None of the sisters seemed able to come up with a reason why Graham would be upset, prompting him to speak.
“Because she didn’t come into ownership of Lismore by buying it from my family,” he said slowly. “She won it.”
“Won it?” Hope repeated. The small line between her brows appeared again and Graham had the sudden urge to press his thumb against it to sooth it away. “How?”
Graham was still for a moment, surprised that he was uncomfortable with Hope’s concerned tone. Clearing his throat, he leaned back in his chair and waited for Lady Belle to continue. She only nodded at him, prompting him to continue.
“In a card game. If rumors are to be believed, they played at this very table.” Graham’s hand moved across the well-worn wood. The table was nearly two-hundred years old and seemed more fitting for a Viking banquet hall than in the home of a member of the modern English aristocracy. It didn’t matter that his family had eaten off this oak table for two centuries. It belonged to her now.
Graham pressed his thumbnail into the corner of the table, unconsciously trying to leave a mark. The Paris Porcelain vases from the other day had been replaced with crystal vases, now filled with white roses. “Isn't that right, Lady Belle?”
“It is,” she said.
“Who weretheyexactly?” Hope asked.
“Well, who was it now? Your aunt here, obviously. My father and King William IV, before he was king, and his brother.”
Each Sharpe sister froze with their mouths open. An uncomfortable heat began to crawl up Graham’s neck as their watchful gaze glided back and forth between him and Lady Belle.
“King William?” Faith said incredulously.
“Yes. I suppose your grandmother never told you. Hardly surprising, actually, as she wasn't particularly proud of it,” Belle said, and for the first time since they had met, Graham saw a flicker of discontent pass over her eyes before disappearing. When she spoke again, however, she held her head up. Graham wondered if she wasn't as sure of herself in front of these three innocent misses. “But the king and I were very much in love.”
“In love?” Hope repeated, her hands coming up to either side of her head, as if she were trying to comprehend this baffling piece of information. “But how?”
“My dear, if I have to explain how, I don't—”
“No, no,” Hope said, shaking her head. A bright blush bloomed on her cheeks. “I don't mean how were you in love. I mean, how did you ever come to know the king?”
Lady Belle took a deep breath.
“Your grandmother and I grew up in London. We lived in a very fine house and were well-received by the most prominent families. Alice and I were all set to make prosperous matches, but I couldn't stand the idea of marriage. I was an arrogant child and assumed I knew everything. Refusing to be cowed into a life I had no desire to be a part of, I ran away.”
Graham had heard about her escapades before, but the reaction of the sisters was interesting to watch. Grace’s forehead was crinkled as a hand covered her mouth, while Faith appeared much too interested as she leaned closer, eager to hear more.Hope, on the other hand, remained perfectly still, her eyes locked on the old woman.
“At the tender age of sixteen, I decided to become an actress. My parents disowned me, and Alice never forgave me for leaving, but I would not be shamed. I was wildly successful on the stage, if I do say so myself. After spending nearly five years on Drury Lane, one evening during a particularly moving performance ofPizzaro, I was spotted by none other than the Duke of Clarence, which was his title at the time.” Lady Belle smiled, seemingly lost in the long-ago memory. “He found me afterwards and claimed to have fallen instantly in love with me. I told him he was a fool and shooed him away.”
“You told the king he was a fool?” Grace asked, shocked.
“Well, as I said, he wasn’t the king yet—merely a duke. And yes, I did, and I continued to tell him so for months. Of course, he eventually wore me down. He asked me to quit the stage and while I didn't want to necessarily, I knew the reality of my situation. Old actresses never ended up with much. So, I rented my own private apartments and became his mistress.”
The silence that followed was piercing.
“But … but Grandmother said you had a rich husband who died early in your marriage,” Grace said.
“I've never been married a day in my life,” Belle said, her nose in the air.
“A mistress …” Hope repeated.
“So that's why Lord Bartley always asked if the apple fell farm from the tree!” Faith said, her small fist hitting the table. Seeing the surprise on everyone’s face for her outburst, she smiled apologetically and uncurled her fingers, her nails tapping against the wood. “It never made any sense to me.”
“He asked you that?” Grace asked.
“More than once.” Faith said, the corners of her mouth pulled up in a sneer. “I never understood why. Only now it makes sense.”
“So, you didn't buy this house with money left to you by your husband?” Hope asked.
“No, I did not,” Belle said. “You see, Willie and I travelled quite extensively together. Thirty years ago, we decided to come to Scotland to visit with his friend, Mr. James MacKinnon. It was a grand time, filled with dancing and merrymaking and a slew of other things that young ladies need not know about. On the last night of our visit, we decided to play a game of whist.”
