“Adrian,” Vanessa called weakly. “Adrian, please.”
Ignoring her, he took the stairs two at a time, relieved to see Morgan making his way down.
“Get that bastard out of here,” he hissed, jabbing one finger in his stepbrother’s direction. “Then send that...” He broke off, a dozen dirty slurs battling in his brain. Unfortunately, Gabriel was staring up at them, peeking from behind Vanessa’s skirts, his earlier happiness gone as he chewed on his bottom lip, obviously sensing something was wrong.
“Vanessa,” Adrian managed. “Send her to me in my old bedroom.” He lowered his voice to an angry rumble. “I don’t think there’s going to be a wedding today.”
Chapter Fifteen
“You didn’t tell himabout us?” Roger asked as Adrian rushed up the stairs, his enjoyment of the situation painfully obvious.
Vanessa stared at her former lover, hatred welling within her. She hadn’t seen him in nine years, not since he’d left her, destitute, after having promised her the moon and brutally taking her virginity. If Marcus hadn’t taken her in and gotten her a job with his troupe, who knew what would have become of her?
Before she could say anything, Adrian’s twin charged past her, grabbing Roger by the throat and backing him up against the wall.
“I thought we made it perfectly clear that you weren’t to attend this event,” Morgan said, with a calmness that was more frightening than any amount of anger could ever have been. “I’m going to let you go now, and you’re going to walk away without another word. Is that understood?”
Roger nodded once, his green eyes wide with fear as he struggled to breathe.
Morgan held on to him a moment longer, and then released him.
Roger coughed a few times and then straightened his cravat. He smirked at Vanessa, gave Gabriel a disturbingly long look up and down, and then strode out the front door.
Morgan gave Vanessa a measuring glance and then shook his head, obviously finding her lacking. “Upstairs. Fourth door on the right. Go to him.”
She knelt beside Gabriel, trying to hide her fear. “It will be all right,” she assured the little boy, hating the uncertainty on his face. “That was a bad man, but he’s gone now. Will you wait here for a minute with your papa’s brother?”
Gabriel nodded, his small face pale and his slender body trembling. He seemed terrified, and she didn’t want to leave him, but she knew she had to talk to Adrian.
Morgan frowned a bit when she gave him a pleading book, but then nodded. “The boy will be fine with me. I’ll take him to Anne.”
Squaring her shoulders, Vanessa hurried up the stairs, wondering how on earth she was going to salvage this.
Roger Croft, the Earl of Winters!
He was the darkest part of her life, and she couldn’t believe he’d shown up here in an obvious attempt to ruin this new chapter. Why had he come looking for her, after all this time?
