Page 38 of The Beastly Earl

The dowager’s expression was one of virulent hatred as she fixed her icy gaze on her sister. Even though Louisa couldn’t hear Lady Argaty’s words, whatever she'd said the stricken look on Wallis's face was painful to see. Cold satisfaction darkened the dowager’s face as she watched her sister stumble away into the dark.

A second later, Louisa heard a woman shriek behind her. Fear latched onto her as she whirled around. The bloodcurdling screech paralyzed her as it grew in pitch then was abruptly cut off. The moment the woman's cry ended, a horrible, gleeful laugh filled the air. A chill slid through her. He’d killed her. The child had killed the woman. She didn’t know how or when, but Louisa knew it with so much certainty it made her ill to think of it.

Angry muted voices echoed above her as the real world began to seep its way back into her senses. Sharp as glass, Lady Argaty’s voice sliced through the air as if from a great distance. The woman’s words hovered on the edge of her senses, but the quiet, yet forceful, sound of Ewan’s voice made her feel safe. As the an dara sealladh slowly released her from its grip, it was as if someone had opened a door that allowed her to hear the argument between mother and son.

“Why didn’t you tell me the woman had the sight?”

“I saw no reason to.” Although his voice was steady and calm, the strength of Ewan’s burr indicated he was angry. “What are you afraid of Mother?"

“I have nothing to fear. I simply don’t like the way this woman has disrupted my household.” Lady Argaty’s words vibrated with contempt, but there was an apprehension beneath the woman’s denial that puzzled Louisa.

“Your household?” Despite Ewan’s quiet question, Louisa heard the icy note of fury in his voice. “You forget your place, Mother. I’m the Earl of Argaty, and this is my household.”

“An earl who buries himself in seclusion leaving me and Wallis to maintain order in the house.”

“You don’t have a single drop of domestic or maternal instinct in you, Mother. The only thing you’ve ever possessed was a tongue as vicious as a viper.”

Louisa’s eyes fluttered open, and she realized she was lying on her bed. Mrs. Selkirk’s matter-of-fact voice beside the bed made her turn her head toward the housekeeper.

“Well, now, ye decided to come back tae the mortal world, have ye.” The woman’s weathered face was softened by her cheerful smile as she patted Louisa’s arm. The solid warmth of Ewan filled her senses as he bent over her.

“How do you feel?” The note of concern running beneath the words startled her, but she brushed the sensation aside.

“Other than feeling a bit woozy, I’m fine,” she murmured. Her gaze met his blue-gray one, and the relief she saw sweep across his battle-scarred face warmed her heart. “How did I find my way to my room? I don’t remember climbing the stairs.”

“My son had no choice but to carry you up here, Mrs. Morehouse, after the stir you caused downstairs.” At Lady Argaty’s scathing criticism, Louisa winced with embarrassment, and Ewan jerked upright to face his mother.

“Leave.”

The single word was a command even Louisa would have found difficult to disobey. The black eyepatch over Ewan’s missing eye combined with the dark anger hardening his features gave him a menacing look, and the dowager countess stiffened. Although her expression remained cold and patronizing, fear flickered in the woman’s gaze. But Louisa didn’t know if she feared her son or something else.

With one last baleful glance in Louisa’s direction, the dowager countess stalked out of the room. A dark cloud of anger still visible on his face, Ewan cleared his throat. His mouth moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but instead, he released a soft noise of angry frustration then looked at the housekeeper.

“I’ll leave Mrs. Morehouse in your care, Mrs. Selkirk.” He jerked his head in the Scotswoman’s direction then looked down at her. “I told the boys you were feeling a bit under the weather, and I’ve arranged for the three of them to have supper with me.”

Startled by his statement, Louisa stared at him in amazement. He grimaced in the face of her astonishment, but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he turned away and left the room. As she watched the door close behind him, Mrs. Selkirk clucked softly.

“There goes a mon plagued by a mother who has a heart as cold as a winter’s wind on the moor.”

“Has she always shown such antipathy for him? Her own son?”

“Aye, the woman is dead inside—has been for a verra long time,” the housekeeper said as anger darkened her kind features.

An image of Ewan as a young boy filled her head. She was certain he must have been just as desperate for love as Ross. The thought of it made her heart ache for him, especially when she considered how happy her childhood had been even though she didn’t remember her parents.

“You’re very fond of him.”

“Aye, he always was a good lad with a smile or kind word for others.” The housekeeper shook her head with a sigh of sadness. “His time fighting in foreign lands changed him.”

“How long did he serve with the Black Watch?” At Louisa’s question, the housekeeper frowned in contemplation.

“Let me think, he joined the regiment shortly before he was married, and was called to duty only a week or so after his wedding.” Mrs. Selkirk shook her head in sympathy. “He came home shortly after Lady Argaty died in childbirth.”

“Is that when he came home with his injuries?”

“Och, no. He was only here for two days after the young countess’s death. Several of us overheard Lord Argaty and her ladyship arguing bitterly and hours later he was gone. I think he stayed away because of that woman,” Mrs. Selkirk said in a contemptuous voice. A moment later she sighed quietly, and a deep sadness lined her plump face. “The mon dinnae come home for seven years. And I think he would have remained in the Black Watch for much longer if he'd nae been injured so badly.”

“With the exception of a few minor difficulties, his injuries don’t seem to be an impediment for him.”