Promise Me (12 page)

“
It’s a deformity that developed before he was born.”

“
Will he walk better as he grows older?” Kat inquired.

“
I certainly hope so.”

“
To whom does he belong?” Becca asked.

“
Well...” Leah glanced at her friend.

“
For the moment, we are his guardians,” Anne replied.

“
Can we keep him, Mother?”

“
No, Rebecca. We are merely borrowing him.”

Clearly confused, the girls glanced at one another.

“
Edwin is to meet his family later this afternoon,” Leah explained.

“
Meet them?” Becca echoed.

Anne sighed. “Must you two squirrels ask so many questions?”

“
But, Mother, you said if Katrina and I do not ask questions, we do not learn.”

“
And we’ve no wish to sound like addle-brained females who have nothing more important to converse about except gowns and balls,” Katrina insisted.

“
What excellent apprentices I’ve nurtured. You are correct, my dears. I apologize.” Anne cleared her throat. “Let’s see now. Edwin’s mother could not care for him, so Leah and I accepted the responsibility. At least for the time being. And since we know his grandmother--”

“
We do?” Becca inquired.

“
Who?” Kat asked.

Thankfully the study door opened, and the Greyson butler interrupted the interrogation. “Excuse me, Miss Sheridan. Lady Chase has arrived, and I’ve escorted her into the drawing room per your instructions.”

“
Is she alone?”

“
Yes, miss.”

Leah released a pent-up breath. “Thank you, Mister Pratt.”

The servant bowed before departing.

After one last glance at her friend, Leah followed. She closed the study doors and leaned against it. Her head throbbed, and a lump of nerves knotted her stomach. Her own fault. She should’ve eaten something.

###

Nicolas sank into the tub of steaming bathwater and closed his eyes. Anger burned red hot in his heart. Did Miss Sheridan not realize he possessed the good sense to figure out why she’d drugged his tea?

How many lies had she told? Had she been dishonest with his brother as well? Was Edwin even Adrian’s son?

The more questions he thought of, the more his anger mounted. Her beauty had blinded him but on the inside, Leah Sheridan was cold and calculating. A cunning woman who easily manipulated men.

“
Well, I am bloody well done with being manipulated.” He threw the scrub brush toward the opposite end of the tub. “This time, she’ll play by my rules.”

He would ignore the tears in her lovely eyes. He wouldn’t listen to the pain accompanying her gentle voice. No matter what she said, no matter how much she begged, he had no more room for forgiveness.

Nicolas stepped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around his torso. After shaving, he combed his hair and dressed. Standing in front of the long mirror reminded him of something his grandfather once said.

When asked casually why he employed no manservant, Bart had spouted, “If a man cannot dress and groom himself, what good is he?”

Nicolas sighed. “How did you ever put up with him, Gran?”

Halfway down the stairs, the housekeeper stopped him.

“
I was just coming up to find you, your Grace.”

“
Is something wrong?”

“
No, not at all. Lady Chase asked me to inform you that she’s taking afternoon tea at Greyson Manor.”

###

“
More tea?” Leah inquired.

“
No, thank you, dear,” Lady Chase replied. “Nicolas tells me he spoke to you at the Harvest Ball. I must apologize. News of Adrian’s death caused quite a shock. Whatever he said, I hope you will not take it to heart.”

“
He wished to know more regarding the accident.” Leah sat on the sofa beside her. “I’m afraid I was rude.”

Her ladyship placed her hand over Leah’s. “I am grateful you were with Adrian at the end. Your presence no doubt was a comfort.”

“
My lady, I’ve a matter to discuss that concerns Adrian.”

“
Oh?”

“
You see, before he died, I swore a promise to him. One I’ve come to regret, but at the time--”

The drawing room doors burst open, and the Duke of Chase entered in such a manner that his presence demanded full attention. His gaze narrowed on Leah, and a fierce storm brewed in his dark eyes.

The butler followed on the duke’s heels. “I’m sorry, miss.” He favored the duke with a slight glare. “But
he
insisted.”

“
That’s quite all right, Mister Pratt.” Leah stood, her legs wobbly. “Would you ask one of the maids to bring us some fresh tea?”

“
Save yourself the trouble, Pratt,” Chase declared. “I had more than enough last evening.”

Leah’s stomach twisted. “You drank the tea?”

“
I did.”

“
Oh, no. But I thought...I mean, I expected...”

Lady Chase stood. “Nicky, what goes on here? Where are your manners?”

“
Perhaps you should ask Miss Sheridan. You see, she came to my room last night at the Imperial Inn and…”

Her ladyship’s face paled considerably.

“
No, Grandmother. It’s not what you think. The purpose of her visit was not for pleasure.” His heated gaze snapped back to Leah. “She came there to drug me.”

“
You were not supposed to drink the tea.”

“
What the devil did you think I’d do with it?”

“
Leave it.” Leah calmed her ragged emotions. “I admit I’d planned to drop the laudanum into your brandy, but I changed my mind. The pot of tea was merely sitting there, and it had grown cold.”

“
Cold is the way I prefer my tea.”

“
Oh.” Her head pounded, and she felt faint.

“
If you changed your mind, as you claim, why not hide the laudanum in a pocket of your gown instead of dumping it in the tea?”

“
I dropped the stopper.”

“
And you couldn’t toss the vial out the window?”

“
It was closed, and there was no time. Please, you do not understand.”

“
What I’ve come to understand, Miss Sheridan, is that you are a deceitful, selfish--”

“
Nicolas Bartholomew Drake!” Lady Chase snapped. “I will not allow you to speak to a lady in such a manner. Apologize this instant.”

“
No, Grandmother. I will not.”

