by Jen Turano
“Did you only recently return from China?” Agatha asked.
“Indeed. I barely stepped foot into England before I became acquainted with Lord Wrathshire, and the next thing I knew, I’d been convinced to purchase tickets to America, and off we sailed.”
“It’s no wonder the child is cranky,” Eliza replied. “She needs a more stable environment.”
“That hasn’t been a choice of late.”
Eliza couldn’t help but notice the despair lingering in the depths of her brother’s eyes, but before she could question him about it, they arrived at the platform. She bought tickets for everyone, including the guards who’d been following them the entire time, and then waited as the train ground to a halt in front of her. She took Ben up in her arms, grabbed hold of Piper’s hand, and sailed through the door, taking the nearest seat and smiling when Agatha took the seat next to her. Grayson sat behind them, and Lawrence was forced to sit with Mrs. Morgan, although, he really didn’t appear to be bothered with the seating arrangements in the least, considering Mrs. Morgan was obviously doing her best to be charming.
The train moved away from the station, and, although Eliza spent the ride trying to devote her attention to Piper and Ben, a disturbing thought kept running through her mind.
Her brother was alive, and she’d not even made a point of welcoming him back.
Tears flooded her eyes, and a sigh of relief escaped her when the train finished its loop and pulled back into the station. She helped Piper and Ben down to the platform and turned to find her brother watching her. She stepped to his side.
“It is so good to see you,” she said before Grayson pulled her into his arms and held her tightly for a long moment.
“I’m sorry,” Grayson whispered into her hair. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“That was disgusting,” Lawrence exclaimed, ruining the moment. “It was filthy on that train, and I don’t even want to mention our fellow passengers.”
Eliza stepped out of her brother’s embrace and sent Lawrence what she could only hope was a cool look. “I told you there was no need for you to go. I’m certain Mrs. Morgan would have been more than delighted to keep you company.”
Mrs. Morgan smiled and nodded, causing Eliza to stifle the urge to roll her eyes. A thought flashed to mind. Perhaps Mrs. Morgan could be a diversion where Lawrence was concerned. If memory served her correctly, the woman was wealthy in her own right, and from what little Eliza had discerned about her, she had the feeling the woman would not be opposed to assuming the role of Lady Wrathshire.
“May I suggest we make our way back to the Beckett house? There’s still much left to discuss, and I, for one, would love a cup of tea before we continue our conversation.” She looked to Mrs. Morgan. “You’re invited too, of course.”
“You are so kind,” Mrs. Morgan purred before she latched on to Lawrence’s arm. She sent him a wide smile. “Shall I ride back to the Beckett house in your hired carriage?”
Lawrence blinked. “Of course,” he said, turning to Eliza. “Will you join us?”
“My carriage is parked just down the street, and besides, it’s not a very long journey from here. You’ll be fine with Mrs. Morgan for company,” Eliza said.
Lawrence sent her a glare before he took Mrs. Morgan by the arm and stalked away, leaving Eliza with the surprising desire to laugh. Poor Lawrence didn’t stand a chance with the cunning widow, and truth be told, she was fairly certain they deserved each other. She turned to find Grayson smiling at her.
“Don’t you think Mrs. Morgan would make a wonderful countess?” she asked.
“Ah, I thought I remembered that particular look,” Grayson said. “You’re scheming in order to get Lawrence out of your life.”
“Exactly,” Eliza agreed as she took Ben from Agatha and waited for Agatha to take Piper’s hand before walking back to the carriage. Grayson took Ben from Eliza so she could climb up and then surprised her when he insisted on holding him.
“He’s almost asleep, Liz, and I have a far larger lap to settle him in than you do,” Grayson said as he took his seat and snuggled Ben close to him.
Eliza scooted over to make room for Agatha and Piper and then tapped on the roof. As the carriage rolled into motion, Eliza’s attention returned to Grayson, who was absently brushing the hair out of Ben’s face. “Fatherhood has changed you.”
