Page 34 of Redemption

Chapter 7

“Blast it, Patience, it’s Sebastian’s birthday,” Percy bit out between clenched teeth as he glared at his younger sister.

“I attended the celebration at Melton Park this past weekend.” Patience tilted her chin upward in a mutinous manner. “It’s highly unlikely I’ll be missed at the party next week.”

“You know good and well that’s not true,” he snapped.

“In other words, you mean the Marlborough Set will be disappointed I’m not on display for their amusement,” Patience said with equal vehemence.

“Don’t be absurd,” he ground out. “I’m talking about the family. To hell with the Set.”

Frustration pummeled him as he tried to navigate the treacherous waters of his sister’s fragile emotions and fear. It had been a blunder of monumental proportions to take Rhea to the orphanage this afternoon. Patience had been extremely hesitant to attend Sebastian’s party in London to begin with. Now, in his eagerness to have a few private moments with Rhea, his lack of foresight had pushed Patience into a corner and an outright refusal to attend. Hell, she might even decide not to return to the orphanage. The family would drag him over the coals if that happened.

Patience glowered at him from her seat on the sofa in the main salon of Melton House. Frustrated not only by his sister’s obstinate refusal to attend the party, but by his own ineptitude, Percy scowled back. He might have erred this afternoon, but it was time Patience came out from the shadows. Although her reconciliation with Julian had restored a great deal of her confidence, she still had difficulty going out in public.

Aside from the two morning rides she’d accompanied Sebastian on last fall, Patience had refused to face the Set in a public setting since the fire. Whenever she and Julian traveled from Crianlarich to London, it was either for a family gathering or when Julian had business in town. He glanced toward the fireplace where Julian stood. Percy knew his brother-in-law agreed with him, but the man never interfered in sibling quarrels.

The Highlander was all too familiar with Patience’s head-strong nature. When his wife had refused to see him for months after the tragedy at Westbrook Farms, the tall Scotsman had been tormented by her rejection. The Rockwoods had always liked Julian, but the man’s obvious distress at Patience’s refusal to see him had only strengthened their affection for their brother-in-law. Percy studied his sister’s rebellious expression for a moment before he narrowed his gaze at her.

“This is about this afternoon at the orphanage.” The statement caused Patience to jerk slightly.

“I’ll not deny your arrival with Miss Bennett in tow only served to emphasize it would be a mistake to attend the party.”

Patience’s soft confession made Percy grimace. The dark scowl on Julian’s face was an indicator of how his entire family would view his reckless behavior earlier in the day. Percy wasn’t sure what irritated him the most, his misstep in unexpectedly forcing Rhea on his sister this afternoon or Patience’s stubborn refusal to realize her scars were not as disfiguring as she believed. Percy contemplated his sister’s unreadable expression for a long moment before his jaw tightened with resolution. It was time to change tactics.

“What you really mean is that you wouldn’t have been at the orphanage if you’d known Rhea was accompanying me.” The clipped statement made color flood Patience’s cheeks and her mouth thinned with anger.

“You betrayed me, Percy.” The bitterness in his sister’s voice made Percy’s gut twist viciously.

“It was never my intent to do so, Patience. I hadn’t planned to bring Rhea to the orphanage for lunch,” he said with sincere regret. “It was a spur of the moment invitation. Once the invitation was extended it was impossible to retract. It’s a mistake I deeply regret. I’m sorry.”

“You should be,” his sister said sharply. The glare she directed at him only deepened Percy’s remorse. After a long moment of silence her features softened slightly before she looked away to stare at the royal blue carpet with its cream-colored floral design.

“In truth, I suppose I should be grateful.”

“Grateful?” he murmured hopefully.

“Yes.” Patience nodded as she continued to study the carpet. “Today illustrated how terribly difficult the party would be for me.”

“Difficult how?” he snapped with self-frustration. “You appeared to enjoy yourself the other night at Melton Park.”

“That was different. I knew almost everyone in attendance.” She looked up at him with a look of irritation.

“And you’ll know most everyone at the ball.”

“Know perhaps, but not well enough to think they’ll ignore…”

Her voice died away as she shook her head. There was a look of fear and horror in her brown eyes that made Percy want to scoop her up into his arms as he had when she was little and had been hurt or frightened. He’d always been able to help her overcome her fears as a child, the fact that he couldn’t do so now pained him greatly. If there was anything he hated, it was to see anyone in his family in pain.

“Except for your initial shock, I think you enjoyed Rhea’s company at lunch,” he said gently.

“Miss Bennett was kind. She ignored my…my scars.”

“And people will be equally kind at the party,” he said quietly. “I think you know that or you wouldn’t have invited Rhea to dine with the family this evening.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw his brother-in-law jerk in surprise. He saw his sister dart a quick glance at her husband who was eyeing her with amazement. Patience’s mouth twisted slightly as if in pain.

“I won’t deny I found Miss Bennett quite pleasant. But that’s not why I asked her to dinner this evening.”