“
Then you are indeed an arrogant fool,” Anne stated from the doorway of the drawing room. “And just so we are clear about the laudanum...” She crossed the room and walked straight up to her cousin. “That was my idea.”

“
Do not cover for your friend’s misdeeds, Annie.”

Her brows rose. “The way you often covered for Adrian’s?”

Chase stared at her. “You two must think me naïve,” he smarted. “Do either of you actually believe I’m too thickheaded to comprehend why you wanted me out like a snuffed candle last evening?”

“
It was for your own good,” Anne insisted.

“
I know about Edwin, Cousin.”

“
Splendid, Cousin.”

“
Who is Edwin?” Lady Chase inquired.

“
Adrian’s son,” the duke replied.

“
Adrian has a child? Who is the mother?”

Chase glared at Leah. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Her mouth dropped open. “You think that I..?”

“
Nicolas, you really are thickheaded,” Anne stated. “Miss Sheridan and I have been friends for many years. I can assure you Edwin is not her son.”

“
A clever woman can hide a delicate condition.”

“
I am not that clever,” Leah announced then felt rather foolish at the outburst.

He withdrew a bundle of letters from his coat pocket. “Explain these.”

“
I don’t understand.”

“
Each one speaks of your hatred and shame. You were betrayed, Miss Sheridan, so you gave your child to Adrian’s mistress to raise as her own.”

“
I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who gave you these letters?”

“
Irma Crandle. But don’t worry. She’s not going to mention them in her gossip column. At least not yet.”

Lady Chase gasped. “Nicolas, you didn’t visit that horrible woman?”

“
I certainly did. If I hadn’t, I would not have discovered the truth regarding Miss Sheridan’s deception.”

“
What deception?” Leah smarted.

“
If those letters imply that Miss Sheridan is the mother of an illegitimate child,” Anne said, “they are obviously filled with lies.” She turned to Leah. “Remember what Mister O’Connell said?”

“
O’Connell?” Chase retorted. “You spoke with that idiot after I threw him out of the inn?”

“
She had no choice. He caught us sneaking out with Edwin. Nicolas, if you taper your arrogance, you will see that I am to blame and not Miss Sheridan.”

“
Save your pity for someone more deserving, Annie.”

“
Nicky, hold that sharp tongue of yours.”

“
Gran--”

“
Not another word!” her ladyship commanded.

He raised both his hands in disgust before turning his back on the argument.

Lady Chase took Leah’s hands. “Adrian has a son?”

“
Yes.”

“
How old is he?”

“
Sixteen months.”

“
Who is the mother?”

“
Maria Santiago. I was to meet her at the Imperial Inn last evening but when Lady Ashburn and I arrived, Edwin had been left in the care of a wet nurse.”

“
To put it bluntly, Aunt Margaret, Miss Santiago abandoned her child.”

“
Why were you meeting with this woman?”

Leah wasn’t sure how to respond.

Anne placed an arm around her waist. “Miss Sheridan has been sending that horrible woman monies each month to help with Edwin’s care.”

“
That’s quite selfless of you, my dear, but I am saddened you felt you could not trust me.”

The words stung, and guilt bore a hole through Leah’s heart.

“
And you, Anne. You’ve known all along?”

“
Yes, Aunt Margaret.”

Lady Chase sighed. “Miss Sheridan, if Edwin had not been abandoned, would you have come to me eventually?”

“
I wanted to tell you about him from the beginning.”

“
That’s not what she asked,” the duke snapped.

Leah’s throat tightened. “I gave a foolish promise, my lady, to keep Edwin a secret. I assure you I only recently learned Miss Santiago could not be trusted to care for her son.”

“
I see. Where is Edwin?”

“
In the study with Kat and Becca.”

“
I’ll fetch him,” Anne offered.

On the verge of tears, Leah turned away. The room’s picturesque window framed the vivid colors of autumn, but the urge to paint no longer beckoned her. When Anne returned with Edwin, Leah moved closer to the window. Nothing she could say would change the duke’s opinion of her, but now Lady Chase distrusted her as well.

“
Oh, my, he looks exactly like Adrian.”

“
You’re right, Gran. The resemblance is remarkable.”

“
Edwin, I am your great grandmother, but you may call me Gran. And this gentleman is your Uncle Nicolas.”

“
Hello, Edwin. Does he speak, Annie?”

“
A few words, but he’s rather shy around strangers.”

“
We are not strangers,” Lady Chase declared. “We are family. Come to Gran, dear boy. We’ll go for a carriage ride.”

Leah turned. Edwin had his arms wrapped tightly around Anne’s neck, holding on for dear life.

“
There’s no cause for alarm,” Chase told the child. “Grandmother Margaret simply wishes to get acquainted.”

Edwin hid his face in Anne’s neck.

“
He’s afraid,” Leah declared, her voice quivering in her own ears.

The child lifted his head. “Eee ah?”

“
Edwin,” she said as firmly as she could, the fear in his young eyes tugging at her heart. “You must go with your grandmother and uncle.”

“
Come here, lad.” Chase took him from Anne. “Have you ever ridden a horse? I wager you’ll like my chestnut.”

Edwin reached for Leah.

“
No, love.” She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold back her tears. “When you get settled, I’ll come visit you.”

He whimpered, his brown eyes glistening.

Leah calmly approached the child and held his small hand. “You must be polite at all times. Can you do that, Edwin? For me?”

He rubbed his eyes and nodded.

She kissed his cheek. “He has a slight cough,” she said, avoiding the duke’s hostile gaze. “I’ll fetch his medicine.”

“
I’ll save you the trouble,” Chase retorted, his tone as cold as before. “I’ll send for a reputable doctor later this afternoon.”