A Siren’s Melody: Love and Family Book Two

by Wells, Nancy

  “You are right,” he said. “We owe that much to him.”

  A loud banging on his door made him curse under his breath. Elliot or his household would never try to barge inside his room. Everyone was aware that his room was off limits to everyone until he allowed them inside. The only people he had allowed so far were his brother, Shane and the woman he loved, Lady Isabella.

  He strode angrily towards the door and opened the bolt. The moment he pulled the door open, Margaret stumbled inside. His hands reached out to steady her out of pure reflex. He had not seen her following him out, leaving her own party behind.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, perplexed and baffled.

  Her eyes were puffy and red when she looked up at him. It touched him immensely that she had left the party that was thrown in her honor and shadowed him to his room. She was also the daughter of the same person, yet there was so much contrast between the two siblings. The older one had clearly taken after their father, a heartless person who thrived on inflicting pain on innocent people.

  “You promised never to leave me,” she said accusingly. “You said you would stay with us forever. You called me a sister.”

  He was speechless before this young person who had clearly become attached to him. He had promised her the night he took her sister to his room that he intended to stay forever in their lives, but now he was going back on that promise because he believed there was nothing left for him here. It never occurred to him that his leaving would hurt the little sister. The older one might have used him as a plaything, but the younger one was clearly fond of him.

  He wiped her tears with his handkerchief and leaned down to her level. She was sniffling and hiccupping while attempting to hold back her tears.

  “I might go away, but you will forever remain like a sister to me,” he said softly. “No one can break the bond we share.”

  Shane had also come near them. He was sitting on his haunches, smiling at the child. Russell looked towards the doorway where almost every member of the household was standing with moisture in their eyes. The child’s tears had softened everyone’s heart. He only wished that his grief had the same power on the older sister, but he knew it was only wishful thinking. She would never feel for him the way he felt for her. After everything that happened in her house, he should hate her, but his heart was still beating erratically at the thought of her. He considered himself a fool who was still in love with a serpent.

  “Whenever you are in need, we are only a missive away from you,” Shane said, tapping her nose with his finger. “We will leave everything behind when we receive your missive.”

  Margaret wrapped her arms around Russell’s torso, hugging him for dear life. He thought he would feel the same ants crawling up his body with her physical contact, but instead, he felt a warmth in his heart. The only good thing that came out of his supposed romance with Lady Isabella was the diminishing of his aversion towards human contact.

  “Your mother will be worried, Lady Margaret,” he said, patting her head. “You must go home.”

  He tried to unwrap her arms, but she held him more firmly, refusing to let go. He cursed her older sister for being a heartless woman. If she had no intention of continuing their liaison then the least she could have done was to halt her sister from becoming attached to him. His heart might have meant nothing to him, but she must care about her own sister. For her own selfish gains, she was breaking a child’s heart.

  “No,” she said stubbornly. “If I go home, you will leave in the middle of the night.”

  He looked helplessly at his brother. He was not leaving outright, but he had no clue as to how to convince the little girl. He considered himself a skilled person when it came to manipulating people, but he was feeling powerless before an innocent child. It was clear that she would not listen to him, no matter how many times he tried convincing her. She was just a child. She would never listen to reason.

  “She can stay here in this house until she is satisfied you are not running at the first sign of trouble,” Elliot said from the doorway. “After all, what kind of man would that make you if you yielded without fighting for love?”

  Russell had the feeling that Elliot had more to say, but he was trying to hold back for the benefit of the small girl holding onto him for dear life. This was Elliot’s way of telling him that he should stay and fight for love instead of accepting the events that transpired earlier. Elliot’s intentions were noble, but he did not hear the words she said to him. She was not like Emily who was in love with Elliot and fought for that love until she melted a stone-hearted person like Elliot. There was nothing left to fight for when the other person was playing you from the beginning.

  “Elliot, digging a treasure where the map had not been marked will only get you dirt.”

  He hoped his friend would get the message he was trying to convey and back off. Elliot was romanticizing his relationship with Lady Isabella, but he had a wrong impression about her. She was not worthy of being chased. She used him for his gain and then discarded him when she was done with him.

  “Elliot, I would like a private word with you,” Shane interrupted Elliot’s next words. “There is more to this than what meets the eyes.”

  Shane left with Elliot, leaving him with Margaret. He looked down at her clinging arms and sighed in defeat. She would not leave until he relented. He could not stay for a long time in this place, but she did not have to know that.

  “You are one stubborn chit,” he chuckled.

  Margaret looked up at him and smiled. She knew she had succeeded in making him stay. She unwrapped her arms from around his torso and he offered his hand to her. They left his room together.