“You have no idea,” Grayson muttered.
Agatha leaned forward. “Tell me all about China. I’ve always longed to go there.”
“It’s not a place I would recommend,” Grayson said with a trace of bitterness in his voice. “I only stayed because I landed in a rather lucrative situation.”
“What kind of ‘situation’?” Eliza asked.
Grayson sent a pointed look toward Piper and didn’t respond.
“All right then,” she said. “Tell me about your daughter.”
“There’s not much to tell.”
“Does she have a mother?” Eliza asked.
“Of course she has a mother,” Grayson muttered. “Be kind of difficult to explain if she didn’t.”
“Am I to assume her mother was your wife?” Eliza pressed.
“You shouldn’t assume anything,” Grayson said before he sighed. “If you must know, I address Ming as my daughter for lack of a better word.”
Eliza tilted her head. “So . . . she’s not really your daughter?”
“I’m all she has,” Grayson said softly.
“She’s your daughter in all the good ways,” Piper said, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Well said,” Grayson replied. “Now, why don’t we talk about something pleasant?”
Eliza found she was unwilling to drop the subject just yet. “You weren’t married?”
“I never said that, but again, this is hardly the appropriate time to discuss the matter. It’s very complicated, somewhat sad, and not anything a child should hear.”
“I’m five,” Piper proclaimed.
“Which is certainly old, but your brother is not nearly old enough to hear the story,” Grayson said.
“He’s asleep,” Piper pointed out.
Grayson smiled at Piper, a smile that took Eliza straight back to their youth. Grayson had always been a wild and irresponsible boy, but she’d loved him all the same, and a feeling of happiness settled over her as she vowed right then and there that she was never going to lose him again.
Eliza blinked out of her thoughts when Piper, seemingly realizing Grayson was not going to give in to her demands, turned to look out the window and then gave a squeal of delight.
“We’re here, and look, Daddy and Uncle Zayne are waiting for us on the front stoop, and isn’t that your friend from England getting out of that carriage?”
Eliza peered out the window and swallowed a sigh. “How did Lawrence and Mrs. Morgan get here before we did?”
“I suppose they were able to travel faster seeing how they didn’t have an armed escort impeding their progress,” Agatha replied as the carriage door opened and Zayne popped his head in, his eyes going directly to Grayson.
“Who are you?” Zayne asked.
“Zayne, this is my brother, Grayson Sumner, or more officially, Lord Sefton. Grayson, this is my good friend Mr. Zayne Beckett.”
“Good friend?” Grayson questioned.
“Brother?” Zayne asked at the same time.
“I’ll explain to the best of my abilities after we get into the house,” Eliza said. “Would you be so kind as to carry your nephew? He fell asleep on the way home, and I have no desire to wake him just yet. The poor little dear is exhausted.”
Zayne looked as if he wanted to say something else, but then blew out a breath, took Ben from Grayson, and stepped aside to allow everyone room to exit the carriage. Eliza watched as Piper hit the ground and dashed to Hamilton’s side.
“Daddy, Daddy, guess what? We went to the El, bought toys and . . . we found Miss Eliza’s brother.”
“Extraordinary,”
Hamilton exclaimed before he turned, narrowed his eyes, and stalked up to join Eliza and Grayson. “May I assume you’re Eliza’s brother?”
“I’m Grayson Sumner. And you are?”
“Hamilton Beckett,” he replied, giving Grayson’s hand a perfunctory shake before he continued. “I thought you were dead.”
“It was a general consensus to be sure,” Grayson replied. “My sister has been more than vocal voicing her protests over my regrettable lack of correspondence with her.”
“As she should,” Hamilton returned. “You left her alone.”
“She had me,” Lawrence proclaimed from behind them.
“And you are?” Hamilton asked, his voice turning silky smooth in a split second.
“That man said he’s come to take Miss Eliza home,” Piper said before Lawrence could speak.
“Did he?” Hamilton asked softly, his eyes turning dangerous.
