“I may have.” He continued defensively. “Look, Cody, you know Aurora was never one for corresponding. It fell mainly on me to keep her parents apprised of our life here. When she left with Parker, I continued to write them about Clara.”
“And nothing about your wife.”
“I may have mentioned her from time to time.”
“And led them to believe that nothing was amiss.” Cody shook his head in disbelief. “Remember what I said about foolishness and stupidity?”
Brandon pitched the letter, more than a little disgusted with himself. “I take your point.” He sighed. “I’ll have to explain everything when they arrive. I’m not looking forward to it. In their eyes the sun sets and rises according to Aurora’s whim.”
“It’s time their eyes were opened, unless…no, it would be insanity.”
Brandon eyed his brother suspiciously. “What would be insanity?” He was immediately sorry he asked, because he recognized the gleam in Cody’s eyes. Brandon had seen it often enough when Cody was younger and dogging his every footstep, planning some scrape from which he invariably extracted himself while Brandon took the brunt of the punishment.
Cody said, “I take it you have some feeling for Paul and Michaeline, that you wish to spare them knowing Aurora for what she really is?”
“That’s part of it, yes. Paul’s health has been failing of late, and Michaeline has always been delicate. What would it serve to disillusion them now?”
“They might think you are the villain of this piece, that you gave Aurora sufficient reason to go.”
“And I’m selfish enough not to want them thinking ill of me.”
Cody nodded in agreement. “With good reason. There’s Clara to think of. They might wish to take her away.” Brandon’s reaction was all Cody had hoped for. The color in his face had vanished. “But it needn’t come to that,” he suggested quickly. “Not with Shannon here.”
Brandon’s features took on a measure of disbelief. He shook his head slowly. “Even you could not be so cork-brained as to think that Shannon—”
“Can take Aurora’s place!” Cody said triumphantly.
“That’s insane.”
“I believe I mentioned that.”
“And promptly set me up to consider it the only alternative I have.”
“Saw straight through me, did you?” Cody laughed. “You’re up to every trick, Bran. So? Are you going to ask Shannon to help you?”
Brandon turned his mount around. “Let me think on it, Cody.” He gave the horse a nudge with his heels and started back to the folly.
“You only have a fortnight. Bran,” Cody called after him. “To turn a garden snake into a viper! Don’t think too long on it!”
Brandon merely shook his head. The comparison was hardly fair to Shannon, though it suited Aurora well enough. Still, it was something to consider, and Brandon considered it the entire distance to the house. By the time he reached the kitchen, his decision was made.
Clara was pounding bread dough at Oplas’s side. She merely glanced up when her father came through the door and then returned to her kneading.
Brandon flicked her curls and noticed his palm came away with a dusting of flour. He brushed off his hands. “I’m sorry about the riding lesson, Clara. We’ll work again tomorrow. Where is Miss Kilmartin?” When Clara didn’t answer, he addressed his question to the cook.
“She’s dressin’ fo’ dinner, suh.” She smiled her gap-toothed smile. “The little one here, she sho’ knows how to hold a grudge.”
Brandon winked at Oplas. “Perhaps it would make a difference if you told her that little lemon-faces don’t get riding lessons.” Ignoring Clara’s cry of alarm as his words registered, Brandon continued down the hallway and mounted the stairs two at a time.
Shannon was reaching absently for a cloth to wash her face when she heard the knock at her door. She supposed she should have expected Clara’s interruption. Oplas could only tolerate so much confusion in her kitchen before shooing the child elsewhere. She lowered herself blissfully into the tub of hot water. “Come in, Clara.”
Brandon opened the door, stepping inside before he realized he had not chosen an opportune moment. “I’m not Clar—” He gaped at Shannon.
Shannon sat up in surprise, immediately saw the error of her ways as Brandon’s eyes fell to her uncovered breasts, and let out a shriek.
“Oh, Jesus!” Brandon retreated into the hallway, slamming the door behind him.
Mortified, Shannon slid a little deeper in the water and considered the practicalities of drowning herself before she recalled that he had twice rescued her before.
