“If you’ll excuse me, Your Grace. It’s time for His Lordship’s bath. I have it ready. You see, Lady Josephine has ordered that he be given a bath after breakfast.”
He could see why, if this was the child’s normal state after breakfast.
“By all means, proceed with your usual routine.”
The nurse picked up the child and took him to another room for the bath. Edward went happily enough, speaking unintelligible words until the door was closed behind them. Michael was left alone with the half-eaten breakfast and unsure what to do next. To hell with it. He had promised to wait for her, but he didn’t say he would stay here in the nursery. It probably would be a good idea to listen in on Josephine and her relatives’ conversation. It was the perfect opportunity to discern what was really going on without getting biased opinions from one side or the other.
Leaving the nursery, he quietly made his way to the main floor of the house and followed the voices to the same drawing room where Josephine had received him yesterday. He had no intention of going in, but he couldn’t stand in the hallway listening in behind a door. A servant was bound to see him, andhe would not be caught in such an undignified endeavor, even if he was engaging in it.
Fortunately, a few steps down the hallway there was another door, and he was happy to see it led to a smaller sitting room adjacent to the drawing room. There was a connecting door, and by standing behind it, he could hear the conversation quite clearly.
“You see, we merely want what is best for the child, but surely you see how this benefits you too.” That was Mrs. Everleigh's voice, nasal and high with false sympathy. “We are sure a woman like you wouldn’t want to tie herself down to raise a child.”
“But I do, Cousin Margaret. There’s nothing that fills me with more joy than the prospect of raising my nephew.”
“Let us speak plainly, Lady Josephine.” This was from Mr. Everleigh, his booming voice carrying all the pomposity of a rooster on a rooftop. Michael disliked him on the spot. “You are an unmarried, childless woman. You cannot possibly have any interest in a child you just met a little over a month ago and have even fewer qualifications to raise him.”
“Nevertheless, I was the child’s father’s choice, and I intend to do my duty by him with the utmost dedication.”
“Is that so? And how do you intend to do that? Are you going to teach him how to set a harem here in England? Educate him on the heathenish ways you learned abroad? What else are you qualified to teach him?”
“He is only two years old, Cousin Titus. Right now, he only needs to learn how to eat his food and play with his toys. Of course, when the time comes, he will have tutors and will go to school to receive the education he needs to run his estate.”
“Your stated wish to raise him is nothing more than a shameless grab for power. You wish to control his fortune to enrich yourself.” This was from Mrs. Everleigh.
“I have no need for his fortune. Unlike other people I could name.”
“Is that so? I guess being a sultan’s whore is very profitable.”
At Josephine’s gasp, his fists clenched. They had been throwing barbs at her throughout the entire conversation, and thus far, Josephine had failed to rise to the bait. But he could tell this one had hurt her. It hurt him too. He had to exercise the utmost control not to march through the door and boot these two fools out of the house. The only thing keeping him in place was her expressed desire for him not to show himself yet. He probably had more reasons than anyone to resent Josephine’s choices, but hearing her being called a whore provoked a violent reaction in him.
Not as much as her next words, though.
“If you are going to insult me, you should at least get your facts right. He is a pasha, not a sultan. And I was not his whore, but his slave.”
A slave.
The word froze his mind. Halted his breathing. The conversation continued on the other side. He could hear the voices but had ceased to make out the words. Only one ricocheted through his mind like an angry wasp, stinging at his conscience and attacking everything he thought he knew. Shaking his foundation and perception of past events.
A slave? She was a slave in a harem? That was not what her goodbye letter had said. She thought she was leaving for a life of luxury and enlightenment.
Of course, she could have been deceived. Or she could be lying right now, just to justify her actions. But he didn’t think so. The tremor in her voice as she replied to the scathing accusation hinted at deep emotion. His every instinct believed she was telling the truth just now.
But only a fraction of the truth. Just a piece of the entire puzzle. There was more, much more. And he needed to find out the whole truth.
CHAPTER 19
Hischancetolearnmore about Josephine’s mysterious past came two days later. He had returned to breakfast with them every morning. After that, Josephine oversaw the bathing of the child and took him for a turn in the gardens, while he sat in the study with the estate steward in order to apprise himself of the earldom’s finances. It was tedious work, and he already had too much on his shoulders overseeing his own estates, but he was glad to find everything was in order and the steward looked capable and trustworthy. Josephine should be able to oversee the estate without much trouble.
Michael stretched his back as he closed a ledger, concluding today’s session. Would Josephine still be in the garden with her nephew? Unlikely, he decided as he looked through the window. The day was gray and overcast, and a light rain was falling. Most likely, they had taken refuge indoors.
He was debating whether it would be wise to visit them in the nursery when a spot of movement caught his eye, beyondthe gardens and lawn, on a small path that ran along a low cliff by the ocean. Josephine. He had seen her often enough walking through the gardens, either with her nephew or alone. But today was blustery and cold. Low clouds threatened with a downpour, and the mist carried the icy touch of winter. Not even the most sporting of individuals walked outdoors on a day like this. Yet she seemed in no rush to get to the warm protection of the indoors. She walked with the purposeful yet leisurely steps of one enjoying a sunny day at the park. If she didn’t catch pneumonia, the upcoming storm would surely make walking along the cliffs dangerous.
Daft woman. Didn’t she have enough sense to seek refuge? He told himself it was simple annoyance and not concern for her safety that drove him to interrupt her walk as he dashed out of the house in the direction he had seen her.
“A strange morning for a walk outside,” he said as a greeting as he approached her from the side.
She looked at him without surprise and continued her strides without even slowing down, leaving him no choice but to join her.
