Leaning back into the supple leather of the chair, Nell said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
He shot her a look. “You are a persistent little thing, aren’t you?”
She grinned. “And you are dictatorial and overbearing.”
Julian laughed. “Oh, very well, if you must know…” He hesitated, his light mood fading. Just when she thought he wouldn’t continue, he said, “Like your brothers, my father was also a twin.”
Nell looked surprised. “Identical like Drew and Henry?”
He nodded. “Yes, my father, Fane, and his brother, Harlan, were born only minutes apart and were alike as two peas in a pod—at least in looks. In personality…” He stared off. “In personality they were very different.” He flashed her a wry grin. “My grandfather, the Old Earl, as we all called him, was a rake’s rake, his reputation for seduction, inebriation and gambling was legendary, and I’m afraid that Harlan took after him, while my father was more like my mother’s family.”
“So except for your father arriving a few moments before him, Harlan would have been the heir?”
“Yes, and believe me, in his later years, Harlan dwelled far too long and often on that point. I remember one time, when he was in his cups shortly before he died, that he even dared to suggest that he was really the firstborn and heir, but for reasons that only made sense to a drunkard, he and my father were switched at birth.”
“Not very logical.”
“No, but then Uncle Harlan wasn’t very logical at times. Other times he could be the best uncle in the world, but…”
“Not always,” Nell said gently.
He cast her a grateful look. “No, not always. When I was young, my father and Harlan were very close, as twins often are. Oh, they sparred and fought, but there was a bond between them that seemed unbreakable. When Harlan’s first wife died, and John and Charles were hardly out of leading strings, it was my father who steadied him during that wretched time. And when my mother died a few years later, it was Harlan who helped him the most during that sad time. Until around the time of John’s death our two families were almost inseparable.”
Nell frowned. “You mentioned John and Charles…Where does Raoul fit into the family?”
“Raoul is Harlan’s son by his second wife, Sofia, a Frenchwoman.”
“Ah, that explains the name. I wondered about it.”
He smiled. “Harlan’s marriage to her caused some raised eyebrows—not what it would do now with the war with Napoleon going on, but at the time it certainly caused a stir.”
“Is she still alive?”
“Oh, yes. Aunt Sofia resides at Stonegate and gives the place some respectability. Lord knows that without her there Charles and Raoul could very well turn it into a brothel.”
“They do not sound very nice.”
Julian made a face. “They’re pleasant enough and as with my uncle, there was a time that I considered them in the same light that I do Marcus. In my youth, I spent as much time at Stonegate with my cousins as they did here. Marcus was part of the group—we all grew up together.” His voice thickened. “John was the eldest of us by five years, with me next in age. John and I were extremely close, and when his son, Daniel, was born, John asked me to be his guardian should something happen to him. It was an odd request and we were, I think, both drunk at the time, but I agreed, never thinking I would actually find myself in that position.”
When he remained silent for several minutes, his expression bleak, Nell prodded, “Something happened to John?”
“When Daniel was twelve years old, John was murdered,” he said baldly.
“Murdered!” she exclaimed. “How horrible!”
“It was the worst tragedy that had ever happened in our family, even worse than the loss of my aunt or my mother—we were all devastated. John was…” He stopped, steadied his voice and then went on. “I can’t explain the anguish we felt at the time. I often think that it was the loss of his eldest son that sent Harlan down his own path to destruction. He drank even more heavily than usual—he’d always been a heavy drinker—and he gambled…” Julian sighed. “He’d played ducks and drakes with his money all the time, but in a matter of months he’d gambled away most of a tidy fortune. Already furious that John had named me guardian of his grandson and heir, once he found himself in dun territory he resented my father and myself all the more.”
“But none of it was your fault,” Nell said hotly. “You didn’t murder John or appoint yourself guardian, and you certainly didn’t gamble away his fortune.”
