“As you damn well should!” Colin heaved a heavy sigh then. “However, as much as I would like to lay the blame solely at your feet, I know my sister too well. She has always been far too headstrong for her own good.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I could almost forgive you for bedding her Alec. Lord knows Scarlett has long been accustomed to getting what she wanted. But then to cast her aside like she was just another one of your conquests, that is something I can never forgive.” His voice was hard and uncompromising.
“It was never my intention to hurt her Colin, I swear to you.”
“When Scarlett told me she was with child I never, ever, imagined it was you,” he admitted, his tone utterly disheartened. “I begged her to tell me who the father was, but she refused time and again. She was protecting you.” His bitter tone reflected his scorn. “You cast her aside like she was just another one of your meaningless flings, and still she protected you.”
Alec watched as Colin visibly sought to control his temper, but it was clearly difficult. “I did what I thought was best for Scarlett, for both of us,” he tried to explain. “She deserved better than me, better than this…” he lifted his hands in frustration, “this false, hypocritical society we live in. Damn it Colin, you know as well as I do how things work. Look at all of the married couples we know. How many of those unions have become nothing more than the bitter pairings of two disenchanted people, people who seek their happiness in the arms of others.”
“Always the cynic,” Colin scoffed. “Now look where it’s gotten you, where it’s gotten all of us.”
“If I had known there was a child I would have married her, surely she knew that.”
“I’m sure she did.”
“Then why in the hell didn’t she tell me?”
“Do you honestly think she would have wanted you to marry her, simply because of the child? To have forced you into something you didn’t want? She knew how you felt about her, about marriage.” His hands clenched into fists. “Apparently you made your feelings very clear.”
Alec’s own temper began to rise. “And what of her feelings? If you recall, it was she who promptly fell in love with another man, a man she then married, knowing she was carrying my child.”
Colin took a deep breath. “You know you cannot claim him Alec, at least not publically.”
“I know,” he admitted. He knew what had to be done. “We shall announce our engagement immediately.”
“Ha,” Colin laughed wryly. “Even if I were to consent to such a thing, do you honestly think Scarlett would agree to marry you, now, after all that has happened?”
“We have a child.” The statement was matter of fact.
He snorted. “And if she refuses, what then?”
“I intend to claim my son, one way or another.”
“Christ Alec, you can’t possibly think to announce to the world that Oliver is yours?”
“Can’t I?” His tone was resolute.
“For God’s sake, do you want everyone to know that he was born on the wrong side of the blanket?” Colin demanded. “And what about Scarlett, she will be ruined.”
“What would you have me do, Colin, turn my back on my child, my own flesh and blood?” he replied angrily. “I won’t do it. I have already lost three years with my son, and I’ll be dammed if I will lose any more. If she refuses to marry me, what other choice will I have?”
“Bloody hell.” Colin looked away, and was quiet for a moment. When he finally turned back to Alec, his expression was still angry, but it was also resigned. “So what do we do now?”
Alec and Colin met the surprised stares of their friends and acquaintances as they walked down the stairs to White’s main lobby, smiling and laughing as if they hadn’t just beaten the hell out of each other less than a half an hour earlier. Catching site of the proprietor as they reached the landing, they immediately moved in his direction. To his credit, the man’s expression revealed not a hint of the tremendous shock and astonishment that he, like everyone else must surely be experiencing as they approached side by side.
Colin spoke first, his tone almost jovial. “I’m afraid that His Grace and I had a bit of a disagreement earlier, but fortunately we have managed to resolve our conflict,” he said, thumping Alec on the back good-naturedly. “However, I fear we have left one of your card rooms a bit worse for wear.”
“Indeed we have,” Alec agreed in apparent good-humor. “Please accept our apologies, and charge whatever damages we may have caused to my account.”
“Of course, Your Grace, as you wish,” the man nodded. “I am glad to hear the issue has been resolved.”
One could have heard a pin drop as he and Colin then made their way to the front door, exiting the establishment together. As the heavy wooden panel closed firmly behind them, Alec could only imagine the conversations that were certain to ensue. Without a doubt, the speculation as to what had caused the fight between he and Colin would spread like wildfire throughout the club, and within hours, every detail surrounding the extraordinary event was sure to be all over the city.
As they had discussed, Colin sent his coachman home while they waited for Alec’s own carriage to be brought around. As if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, they stood patiently as the coachman pulled the horses to a stop in front of them, and then entered the vehicle as one of the attendants held open the door, his eyes as wide as saucers as he took in their dishevel. Once the door had been closed firmly behind them, they ended their genial charade. Gazing at one another from opposite sides of the coach, their expressions were anything but amicable.
“I’ll have Rory and Gavin begin spreading the word tomorrow,” Colin stated grudgingly.
Alec nodded. They had agreed to have the twins drop subtle hints about Town, suggesting that the fight between he and Colin had been nothing more than a foolish disagreement. To all outward appearances, their friendship would resume and continue on as it had before. In private it would be another matter entirely. However, what happened from that point on depended largely upon Scarlett.
