James’ smile turned sharklike. “You will come with us, one way or another.”
Nicholas looked from one to the other of them. He saw that they were serious. “Your escort is not necessary.” He decided to try the truth. “My own ship is ready. I am sailing on the morning tide. I had already decided to return to England, you see, so you won’t be needed, gentlemen.”
“If you say so, dear boy,” James replied doubtfully.
“I am telling you the truth.”
“Sailing out of this port on your own won’t guarantee your reaching England. No, I must insist you come with us.”
Nicholas’ temper was begininning to simmer again. “Why?”
“My brothers don’t like it that you have deserted your wife. They want you back where they can keep an eye on you.”
“Of all the absurdities! They can’t keep me in England if I wish to leave.”
“What you do after you get home is of no concern to me.” James shrugged. “I’m just following Jason’s orders. He said to fetch you home, and so I will.”
As they escorted Nicholas out of the room, Jeremy whispered to his father, “Uncle Jason never said you were supposed to bring him back. He only said you were supposed to tell him about the baby if we found him.”
“I haven’t done my brother’s bidding since I came of age, lad,” his father whispered back. “I don’t want to start now.”
“But if he knew, he might not put up a fuss.”
James chuckled. “Did I say I wanted him to enjoy the crossing?”
Chapter 26
“NICHOLAS!” Eleanor came quickly to her feet as the three men entered the drawing room of Nicholas’ London townhouse.
Reggie stood up more slowly, her eyes narrowing. There were men on either side of her husband. “Uncle James, is this your doing?”
“I just happened to come across him, sweet.”
“Well, you can just take him back to wherever you justhappenedto come across him,” she said tightly. “He’s not welcome here.”
“Regina!” Eleanor gasped.
Reggie crossed her arms over her chest, stubbornly refusing to look at Nicholas’ aunt. She had become very close to Eleanor in the last months, had even come to love her. But no one, not her relatives or his, was going to make Reggie accept a man who had been forcibly brought back. The humiliation of that was almost as bad as the desertion.
Nicholas studied Regina covertly, pretending he was looking at his aunt. He felt like smashing his fist into something, anything. He also felt like weeping. Look at her! She evidently knew about his parentage, knew and despised him for it. He saw it in the hard set of her lips; the stiff, unyielding line of her posture.
So, Miriam had told her. Well and good. If she hated the thought of being married to a bastard, it was what she deserved for forcing him into the marriage.
Nicholas’ being brought home in the hands of her uncle had made him forget that he’d made up his mind to return and had wanted to make amends. He had, in fact, forgotten everything except his fury.
“Not welcome here, madame?” Nicholas said softly. “Am I mistaken, or does this house belong to me?”
Her eyes met his for the first time. Good Lord, she’d forgotten how devastating were those sherry-gold eyes. And he looked wonderful, his skin deeply tanned, his hair brightly sun-streaked. But she couldn’t allow him to cast his spell over her.
“You forget, sir, that you refused to share a house with me. To be specific, yougaveme your home.”
“Silverley, not my townhouse. And what the bloody hell have you done to this house?” he demanded, looking around at all the new furniture and floral wallpaper.
Reggie smiled innocently, her voice sweet. “Why, Nicholas, don’t you like it? Of course, you weren’t here to help me decorate, but I was very frugal with your money. It only cost you four thousand pounds.”
James quickly turned around to hide his mirth. Conrad suddenly found the ceiling fascinating. Only Eleanor frowned. The two young people were now glaring at each other.
“Nicholas, is this any way to greet your wife after seven months?”