Julian gave a twisted smile. “You’re wrong. Harlan blamed my father and me for all his ills—and his poison corrupted Charles and Raoul. They were very loyal to their father and if Harlan resented and blamed us, so did they. Their attitude was not logical or reasonable and perhaps, if Harlan had lived longer, the breech might have eventually been healed.” Heavily, Julian added, “Uncle Harlan died hardly a year after John…broke his neck while drunk by falling down the stairs at Stonegate.”
Sympathy in her gaze, Nell said, “A terrible, sad tragedy, but again, not your fault—or your father’s. Surely, Charles and Raoul cannot blame you for what happened. It wasn’t your fault.”
“That may be, but they are convinced that if my father had not selfishly—Raoul’s word—refused to pay off all of Harlan’s debts, that he would not have been drinking so much and wouldn’t have fallen down the stairs.” Julian shrugged. “Charles particularly resented my guardianship of his nephew. He felt slighted, and I believe was deeply hurt, that John bypassed him and left Daniel in my hands.” He smiled ruefully. “And no one can hold a grudge like Charles.”
“Well! They are fools the pair of them, and your uncle, too,” Nell said firmly. She frowned. “And Daniel, your ward? What of him?”
Julian took a deep breath and told her of Daniel’s suicide and the events surrounding it.
“Tynedale!” she spat, sitting bolt upright in her chair. “I cannot believe the infamy of that man.” Her hands clenched into fists in her lap. “We must do something about him. First your cousin Daniel, and then his abduction of me. Oh, but his heart is black. I’d like nothing better than to run him through.”
“I tried, but all I managed was to mark his pretty face,” Julian said dryly.
Nell looked at him admiringly. “That was you? You gave him that scar?” At Julian’s nod, she added warmly, “Oh, but that was well done of you, my lord!” A thoughtful expression crossed her face. “It is too bad that you could not have killed him.”
Julian laughed. “My sentiments exactly.” His face grew grim. “Because I had failed to kill him in our duel, I had planned to ruin him financially—hence my, er, collecting of his vowels.”
She tapped a finger against her lips. “It is a very complicated situation and I see why you cannot use those vowels against him.” She looked searchingly at him. “Are you so positive that Charles and Raoul would really take his side against you? Might not their sense of family unite them behind you?”
Julian shrugged. “It is difficult to tell. The relationship between us has grown, uh, uncomfortable during these past several years. We are not openly at daggers drawing with each other; we can still be in the same room with one another without coming to blows, but their resentment is deep and bitter.”
“And Charles is your heir?”
“Yes…until, and if, we have a son.”
Nell stared fixedly at her lap, the idea of a child, hers and Julian’s, had not previously occurred to her. Remembering their passionate nights together made her heart race. Why, she could be pregnant at this very moment!
Terrified and elated at the same time by the thought of carrying Julian’s child, Nell could think of nothing to say. For probably one of the first times in her life she was speechless. A child! Hers and Julian’s. A warm glow spread through her body. To hold their child in her arms…She could think of nothing more wonderful.
Julian watched her face, wondering what she was thinking
. Catherine had been adamantly against children, but it was a topic he and Nell had never touched upon. Would she, like his first wife, hate being pregnant with his child? A slight chill entered his heart. Surely he would not be unlucky enough to have a second wife who detested the idea of carrying his child? He did not want to believe it of Nell but, he reminded himself, for all the present easy intimacy that existed between them, they didn’t know each other very well—and she had not wanted to marry him…
A tap on the door broke into his thoughts and, at his command, Dibble entered the room. “My lord, the physician is here.”
“Ah, show him to her ladyship’s rooms. She will join him there.”
The door shut behind Dibble. Sending Julian a speaking look, Nell stood up. “I told you that I didn’t need to see a physician.”
“And I told you that I thought you should see him,” Julian replied equably.
“And if I refuse?” she asked, a speculative glint in her eyes.
He stood up. “I shouldn’t like to,” Julian said softly, “but if you refuse, then I shall be forced to carry you up the stairs myself and deposit you in your rooms.”
