Page 39 of No Ordinary Lady

“You know I don’t care about that or the money you spend helping your old friends,” he said, with an ominous tone. “Lower classes. Upper classes. We’re all the same when our clothes come off.”

“I taught you well,” Granny said, sounding proud of her grandson. “I did once know a gentleman in Portishead with the last name of Trill very well. Never intimately, of course. My heart, as you know, was claimed at an early age. But Trill…clever fellow, very handsome, utter degenerate. You would have liked him the moment you met.”

“You cannot suggest to anyone that Marian has a relative like that,” he protested.

“But every family has a black sheep, my dear boy. He was probably her grandfather, or even her old uncle. We would have to visit Portishead again to be certain.”

“Her grandfather?”

“Well, the Mr. Trill I knew was older than I, and he had a pair of sons who might be about the right age to be Marian’s father,” Granny replied.

“I’m sure that family would be overjoyed to know you’re all too willing to foist an orphan upon them without proof of a connection,” Danny growled.

“I did not say I know the sons. They were much younger than I to be of interest to me. But they grew to be men when I lived in Portishead. One was to be married, though I never received a wedding invitation.”

“I think it’s risky to claim any such connection could exist,” he warned.

“Miss Wilson will hardly bother to check Marian’s credentials for being my companion when her lifelong ambition has always been to become a bride and your countess.”

“And what happens after we are married?” Scarsdale asked. “The five of us have to live with that lie under the same roof forever.”

“I should hardly think it will cause you a problem, since I shall only be here until the day you tie the knot,” Granny said. “I’ll head back to Portishead at last, where I belong.”

“What?” Danny protested.

“I will have no reason to stay, my dear boy. I came to help your mother when you were born and returned because your father passed so soon after. I didn’t want her to be alone with her grief, and my stay has lasted much longer than I ever intended. But soon she’ll have her hands full with a daughter-in-law and adjusting to her new role as dowager countess. Then there will be babies on her lap. Seeing me lingering about will only cause her more agitation than happiness.”

“That is simply not true. But what about Marian? Mother doesn’t need a companion.”

“Of course, she doesn’t need a companion, and she certainly cannot have mine. No, I’ll take Marian away with me, and I will find out if my suspicions are correct.”

“What suspicions?”

“That my suspicions about her parentage isn’t an exaggeration at all. There is something oddly familiar about Marian’s face that nags at my memory. I’m sure once I return to Portishead, everything will become clearer.”

“Does she want to leave with you? Have you told her your plans for her future?”

“Not in so many words, but I have mentioned a longing for Portishead, and she seemed quite keen to hear more of my old home and haunts.”

“Portishead has surely changed in the years since you were there last.”

“Change is good for the soul. So is the excitement of a new adventure. I feel young again with Marian about. Besides, I’m much too old to just sit in a chair and wait for your children to come into the world like your mother has. I like Marian, and she seems to like me. She’s amenable to a little deception and an adventure or two. Imagine the mischief we could get into together far from here.”

“I’m trying not to,” Scarsdale said, sounding pained.

“Don’t fret about the pair of us, my dear boy,” Granny murmured. “Soon you’ll have a wife and all the children you could ever need to worry about. I’m sure Amy will accommodate your desire for offspring from the very first night you are man and wife. I’ll take Marian away with me, and perhaps I can find her a nice rich husband, too.”

“No, absolutely not,” Danny exclaimed loudly. “You will not play matchmaker for Marian Trill to any of our acquaintances.”

“Everyone needs someone to love, my dear boy. Especially a girl like Marian Trill. Trust me, she’ll be happier without your fleeting affection.”

“It’s not as if I have a choice now,” Scarsdale argued. “I can’t unmake my decision to marry at this point.”

“That is true, I’m afraid. You are committed now to another lady, even without proposing yet, and poor Marian must forever wonder what might have been between you both. So will you.”

“You go too far, Mrs. Nolan,” Danny said, sounding rather angry now.

“And you, my dear boy, have your head stuck in the sand,” Granny quipped back. “Think carefully about what I said tonight.”