Zeke’s detachment crumbled. He paled, looking as though he had just taken a kick in the gut.
“You killed Mama with worrying over you,” Tessa shrilled. “And then you didn’t even come to see her buried.”
Rory waited for Zeke’s words of denial, but none were forthcoming. He lowered his eyes.
Tessa flushed, saying to Rory with a kind of angry triumph, “So you beware of loving him, Miss Kavanaugh. He has no heart. He’ll destroy all your dreams just as he ran roughshod over mine. I was engaged to be married until he drove my poor Marcoaway. Flashing his money around, he bullied and bribed Marco, forced him to desert me.”
“I never meant to hurt you, Tessa,” Zeke said. “I was only trying to protect you.”
“By making certain that I stayed an old maid forever?” Her lips trembled, her eyes filling with tears. “For the rest of my life, I will be alone.”
“Tessa, for the love of God!” Zeke stepped away from the mantel and tried to rest his hands on her shoulders. “There is no reason that has to be true.”
She struck his hands away. “Don’t touch me. I told you once I’d never forgive you and I meant it. You ruined my life. You ruin everything you touch.” Her tears spilled over, streaking her cheeks. “There now, I have said all I mean to say.”
Backing away from Zeke, she wrenched open the door to the flat and raced out into the corridor.
“Tessa!” Zeke rushed forward, and Rory thought he meant to run out as well, but he pulled up short on the threshold and snapped at Tony, “Don’t just stand there gawking. Go after her.”
“Damned if I will! I’m not leaving you here alone with Rory.”
“You brought my sister here and you are bloody well going to see that she gets home safely. I would myself but?—”
“But she doesn’t want a thing to do with you,” Tony said with a vicious satisfaction.
“Oh, shut up, Tony,” Rory cried. “Zeke is right. Get going.”
“Rory!” Tony looked completely betrayed but Rory was beyond caring.
“I said, get out of here! You’ve caused enough trouble for one evening.”
Hurt and anger warred in Tony’s eyes. “Right! Well, you don’t have to worry. I won’t be causing you trouble anymore.”
Whipping about, he left, deliberately shoving against Zeke as he rushed out of the flat, slamming the door behind him. ButZeke didn’t even seem notice. He hurried to the windows that fronted the street and parted the curtain, peering out anxiously.
Rory joined him. In the pool of light cast by the street lamp, she could see Tony handing up Theresa Marceone into a wagon. Angelo was in the driver’s seat and must have been waiting all this time. Apparently he was in on this too. At this moment, Rory would have given much to have boxed both their ears, Tony’s and Angelo’s.
Zeke let out a deep breath of relief as the wagon clattered off down the street. “Thank goodness for that or I would have had to take Tessa home myself, by force if necessary. And the devil knows she already has enough grudges against me.”
Zeke let the curtain fall back in place, his shoulders sagging. Rory thought she had never seen any man look so drained. Her Da had told her once that words often inflicted more damage than fists. She’d never believed him until now.
Zeke appeared to have taken a worse battering from the confrontation with his sister than the one with the two street toughs. They had only roughed him up, bruised his jaw. It had taken Tessa to bring that look of utter misery into his eyes. Zeke had made little effort to defend himself, just letting her hammer away at him as though he deserved it.
Rory rested one hand on Zeke’s arm. “You don’t have to worry about your sister. For all his temper, I know Tony will make sure she gets home.”
“I’m certain he will.” Zeke did not attempt to pull away, but he didn’t respond to her touch either. “You never told me I had a rival, another suitor in the offing.”
“He’s not a suitor. He’s just Tony.”
“I see.” And Zeke did appear to understand, for he added wryly, “Poor fellow.”
He walked slowly back to the armchair and gathered up the coat he had discarded before. A rush of alarm shot through Rory as he moved toward the door.
“What are you doing?”
He spared her a weary glance. “I was going to save you the trouble of asking me to leave.”
“Why would I do a thing like that?” She rushed across the room. Although she did not do anything so dramatic as flatten herself against the door, she did get between Zeke and his exit.