Scarlett was staring anxiously out one of the front windows when she saw a coach pull to a stop in front of the house. Though it was late, the streetlamps cast the darkened street in a faint glow and she could just make out Alec’s ducal crest on the side of the vehicle. In fascination, she watched as her brother stepped from the coach, immediately followed by Alec. They stood side by side for a moment and appeared to be speaking with one another. Then Alec turned away and started up the walk leading to his house, as Colin turned in the opposite direction and did the same.
With her heart in her throat, Scarlett rushed to the front door, swinging it open as Colin drew near. Pulling him into the foyer and then into the front parlor, she quickly shut the door behind them. Several lamps had been left burning and now bathed the room in a soft light as she turned to face her brother. “Oh,” Scarlett gasped, catching sight of her brother’s split lip, and then his bruised and swollen hands. “Colin, what have you done?”
“Don’t worry, the son of a bitch is still alive,” he assured her, before dropping wearily into the nearest chair. “A few bruises, maybe a couple of cracked ribs, nothing life-threatening I assure you.”
“You said you were just going to talk to him,” Scarlett accused, as thoughts of Alec, bloody and battered raced through her mind. She should have known what would happen. She never should have let Colin confront Alec alone. She should have insisted that they talk to him together. She sank into the chair opposite her brother, her hands covering her mouth in alarm and dismay.
“He’s fine Scarlett. In fact, he is in a hell of a lot better shape than he should be, considering the circumstances,” he stated gruffly.
Despite her fear, she supposed what Colin said was true. She had seen Alec step from the coach and then walk to his house of his own accord; if he’d been seriously injured, he would have required assistance. “I told you it wasn’t his fault Colin,” Scarlett said, dropping her hands t
o her lap. “You know that I am to blame for what happened between us.”
“You are partially to blame,” he corrected, “which is the only reason I didn’t kill him.”
Scarlett looked at her brother in frustration. “Did the two of you even discuss the situation at hand, or did you merely spend the entire time pummeling each other?”
“We discussed it.”
“And?” Scarlett prompted, quickly losing what little patience she had left.
“Congratulations, you’re getting married.”
“What?” she gasped, staring at her brother in stunned dismay. “Colin, you can’t be serious.” She and Alec couldn’t get married now, not after all that had happened.
“It certainly wasn’t my suggestion, but Alec intends to claim his son, Scarlett, one way or another. Would you create a scandal now, have Oliver labeled a bastard, after all that you have done to protect him?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then what other choice is there? If the two of you marry, Alec can legally adopt Oliver and raise him as his own. No one ever need know that he was illegitimate.”
“But Alec doesn’t want to marry me Colin; you know that as well as I do. He has these ridiculous notions about love and marriage,” she told him, shaking her head in consternation. “It will never work. I won’t force him to the altar. I can’t. He will never forgive me if I do and what kind of marriage would we have then?”
“No one’s forcing him Scarlett. Like I said, it was his idea, not mine.”
His idea. Of course, Scarlett thought, but only because of Oliver. He wanted his son, and because of Oliver he was willing to marry her. In truth, he was still being forced to do something he didn’t want to do. It was as she had always feared, and the reality of it was not only disheartening but humiliating as well. “Surely there must be another way?”
“Is there?” Colin’s tone was dubious.
“I…” She faltered, for in spite of what she wished, she couldn’t deny the truth.
“Are you still in love with him, Scarlett?”
The question caught her by surprise, and for a moment her expression was completely unguarded. Words weren’t necessary.
“I suspected as much,” Colin said, nodding. “He doesn’t deserve you, Minx.” Despite his words, his expression was resigned.
Chapter 19
Breaking the news to Conner, Rory and Gavin that Alec Weston was Oliver’s father was going about as well as Scarlett had anticipated. Rory and Gavin’s initial shock was quickly turning to outrage, while Conner, the most intuitive of her brothers merely looked speculative, and not entirely surprised.
“I’m going to kill him,” Rory said, rising angrily from his seat.
“He’s a dead man,” Gavin concurred, as he too rose to his feet, his face a mask of fury.
“Sit down, both of you!” Colin ordered, his tone commanding.
For a moment neither of them moved to retake their seats, and the air quickly grew fraught with tension.
Colin repeated the order, his demeanor slightly less formidable though his tone was still authoritative. “I said, sit down. Please.”
Grudgingly, her brothers resumed their seats.
“After what happened last night, the last thing we need is another incident to fuel the gossips.”
“What exactly happened last night?” Rory queried, looking slightly gratified as his gaze moved to Colin’s bruised knuckles.
Over the course of the next half hour, Colin filled them in on the events of the past evening and outlined what was to come, first and foremost, Scarlett’s impending engagement and what needed to be done prior to any sort of official announcement. At Scarlett’s request, he also made them promise not to tell Alec the truth about Ian McKinnon.
“As I said, we don’t want anyone to suspect that Scarlett had anything to do with the cause of our fight, so I need the two of you,” he said, looking toward Rory and Gavin, “to start spreading some false rumors as to its cause. As far as everyone knows, Alec and I have resolved our conflict and remain friends.”
