equus and planned to integrate some of his brother-in-law’s theories into his own practices. If their new friendship and business arrangement helped him get back with his wife, well then that would be excellent. At this point Christian wasn’t above any tricks possible.

It had been two months since he’d seen his wife, and he hadn’t had a dreamless night since. Even staying busy with Alexios and the horses and having epic philosophical conversations with his daughter, Thea was on his mind constantly. One evening when he’d carved out a moment alone on deck and was contemplating whether Thea was looking at the same stars he was, he realized he was pining. How humiliating. If the same thing happened to any of his friends, he would have teased them mercilessly. In fact he had done that very thing when Thomas and Dalton had fallen for their wives.

The three of them climbed into a hired carriage and Christian paid the driver double to get them home quickly. Christian gritted his teeth while Lucy chattered away and Alexios watched the scenery with his mouth agape.

Rolling smoothly along St. James, Christian waved to some of the gentlemen loitering outside White’s. Granted he’d been absent from society for months, but the cheer that rose from the crowd was more than he expected. Several well-dressed men separated from the group and trotted over to catch up with the carriage. Christian had the driver pause in the street to greet his friends. He didn’t have the opportunity to introduce Alexios to them before they launched into excited conversation.

“So good to see you hale and hearty,” Barton told him with a vigorous handshake.

Phillip Greensley agreed and took his turn pumping Christian’s hand. “Certainly better than expected, chap.”

“Thank you,” Christian said, but wasn’t exactly sure what he was thanking them for. “I’ll see you at the club soon.”

“Right-o.” Barton grinned.

“Don’t rush anything,” Greensley added.

Christian signaled the driver to move on. He couldn’t help overhearing Barton holler back to the crowd at White’s, “I told you he could swim. Who won the bet?”

What bet? He cringed at the idea his name was somehow associated with the famous wager book.

At Hyde Park another friend called to the carriage from atop a horse, the same stallion the man had purchased through Equus last season. “I see you’ve been eating your lime ration, Morewether. Bully for you! You had us worried there.”

Christian raised a hand in salute but didn’t stop the carriage this time. What the hell were these people talking about? He’d figure it out after he got home. He had way too much on his mind to care what these idiots were babbling.

“There’s the house.” Lucy bounced on the seat.

“Which one?” Alexios surveyed the street.

“That one,” Lucy pointed at Christian’s townhouse.

Alexios crinkled his brow. “Which part?”

“All of it.” Lucy was standing in the carriage now, overcome with excitement.

Christian’s brother-in-law stared at the house, mouth agape. “I find myself becoming more inclined to your side in the argument with my sister.”

He smiled. It didn’t matter to Christian if his wife’s brother was swayed due to his wealth or his ability to help Alexios with his horse breeding dreams. Whatever got him a leg up in the marriage war he was prepared to launch the minute he got to her townhouse. The first order of business was a bath and fresh clothes. It couldn’t hurt to look as good as humanly possible during the wooing.

“Your Grace,” his footman said from the open front door before the carriage had even come to a complete stop. “Miss Lucy.”

Lucy gave Riley a wave as she raced past him. “Grand!”

“Hello, Riley. This is Alexios Costas, my wife’s brother. Tell Mrs. Cranston to have a room made up.”

“Right away, Your Grace.” He nodded to Alexios and took Christian’s hat, then added in an aside, “Good to have you home. No one believed that Kraken story.”

He narrowed his eyes at his butler, but the man had already turned away to direct the staff, many of whom had made it to the front hall to welcome the duke home.

“It’s good to have you home, Your Grace,” his valet told him as he trailed behind him up the stairs.

“Agreed, Morris. Good to be home.” Christian couldn’t wait to get the travel stained-clothes off and slip into a bath. He shrugged his jacket off on the landing, tossing it back to Morris, and was unwinding his neck cloth before he even made the door to his suite. “I’ll be going back out directly. Find something … matrimonial for me to wear, won’t you? I’m off to woo my wife.”

“Certainly. Shall I tell Her Grace she is requested?”

Christian handed over more creased and grimy clothes. “No. I’ll converse with my mother later.”

Stooping to pick up the trail of discarded garments, Morris said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean the Dowager but your wife, sir.”

Oh, right. Of course. Wrong Her Grace. “No.” The water steamed invitingly and fluffy toweling waited on a warmer. “I’ll have better luck going to her house, hat in hand so to speak.” The heated water sloshed against his back as he eased into the copper tub. He released a mighty, contented sigh.

“Her house?” Morris’s voice drifted in from the dressing room.

Christian didn’t answer. He closed his eyes and mouth and sunk in deep, letting the liquid sluice over his head. He stayed under until his breath ran out.