Page 90 of How to Tempt an Earl

“No. I am taking my father home. I will care for him there. I wish to see Adam as well.”

The explanation pacified Rose, and she set to work packing Grace’s clothing.

It was a convenient plan. She needed the time away from Ian and his home to think. Her father would be more comfortable in his own residence, and she could see to his needs.

Having spent an afternoon packing, she allowed the two burly footmen, whom she’d first seen when arriving here, to carry her trunks down. She met them in the vestibule and instructed them to place the trunks aside just as there was a knock on the door.

Jenkins came forward to open it. Brooks stood in the doorway.

“My lady,” he said, his dark eyes noticing the trunks in the corner. “Are you going on a trip?”

She glanced behind him before inwardly shaking her head. If her husband was with Brooks, he would not have knocked.

“I feel the need to return home.”

“You are home.”

If one more person reminded her of that fact, she would scream out her frustration. “I’m taking my father home. Dr. Stedler said it would be safe for him to travel the short distance in a padded carriage.”

“I see.”

Did he? Had he spent the evening with Ian? His clothing was rumpled. and his dark hair looked as if he’d repeatedly run his fingers through it, but then again, Brooks never seemed overly concerned with his appearance.

“If you are seeking Ian, he isn’t here,” she said.

Brooks stepped into the vestibule. “I know. I just left him. I came to see you, my lady. Might I have a quick word with you?”

She hesitated. Why would he want to talk with her? Had Ian sent him? Unlikely. Her husband was too proud to send his friend to convey a message. If Ian wanted to tell her something, he would come himself.

At her hesitation, Brooks added, “It won’t take much time, and I can help carry the baron to the carriage.”

“Thank you, but when we are ready to travel, the footmen will see to the task. Meanwhile, we can talk in the drawing room.”

He followed her inside, and she closed the drawing room doors. She took a seat in a chair and motioned for him to join her in another armchair. “Please sit and tell me what is so important you sought me out.”

Brooks settled his large frame in the dainty chair. “Do you know about Ian’s past with his father?” he asked.

“You mean about his arranged engagement to Lady Madeline?”

Brooks nodded. “The earl was a cruel man. Strict with all his children and his wife.”

“Ian told me all this, and I don’t see what—”

“Ian wasn’t his.”

Grace’s mouth opened. “What do you mean?” Even as the question left her lips, she understood.

“Ian’s mother, the former Lady Castleton and the current dowager, had an illicit affair. Ian was the only child who wasn’t of the earl’s bloodline.”

“Did the earl know?”

“He did. He acknowledged Ian as his own only because to not do so would reveal him to be a cuckold. He had hated Ian since birth and let him know it every day of his life. He’d often taunt him that he’d wanted to toss him to the orphanage where he’d belong. The betrothal to Madeline was a form of punishment, not only for Ian, but also for his mother.”

My God. Ian had been an innocent child. The circumstances of his birth were not his fault, but to threaten a boy and to punish him as a young man by forcing him to marry a mentally ill woman was beyond cruel.

“Do Ellie and Olivia know?”

“They are the earl’s children. As far as I know, they do not know.”