The Reluctant Duke (17 page)

The second photograph was of a woman. Only the streaks of grey in her shoulder-length black hair betrayed her age. Her face was youthfully unlined as she, too, laughed happily towards the camera.

It was a beautiful face: creamy brow, wide blue eyes, a pert nose and a wide and smiling mouth. Facial features too reminiscent of the woman now standing in front of Lucan for the two of them not to be related.

‘I asked who you are…’ Lucan repeated, icily soft.

Lexie swallowed hard, her breathing still shallow, and
she felt slightly light-headed as she looked at the pale and arrogant stranger who now stood before her.

Lucan the lover had gone.

The teasing Lucan had also disappeared. And in his place was a man who exuded such cold and remorseless fury Lexie felt as if she could almost reach out and touch it.

She shook her head. ‘I can explain, Lucan—’

‘Then I advise you to do it!
Now,’
he added harshly. ‘A good place to start would be the name of the woman in the photograph.’

Lexie staggered back from the relentless force of Lucan’s anger, sitting down on the edge of the bed before she fell down.

She had only intended working at the St Claire Corporation for three days—satisfying her curiosity about the St Claire family and then just walking away, hopefully with that curiosity satisfied. Since coming to know Lucan she had realised exactly how dangerous it would be for him ever to know she was the granddaughter of Sian Thomas.

As dangerous as Lexie falling in love with Lucan.

Lucan who now looked at her with such dislike, such cold contempt, that it sent an icy shiver down the length of her spine.

‘Tell me, damn it!’ he ordered savagely.

Lexie moistened lips that had gone dry. ‘Her name is Sian Thomas.’

‘Louder, Lexie,’ Lucan bit out coldly.

Her chin rose. ‘Her name is Sian Thomas. She’s my grandmother,’ she added softly as hot tears burned the backs of her eyes.

Lucan drew in a harshly hissing breath. He had known, of course—had guessed that the woman in the locket could
only be one woman. The woman his father had loved. The same woman who had been responsible for the destruction of Lucan’s family twenty-five years ago.

Sian Thomas.

Unbelievably, Lexie’s grandmother!

He had known that Sian Thomas was a widow when his father had met her all those years ago, and that she’d had a nineteen-year-old daughter. He had just never thought of that daughter as having married and possibly having had children—a daughter of her own.

Lucan turned and strode forcefully over to stand in front of the window with his back to the room. He fought for control, not even attempting to look out onto the grounds but instead opening his hand so that he could once again look down at the locket in the palm of his hand.

Dear God, these photographs of his distinguished grey-haired father and Lexie’s gracefully beautiful grandmother could have been of himself and Lexie in thirty years’ time. Their similarity to the two was so marked!

‘Lucan—’

‘Don’t say anything for the moment, Lexie,’ he warned between gritted teeth.

‘Alexandra.’

Lucan turned sharply. ‘What?’

Lexie drew in a shaky breath as she saw the hard set of Lucan’s face and the hands clenched at his sides. ‘My full name is Alexandra Claire Hamilton. I was named for my step-grandfather,’ she added unnecessarily.

Those dark eyes narrowed icily. ‘As far as I’m aware my father never married your grandmother.’

‘No,’ she conceded, aware that Lucan had meant the remark to be insulting. ‘But my mother still called him Papa Alex, and I called him Grandpa Alex.’

Lucan’s nostrils flared sneeringly. ‘My father was the Duke of Stourbridge!’

Her breath caught in her throat. ‘You’re implying
that
was the reason the two of them never married?’

‘Why else?’ he scorned. ‘It would never have done, would it? The illustrious Duke of Stourbridge married to a—’

‘Don’t you
dare
say anything insulting about my grandmother! ‘ Lexie said emotionally. ‘Don’t you dare, Lucan!’ Her eyes flashed. ‘Whether or not he was married to my grandmother, your father
was
my Grandpa Alex.’ She raised her chin defiantly.

He nodded. ‘And when did you intend sharing that little fact with me?’

Lexie gave a shiver of apprehension as she felt the full blast of Lucan’s icy fury. ‘I didn’t,’ she assured him shakily.

‘I don’t believe you,’ he snapped.

She shook her head from side to side. ‘I didn’t plan any of this, Lucan. I—It just happened.’

Lucan’s top lip turned back scornfully. ‘You can’t really expect me to believe that you had no idea who I was the day you came to work for me?’