Eliza watched Hamilton eye Lawrence, his expression darkening with every passing second. To give Lawrence his due, he was an incredibly attractive man, but compared to Hamilton, he didn’t measure up well in the least.
Honestly, what was she thinking? Now was hardly the time to become distracted from the situation at hand.
“My goodness,” Gloria said as she barreled out of the door and came to a sudden stop, causing Mrs. Watson to plow into her back. “Whatever is going on out here and who are all these people? Oh, hello, Mrs. Morgan. What an unusual surprise.”
“Mrs. Beckett, how wonderful to see you,” Mrs. Morgan gushed. “I have heard the most interesting gossip swirling around town.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Gloria replied. “Our lives have been quite interesting of late.”
“Indeed,” Mrs. Morgan said. “We must talk all about it.”
“I don’t believe now is the right moment,” Gloria said firmly as her gaze swept over Lawrence and then Grayson. “Mrs. Watson, have you ever seen those two gentlemen?”
“I have not,” Mrs. Watson replied.
“Mother, what are you doing here?” Agatha asked.
“As you didn’t offer to include me in your shopping expedition, I decided to check on Gloria,” Mrs. Watson exclaimed absently, her eyes on Grayson. “You must be one of Lady Eliza’s relations. I can see a marked resemblance.”
“I’m her brother,” Grayson said.
“This is certain to complicate matters,” Mrs. Watson said.
“Complicate matters?” Eliza asked.
“Nothing to concern yourself with, my dear,” Mrs. Watson muttered before turning back to Gloria. “It would seem as if we might need to alter our plans.”
“What plans?” Eliza questioned.
“Never mind,” Gloria replied with a smile in Grayson’s direction. “I’m delighted by the fact that someone in Eliza’s family has finally arrived to take the girl in hand. She has become somewhat stubborn, and I’m sure you’ll be able to talk some sense into her. I’m Mrs. Gloria Beckett.”
Grayson bowed. “I’m Mr. Grayson Sumner at your service, Mrs. Beckett.”
“Charming,” Gloria proclaimed with a smile before turning to Lawrence and quirking a brow.
“I am Lord Wrathshire, Lady Eliza’s intended.”
“Another complication,” Mrs. Watson declared.
“Hardly,” Gloria replied, her eyes never leaving Lawrence’s face. “May I suggest we repair to the house before we attract unwanted attention?”
Everyone turned to follow Gloria into the house except Lawrence, who stepped in front of Eliza, blocking her path as his eyes narrowed. “You neglected to mention the little fact you’re sharing house space with gentlemen who are remarkably young. For some reason, I pictured Mr. and Mr. Beckett as elderly men who were extending you a kindness.”
“Don’t forget handsome,” Eliza couldn’t resist adding, catching Hamilton’s eye as he waited for her by the door. She sent him a grin.
“This is most unseemly,” Lawrence snapped. “Your reputation is at stake.”
“My reputation is no longer any of your concern.”
“As your future husband, I would have to disagree. You have not been behaving in a very virtuous manner, from what I can discern, and I must say you will have a bit of explaining to do to Reverend Michaels before we marry. I am most certain he will want a full confession of all the sins you have committed on your trip, and I really must insist on hearing them also.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “I have not committed any grave sins, Lawrence, but I’m amazed you would attempt to drag religion into this situation. It’s not as if you’ve ever been a man of strong faith.”
“Is everything all right?” Hamilton asked as he appeared at Eliza’s side.
“I am having a discussion with Lady Eliza, and I would appreciate it if you would allow us some privacy,” Lawrence said. “What we have to say to each other is none of your concern.”
“Everything regarding Eliza concerns me.”
“On my word, sir, your manner of addressing Lady Eliza is far too familiar.”
“We’ve become good friends,” Hamilton said.
“I am her dearest friend,” Lawrence stated.
“You abandoned her in her hour of need.”
“How could I have known she would get it into her head to track that scoundrel across an entire ocean on her own?” Lawrence blustered.
