Lily took a breath. “All right. But when we return, I will marry Matthew.”
Her brother said nothing at all and only squeezed her hand.
Matthew refused to stand aside and allow anyone to threaten his family. He had arranged a meeting with Sarah Carlisle and intended to put an end to the blackmail.
But more than that, he wanted to learn more about the night she had been caught in a compromising position with Lord Arnsbury. She held Matthew’s adopted father responsible for ruining her.
He walked up the stairs to the tiny townhouse where she lived. Years ago, it might have been a quiet dwelling of luxury, but it had fallen into disrepair. Ivy covered the brick façade, and the stone steps were cracked.
Matthew knocked upon her door, and Miss Carlisle answered it without a word, opening it wide so he could enter. Her face was tightly drawn, and she led him inside before she finally spoke. “Why have you come?”
He gestured for her to sit down. “We need to come to an understanding. I have the right to know what happened with my parents.”
She folded her arms and took a chair. He did the same, sitting across from her. The look in her eyes spoke of a woman who had no intention of cooperating. “And why should I tell you anything?”
“Because you want money. You want to continue living here, in your brother’s house, where it’s safe. I want to know what happened to you, to my parents, and anything about my father.” He stared hard at her. “And by that, I mean your brother.”
Her expression softened slightly. “So, you discovered the truth, then.”
“I know who my parents are, if that’s what you mean. But you should know that, even if you expose our secrets, it won’t matter. My father, the rightful earl, formally recognized me as his son. My inheritance and title cannot be stripped away.” He wanted to disarm this woman, so she would not try to harm his family.
“Perhaps not. But words can harm a family, nonetheless.” She straightened in her chair. “And there are others who want to cause a scandal.”
He wondered if she was speaking of Adrian, but she did not elaborate. In her face, he saw the lines of hardship. Her eyes were not those of a cold-blooded vulture. No, she was a woman fighting to survive. His father had pitied her and had given her a small stipend for years. But Matthew suspected that money had not solved her hardships.
“What is it you truly want?” he asked quietly. “A husband? Perhaps a family of your own?”
Her mouth thinned with disdain. “Don’t mock me. I know no man would ever have a woman like myself. I am ugly and poor. And my brother—your father—was an arrogant madman who deserved to die.”
The vitriol in her voice took him aback. They were the bitter words of a forsaken woman. But he needed to know more about her circumstances. “What did Lord Arnsbury do that caused you to be ruined?”
She let her gaze drift toward the dirty window. For a moment she paused, her expression turning sad. “I was a different girl, then. So filled with dreams. I thought I could win the heart of an earl, and Lord Arnsbury was kind to me.”
Matthew waited for her to continue and pressed further. “What did he do?”
Miss Carlisle shrugged. “He saw me among the wallflowers and smiled, that was all. He might have been smiling at someone else, but I wanted to believe that—if I could only talk to him—we might become friends.”
Her face turned distant, and she shook her head. “It was my fault that I was enchanted by his handsome face. I followed Lord Arnsbury down a hallway, hoping to speak with him. He was already conversing with the Duke of Worthingstone, and I lost my courage. I hid inside the conservatory to avoid them. But there was…another man already there.” Her voice trailed away and a deep flush suffused her face.
“He was intoxicated and tried to kiss me. H-he tore my gown. I struggled and called for help. Lord Arnsbury struck the man and forced him to go.” There was a pained note in her voice. “I was caught alone with Lord Arnsbury and my dress was torn. I hoped that the earl might offer to marry me, because I was found in a compromising position. But he refused.”
She took a breath and admitted, “I know it was my fault for following him. He had done nothing wrong and certainly didn’t want to wed me. But my brother was…difficult about the situation. I never told him which man attacked me, for I didn’t want to be forced into marriage with that blackguard. And certainly Lord Arnsbury wouldn’t have me. But after I wasruined, Brandon was insufferable. We were no longer invited to balls or soirees, and he blamed me for our lack of invitations.” There was a weariness in her voice, and Matthew suddenly understood his father’s sympathy toward her. This woman had endured her older brother’s ridicule and had been a spinster all her life.
“Brandon did not know he fathered you until just before he died. Be glad of it,” she said. “There was a darkness in him, a terrible anger that he could never control. I pray you have none of his madness within you.”
Her words speared him with an uneasy fear. Matthew had told himself that it was the torture in India that had brought out his darker side. And yet…what if there was something of Brandon Carlisle within him? What if there was a madness in him, created by the blood of his father?
He didn’t want to imagine it. “I am sorry to hear of your misfortune,” he said quietly. “And while I understand that my father was willing to pay you a small stipend for your misfortune, you might be happier if you made a new life for yourself. Perhaps with a husband of your own. My family could make the introductions on your behalf.”
But Miss Carlisle stood, her face dark with anger. “I know that I am too old. No man would have someone like me.”
He hadn’t considered it in that way at all. “I was only trying to help you. It was never meant as an insult.”
“I kept your secrets all these years,” she said. “I let you believe you were a legitimate heir.”
“Until now,” he murmured.
“I had no choice!” she snapped. “I am fighting for every penny I have. If you would not pay me, there were others who would.” A sullen expression crossed her face.
