“Please, don’t make me leave the Manor.” She hated the betraying tremor in her voice, but she was too heartsick to stop it. “It’s my home.”
“I’ve made up my mind. Nothing you can say will sway me.” The earl dismissed her with a flick of his wrist. “I suggest you begin packing. The ship leaves at the end of the week.”
Five days.Kathryn whirled around, determined to leave the earl’s presence before she gave in to the threatening tears.
She wouldn’t let him see her cry. Never again.
* * * * *
“Why do you allow the poor girl to think Daniel’s inattention is her fault?” Talon reached for the bottle of brandy on the table and poured himself a healthy glass, feeling the need to get stumbling drunk. How else could he bear to participate in this terrible tragedy his father had set in motion?
He’d watched from a leather chair in a secluded nook as the earl bullied and belittled Lady Kathryn. It had taken every bit of self-control he possessed not to intervene.
She hadn’t noticed him, and for that he was thankful. Her interview with the earl had been upsetting enough. She’d have been mortified to know she had an audience.
“Daniel keeps her off balance. She doesn’t know how to remedy the situation.” Sutcliff waved a deprecating hand. “It’s good for her. The girl has far too much spirit. She’s impossible to deal with.”
Talon narrowed his eyes at his father’s callous words, his admiration for his sister-in-law growing by the minute. She wasn’t at all what he’d expected.
When Sutcliffe told him she was the most beautiful girl in the land, he’d envisioned one of the blonde, blue-eyed English roses who populated London’s elite drawing rooms by the dozens. A pale, mindless creature with a vapid smile and not a single opinion of her own.
Lady Kathryn was none of those things. She was a passionate, gorgeous brunette with enough courage to stand up to the earl. Talon couldn’t help but be impressed. “I like her.”
Sutcliffe leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smirk on his lips. “I thought you might.”
Talon scowled. It annoyed him to no end that he and his father shared the same taste in women.
Sutcliffe chuckled at his expression. “It won’t be so terrible, son. A few hours in Lady Kathryn’s arms and you’ll have all you’ve ever wanted. Holyoke will be yours, and I’ll even give you enough money to run the place. I should think you’d be grateful to me for giving you this chance.”
Son.Once Talon would have thanked God on his knees to hear that word from this man. Now his stomach churned to think he’d come from Sutcliffe’s tainted seed.
“You expect gratitude for what you’ve done to me?” Talon shook his head and stood. “When hell freezes over, old man.”
He exited the room, ignoring Sutcliffe’s surprised bark of laughter.
* * * * *
“Lady Kathryn, where shall I put your riding habits?”
Kathryn shrugged and pointed in the direction of the half-dozen trunks that lined the far wall of her bedroom. “It doesn’t matter, Betsy. Put them wherever you think best.”
Betsy tsked under her breath, but Kathryn ignored her. She returned to the window and let her gaze wander to the lake in the distance, doing her best to ignore the entire situation.
Servants had been parading in and out of her room all afternoon, pestering her with endless questions. They’d asked which set of the priceless Sutcliffe silver she wanted to take with her. They wanted to know which jewels should be packed and if she wanted any of the furniture shipped at a later date.
She really didn’t care. She had no interest in the monumental move Sutcliffe was orchestrating, because she had no intention of leaving England.
In a matter of hours, she and the earl would be returning to London. Once they arrived, she was determined to talk some sense into Daniel.
Her husband loved the London nightlife as much as she loved her roses and the fresh country air. Surely, if he knew what he stood to lose, he would swallow his distaste and try to produce the heir his father so desperately wanted.
She closed her eyes and pressed her flaming cheek against the cool glass, praying this wouldn’t be a repeat of the heartbreak of her wedding night.
What a naive fool she’d been…
Marrying Daniel Sinclair had been a dream come true. She’d expected her father to sell her off to some ancient, balding Marquis, so when he’d announced that handsome young Viscount Lansdowne had asked for her hand, she’d been thrilled.
Their courtship had been awkward and well chaperoned, but she’d soon fallen in love with her future husband’s gentle ways and mild sense of humor. Daniel was breathtakingly handsome with light brown hair and blue eyes, and he’d been so kind to her.
