by Bree Wolf
“My lord,” they greeted him, inclining their heads.
Sebastian, however, ignored them. “Where is he?” he demanded, a snarl on his face. “Where’s my father?”
“In the study,” one of them replied, his face tense with discomfort.
Striding onward, Sebastian tried to force his muscles back under control, lest he strike his father on sight. Not that the man didn’t deserve it!
Before he had reached the hallway leading to his father’s study, a soft voice called from the upstairs landing. “Sebastian, you’re home.”
Stopping in his tracks, Sebastian looked up and saw his mother hurrying down the stairs, a glowing smile on her face as she came toward him. “Hello, Mother.”
“I didn’t expect you home so soon,” she said, wrapping him in a soft hug. “How was the continent? Did you enjoy yourself?”
With hard eyes, he glared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he hissed, and her face instantly changed.
Gone was the delighted smile, replaced by an expression of haunted guilt. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I pleaded with him but…”
Gritting his teeth, Sebastian nodded, knowing only too well how unrelenting his father could be. “You could have written to me,” he said, shaking his head. Again, his hands balled into fists as his anger boiled hot in his veins. “I’ll kill him for this,” he snarled, then stormed off.
“Sebastian!” his mother called after him, her dainty footsteps echoing behind him on the parquet.
Not bothering to knock, Sebastian threw open the door to his father’s study, bursting in like a madman bent on carnage.
Instantly, his father’s head snapped up, disapproval marking his face at the intrusion. However, the moment he recognised his son, the corners of his mouth curled upward and he slowly set down the quill he had been holding. Then he rose to his feet. “I see you have returned.”
“How could you?” Sebastian snarled, glaring at his father, fighting to keep control. Never in his life had he been this angry…or this miserable. “Is this why you sent me away? So you could do as you please?”
A hand on his rounded belly, his father laughed. “I always do as I please. It’s a prerogative of my station.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Sebastian demanded. “Why did you marry her off the second I left the country?”
Shrugging, his father sighed. “I didn’t tell you because−you have to admit−you’re a bit of hot-head, and I did not wish for your personal feelings to complicate the matter.”
“Complicate the matter?” Sebastian echoed, staring at his father in disbelief. Although he had known all his life that his father was probably the most unfeeling man in England, a small part of him had always hoped that he was wrong.
Now, he knew.
All the while, his mother stood by the door and watched…as she always had…and didn’t utter a single word.
“Yes,” his father said, shaking his head in disapproval. “Look at yourself. I wager everything I own that the second you found out about this, you’ve been riding non-stop, only to throw your hatred in my face. Am I not right?” His eyes narrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line before he continued. “You act like a child, rash and impulsive, and that is precisely why I thought it best not to give you an opportunity to interfere and ruin everything.”
“Ruin everything?” Taking a deep breath, Sebastian gritted his teeth. “How dare you speak of her as though she were a horse you can sell?”
His father snorted. “Please do not be overly dramatic. I did not sell her. I merely married her to an esteemed gentleman who will give her a good life. If you would calm down, you’d see that this is a most advantageous marriage. Although he is merely a baron, his family is vastly wealthy and of high standing in society. He is everything we could hope for.”
Now, it was Sebastian’s turn to snort. “We? Or you?” Holding his father’s gaze, Sebastian stepped closer. “I just saw her,” he forced out through gritted teeth, and for a second, he thought to see his father’s careful mask of indifference slip. However, it may have been a trick of light. “Of course, after I heard what you had done to her, I went to see Victoria…first. Although she tried her best to put on a brave face, it was clear that she’s miserable. She didn’t agree to this marriage, did she?”
His father sighed. “No, she didn’t. But women generally tend to be a little skittish when it comes to married life. She’ll settle into her duties soon enough.”
In an instant, Sebastian’s hands snapped forward and grabbed his father by the collar.
“What are you doing?” With wide eyes, his father tried to keep his composure. “This is not the way of a gentleman.”