She eyed his tall form and a delicious little shudder went through her at the idea of him sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her upstairs against her will. She considered forcing the issue, but in the end, she decided that this wasn’t the battle in which to exert her rights.
“Bully,” she said.
“But only for your own good,” he replied with a crooked smile. “Come now, I will escort you to your rooms and introduce you to Dr. Coleman.”
They walked up the stairs together and entered her sitting room. A tall man, his back to them, was standing staring out the long windows. Hearing the door open, he turned and smiled.
Nell’s heart nearly stood still as she stared at the handsome man before her. She might as well have been facing her husband! She glanced up at Julian, then back at the other man. No, on second thought, they did not quite look exactly the same, but they shared enough features in common to make her wonder.
Julian made the introductions and then after a few moments of polite conversation, discreetly left the room.
“Shall we adjourn to your dressing room, my lady?” Dr. Coleman asked with a smile. “I promise you that the examination will not take long.”
He really did remind her of Julian, and that smile…She smiled back at him. “This really isn’t necessary,” she said. “It was only an upset stomach, from buttered lobster. I am the perfect picture of health.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s true, but to keep his lordship happy, I think we shall at least”—a twinkle leaped into his very green eyes—“make an effort for it to ‘appear’ that I have made a thorough examination.”
A gurgle of laughter escaped her. She liked this man. At ease with him, she led him to her dressing room. “Do you live nearby?” she asked as they entered the room.
He nodded, setting down the small black leather bag he carried. “Yes, not more than a couple of miles down the road at Rose Cottage.”
“Oh, I remember the place. It is charming with all those rose-covered arbors around it.”
“Thank you. It is a very comfortable home and the scent of the roses in the summertime is most delightful.”
She would have liked to question him more, but he motioned her to sit down and said, “Well now. I shall, I’m afraid, have to ask you some questions and take your pulse in order to be able to look his lordship in the eye. Do you mind?”
She didn’t. Keeping up a gentle flow of chatter, he quickly completed his task. His manner was such that it wasn’t until they were walking across her sitting room that she realized she’d had a very thorough examination and that he had asked several searching questions about her health.
At the door, she smiled at him and said, “You are a very clever man, Dr. Coleman—hoodwinking me into allowing you to do precisely as my husband asked.”
Bag in hand, he smiled down at her. “You have found me out. But please do not think too harshly of me. Lord Wyndham is a good patron. I would not wish to offend him.” That twinkle leaped into his eyes again. “And it was not such an ordeal, now, was it?”
Nell laughed. “No, indeed, it was not. If I really have need of a physician in the future, I will rest easy, knowing that I am in your good hands.”
“You are in fine health, my lady. Excellent, in fact, and I doubt that you shall need my services anytime soon but I thank you for the kind words.”
In the magnificent entry hall, Nell watched as Dibble escorted him to her husband’s study. She considered joining them—after all, it was her health they would be discussing—but decided it wasn’t that important. She already knew she was healthy—even Dr. Coleman had said so.
Curious about Dr. Coleman’s striking resemblance to Julian, Nell wandered around the green salon, waiting impatiently for the doctor to depart. She intended to ask Julian some pointed questions about the very handsome Dr. Coleman.
Several minutes later, she rang for Dibble and upon learning that the physician had left, made a beeline for Julian’s study. She found him seated behind his desk, several account books and papers scattered before him.
“I suppose,” he said smiling, “that you’ve come to gloat. Coleman said that you are in perfect health and that if all his patients were like you that he’d soon be a poor man.”
“I told you so,” Nell replied, taking a seat next to the desk. “Perhaps, next time, you’ll listen to me.”
His eyes warm, he asked, “Was it so very bad?”
“No, his manner is most disarming and with me hardly being aware of it, he made a very thorough examination.” She eyed her husband. “I liked him.”
“I thought that you would. He is very popular with all his patients.”
There was no easy way around it and so Nell blurted out, “He looks very like you…You could almost be twins…”
“You haven’t met Cousin Charles yet,” Julian said dryly. “There is a strong family resemblance between all the Westons, but Charles and I could very well be twins.”
