Page 6 of A Lady's Wicked Revenge
Colin returned James’ gesture with a smile and a friendly hand on the shoulder. If his stepfather detected any of the reticence in Colin’s greeting as he had feared, he gave no sign of it. No, Colin realised with relief, it really was as though their previous argument had been completely forgotten in his absence, as he had hoped.
“Come here; let me have a look at you.” Colin stood with arms spread wide, inviting inspection. His stepfatherhmmedandhmphedas he looked him over, rubbing a finger against his moustache thoughtfully. “Stand up straight, now, don’t slouch. Terrible habit.”
Apparently satisfied with the young man who stood before him, Sir James nodded in approval. Colin blew out a sigh of relief, gratified at this return to normal circumstances. Before long, the two were sitting around the low table by the window, laughing and filling glasses with a bottle of red wine.
“For God’s sake, why on Earth didn’t you send word you would be coming back today? I would have got your rooms ready for you—I shudder to think how Davenport has been letting them go to rot in your absence.”
“And deprive myself of the look on your face on seeing my return? Perish the thought,” Colin answered with a smile. He reached down and rubbed his sore leg with one hand, the day’s riding having been pleasant, if strenuous.
Sir James shook his head ruefully. “You’d scarcely believe how much everything in this blasted city has gone to hell. A man can scarcely find any peace in his own home anymore—it seems I’m now expected to do the work of my own servants in addition to taking care of actual pressing affairs.” James chucked Colin’s arm with a rumbling laugh. “And, of course, your dear mother has been of little enough help with all that. But enough of mouldy old London. What of you? Tell me of your conquests in … where did you end up with those wretched friends of yours? Spain after all, was it?”
It really is like nothing ever happened, isn’t it?thought Colin, sipping his wine with relief. He had scarcely swallowed when this relief curdled to trepidation of how long this armistice would last.Sir James may put off a battle, but he never loses,Colin reasoned with a sour taste in his mouth.And he certainly never forgets to fight.
For the better part of an hour, the two men talked and laughed over a bottle of wine—one better than the usual wine James shared with him, Colin realised with pleasant surprise. At some point, the conversation began to run dry, however.
Colin completed the brief list of suitable anecdotes he had curated to share with his stepfather, and Sir James, as ever, had much to say but volunteered little enough about his own life. Soon the room was blanketed with what might have been a companionable silence were it not for the worries that filled Colin’s head in the absence of the spoken word.
He still bears me some grudge,Colin could not help thinking, detecting disapproval in James’ gaze lingering on his face or avoiding looking at him entirely. He felt his muscles tense, revisited by the familiar fear he had hoped to escape in his travels.
But each time the subjects of money or women came up in their conversation—which was often, given his stepfather’s proclivities—Colin’s heart wrenched with fear of that issue that was sure to be raised. The increasing delay in the topic’s appearance made Colin ever more fearful.
I should never have run off,Colin thought glumly, anticipating his stepfather’s likely criticism.I should have faced my responsibilities like a man.But try as Colin might to rise to what was expected of him, he simply could not abide the thought of being sent out to woo whichever wealthy dowager James had in mind for him to marry.A dowry is a fine thing, and I do not begrudge Sir James his desire for one.
And yet …Colin had tried for years to rid himself of this longing within himself to give his heart to one he truly cared for. Sir James had long since thrown away the last silly romance novel in the house, decrying them as tiresome pap that turned young men’s minds to mush. And Colin had tried to throw away his own ridiculous thoughts of love as well, chastising himself each time he felt lonely tears rise in him.
But this proved to be more difficult than he had hoped, and this desire to marry at his own freedom only grew keener each time Sir James brought up the matter.But after all, it is I who must live with the woman and he who will take the lion’s share of the dowry.
At last, Colin remembered something that might serve to distract him from this useless fretting. “I did mean to ask you about something, Sir James,” said the young man, looking into his glass of wine thoughtfully. “Or someone, more specifically. Diana Hann.”
James Leeson sighed ruefully at the name. “Terrible business, that,” said Sir James mournfully. He drained the contents of his wine glass in one draught, and Colin could not help noticing how much older the man looked since he had truly examined his face.