Bringing him closer, Sebastian’s voice dropped to a freezing low. “Neither was yours, and yet, you had no scruples.”
“Are you truly surprised that I should marry my own daughter to whom I please?” his father asked, struggling to free himself from Sebastian’s grip. “Isn’t it a father’s duty to find a good husband for her as well as for the family?”
Sebastian inhaled slowly as his mind argued that his father was not wrong. However, where Victoria was concerned Sebastian had never been able to remain rational.
Born into a loveless marriage, Sebastian had spent the first ten years of his life alone while his father had been busy pursuing other matters and his mother had retreated from life altogether, only seeing her own misery. But everything had changed the day Victoria had been born.
From the moment Sebastian had laid eyes on his little sister, he had loved her with all his heart and soul, vowing to protect her until the end of his days.
Now, he had failed her.
Releasing his father, Sebastian stepped back, his anger replaced by the misery he had seen in his sister’s eyes.
“Now, come, come,” his father said, straightening his collar. “Do not forget that this will ultimately benefit you as well. After all, you are the heir to my title and fortune. Does that not please you?”
Closing his eyes, Sebastian shook his head, then met his father’s gaze once more. “None of that matters to me.”
“How can you say that?” his father demanded, eyeing his son through narrowed eyes. “You’ve always been strangely attached to your sister, but−”
“I love her,” Sebastian interrupted, staring at his father. “Do you truly not know what that means? Is there no one in this world whom you love? Who you would give your life for? Who you would relinquish your fortune for?”
Staring back at him, his father seemed to be at a loss. “That is not the point. I−”
“That is precisely the point,” Sebastian argued as his anger surged through his veins once more. “I know I cannot undo what you did, but I will not rest until I see her smile again.”
His father snorted. “You’re a fool.”
“And you’re a monster,” Sebastian snapped, pleased to see his father’s eyes open wide. “And I swear I’ll make you regret this. You will pay for what you did to her.”
His father shook his head. “Almost thirty years of age and you act like a child.”
“Say what you will,” Sebastian replied, stepping backwards. “But don’t for a second believe that this is the end of it.” Then he spun around and left.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One − A Heart's Desire
Chapter Two − A Promise Given
Chapter Three − Grievances
Chapter Four − An Antagonistic Woman
Chapter Five − A Dutiful Wife
Chapter Six − An English Lass Come to Scotland
Chapter Seven − In the Rose Garden
Chapter Eight − Alone Among Strangers
Chapter Nine − An Honest Liar
Chapter Ten − A Fierce Spir
it
Chapter Eleven − A Question of Respect
Chapter Twelve − Comfort & Counsel
Chapter Thirteen − Rumours
Chapter Fourteen − In a Dream
Chapter Fifteen − A Call to Arms
Chapter Sixteen − A Weakness Revealed
Chapter Seventeen − Heavy Burdens
Chapter Eighteen − Only for Tonight
Chapter Nineteen − Broken
Chapter Twenty − Meant to Be
Chapter Twenty-One − A Love Match
Chapter Twenty-Two − Lost in the Woods
Chapter Twenty-Three − A Ray of Hope
Chapter Twenty-Four − Time & Patience
Chapter Twenty-Five − An Inspiring Love
Chapter Twenty-Six − For All Intents and Purposes
Chapter Twenty-Seven − 'Tis What Fathers Do
Chapter Twenty-Eight − Old Hatred
Chapter Twenty-Nine − Keeping with Tradition
Chapter Thirty − A Voice in the Dark
Chapter Thirty-One − Helen of Troy
Chapter Thirty-Two − Out of Love
Chapter Thirty-Three − Suspicions
Chapter Thirty-Four − Revelations
Chapter Thirty-Five − Yer Own Kin
Chapter Thirty-Six − The Traitor's Wife
Chapter Thirty-Seven − A Loyal Man
Chapter Thirty-Eight − A Painful Truth
Chapter Thirty-Nine − Answers of Old
Chapter Forty − A Guardian Angel
Epilogue
Prologue