‘I didn’t say that.’ Impatience edged her tone. ‘Of course I knew who you were. I just—I had no intention of ever telling you of my relationship to—to Sian Thomas…’ she added lamely. ‘I was curious, okay?’ she continued defensively when Lucan just continued to look down his arrogant nose at her—as if she were a particularly unpleasant species of insect that had wandered into his line of vision. ‘I didn’t even know you existed until I was fourteen, when my mother explained… explained the situation to me.’

‘No doubt your mother’s version of what happened
twenty-five years ago differs greatly from my own,’ Lucan bit out contemptuously.

Lexie stood up abruptly. ‘You were only eleven when it happened, Lucan.’

‘And you were told at fourteen. Do you seriously think those few extra years—fifteen years after the event—make you any better equipped to know, to comment on what did or didn’t happen? ‘ he scorned.

No, of course she didn’t. In fact, Lexie had become aware over the past few days of just how sketchy her knowledge was concerning the whys and hows of her grandmother’s relationship with Alexander St Claire twenty-five years ago.

She had only been fourteen years old, for goodness’ sake, teetering on the brink of womanhood. Her grandmother and Grandpa Alex’s love story had seemed so romantic to her. A Greek tragedy with a happy ending.

Except Lexie had realised since coming to Mulberry Hall with Lucan, witnessing firsthand his bitterness, his underlying sadness when he looked at that portrait of his father in the west gallery, that there had been no happy ending for Lucan and the rest of his family.

‘Maybe you should talk to my grandmother—’

‘Are you
insane?’
Lucan burst out incredulously.

Lexie bristled. ‘She’s the only one still alive who can tell you what really happened.’

‘I was there, Lexie. I know what “really” happened!’ he assured coldly.

She shook her head. ‘I don’t think you do. I
know
my grandmother, Lucan,’ she defended as he gave a scathing snort. ‘She’s not the sort of woman who would ever deliberately hurt anyone.’

‘You’re predisposed to think that, Lexie.’ He looked at
her pityingly. ‘You obviously love her, and as such she can do no wrong in your eyes,’ he added with hard dismissal.

‘You must have loved your father once, and yet you’ve seemed quite willing to believe the worst of him all these years!’ she came back defensively.

Lucan became very still. He
had
loved his father once—had looked up to him, believed him to be omnipotent, a man who could do no wrong. What a complete fallacy that had turned out to be!

‘I have no intention of discussing my feelings for my father with you, Lexie,’ he grated. ‘At this moment I’m far more interested in knowing exactly what you thought you were doing—what you expected, when you went to bed with me,’ he said softly.

‘What I
expected…?’
she gasped.

‘Yes,’ Lucan snapped tersely. ‘You said earlier that you came to work for me because you were curious. Curious about what, exactly?’

‘You. Your family.’ Lexie tried to explain. ‘I was there the day of Grandpa Alex’s funeral. I stood at the back of the church, watching the three of you—Gideon, Jordan and Lucan St Claire—as you sat in the front pew, publicly mourning the man you had privately shunned for twenty-five years.’ She gave a shake of her head, her voice hardening. ‘While my grandmother—the woman who had loved him and been loved by him for those same twenty-five years—had to sit at home in her cottage and mourn him. For that alone I’ve always hated you!’

‘Me?’

‘Yes, you!’ She glared accusingly. ‘The high and mighty fifteenth Duke of Stourbridge.’

‘I have already told you that I don’t use the title!’ A nerve pulsed in Lucan’s tightly clenched jaw.

‘I’m sure you used it when you ensured that my
grandmother didn’t attend your father’s funeral,’ Lexie scorned.

He shook his head. ‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.’

‘Please don’t lie to me, Lucan.’ She sighed. ‘At least let there be truth between us now.’

‘Truth? ‘ he repeated incredulously. ‘You dare to talk to me of truth when from the moment we first met every word out of your mouth has been a lie?’ He gave a disgusted shake of his head. ‘God knows how you managed to manoeuvre things with Premier Personnel so that you came to work for me in the first place—’

‘My parents own the company.’

‘Your—!’

‘They’re away on a cruise at the moment, and left me in charge,’ she said miserably.

Lucan gave a disbelieving shake of his head. ‘And poor misguided Jessica gave you exactly the opening you needed!’