  He searched for Willy and let the two children run around while he watched from a distance. He smiled at her whenever she looked his way, but his mind was not in the present. He was reliving the moment Isabella slapped him across his face again and again in his head. He knew Margaret would never leave on her own unless someone from her house came to fetch her, which was bound to happen at some point.

  He saw Lady Emily talking heatedly with Elliot from a distance. They were arguing about something. It was a rare thing to see them disagree over anything. When she looked his way and strode angrily towards him, Elliot grabbed her from behind and took her away kicking and screaming. It was not hard to guess that he was the reason for their little display. Elliot would no doubt be on his side after talking with Shane, but it seemed that his wife did not agree with him and was coming his way to advocate for Lady Isabella, but Elliot stopped her in mid-stride.

  Russell chuckled with himself, imagining the way Elliot was going to make his wife agree with him. He had heard some strange noises coming from his friend’s bedroom on more than one occasion and it was not hard to guess the reason for those sounds. After all, his own brother was also into smacking a woman’s bottom from time to time.

  The thought of smacking a woman’s bottom brought back some more sad memories. She had asked him to smack her bottom because she was curious about it and then begged him to stop once she realized it was not something she would ever enjoy. That memory used to bring a smile to his face but was now making him gloomy and despondent.

  Chapter 10

  It had been weeks since the unfortunate event, yet she was still abed. She had not come out of her room in all this time and neither had her sister returned home. At a time like this, she would have appreciated her sister’s support, but Margaret was taking sides with him. Her sister who had been a close confidant of hers from the very beginning was feeling betrayed by her and hated her for what she did to him.

  She had no desire to eat the food that was sent to her room, but she needed energy for the sake of the child growing in her belly. She had found out about her condition when her monthlies did not come for two straight months and she became picky with what to eat and what to hurl back up. She might have lost him, but she intended to keep his child as a reminder of what they shared.

&n
bsp; The door to her room opened, but she ignored the person who had come inside, figuring it was a maid with a tray of food.

  “Put it on the table and close the door on your way out.”

  She had repeated this sentence like an automaton for a very long time. Every time a maid entered her room, she asked her to leave the food while laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling, but today was different. The person sat on her bed near her head and brushed her hair with gentle fingers. She closed her eyes, recognizing the touch of her mother. She tried to hide her emotions, but the traitorous tears still escaped from her lashes.

  “My dear child,” her mother said in a tearstained voice. “You cannot stay holed up inside of this room forever. Tell me what happened to you? Why are you making yourself wither away? I worry for you.”

  She kept looking at the ceiling without blinking, searching for answers that were not there. It was hard to grasp that she had become a depressed and desolate person in such a short time. One moment she was planning her wedding and in the next instant, she was pushing away the man who was supposed to share vows with her before God and her family. She had tried to live like Shane, but she was not as strong as he. She could not face the world while her love escaped through her fingers like grains of sand.

  “How did father die, Mother?” she asked.

  She was tired of keeping so many secrets. She could not get him back because of her father’s secret. Her sister hated her because of the same secret. She could not face the whole world because of her secret child. Philip was secretly a vigilante when it came to saving a child, but she could not confront him about it. Her mother was hiding her father’s identity from her. Everything had become too much for her. All these secrets were crushing her.

  “Highwaymen killed him,” her mother said hesitantly. “You already know that.”

  At this point, she was unraveling. She was done with keeping everyone happy. She was not made of stone. She could feel pain and hurt like any other person. It was time for her to think about her child and confront some people about the secrets they were keeping from her.

  “Tell me the truth, Mother,” she snapped. “I already know that Philip killed our father, but I want to know if you were involved in that too.”

  She would never tell her mother about the things her father was accused of. For all she knew, Philip had acted on his own when he saw his master hurting a small child. Philip was her father’s personal servant. There was a possibility that he came across his master killing another man by coincidence and then he snapped when his master tried to abuse a traumatized child.

  “I told him to.”

  Her mother and Philip were always whispering in one corner or another. She hated to think about it, but her mother could be secretly involved in a romantic relationship with him. At this point, she was past the point where she gave a damn about anyone else in life.

  “Why?” she deadpanned.

  A small part in her mind wished that her father was not as demented as Shane accused him of being. She would prefer it if her father had died at the hands of a jealous lover than killed for being a monster. There was no other word befitting a man who tried to abuse a small child and had no remorse for ruining so many lives. She wished her father was a normal person with normal cravings, but it was too good to be true.

  “He was a not a good person, Isabella,” her mother said worriedly, rushing to explain her reasons. “He harmed a lot of small children. He boasted about his crimes when he was deep in his cups. I kept quiet for a long time, but one day I cracked. He was getting bolder with every passing day. I could not let him ruin any more lives. I was worried about my own children’s safety. How long before his attention was diverted to one of my children?”

