Page 52 of Her Heart's Rightful Earl
His instincts conflicted with his need to remain concealed—he wanted desperately to confront the moneylenders directly. He knew criminals were unlikely to exercise empathy, but if there was any way he could shield Marcus from their threats, he would do it.
Alexander was reminded of days in the past when he protected his younger brother from schoolyard bullies—Marcus had been persistently victimized for his small stature and sensitivities. He would cry easily and act with oddities that made him stand out to the other children as somebody they would classify as different.
Even at home, Marcus’s lack of resilience during childhood would attract harsh criticism from their father. Alexander knew that the earl loved them both, but even as a child, he could see that their father did not hide his disappointment in his youngestson and would reprimand him habitually for characteristics that were innately in Marcus.
Alexander would defend his little brother against their father’s caustic words, and just as he had protected Marcus back then, he wished he could emerge from the shadows now and defend him in the same spirit.
But his hands were tied. Alexander must endure this constriction.
Chapter 17
Dinner at the Wellwood residence had become an occasion laden with tension, and as they headed for the dining room, Charlotte whispered to Arabella.
“Do you think we should return home soon, sister?”
Arabella could tell this was a request, as opposed to a casual query.
“We cannot, Charlotte,” Arabella asserted.
Ahead of them, Marcus danced into the dining room, seemingly oblivious to their presence and as though he were waltzing with an invisible person, humming to himself as he did so. The sisters watched him and exchanged a worried glance.
“We cannot leave Lady Wellwood alone with him …” Arabella whispered urgently as she linked arms with her sister. Charlotte nodded her agreement, and the two made their way in for dinner.
The meal was fraught as Marcus held the stage.
“He fell out of the club onto the pavement! All the crowd erupted in hilarity! Can you believe it, Mother!?” Marcus ended another chaotic anecdote.
The three ladies politely laughed, though Marcus’s laugh was raucous.
“Did you hear of the riots yesterday?” His tone was clipped and serious, suddenly, such a stark contrast from his previous celebration.
“A terrible business …” It seemed he was poised to say more but instead stuffed a large portion of beef into his mouth and focused exclusively on his plate for several moments.
Nobody else dared speak as they would not want to pitch a conversation in the wrong mood, which could provoke a strong reaction from Marcus.
Suddenly, he began to laugh loudly as though something hilarious had occurred to him.
“What is it, Marcus?” Margaret engaged with a forced smile.
All three ladies paused in their eating, expecting him to elaborate on the humorous memory, but he did not, and so,after a few moments, they all flicked glances at each other before resuming their meal.
Later that evening, Arabella sought out Margaret in the library.
She tiptoed stealthily along the corridor’s hardwood floor, which was furnished with a carpet runner, but did not reduce the creaks from the floorboards. Cautiously, she opened the heavy wooden door and closed it quietly behind her.
Margaret was sitting beside the fire, with a broad ledger spread across her lap. She visibly startled as Arabella entered.
“It is only I, Lady Wellwood,” Arabella assured her in a hushed voice as she entered.
Margaret breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed back into her chair, rubbing her eyes with a trembling hand.
Arabella took a seat opposite Margaret, curiously peering over the large book, which appeared to be populated with numbers drawn out in grids.
“Whatever is that?” Arabella asked, conversationally.
Margaret lifted her gaze, her eyes darting towards the door before she mustered the strength to lean forward a little. Thewarm glow from the fire highlighted the stressed lines on her face as she emerged from the dim light. Arabella leaned forward to meet her in confidence.
“These are the accounting books for the Wellwood estate,” Margaret confided. “I have taken to looking over the family finances. There have been some … irregularities … since Marcus took over the estate. I worry that his mind is not operating in a methodical, reliable way, and so I try …”
