Lorelei’s fork crashed onto her plate. She shoved away from the table and stormed to the door.
“Lorelei, what the hell?” Thorne was on his feet and rushed to block her exit. If she made her escape, every door available to him would clang shut and locks rusted before any opportunity rose to pry them open again. He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him. “What is it? What did I say?”
Tears streamed down her face. He swiped them away with his thumbs.
“How could I have thought of a wet nurse when I’ve never givenyoua child?” Her anger failed to disguise the self-loathing, the anguish.
“Is that what you think? That I despise you because you haven’t given me a child?” How could she believe such a thing? Though most marriages were just that, based solely on alliances for money, positioning, prestige, providing an heir.
Her lips pressed into a grimace, yet the bleakness in her eyes pierced his heart. “And now my brother, whom you despise, has a son. Living under this very roof.”
“I don’t despise Harlowe,” he said gruffly. More like resented him. Resented his and Lorelei’s open affection. Thorne bit back a groan. Lord, he was jealous of her damned brother.
“What is that supposed to mean? I’m worried for him.”
“As it turns out, I am as well.”
Her head snapped up. “What are you talking about?”
He dropped his hold and pushed a hand through his hair. “I didn’t put him on any ship. I didn’t send your brother out of the country.”
She stalked over to a plush settee and sat stiffly. “Perhaps you’d best explain.”
“I’ve spent the better part of this week trying to track him down.”
“Why?” she asked bitterly. “Your disdain has always been obvious. I don’t understand why you dislike him so much.”
“I told you, I don’t dislike—well, perhaps a little,” Thorne relented at her stony expression. “And after Rowena stopped me on the street last week, demanding an audience…” Fine.He’d lay all his cards on the table. What did he have to lose?Her.But did he even have her?
Thorne breathed in deeply. “I was prepared to ignore Rowena when I saw her on the street that day. Unfortunately, Lady Dankworth happened by with those two ugly mutts. You have to admit, any information she’d gotten wind of would be catastrophic.”
The tension around Lorelei’s mouth lessened. “Yes, well, I’ll concede that point.”
“She said she was carrying something. I didn’t know what the devil she was talking about, but she demanded I see her. When I…” Heat crawled up his neck. One should not have to have a conversation of this sort with one’s wife. He inhaled sharply. “When I went to see her as she demanded, she told me I was the father of her child. I told her we both knew I had not sired that child. She agreed but said no one else would believe it or care.” He blew out a breath. “The nobility does love its gossip,” he muttered.
Lorelei fell against the back of the sofa. “I see.” But her gaze narrowed on him. “But if she wasn’t with child…”
“She’d made herself look pregnant somehow. How difficult would that have been besides? A strategically placed pillow? Needless to say, I didn’t venture close enough to confirm. She told me the babe was Harlowe’s. So I set out to find him.” He shook his head. “Once I’d arrived at the hunter’s cottage, I was startled to find she’d gone into labor. She hadn’t even appeared at all that far along.”
“And how was it she ended up here?” she demanded.
Tenderness filled him. “I thought if the babe truly belonged to Harlowe, you would likely kill me if I didn’t offer her my assistance.”
Her lips formed an adorable pout. “That’s true enough. And as it turns out, it was her daughter who was with child. Miss Hollerfield went to great lengths to protect Corinne, didn’t she?”
The compassion in her voice was all the encouragement Thorne needed. He planted himself down next to her. “It certainly appears so.”
“You never knew about Corinne?”
“No.”
She seemed to consider his answer for a moment. “What did you learn about Brandon?”
Thorne winced and grasped her hand. “That he’s disappeared. No one has seen him for a fortnight. I’m sorry, Lorelei. I have runners looking for him. Something is bound to turn up soon.”
She looked down at their joined hands, nodding. “Why didn’t you tell me this before now?”
“You didn’t give me much of an opportunity, if you recall,” he said gently.
