Page 15 of The Lady Was Lying
It was James’s last chance to lie.
He didn’t take it.
“It appears so,” he said instead.
“Are you speculating?” Danford asked.
“I’m afraid not.” James paused. There would be no going back if he said the next bit out loud, but that did not stop him. “I’ve just confronted my mother and demanded the truth. I’ve known that my father wasn’t my father for months, but I didn’t know the details until today. Your father was her…lover before she married the duke. When she agreed to marry, she left without informing Mr. Hart that she was—” The next words got caught in his throat.
“Fuck.” Greydon exhaled harshly. “Emmeline was right. You are…their brother?”
Air rushed out of James’s lungs. “It would seem so.” Clutching the glass in his hand a bit tighter, he tried to ignore his racing heart. “I swear I did not know when I came to the ball last night. It would…that is…I would not have come if I had known. I wouldn’t have exposed myself so brazenly, and now I find myself in unfamiliar territory. I’d consider it a tremendous favor if you could keep this to yourselves until…well…forever if possible. It would destroy my mother if anyone found out.”
Greydon frowned. “We would never spread gossip, especially about something so private.”
Danford remained quiet.
Not agreeing.
Or disagreeing.
Why wasn’t the other man speaking? Was he angry? Would he destroy James’s credibility and his mother’s spirit by revealing the truth?
“How old are you?” Danford abruptly asked.
The innocuous question steadied James a bit. If Danford could keep calm at a time like this, maybe James did not need to worry. “I’ll be thirty later this year.”
“Thirty,” Danford echoed. His lips moved silently as he repeated it again.
“Does my age matter?” James asked, rubbing his clammy palms against his thighs.
“I believe so. You are older than I am”—Danford tipped his head back and blew out a breath—“which means your mother and my father knew each other before my father married. That makes it easier to accept.” Nodding slowly as if agreeing with himself, Danford added, “It explains so much about so many things. My father loathed Danford Manor. Absolutely and completely. My siblings and I knew nothing about his past until a solicitor showed up at our door and told us he was the new Viscount Danford.
“He was not himself when we relocated to the estate. Almost listless. He refused to talk about his childhood or his brothers. It didn’t occur to me to ask about his neighbors.” Danford paused as if lost in thought. “Maybe it doesn’t matter. He might not have told me anything, even if I had asked the right questions. It’s hard to believe that if Emmeline hadn’t been introduced to you last night, we might not have met at all.”
Danford had offered far more details than James had expected, painting a picture of a man who had regrets about his past, even if he hadn’t known the full story. The sense of loss that rose within him was a surprise. Not once had he considered meeting the man who would have been his father if things had been different, and now he’d never have the opportunity.
“We would have encountered each other at some point. I am in London. You are in London. The season is long, and I intend to remain for the duration. Last night could not have been avoided, and this conversation needed to happen sooner rather than later.”
“You’re probably right,” Danford agreed. “Though I’m not certain I would have said anything if you and I had met first. I would have been surprised and curious, but I do not have Emmeline’s tenacity.”
Leaning back and trying to seem relaxed, James asked, “Now that you know, do you think…Will you be able to keep our connection to yourself?”
“Of course. Sorry. Your secret is safe with me. I should have made it clear when Greydon said we wouldn’t gossip.”
“Thank you.” Not having to worry about anyone else finding out was an immeasurable relief.
“If you’re interested, you could join us for dinner this evening,” Greydon said to James. “Emmeline was very certain there was a connection between herself and you, and although she didn’t realize it would be quite so direct, she’s going to be delighted to welcome you into the family.”
“She’ll be excited to have an illegitimate brother?” James asked.
It seemed like an odd reaction. They were strangers, he was living proof of a tryst between her father and his mother, and if anyone found out, the scandal would not affect just him. Not having much experience with society, he wasn’t sure how dire the consequences would be. Would gossip be the worst of it? Or would he be ostracized completely?
“Perhaps excited is the wrong word, but if she’d had her way, we would have been on your doorstep before daybreak. Once I tell her who you are to her, you’d better brace yourself. She’ll sweep you into the family before you can blink.”
Nothing about their conversation was proceeding as James had expected, but that didn’t mean he was displeased. All in all, the discussion had gone better than he could have imagined. “She shouldn’t feel obligated to acknowledge our connection. I would hate to complicate your lives.”
Greydon chuckled. “You won’t. And even if you did, we’re used to complications. We are not the sort of family who has a pristine past. What is one more jagged edge?”
