Page 73 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
To Amelia’s surprise, her mother now glanced at Lady Turner, who sighed and shook her head.
“It seems Beryl’s given us no choice,” she said, and Lady Thornton gasped.
“No… do we have to?” she exclaimed, rising to her feet.
Edmund looked up at her in surprise.
“Mother? What’s wrong?” he asked, and Lady Thornton pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes.
“Oh… I… we’ve kept it hidden all these years,” she said, even as Lord Thornton now cleared his throat.
“Enough now,” he said, and Sir Samuel nodded.
“Yes… enough now. The legal ramifications are over. There can be no challenge to the title,” he said.
Nicholas stared from one to the other in astonishment. Each seemed to have had a part to play in this matter. The divisions between the guests appeared obvious at first, but now the division was between those who knew the truth and those who did not. The younger members of the party Edmund, the viscount, the twins, Clara and Isobel, and Amelia and Nicholas themselves, were oblivious. Each of them looked at one another, and Amelia’s mother nodded.
“I think it’s Margaret’s turn to speak,” she said, looking pointedly at Nicholas’ aunt, who sighed and nodded.
***
Nicholas had been astonished at these revelations, but glad, too, to know something more of the truth. He had assumed he would never know the true identity of the “Madam” mentioned in the letters. But to hear her name and even recall something of what she was like was extraordinary. Hedidremember a woman called Caroline, but his memory of her was vague and distant. She was a smile, a look, a gaze…
“Aunt Margaret?” he asked, turning to his aunt, who sighed.
“Well… it seems we have no choice, doesn’t it?” she said, shaking her head.
“It’s only right, Margaret,” Amelia’s mother said, and Lady Turner nodded.
“Yes, I know it is. It’s just difficult, that’s all. Your father, Nicholas, has his faults. A weakness for women being chief among them. His marriage to Lady Eleanor was a mistake. There was an arrangement, she loved another man, but her parents deemed him inappropriate. She married your father, but there was no happiness there. He went his way, she went hers.
Her being with child was a matter of duty, rather than joy. But when she died, the hope of an heir died with her. It was fortunate, perhaps, to think Caroline’s child could be a substitute. The matter was kept quiet, and Caroline lived here at Ashworth House. They intended to wait a while, then marry when a suitable time of mourning had elapsed,” she said.
“But Caroline died,” Nicholas said, and his aunt nodded.
“She did, but not before she found herself with child again,” she said.
The younger members of the party gasped, and Nicholas turned to Amelia, his eyes wide with astonishment. He knew nothing about another child, not even a rumor or a question. His father had never mentioned anyone else. He was the heir, and the thought of having a brother, or a sister seemed extraordinary.
“You mean I have a sibling?” he exclaimed, and his aunt nodded.
“That’s right. But this time, it was far harder to conceal the truth. To reveal Caroline was with child by your father would be to reveal what had gone before. It was too much of a risk. The baby was saved, but your father kept it quiet, telling Caroline’s father she had fallen victim to a romance with a stable boy. Her own family naturally wanted to keep the matter a secret, too. The child was sent away, adopted,” she said.
Nicholas had been standing at Amelia’s bedside, but now he sank down onto the bed, sighing and putting his head in his hands. It was extraordinary, a revelation beyond anything he had ever imagined. Constance had known nothing, even as she had thought she knew everything.
“But… who was it?” Nicholas asked, even as a sudden suspicion came over him.
“Edmund,” Lady Thornton said, and a collective gasp could be heard around the room.
Chapter 24
This was the final piece of the puzzle. In its revelation, another person of the party was drawn into the extraordinary tale of Nicholas’ father and Caroline. Edmund stared at his mother, open-mouthed. It was no secret he was adopted, but the details were never questioned.
“Oh, but it can’t be…you don’t mean to say… do you?” Nicholas stammered, and Lady Thornton nodded.
“Your father knew we couldn’t have children of our own, and when Caroline died, he came to see us, offering us the chance to adopt Edmund in exchange for our silence over the matter. A silence we’ve kept all these years…until now. We loved Edmund as our own,” she said, pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbing at her eyes.
“Mother…” Edmund said, turning to Lady Thornton, who was now sobbing.