“I saw Mother briefly before she retired to her room for a rest,” Colin explained. “She mentioned something about sending a letter explaining the situation. I’m afraid it didn’t find me. Miss Hann is living here, then, with us? What became of her parents, exactly?”
He refilled his glass, then set the bottle back on the table. With his eyes fixed on some faraway point beyond his bookshelves, Sir James spoke in a distant voice. “The news came all in a hurry, I’m afraid. I suppose it was … three weeks ago, now. My sister Catherine and her husband William were off riding somewhere to the south of the city. God knows why. It seems their driver didn’t see a fallen tree branch in the road, and in a trice, the carriage was smashed to pieces, and all three were dead.”
James sniffed only once, his eyes dry. Colin felt his heart swell with sympathy for the man—he must have had a great deal of love for his sister, though Colin could scarcely remember the man saying anything about her.Hardly surprising for such a private man, that,he scolded himself.
“It was the next day when that dreadful Arnold fellow, Hann’s accountant or some such, came here to speak with me. He gave me the news about Catherine and William, then revealed that I was somehow the girl’s sole living relative. Making me, in the absence of a male heir or a will, Diana’s guardian and executor of her inheritance until such time as she marries.”
James burst out in derisive laughter at his own words, startling Colin. “Not that that will be any easy thing to accomplish.” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “I tell you, Colin, the girl is a right she-cat. A complete virago. Never have I known such a fractious child, especially toward one’s own family. I can only imagine what her parents went through raising her—I am left to assume proper child-rearing was wasted on her, or else poor Catherine was more out of her depth than I suspected.”
“Yes, I had noticed Miss Hann has a certain … choleric character.” Colin chuckled. “As a matter of fact, she and I just ran into one another downstairs. I cannot say I have ever gone from making someone’s acquaintance to being drawn into a bickering argument so quickly.”
The great man waved a worn, wrinkled hand dismissively. “Don’t let it trouble you, my boy. It won’t be long until she’s married and no longer our problem. That Dunn boy may be a buffoon, but he’s eager enough to have her for his wife,” said James, leaning back in his chair with fingers steepled thoughtfully.
Colin rubbed his chin ruefully, remembering the vicious expression on Diana’s face as she looked at Gerard Dunn. The man was lucky the object of his affection lacked the power and vengefulness of her namesake, even if she might be nearly as pretty. “I hope you’re right, Sir James,” said Colin, swirling his wine around in his glass. “The young lady is full of spirit and does not seem overfull of fondness for Mister Dunn.”
A palpable burst of cold passed through the air in James’ study. “That will not be a problem. I tell you, it won’t be long until she’ll be out of our hair for good and all. Put it out of your mind.” From the expression on James’ face, it was clear this was meant as an order as much as reassurance. His moustache twitched at one side, and then his face set in a stony scowl.
Colin could not miss the change that came over his stepfather at these words. He had grown accustomed to James’ mood changing with such abruptness, though it was jarring every time it happened. It was as sudden and dramatic as blowing out a lamp: one moment James was smiling and laughing, the very picture of paternal affection, and the next he was … well, like this.
Or worse,thought Colin, taking a sip of his wine and averting his gaze. Colin had always strived to please his stepfather, but that had not stopped Sir James from occasionally erupting into fits of wrath that kept Colin awake at night or transformed delicate household ornaments into jagged shards scattered across the floor.
A chill ran down Colin’s spine at the thought of his most recent fracas with Sir James, the one just a few weeks before that had led to Colin leaving the city on a last-minute excursion to the continent. Colin could scarcely remember the name of the woman Sir James had decided was right for him to marry, the one he must approach at a ball and woo.
All he could remember was how furious he had felt, though he never once raised his voice to his beloved stepfather; it was like speaking to a stone, Colin had thought. James had listened so little to what he was saying. Eventually, his stepfather had progressed to one of his violent rages, and Colin had stalked off before James could destroy something irreplaceable in his fury.
These memories were washed away by an immediate surge of guilt.For God’s sake, Colin, why are you letting yourself get caught up in petty resentment again?he said to himself, shaking his head.The man only wants the best for you and the whole family, as ever. Damn his temperament; his behaviour is what matters, and that is the behaviour of a great man!
