Page 23 of Temptress in Disguise
“Mrs Wendon will have to settle her ambitions elsewhere. But that’s not the only reason I married Miss Grant.”
Her story had struck a chord with him. Upon their father’s death, Aramis and his brothers lost everything to their scheming stepmother. Despite being the grandsons of an earl, they were left to live like vagrants in the rookeries. Perhaps that’s why he felt a kinship with the woman he’d married. And then there was Melissa and a dream of vengeance.
Before Christian could question him further, they arrived at Fortune’s Den. The family ate breakfast together every morning at ten and discussed the previous night’s scandals. Who had lost their fortune at the tables and thrown themselves off Blackfriars Bridge? Who had issued an invitation to a dawn appointment having been accused of cheating?
Today, Aramis’ marriage would dominate the conversation.
Sigmund, their man-of-all-work and a terrifying figure in his own right, answered the door and welcomed them inside. His gaze lingered on Aramis. “Aaron knows you weren’t at home last night.”
Some would think it odd that a man of twenty-nine should report to his elder brother, but they had many enemies amongst theton. Their uncle—the current Earl of Berridge—would love nothing more than to see their lifeless bodies dangling from the scaffold. And they’d made a pact as frightened children. A sacred rule none of them dared break.
You’ll tell me where you are at all times.
There must be no secrets between us, no lies.
Aramis patted Sigmund on the shoulder. “Then I shall join my brother in the dining room and put him out of his misery.”
Christian chuckled. “And I’ll have a front-row seat.”
As always, he found Aaron at the head of the table, his mood as dark as his ebony locks. With a gaze that could freeze the fiery bowels of hell, he stared at Aramis. “How good of you to grace us with your presence. It seems Christian’s departure from the fold has had an adverse effect on your memory.”
Christian raised his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t shoot a man for falling in love. Save your strength for our brother’s shocking confession. You may want a stiff brandy to hand.” He winked at Delphine, who sat eagerly watching the exchange. “It might be wise to move the knives.”
Aaron scowled at him. “Aramis? What the hell have you done?”
Aramis sat in the empty chair beside Theo and snatched a piece of toast from the rack. “I married Miss Naomi Grant in St Augustine’s last night. It’s a marriage in name only. A means for us both to seek retribution for crimes committed against us.”
“And to stop Mrs Wendon hounding him,” Christian added, dropping into the seat next to Delphine. “Theo, be on your guard. You’ll be the matron’s next target.”
Amid the undercurrent of tension, no one laughed.
Not while Aaron looked ready to bring the heavens crashing to earth. “You mean to tell me a woman we know nothing about bears your name?” There was a deadly edge to his calm tone. “A woman who likely invented a story to trick you into marriage?”
Aramis sat forward, fury twisting inside him. “Don’t speak to me like I’m an imbecile. The lady offered terms. We made a written agreement which protects my name and my assets. She offered me a portion of her inheritance, which I declined.”
Aaron’s glare would make Satan shriek. “You’ve been planning this for weeks and said nothing? What about your vow to this family? No lies. No secrets. It’s the law we live by.”
“I met Miss Grant last night and married her two hours later.”
Aaron flinched. “You said you married in church. You either had the banns read or applied for a licence.”
He explained all that had occurred, except for the part when the lady held him hostage with a fake pistol. “I’ll not let Melissa ruin an innocent woman’s life. And being married affords me freedom from Mrs Wendon’s machinations.”
A curse slipped from Aaron’s lips. “I should have known Daventry was involved. What is it with the man’s need to see every bachelor leg-shackled?”
Though Aramis found Daventry’s interference equally annoying, he could not argue with the agent’s logic. “Daventry believes every victim needs justice.” Not that Aramis would ever openly admit to being a victim. “His motives are honourable, even if his tactics suggest otherwise.”
A pained silence invaded the space.
Justicewas a word rarely mentioned in front of Delphine. They feared the notion might give theiradoptedsister a reason to search for herrealfamily. But who would leave a young girl on the streets with nothing but the clothes on her back? Who had discarded her so easily? Had Aaron not taken her under his wing, heaven knows where she would be now.
A keen seeker of the truth, Delphine broached the subject everyone avoided. “You never told us what happened after Mr Adams burnt your arm. On your insistence, Aaron agreed not to punish the man, but did you ever seek revenge?”
Theo inhaled sharply. “Pay her no mind. Sometimes curiosity gets the better of her,” he said in their sister’s defence. “Delphine merely asks the question pertinent in all our minds.”
A day ago, he would have told Delphine to mind her damn business and stormed from the room. He never discussed the subject that brought him great shame. He’d rather eat rancid food and sleep in piss-soaked doorways than relive the humiliation he’d suffered at Melissa’s hands.
Yet, if he was to help Naomi regain her inheritance, he had to be honest about his dealings with Melissa. And his need to prove he was not a gullible milksop led him to make an embarrassing confession.