“And as for Scarlett and Alec, they will begin being seen together in public as soon as possible. In a couple of weeks I will confirm that I have given my blessing for a courtship between the two, and shortly thereafter, they can announce their engagement. Once the banns are read they will be married, and hopefully no one will be the wiser.”
“I expect all of you,” he said, looking pointedly at each of his three brothers, “to act as though nothing out of the ordinary has transpired. In public, you will continue to treat Alec as a close family friend, and in private…well... difficult as it may be, I will expect you all to behave in a civil manner. Is that understood?”
Nodding their agreement, her brothers clearly recognized what had to be done, despite their obvious aversion.
For Scarlett, who had remained quiet for most of the conversation, the entire situation seemed surreal. She had dreamed of becoming Alec’s wife for years, and now that it was actually coming to pass, it was nothing at all as she had imagined. In fact, the entire thing seemed more like a nightmare than a dream.
Next door, Olivia Weston had just returned from having breakfast with one of her friends and had yet to see her son, for he’d still been abed when she had left. Now however, she eagerly sought him out with obvious purpose. Questioning Alec’s butler she learned that her son was presently in his study, and with her heels clicking loudly against the marble floor she hurried down the hall, opening the door to Alec’s study without knocking.
Seated behind his desk, Alec looked up at his mother’s abrupt entrance.
Moving forward, Olivia gasped as she took in the sight of Alec’s bruised face. “Dear Lord, it’s true,” Olivia uttered in astonishment, raising her hands and crossing them over her chest as she stared at her son in horror.
“I presume that means you have already heard,” Alec replied, his tone droll as he leaned back in his chair. News certainly traveled fast.
“What on earth were you thinking partaking in a public brawl, and with Colin McPhearson of all people?” his mother demanded, clearly shocked by Alec’s nonchalant manner.
Tossing the document he had been reading onto his desk, he sighed in resignation. It was time to tell his mother about Scarlett, and about his son. “Have a seat mother,” Alec said, rising from his chair and motioning toward the sofa as he came around from behind his desk. “We need to talk.”
Ten minutes later, his mother knew everything. To say she was upset was a definite understatement. “Look at it this way,” Alec said, his tone sardonic, “you no longer have to wait for that grandchild you’ve been so desperately longing for.”
Olivia looked at her son with withering reproach. “This situation is certainly nothing to make light of Alec.”
“I am well aware of that, Mother, I assure you,” he sighed. He couldn’t blame her for being angry. His horrible lack of judgment three years earlier had put them all into a difficult and precarious situation.
“You will have to tell Duchy of course.”
“I know. I’ll go and see her later today.”
“Knowing your grandmother, I don’t envy you that conversation,” Olivia said with raised brows. “You will be lucky not to have garnered another bruise or two by the time she’s finished with you.”
It was an exaggeration of course, but they both knew Gwendolyn Weston wasn’t going to be happy when she learned of her beloved grandson’s shockingly immoral behavior.
Much to Alec’s surprise, Duchy wasn’t nearly as outraged as he’d feared she would be. In fact, after recovering from the initial shock, she seemed almost pleased by the situation.
“We will hold the ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral of course,” she said, already making note of all the things that would need to be done. “Your mother and I will have to start the preparations as soon as possible. When do you plan to announce your engagement?”
“I can’t help but notice that you don�
�t seem to be overly troubled by this unexpected turn of events.”
“Troubled, why on earth would I be troubled?” she asked, looking at Alec with a knowing smile. “Though I have never met the girl, I can only assume that Scarlett McPhearson must be a very remarkable young lady to have caused you to cast aside your principles as you did.”
“She was,” he agreed, somewhat sullenly.
“And still is I’m sure,” Duchy countered, with a slightly disapproving look at her grandson. “I can only guess as to her rationale for keeping the boy from you, Alec, but I’m sure she had her reasons.”
Alec merely snorted in response, still angry at Scarlett’s deception.
“She was in love with you, wasn’t she?”
He shrugged. “The fact that she married another man not more than a few months after we parted, would seem to defy that notion, don’t you think?”
“You said yourself that you were the one who ended it. I’m sure the poor girl was devastated. Is it so surprising that she would turn to someone else for comfort?”
“That is beside the point and you know it,” Alec retorted. “She was carrying my child, a fact that she was well-aware of at the time of her marriage.” He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. “She kept my son a secret from me for over three years damn it.” Rising angrily to his feet, he faced his grandmother. “Don’t get your hopes up Duchy, I can assure you that this isn’t going to be the grand love story you were hoping for.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Gwendolyn murmured under her breath.
Hearing his grandmother’s quietly spoken declaration, Alec simply rolled his eyes. She would be disabused of her romantic notions soon enough.
At precisely four o’clock that afternoon, Alec stood outside the McPhearson’s front door and rang the bell. He and Colin had agreed upon the time the night before, and now, as he waited for the butler to answer the door, he felt like a man about to face a firing squad. When it finally swung open, it was almost a surprise to see the stoic butler standing on the other side, rather than an angry McPhearson brother ready to take his head off.
The Hellion and The Heartbreaker Page 26