“I’m awfully sorry for your loss. How tragic it is. The pain you must have carried… I cannot imagine losing either of my sisters,” she admitted.
With a short nod, he cleared his throat. “I want to protect him. There are some that will question and judge. But as a duke, few will dare stand in my way to make him my heir.”
“That’s very considerate of you,” Isla offered before hesitantly asking, “What about his birth record with the church?”
He shrugged. “I am not worried about it. So long as he has my name, all should be well.”
Tilting her head, she asked, “Who else knows the truth?”
“A few close friends and household staff, all of whom are sworn to secrecy,” he added. “You don’t have to worry about it getting out. But as you can see, the boy needs additional guidance. He needs a mother and that is why I need to marry.”
There, the plan is out at last. She’ll understand everything now.
Except the look of understanding wasn’t there. Isla’s brow was furrowed. “But what about his mother? Will you tell him about her?”
Leaning back in surprise at the question, Ronan couldn’t help but frown. “That’s hardly important right now. He’s only a child. I’ll manage that situation when it arises.”
“Did your sister wish for you to make him your son or to love him as one? They don’t need to be one and the same,” she said gently.
“He will have my name and that is what matters most.”
Isla slowly shook her head. “There are other ways to do it, Ronan. Oliver deserves to know about his mother. He would want the truth someday. Wouldn’t you?”
Befuddlement sat strangely on Ronan’s back. He stood up and moved away. How was he supposed to make her see reason? She wasn’t understanding this.
“He will be a duke and that is all that matters. He will be secure. What else could he want?”
“Love, for starters. A father, yes. But most of all, a family that is honest with him. You should love him and care for him and protect him no matter what anyone else says.”
“And I will,” he countered as she rose to her feet. “I’m protecting him in the best way possible. There will never be a whisper of doubt about his parentage by the time he is grown. I won’t allow it.”
She had the gall to roll her eyes. “You cannot control the gossip of the ton. They will know of your child before marriage. He is too old.”
“Which is why he needs a mother who will be here to help him.”
“And he deserves to know about his first mother,” she insisted passionately. “You should protect him no matter what they say.Oliver is much more than just a child. He is more than just yours. He shouldn’t live a whole life as a lie.”
Ronan grumbled, “Why burden him so? It’s safer this way.”
“Safer to lie for the rest of your life?” Isla stared at him in disbelief. She grew pale and shook her head. “Would you bury your sister so deeply to her own child? That is awfully cruel, Ronan. How could you think to do something so mean? I cannot believe you thought I would simply agree to this. I… I need to think about what you’ve said.”
He stared as she started for the door. “You can’t break this engagement, Isla.”
Pausing at the door, Isla asked in a low voice, “But what if I did?”
He didn’t have words for her. Only a growl of frustration ripped through him. But it wasn’t even to keep Isla there. She disappeared down the hall, leaving him alone with his discontent.
CHAPTER 16
One of the traits Isla loved most about her sister Margaret was her ability to listen.
While Lacey danced around the room after Hector, the two older sisters were seated in the window seat talking quietly with their emboirdery in hand. They’d each completed approximately three stitches in the last hour since they sat down, having so much to discuss.
And there would be more if I could share the truth with her. But Ronan is allowed his secrets; they are not mine to share no matter how brightly they burn inside me.
“How big of a lie is it?” Margaret asked eagerly.
Sighing, Isla glanced at Lacey who was humming now as she crawled around the room to chase after Hector. The cat, in turn, was actually seated on a chair. Lacey would eventually notice so Isla turned back.
