Page 89 of A Stolen Heart

“Yes, very much. She took me in when I had nowhere else to go. She didn’t have to—I am only a distant cousin to her. But she is the kindest of women. She has fed and clothed and housed me for almost twenty-five years now, and never a word from her of my obligation to her, never an unkindness or a cut.” Tears sparkled in her eyes. “There’s little I wouldn’t do for her. But this is an easy task. I rather enjoy looking after people. I looked after my father for years before he died. He was an invalid. That was one reason I never married—that and my lack of a dowry.” She gave a small self-deprecating smile.

It seemed to Alexandra that Willa’s life had not been easy—penniless, spending her marriageable years taking care of an invalid parent. But she seemed quite content with her lot, even grateful that it had not been worse.

“You must have been quite young when you came to live with the Countess.”

“Twenty-four. It was in 1789.”

“You were with her, then, when her son and his family were killed.”

Willa nodded. “It was a terrible time for her. First her husband died suddenly—it was his heart, they said. She sent for Lord Chilton, but Paris went mad with revolution. The whole family was killed, every one of them.” She cast a quick, embarrassed glance at Alexandra. “I’m sorry. I mean, that is what we all thought then.”

“It’s all right.” Alexandra smiled at her. “I am still not convinced that I am the Countess’s granddaughter.”

“Her ladyship was terribly distraught. Practically all her family lost in one fell swoop.” Willa shook her head. “Of course, there was Lady Ursula. I am sure that the Countess loves her daughter, but, well—the truth be told, I suspect the Countess always loved Lord Chilton best. The Countess took to her bed for weeks when she heard the news, wouldn’t see or talk to anyone. She was inconsolable. It was all I could do to get her to eat. Some nights she would walk the floor hour after hour. I would sit up with her, and she would talk about Chilton and his childhood and—oh, it was a terrible time. Thank God she eventually came out of it all right.”

“I am sure that a good part of that was due to your care.”

“It’s good of you to say so.”

“It’s only the truth.”

Alexandra insisted that Willa go down to eat breakfast and take a break from her duties while she sat with her mother. After Willa had left, Alexandra edged her chair closer to the bed and took her mother’s hand. Rhea’s hand lay flaccid in hers, limp and unresponding. Alexandra talked to Rhea, telling her about their adventures in the balloon and with the highwayman, making it all sound like a great lark. She wondered if her mother could hear anything she said. The doctor seemed to doubt it, but Alexandra thought there was no harm in assuming that she could. She talked to Rhea as much as possible, hoping that some word would reach her mother deep in her sleep and bring her back.

When Willa returned thirty minutes later, Alexandra went down to breakfast. She walked into the dining room and stopped abruptly. There, sitting at the table with her aunt, calmly downing a plate of ham and eggs, was Sebastian.

“What are you doing here?” she asked ungraciously. “Do you plan to plague us from morning till night?”

He smiled in the manner of one who enjoyed delivering bad news. “More than that, my dear. I have moved in.”

“What!” Alexandra stared at him. “Are you mad? You can’t live here!” She could scarcely imagine anything worse than having to be around Sebastian every minute of the day, always seeing him, wanting him, her heart breaking all over again every day.

“I don’t know why not. Your aunt invited me.”

“Aunt Hortense!” Alexandra swung on that good woman, who was placidly eating her eggs, long since used to her niece’s temper. “How could you?”

“Quite easily, my dear. The Countess and Sebastian and I talked about it at some length last night after you went up to bed. We decided it was the wisest course.”

“Obviously Murdock’s presence hasn’t been enough protection. I have brought over two or three of my other servants, including Punwati.”

“Punwati! Whatever for?”

“He is quite adept at the Eastern arts of hand-to-hand combat. A good man to have in a fight.”

“Do you plan to turn our house into an armed camp?” Alexandra asked scathingly.

“If I have to, in order to keep you safe. When you go out now, one of us will accompany you—Punwati, Murdock or I.”

“I am to be a prisoner in my own house, then?”

“Not a prisoner, dear,” Aunt Hortense said, shaking her head. “It’s for your protection.”

“You will protect me into an early grave! I cannot bear to have Murdock and Punwati and God knows who else hanging about all the time!”

“You’ll scarcely notice they’re here,” Sebastian assured her. “Murdock and my two servants will primarily patrol the outside of the house. Punwati will keep a watch on the inside. And, of course, it is I who will be with you most of the time.”

“You are the one I want to have around least,” Alexandra retorted bluntly. “Talk about a scandal! If it was such an awful thing for the two of us to be stuck together one night because of that silly balloon taking off, imagine how the tongues will wag at the idea of your living here!”

“Since I plan to marry you, the scandal will not last long.”