AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I am curious about you.”
Her eyes widened. “I am not sure if the best place to start is with Papa.”
“I find that we tend to be defined by the actions of our fathers. So I say it is a good place to start.”
“Do you speak from experience?
He exhaled slowly. “I do.”
She considered him for a brief moment. “My father was the Baron Harcourt, and I am sure you know the scandal surrounding his name.”
“From time to time I may hear rumors, but I do not listen to them.”
One of her shoulders lifted in an inelegant shrug. “Papa did not love my mother. He married her because she was an heiress and he needed her money. He gambled and whored it away,” she said bluntly. “He met someone he loved dearly. They had an affair. When her husband threatened to take her children if she did not end the affair, she agreed. He killed himself,” she ended flatly. “And he left me and Mamma to face his debts and the horrid scandal alone. According to the ton, I have the taint of his blood in my veins.”
Tobias considered the manner in which her fingers clenched and unclenched on the reins.
“Do you have good memories?” he asked softly, remembering each time someone asked of his father, they had only desired to hear the worst, not the good that had been present. Good memories never made for salacious and ruinous gossip.
A shadow crossed her face. “I…I loved him,” she said defiantly. “And there are days when I feel I still do.”
He arched a brow. “It is usual for one to love their father. Mine was a reckless libertine, a wastrel, and yet, for years, I wanted to emulate him.” He’d never said that aloud to anyone in his life.
The horses slowed to a more even canter and her thighs brushed against his as they rode with companionable ease. It was peaceful, and he was suddenly glad for her company. The last thing he desired in this moment was to be in his own head, imagining the varied ways he would gut his steward. Perhaps burying his body in an isolated cave, except surely his family would want his remains to bury.
“My father taught me to ride, fish, swim, and the rudiments of fencing,” she finally said wistfully. “Papa never regretted that he did not have a son. He treated me like I was cherished, and I was allowed to run wild, though most of the neighbors complained. Of course, if I had been a boy, my behavior would not have been considered outrageous. He simply loved me for me.”
“He sounds admirable.”
She stiffened, pain darkening her pale catlike eyes. “He was…he was wonderful and a hero in my eyes, until…until he left us. The pain of his betrayal overshadowed everything else in our lives for months, years,” she said, her breath hitching on a soft sob.
He nudged his horse even closer to hers. Her eyes were red, and if he was not mistaken, she was valiantly holding on to her tears. Regret soured his tongue. “Forgive my questions, Olivia, you do not have to speak of it. I can see it still pains you.”
She tossed her head. “I am well. Now you tell me of your father.”
It was his turn to be discomfited. “My father was jealous and obsessed with my mother.”
He felt the caress of her gaze on his face, but he did not look at her. “He was?”
“Yes.”
His heart started to pound as the memories started to swirl.
“What happened?” Olivia questioned softly.
“Every man who admired Mother was a threat. Father would be wild with jealousy if another man dared to dance with her. I remember at my first ball, Father dragged her from the ballroom, out of Lord Gresham’s arms. She threw champagne in his face and he slung her over his shoulder. That scandal roared through the ton for weeks. Everywhere I went there was pointing and whispers.”
She gasped. “I cannot credit it!”
“I had known of my father’s temper and my mother’s fieriness, but I never knew society was also aware of their volatility.”
“Is that why you are so…reserved with your feelings? You dread being similar?”
He met her curious eyes then. “Yes,” he said, burying the darker part of his legacy behind a small smile. “I strive to not be as careless with my tempers.” If she only knew what he worked to bury. He glanced up at the swirling dark clouds. Rain was imminent. “We need to find shelter.”
“Are we not close to the Rose Cottage?”
“At least an hour’s hard ride.”