  Her mother’s concern was valid. She might have argued with her mother a long time ago, but now the situation was different because she now knew what it feels like to be a mother. Her child was still in her womb, yet she felt protective of that child. The thought of anything or anyone harming her unborn child made her furious beyond words. If she could feel so much love for someone who had not yet arrived in this world, her mother’s urge to protect her two little girls did not come as a surprise to her.

  “I understand your reasons for taking out a person who was a threat to your children. I truly do,” she said, putting a protective hand on her womb without realizing what she was doing. “What vexes me is that he was not alone the night he was murdered, which means some people were aware of his twisted urges. How come no one ever mentioned that once we were grown? Surely, a heinous crime like that could never be forgotten.”

  Her mother did not respond to her query, so she turned her head towards her. Her mother was crying silently while looking at the hand on her womb. It was not hard to guess her mother’s thoughts. Her mother had become aware of the child in her womb and was worried about her reputation, but she was past the point where she gave a damn about her own reputation in society. Her mother’s silence was giving her the confirmation of her suspicions. Her father’s crimes were not a secret like she had assumed.

  “What did you do, Isabella?” her mother said, putting a palm to her mouth.

  She knew her mother was asking about the child in her womb, but she was not in the mood to answer her mother’s questions. This day, she was seeking answers to the questions that she ought to have asked a long time ago. It never occurred to her before this day that people avoided her like a plague in every social event because of her father’s identity. She was the daughter of a monster and everyone hated her for what she might become one day. It was a common belief that a child takes after their own parents and people feared that she would become like her father and start molesting children and murdering innocent people.

  “That was why no one paid me any attention in the ballroom. Our uncle sponsored us, but would not allow us near his children,” she said accusingly, her voice getting an octave higher with every word. “We are repulsive to everyone, yet you made me parade like a fool in front of the whole world. Do you have any idea what it feels like being the only one who is rejected in a crowd full of people?”

  Her mother averted her gaze, ashamed to meet the accusing eyes of her daughter. It was unbelievable that her own mother would deliberately make a mockery of her, and to top it all off, the only man who gave her any attention was old enough to be her grandfather. Lord Harley was sure she would say yes to his proposal because he was also aware that she would not get any suitors. The only other man who showed interest in her was not part of the nobility, so it was doubtful he would be aware of her true identity because if he did, he would not have loved her so deeply.

  “Mr. Simon fancies you,” her mother said meekly. “Everyone does not think ill of you.”

  The only man who thought her worthy was the one person who had suffered all his life due to her father. She had heard the wistfulness in his voice when he talked about the man who raised him. He, without a doubt, loved the man who might not have been his real father but meant more to him than any blood relation. He had told her once that he would give anything to have him back in his life. Now, if he knew that she was the daughter of the man who was responsible for taking away his father then there was nothing in this world that could make him still fall in love with her.

  “Do you know, he is the child that was my father’s next prey when Philip murdered him?” she said dejectedly. “He is bound to loathe me once he figures out who my real father is.”

  She started to cry in earnest. Her child would never know its father. Her child would be considered a bastard, loathed and rejected by the whole world, but she would love her child enough to make up for the disdain of the world. Her child would know a father who was a spy and a brave man who died in the service of serving the crown because she did not want her child to leave her one day too. She would never tell her child about the grandfather who was a monster.

  Her mother looked at her, wide-eyed and horror-stricken, then she leaned down and wrappe
d her loving arms around her daughter. The two of them cried in each other’s embrace for a long time, both of them aware of the future that was awaiting her.

  “Forgive me, my child,” her mother said. “I wish I could do anything to bring happiness into your life, but I am helpless in the face of everything. The least I can do at this point is take my daughters away from London and its obnoxious residents.”

  She appreciated her mother’s offer to leave London. There was nothing left for her in this town. If she had known that her first season would bring her so much misery, she would have never agreed to make her appearance amidst the residents of London. She would never forget the stranger she met on the balcony. She would treasure the moments she had spent with him for the rest of her life.

  “What about Margaret?” she asked.

  Her sister had refused to return home even when her mother sent servants to fetch her. They could not leave her in London. If she refused to come home, they might have to use force to bring her back and Margaret would never forgive her after that. She wished she could share everything with her sister, but she did not want her little sister to know that their father was a monster. She should be the only one to bear that burden. Her sister did not have to go through the same traumatic experience as hers.

  “She returned two days ago.”

  It was easier for her to believe that her sister was not home than to know that Margaret had returned but was refusing to see her. The sister who used to come running into her room at the mere mention of a bee sting did not care if she had come out from her room for the past few weeks.

  She did not respond, and her mother did not press the issue either. Her mother was already aware of how much it must have hurt her. Her mother stood up from her bed, wiping tears with her sleeves and turned towards the door to leave the room. Before her mother left, she placed an envelope on the side table.