Page 27 of A Lady's Wicked Revenge
Diana was not entirely sure when or how it came to pass that she and Colin Mullens developed a routine with one another. Since their first walk that carried them to the ominous walnut tree, however, the two had broken their fast together early every morning, then went out for a walk in the gardens or the Leeson woods. Even when the rain fell in a sad, steady stream from the London sky, they carried umbrellas and had just as entertaining a morning in the mud and mire.
Their interactions had not become any warmer than previously; indeed, Diana steadily got the impression Colin was always trying to push her to greater heights of pique with ever more outrageous jibes and cutting remarks, ones she was only too happy to return in kind. Yet none of it contained even a whisper of ill will, she sensed, and by the time they returned to the Leeson house to continue with the rest of their day, her sides were aching from all the laughter they had shared in the morning.
Over time Diana had begun to make the acquaintance of someone she had not even suspected might exist. Now and then, after many hours of talking and laughing and sniping at one another, Colin would let slip the mask of confident bravado and show her what lay beneath. The conversation would roam to a subject about which he had a keen interest, and his laughter and sarcasm would evaporate, leaving an excitable, even shy young man.
Or they would touch on more serious subjects such as Diana’s tragic circumstances, and Colin’s feelings of sympathy would radiate from him palpably. Each time she saw this side of Colin, she would grow quiet, attentive, cautious; she did not want to startle this Colin Mullens away as she might a lovely bird that had hesitantly sneaked out from the foliage to allow its beauty to be glimpsed.
At the same time, Diana caught sight of another elusive creature she had almost lost entirely: herself. Ever since Leah had pointed out that the old Diana was all but buried under layers of anger and resentment, she found she was constantly watching herself for the qualities she associated with herself—her true self, that is. She monitored her words and deeds carefully for any hint of kindness, liveliness, even fun … yet she saw neither hide nor hair of this erstwhile Diana. Not when she was lying in her little bed and gazing up at the shadowy ceiling, not when she was skulking in the staircase to listen to Uncle James’ plotting, not when she was biting her tongue to remain silent at yet another painful family meal.
The only exception, she realised late one sleepless night, came when she was in Colin Mullens’ company. She never felt herself having fun any longer except when sparring with Colin. And it was true that the man inspired her to acts of petty sarcasm or ill-temper that embarrassed her when she later reflected on them … but whenever she was lucky enough to catch a sight of the man beneath the mask? Those were the moments she felt herself fill with the kindness and empathy that she had carried for so long as a treasured part of herself.
But why?she asked the darkness above her bed.What is it about this rascal who inspires me to find what I care most about in myself?
If the shadows that hung high in the rafters had any answer, they did not speak it that night or any night.
* * *
After two weeks of this routine continuing as it had, Diana and Colin found themselves walking deeper into the Leeson woods than she had ever been. The weather was hot and sticky, and her dress clung to her form as her skin grew slick with perspiration. As expected, Colin did not miss an opportunity to lash out with gentle jokes at her difficulty navigating the rough, dusty path … and when he got his thick brown curls snarled in a low-hanging branch, Diana laughed long and loud right back at him.
At some point, Diana heard the sound of running water, and when she enquired about it, Colin led her to a little stream that crossed the very back of the estate’s grounds. The air was thick with insects flitting through the collage of shadows painted on the rocky ground by the thousands of verdant leaves overhead.
“I’m afraid it’s not anespeciallygood place to go for a swim,” Colin said with a laugh, kicking at the clear water and demonstrating its shallow depth. “Not that I haven’t tried, over the years.”
“As if I would disgrace myself by bathing in front of a creature like you,” said Diana with an acerbic smile. She breathed in deeply through her nose, enjoying the clean, clear smell of the place. “But it is a bit cooler here by the water, all the same. I’m grateful you led us here.”
With a surge of energy, Colin leapt onto a broad, flat rock that lay in the middle of the stream. Diana half-expected it would shift and send him tumbling into the water, but his footing was sure, his muscles holding himself precisely in position atop the rock, arms spread for balance. He looked to her with a very self-satisfied expression, tangled dark hair framing his face winningly, and Diana was quick to erase the impressed look from her face.
He pointed into the distance, past the other bank of the stream. “If you look there, you can see an old wooden fence. That’s the edge of my stepfather’s land.”
“Who owns what’s on the other side?”
“An old farmer? The crown? A coven of woods witches?” Colin shrugged. “In nearly twenty years, I’ve never seen anyone past the fence.”
With another agile vault, Colin was back on the near side of the river. He sat roughly on an old log near the water, half-buried in dirt and with a mass of ancient roots splaying out in all directions. Colin withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped away the sweat from his forehead, and then dabbed it along his neck. Through the low, loose neckline of his white linen shirt, Diana could see a thin covering of curly brown hair.
His eyes met hers, and he jerked his head towards an open place on the log near him. Before she could turn him down with a cynical comment, she had accepted his offer and was seated on the log. The two sat in silence for a long while, savouring the gentle rhythm of the water lapping at the banks of the stream just in front of them.
“So this is the place at the Leeson house that’s as far as one can get from James Leeson,” Diana said finally in a quiet voice.
Colin grunted. “Why do you think I spent so much of my childhood out here?”
Diana looked to him in shock at this proclamation, and he loosed a warm yet dark laugh. “Are you really so surprised? Don’t misunderstand my feelings; Sir James Leeson is more than my stepfather. He is my mentor, my hero. I would be nothing if it were not for him.”
“For his money, you mean.”
“Yes,” Colin said simply, surprising Diana for the second time in as many minutes. “That was important, without question. But he has also shown me generosity in many other ways. He did not have to marry my mother, and even once he did, no one in the world would blame him for treating me like an interloper in his house.”
“I think I can imagine what that might feel like …” muttered Diana glumly. Though she did not look up, she could sense Colin looking at her with that elusive sincerity peeking out from behind his mask.
“I know.” He sighed heavily. “I may idolise the man, but I’m not bloody blind. Even if he rarely treated me how he treats you, I have always known in some fashion that he is capable of such behaviour. The man has a temper and a clear vision of how the world ought to be. That is no great sin.”
Diana’s mind raced with all the recollections of raised voices, barked orders, broken dishes.You would not have the same perspective were you fully reliant on him for your future, Mister Mullens,she thought, clenching her jaw tightly.
“Anyway, that’snotwhat he did,” Colin said, his voice rising in intensity. “Treat me like a stranger, I mean. The man has raised me as his own son, has brought me up in the world as best as he is able. My mother and I were penniless, destitute, and he brought us in and shared all of his bounty with us both without asking for a cent of it to be repaid. He is not an easy man to like, perhaps, but he is a good person at heart.”
Colin’s final syllable hung over the water for a long while, trickling through the ripples of the stream until washed away into silence. A dark cloud passed overhead, then melted away under the searing heat of the summer sun.
I had no idea Colin’s mother was in such a ruinous financial situation before she married Uncle James. I did not think the man capable of any act of kindness to another, especially where money is involved,Diana thought to herself, watching the insects play in the stream’s cool spray. Then her expression hardened, remembering how eager he seemed to be to hang onto her parents’ fortune.He worsened with time, then; most people do. One kind act does not excuse abuse of a guardianship years after the fact.
