Page 26 of A Baron's Scandalous Quill
She didn’t say anything. She bit her lip once more, making it red, then she at last turned the paper for him to see it. He took the page from her, seeing it was indeed a marriage certificate.
On the left-hand side was his father’s name, George Dorset, and next to that name was another that William did not recognize.
Sarah Brackley.
There were other details on the certificate as well, but for a moment, William couldn’t concentrate on anything else other than the woman’s name.
“Who is Sarah Brackley?” he asked aloud.
“And is the certificate genuine?” Becca whispered. “Is it possible your father was married for a second time?”
Chapter 9
“I’m so sorry—”
“Don’t be. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“But—”
“Becca, this is hardly your fault, is it?” Lord Lancaster’s words left her dumbstruck for a second.
She stood in the doorway of the house, her bonnet and spencer jacket on, ready to leave, but she was finding it increasingly hard to step out of the door after the revelation they had made.
One minute, they had gone from flirting with one another, where Becca had felt more and more confident by the second, imbued with the knowledge that Lord Lancaster felt something for her. The next minute, there was an air of mystery hanging between them, and confusion on the poor baron’s part.
“I should not be so surprised, should I?” he asked with a rather hopeless shrug. “That man rarely ever spoke a word of truth.” He cursed suddenly, then apologized, but she shook her head, brushing it off. She reached out toward him, not sure what else to do, and laid a hand to his arm. He breathed deeply at hertouch, seeming to calm for just a minute before he lifted a hand and rested it over hers.
There was warmth in that touch. She didn’t want to pull away, and instead, shifted her hand as she had done before when they shared tea. Their fingers entwined a little on his arm, sliding together. They didn’t look at one another, but both gazed at their grasp on each other instead.
“I suppose a chaperone would not like this,” she whispered, very glad that the entrance hall was still empty and no one could see them together.
“I suppose not,” he agreed, yet neither one of them pulled away. “Stolen touches…” he whispered.
She longed to ask what he meant by that. Did he want to steal more touches? There had been a moment in his study together where she had thought he might kiss her, then realized how foolish a wish that was. He was a baron. No matter what he felt in terms of attraction, there was a great distance between them.
We can flirt. We cannot do any more.
“I’m still sorry,” she whispered, returning their conversation to what had passed in his father’s study. “It is possible the certificate is not genuine.”
“It looked genuine enough. It’s just…” He sighed, pausing once more, then looked at her, the sadness plain in the crinkling around his eyes. Her heartbeat thudded harder, and as she looked at him, she knew this was not just about attraction. She felt sorry for him, a wish to protect him in a way she had never felt for any other.
“On his deathbed, my father confessed about his true parentage and his background. He hoped to get into heaven by confessing his sins. Yet he didn’t confess them all, did he? Even then, when the rat wanted to get into heaven, he couldn’t bring himself to reveal all of his secrets.”
“It makes little sense.”
“On the contrary, it makes perfect sense.” He nodded, looking down at where their hands were still connected. “He was as selfish in death as he had been in life. He wanted to keep something known only to himself.”
“I am still sorry for this. I didn’t wish to bring you pain.”
“It’s not pain you bring, believe me. It’s lightness.” The confession seemed to startle him as much as it did her.
“Were you not expecting yourself to say such a thing?”
“Not such a truth, no.” Then suddenly, the heavy air between them dissipated, and they both laughed gently.
“Well, I am glad to bring at least a little lightness to you.” She nearly said, ‘this house,’ but instead, ‘you’ slipped out of her lips. They both breathed deeply, practically in time with one another.
“Come back tomorrow?” he asked, his voice deep, and she nodded, even before he had finished asking his question. “I shall see you then.”