“That’s interesting, but unless I’ve misunderstood something, Dr. Coleman isn’t a member of the Weston family. Or is he another cousin?” she asked sweetly.
Julian hesitated. There was no reason for her not to know, and Lord knew she’d find out soon enough from someone else. And she was now a member of the family. He sighed. She might as well know some of the skeletons and he should be the one to tell her. “More of an uncle,” he admitted reluctantly, “on the wrong side of the blanket.”
Nell’s eyes widened. “He’s illegitimate?” she asked in shocked accents.
He nodded. “Remember, I did mention about the Old Earl? I’m afraid that you’re going to notice several inhabitants of the area who bear a striking resemblance to the family. Coleman is one of several, uh, illegitimate children, to be laid at my grandfather’s feet. Fortunately, he’s one of the more respectable ones.”
“Isn’t it rather awkward?”
Julian shrugged. “It’s never been a secret in the family. I grew up knowing that I had several, ah, aunts and uncles roaming about the area. Grandfather acknowledged them and settled money on their families.” Julian grimaced. “And considered his filial duties at an end.”
She stared at him a long time and Julian wondered if she thought less of him for his grandfather’s debauchery. He supposed he could have tried to hide his grandfather’s various by-blows from her, but that would have been, he admitted grimly, an exercise in futility—their parentage was stamped on their faces.
“Well,” she finally said, “you have a much more interesting family than I do.”
Julian laughed, giddiness erupting through him. Would there ever come a time that she didn’t make him laugh? That she didn’t surprise him? Lord, he hoped not.
The creak of wooden wheels and the jingle of a harness carried into the room and they exchanged looks. “Were you expecting company?” Nell
asked, rising to her feet.
“None.”
A great commotion could be heard coming from the entry hall and upon stepping from the study, they discovered the area full of trunks and baggage, and Dibble giving orders to the various footmen and maids, which added to the chaos.
A figure attired in a sable-trimmed pelisse and wearing a saucy scarlet hat festooned with ostrich feathers stood in the center of the madness. Spying Julian and Nell standing at the edge of the hall, the figure gave a squeak and threw herself into Julian’s startled embrace. “Oh, Julian,” she cried, “I know I said I would not be here for weeks yet, but I could not stay away a moment longer. I had to come home. London is just too, too dreadful without you.”
It appeared that Lady Diana, the dowager countess, had arrived.
Chapter 10
Following on the heels of her mother, her pretty face framed by a chinchilla-lined hood, Elizabeth said, “We are very sorry to arrive like this without notice, but mother really was pining for the country.” She smiled shyly at Nell. “I hope you do not mind? And that we have not caused you any great inconvenience?”
“Well, of course we haven’t,” Lady Diana said crossly. “I should think that we can return to our home anytime we want without it causing a problem.” She raised melting eyes to Julian. “Isn’t that right, Julian? You’d never deny your stepmama a roof over her head, would you?”
Looking like a man facing a charge of a pride of starving lions, Julian glanced wildly about for escape.
Torn between amusement and vexation at Diana’s antics, Nell stepped in. “Of course he wouldn’t! I’m sure that, the Dower House aside, with as many properties as my husband owns that he would always be able to find a suitable home for you.” Walking over to Diana, she delicately wrested the other woman’s arms from around Julian’s neck. Putting her arm through Diana’s, she smiled warmly at her and said, “In the meantime, we are more than delighted to have you and Elizabeth stay with us.”
Lady Diana and Elizabeth’s outer clothing were deposed of and a moment later, Nell was determinedly guiding a lagging Diana across the elegant entry hall. “It will be so pleasant to have company. And after that long journey, I’m sure that you are longing to rest and refresh yourself,” Nell said brightly as she led, dragged her stepmama-in-law away. “We had already begun to prepare in anticipation of your arrival, so that I’m sure with very little effort the staff will have your rooms waiting for you in no time at all.” She glanced over her shoulder at Dibble. “Isn’t that right, Dibble?”
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