Page 31 of The Pleasures of Passion
“I don’t mean to rush you, Bree, but perhaps we should depart. No telling how early your father leaves to go out for the evening, and we wouldn’t want to miss him.”
As Bree groaned, Lady Pensworth straightened. “You’re paying a call onSir Oswald? Whatever for?”
Uh-oh. It looked as if he had stepped awry. “To tell him of the engagement and ask his blessing on the marriage, of course.”
“But—”
“You’re right, we should leave at once,” Bree said hastily. She turned to the nurse, who’d just returned with the salve. “Why don’t you take Silas up now? It’s time for his nap.”
“Certainly, madam,” the nurse said and picked up the boy.
Lady Pensworth sat with pursed lips while Bree gave Silas a tender kiss and sent him off with his nurse, but as soon as the child was gone, the baroness said to Bree, “I cannot believe you are even giving Sir Oswald the time of day.”
Niall narrowed his gaze on the woman. “Why shouldn’t she? Heisher father, after all.”
“And a very poor one, too. If you only knew what that man did to—”
“There’s no time for such a dreary tale right now, Aunt Agatha,” Brilliana said smoothly. “His lordship is right—we need to go.”
“We have a few minutes yet,” he said. “And I confess I’m curious about why you and your father don’t get along.”
“While I prefer not to discuss it,” she countered with a quelling glance for her aunt. “I should hope you’d both respect my wishes.”
Lady Pensworth sniffed. “Very well. But don’t stay too long; I don’t trust that man one whit.”
“Don’t worry, Aunt. Neither do I.” With that, Bree took Niall’s arm and tugged him into the house. He let her, but only because he wanted to get her alone before pursuing the matter. He needed to know more about the estrangement, if only so he could plan his strategy for his mission.
So he waited patiently while she donned a cloak of brilliant scarlet and an enormous bonnet with flowers that matched those on her gown. He said naught to her while they climbed into his carriage and he ordered his coachman to drive on.
But once they’d set off, he broached the subject again. “Enough of this reticence about your father, Bree. If I’m to get to the bottom of this counterfeiting business, I need to know exactly what caused the rift between you two.”
She stared him down. “Why? Our mission has nothing to do with any of that. Besides, it’s in the past.”
“Clearly notthatmuch in the past if your aunt is still worried about it.” When she merely turned to stare out the window, he remembered what she’d said about having not seen her father since her mother’s funeral. “It wasn’t related to your mother’s death, was it? I hope he wasn’t somehow responsible for that.”
Her shocked glance put that supposition to rest. “Good heavens, my father might be a gambler, but he’s no murderer.”
“Ah. Then I assume it has something to do with his gambling.”
Jerking her gaze from him, she let out a heavy sigh. “Of course. What else would it have to do with?”
“What did he do, ask your husband for funds to pay his gaming debts? Cause an estrangement there?” That would explain why she’d become cautious concerning marriage.
“Certainly not,” was all she would say.
“Then perhaps your father gambled away your dowry,” he pressed. “Is that why your aunt had to step in to give you one this time around?”
Her chin quavered. “Something like that.”
Hmm. That made more sense. She’d hoped for a rich, titled husband, and her father had made that impossible. So she’d had to settle for Trevor, who’d had property but no title. Was that why she’d married so soon after Niall’s exile? Because she’d feared that if she didn’t snap up the first eligible man who offered, she’d never marry at all?
Assuming she hadn’t married the man for love. Which Niall still wasn’t sure about. By God, it gnawed at him that she had lethimgo so easily, only to take up with a fellow of half his consequence.
And he still couldn’t understand why she hadn’t just written to him, so he could send for her.
Unbidden, his father’s words from long ago came to him:What good would you be to her once the two of you are in hiding in Spain? She won’t be able to lord it over her friends as a viscountess or show off her fine town house or prance about to balls on the arm of an earl’s heir.
Right. That was why.