Lexie groaned. ‘I’ll admit what I did was wrong—’

‘Because you got caught out? Or because you don’t truly believe that this is none of your business?’ Lucan was still having trouble believing, accepting that Lexie was the granddaughter of Sian Thomas, of all women. Except he still held the undeniable proof in his hand. And, of course, had Lexie’s own confession.

‘None of my business?’ she repeated quietly, indignantly. ‘Tell me, Lucan, did you know that my grandmother still lives in the same cottage in the village that she’s owned for the past twenty-five years?’

He frowned darkly. ‘In Stourbridge?’

‘In Stourbridge,’ she confirmed stonily.

‘Owned?’ he sneered. ‘Or was she given it by my father,
so that he could have his mistress close at hand while he continued to live out a lie here, with his wife and sons?’

‘You know, Lucan, I would feel sorry for you if you weren’t so damned arrogant.’ Lexie looked at him pityingly. ‘For your information, my grandmother didn’t come to live in Stourbridge until
after
your mother and father were divorced.’

Lucan sighed his impatience. ‘I don’t really see what this has to do with anything—’

‘Because you aren’t listening!’ Lexie gave an exasperated shake of her head. ‘Not that it’s your business, but my grandmother bought her cottage with money left to her by my real grandfather when he died. But that isn’t what’s important. Do you have any idea why she still lives in Stourbridge, Lucan? Why she continues to stay on in the village alone? In spite of the gossip that still circulates about her and your father? Despite my parents’ repeated entreaties for her to move to London and live with them?’

‘No doubt you’re about to enlighten me,’ Lucan scorned uninterestedly.

‘She stays here out of
love,
Lucan,’ Lexie told him proudly. ‘She can’t bear to leave the place where she and Grandpa Alex were so happy together. Where he’s buried.’ Her voice broke emotionally. ‘It’s been eight years, Lucan, and yet she still visits his grave several times a week. Can any of your family say the same?’

‘We live in London—’

‘So do I. But I always go and place fresh flowers on Grandpa Alex’s grave whenever I come to visit my grandmother, which is usually every couple of months. We went there together yesterday morning,’ she added softly.

Lucan’s eyes widened. ‘That’s why you were gone for over two hours…?’

‘Yes,’ she sighed.

Lucan eyed her coldly. ‘How does your grandmother feel about your being here with me?’

Lexie bit her top lip. ‘She was naturally… concerned once she knew that you had no idea who I was.’

‘And does who you are have anything to do with your not wanting to go to the Bartons’ for dinner yesterday evening? John didn’t recognise you, but perhaps Cathy would have done…?’

Lexie nodded. ‘I think she may be someone I knew in the village when I was younger.’

He gave a humourless laugh. ‘And I was stupid enough to think it was because I had upset you!’

‘You
did
upset me—’

‘Not enough, obviously!’

Her chin rose stubbornly. ‘You might be interested to know that my grandmother talked to Grandpa Alex about you yesterday morning—told him that you were staying at Mulberry Hall. She also told him how successful you are. How proud he would be. Of
all
his sons.’

Lucan mouth twisted derisively. ‘I’m sure this is all very touching, Lexie—’

‘Don’t you dare say anything insulting about the love my grandmother and Grandpa Alex felt for each other!’ she warned him heatedly. ‘Don’t you dare!’

He sighed heavily. ‘Okay, Lexie, I won’t do that. I’ll leave you with your perfect little dream world intact.’

‘I’m not naïve, Lucan. I know people were hurt because the two of them fell in love—’

‘Hurt?’ he echoed coldly. ‘My family was destroyed because of it. As for my mother—! It’s been twenty-five years, Lexie. Twenty-five years! My mother was only thirty-two at the time, and very beautiful, but she’s never remarried. Never even let another man into her life, as far as I’m aware. She’s still beautiful, and young enough to have another life
with someone else, but because of what
he
did to her—his betrayal of their marriage with your grandmother—’

‘You have to
stop,
Lucan!’ Lexie choked. ‘So much bitterness.! Can’t you see how destructive it all is? Hasn’t enough damage been done without letting it affect your own life in this way?’

Lucan looked at her coldly. ‘You don’t think it was bitter and destructive to go to bed with me out of some sort of misguided need for revenge?’

‘Revenge?’ Lexie repeated, absolutely astounded. Was he insane?’ What sort of revenge could I possibly hope to achieve by going to bed with you?’