“If you truly knew her, you would have realized she would act exactly as she did.”
Lovely warmth spread over Eliza at Hamilton’s words. It would appear the man understood her more than she’d realized. Before she could respond, Lawrence sent her a scowl.
“I do not care for the direction this conversation is heading. For some reason, this gentleman seems to be under the misapprehension he knows you better than I do. You need to set this Mr. Beckett straight and explain to him that we’ve been promised to each other from practically the moment of your debut.”
Eliza felt the distinct desire to scream. Honestly, she’d never realized the gentleman was so tenacious. She drew in a breath and then slowly released it, finding it did nothing whatsoever to cool her temper. “We’re no longer promised to each other, Lawrence. If you will recall, you broke that promise when you abandoned me.”
“I find myself curious to hear exactly what your explanation is regarding why you abandoned Eliza,” Hamilton said, breaking back into the conversation.
“I don’t owe you an explanation,” Lawrence said.
“Were you in need of a wealthy wife?” Hamilton pressed.
“That was a requirement,” Lawrence muttered. “If you must know, my family estates are extensive and quite expensive to maintain.”
“You could have sought out employment if you needed additional funds.”
“I don’t have time to seek out employment,” Lawrence said with a curl of his lips. “I am responsible for managing vast amounts of land that, while profitable, certainly do not bring in enough funds to sustain my pleasant life.”
“So, in order to maintain your high standard of living, you abandoned Eliza when she no longer was able to bring added wealth to your family?”
“Exactly,” Lawrence agreed, obviously pleased Hamilton was finally catching on. “I had already spent part of her promised dowry on new additions to one of my country estates. You would not believe the problems that occurred when it became known her father had squandered all of his money. Creditors began pounding down my door, and I had no choice but to begin looking for another wife.”
“You spent my money before we were even married?” Eliza hissed.
“There is no need for your outrage, my dear. Our engagement was well known, along with the fact that your father was to bequeath substantial funds to you. I did nothing wrong.”
“Did it ever occur to you to offer Eliza some manner of assistance when Mr. Hayes disappeared with all her money?” Hamilton asked. “If you weren’t able to extend her a loan, the very least you could have done was travel with her to search for Mr. Hay
es.”
“I could hardly offer to leave England,” Lawrence scoffed. “It was the height of the social season.”
And to think she’d almost married this fool.
She chanced a glance to Hamilton and found him watching Lawrence as if he’d never seen anything like the gentleman in his entire life. Disgust, annoyance, and a surprising trace of amusement all jostled to take up space in his eyes, and for some reason, her temper faded to nothing as a laugh escaped her lips.
“Honestly, Eliza, this is hardly the time to allow your warped sense of humor free rein,” Lawrence snapped. “I am beyond disappointed with your behavior, and quite frankly, you’ll be fortunate if I do not change my mind about marrying you.” He sent her a glare and turned on his heel, marching into the house.
“Shall we follow him?” Hamilton asked.
“I suppose we don’t have another choice.”
Hamilton offered her his arm, and Eliza knew it would be churlish to refuse his offer. For some reason, she wasn’t nearly as annoyed with him as she’d been over the past few days, and she had the sneaky suspicion it was because she didn’t actually want to be annoyed with him. She was honest enough with herself to admit she still held him in affection, but her life seemed to be spiraling out of control, and she had no idea how to set matters right or even allow Hamilton to know she just might have made a grave error in regard to him and his ridiculous offer of marriage.
Not that she wanted to marry him, or at least she didn’t think she did, but she would not be opposed to returning to this country at a later date, once the danger had passed, if only to see if something, well . . . interesting could develop.
Her musings were interrupted when she realized they’d somehow reached the parlor, and she frowned as she glanced around. “What happened to Piper and Ben?” she asked.
“Miss Jamison took them outside to play,” Gloria said. “She very wisely discerned that our conversation was not going to be appropriate for tender ears.” Gloria smiled. “Piper grumbled the entire way out of the room.”