Sebastian shook his head at the absurdity of the entire debacle.
Just as he was closing the door, the boys pushed it back and dashed back in and hugged Rebecca around the waist. The surprise in her expression did not escape Sebastian. Coiled his insides into something unfamiliar and stinging. He shut his mind down to it.
Blinking quickly, Rebecca leaned down and hugged them both tightly. “Run along home. I shall do my best to see you before I leave for Exford.” She pushed them toward the door. “Go on now.” There was a tremor to her smile that hit Sebastian between the eyes until his head ached.
“Exford?” Thomas stood in the arch looking thoughtful. “That is only a day’s ride from here.”
The temples on either side of Sebastian’s head throbbed.
Once his cousin and the children were gone, he turned to face Rebecca, but Gabriella had her arm looped within her own and they were strolling away. “One moment, Lady Rebecca. I require a moment of your time.”
“Can’t it wait, Your Grace? I vow, I am weary and not up to your reprimanding. It’s been a trying few days, as you well know.”
“Now, madam. This shan’t take long.”
Gabriella started to enter the drawing room with her, but this was a private conversation.
He tugged his sister back and shut the door in her shocked face.
Sebastian turned around and leaned back against it, crossing his legs at the ankles with his arms over his chest. “So you lied about being their mother.”
She strolled over to the window. “Oliver didn’t wish you to know who they were.” She tossed a wry smile over her shoulder. “If it’s any consolation, they told me they were from Somerset.” She let out a sharp sound of frustration. “Now I understand why Oliver was a little peeved when you stopped and rescued us.”
“This is no laughing matter, my lady. I don’t like being lied to.” He couldn’t understand his need to pick at her.
“Laugh—” Stopping, she pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “What was I to do, Your Grace? I made a promise to the boys and”—she shrugged—“it had nothing to do with you.”
“They are my cousin’s children,” he bit out, irritated that he couldn’t get a rise out of her.
“I certainly didn’t know that at the time. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
He interrupted her with a snort. “So, you are not as experienced as you let on, I take it.”
“W-what?” Her face took on the shade of a fresh ripe apple.
Sebastian found he was pleased with the idea and pushed away from the door. He strolled over to the cabinet in the corner and poured himself a brandy. The gardens of Ryleigh Hall were especially lush after the recent rains, Sebastian was thrilled to see. “Good heavens. I can’t believe they managed to get to Vauxhall from here.” After a slight pause, he poured a second one and took it over to her. “I apologize for thinking the worst.”
“Interesting in light of some of your own childish pranks Mr. Lynnwood exposed.” She accepted the glass and tipped it in his direction. “It’s no matter to me, besides.”
“Lady Rebecca,” he said on a sigh. “I had not seen you in seven years, and the first time Idosee you, you tell me you are an unwed mother of twins. A shocking revelation, I assure you, despite the hoyden you were growing up. After all those antics you and Gabriella pulled, well, what else was I to think?”
“Mm. The worst, obviously.” She sipped at her drink then speared him with her hazel eyes, flecked with green and gold. They changed color with the direction of the light.
“How exactly did you end up with the twins?”
“My father was speaking at The Royal Society on Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine. I needed a breath of air and walked across the street to St. James Park.”
His jaw clenched at that tidbit. St. James Park was no place for a lady alone. “Tell me you had your maid with you?”
“What?” The frown between her brows told him she’d been alone.
He resisted the urge to grab her by the arms to shake some sense into her.
“Oliver appeared out of nowhere, clinging to my skirts, calling me ‘Mama,’” she went on. “You can imagine my surprise. Just as I was about to demand what he was about, this scoundrel came charging in our direction, clearly after him.”
He frowned. “Only Oliver? Where was Owen?”
“Hiding nearby, I expect. Owen later explained that the man didn’t realize there were two of them.”
