Wentworth Hall

“Well, out with it, girl!” Lord Darlington snapped. “I haven’t all day to stare at you staring at me.”

Therese nodded her head firmly, choosing to be blunt. “I would like to leave Wentworth Hall,” she said, trying to sound as decisive as possible.

“Well, then, thank you for your time and ask one of the maids to help you with your belongings on your way out,” Lord Darlington replied, lowering his gaze back to the papers on his desk, gathering and hitting a stack back into organized submission with a firm thump.

“I will leave as soon as I receive enough money to set myself up in my own establishment in London,” Therese said, gaining confidence.

Not raising his eyes from the desk, Lord Darlington arched a single eyebrow. “I’m sorry to inform you that cannot be arranged at this time.” He lifted his eyes from his paper. “Good day and have a safe trip back to Paris.”

“I’m not leaving until I receive my proper sum. If you do not comply, I will tell Lady Darlington the truth about my mother.”

Lord Darlington slowly raised his eyes to meet with Therese’s. His look was a combination of fury, belittling amusement, and confusion. Therese instinctively took a step backward.

“Is that so?” he asked, rising from his desk and standing up straight at full height. With his starched and pressed appearance and stern mannerisms, he was very intimidating.

Therese resisted the urge to shrink backward any farther. She was tempted to run from the room, but knew what had to be done was imperative to her livelihood. Knowing this would likely be the last time she ever saw him, Therese had to ask, “How could you turn your back on your own child?”

Lord Darlington had no response, but a look of shame crossed his features for the briefest moment.

“When I came to you to explain who I was, I did not ask for money. Or a title. I only wanted a father.”

“How was I to know your mother was telling the truth?” Lord Darlington bellowed. “Many high-born men have been fooled.”

“I am standing before you now. Do you not see a resemblance? Can you be so hard-hearted?”

“This from a girl who is trying to extort from me? No, you could never be a Darlington. Our behavior would never be so low.”

Therese felt ice start to flow through her veins. She hated him. He was so in love with his status he couldn’t see beyond it. Well, soon the Darlington name would be in complete disrepute. Even the Darlingtons wouldn’t want the Darlington name.

Nodding, she said, “Sir, if you do not do as I ask, I will be forced to inform her of your rather unbecoming behavior.”

Lord Darlington studied her for a moment, as if considering how to handle the situation. Finally a strange smile broke over his face. “Go ahead. Do it,” he sniffed, appearing suddenly disinterested. “It’s not uncommon for a lord to have illegitimate children. My lady would forgive me. After all, it was almost two decades ago. Old news.”

Therese was taken aback. She didn’t expect him to say such things… to be so certain. Straightening her back and squaring her shoulders, she shot back, “Fine. She may forgive you. But will society when I tell the newspapers an even better bit of information?” Eyes ablaze, she locked gazes with Lord Darlington, hoping to convey that she would not back down.

“And what information would that be?” he countered, folding his arms over his chest.

Therese paused, unsure if she should divulge this secret. Decisively, she shot back, “That baby James isn’t your son… but your grandson. He belongs to none other than your daughter Maggie. Oh, yes,” Therese continued on, seeing she now had the upper hand due to Lord Darlington’s inability to mask his shock, “Your lady lied to you. She covered up for your daughter. Did you really think a woman of her age could bear a child? And didn’t you notice Maggie’s behavior after she came back from France? How she looked at that baby?”

Lord Darlington blinked a few times, studying Therese. “There is no way anyone would believe those lies.”

“Lies? Lies! The only person who is lying here is you to yourself. I do not speak lies about this matter. Plus, the newspapers will gleefully print this information. They do not care if it is true or not. They obviously haven’t cared what the truth was in the past. This will ruin you and you know it!” Therese stated, index finger jabbing the air in front of Lord Darlington’s chest, her own chest heaving up and down after her passionate monologue.

With a quick intake of breath, he raised his hand into the air. Flushed red with anger, his hand froze, quivering in midair. Chin held high, she winced, but held her ground, waiting for the coming blow. The tension in the air was palpable as a few heartbeats passed between them. Lowering his hand, Lord Darlington scowled at Therese, knowing she was correct.

He returned to his seat at the desk, face still red with fury. Tensely, he opened a locked drawer in his desk and began removing a few items.

“You will receive a sum of two hundred pounds. Half I have, and the rest will be paid in jewels, which you can hawk as you please once you are far and away from Wentworth. You are to leave now. Not in a few hours, not tomorrow morning, but now. There is a ferry leaving Southampton in a few hours and you are to be present for it,” he concluded, giving intent focus to the files upon his desk, refusing to look her in the eyes. “Gerald will personally escort you. Again, you are to have contact with no one and leave immediately. You will receive your money and jewels once my butler sees that you are properly on the ferry and never to come back or even breathe a word that you had worked here previously. Is that understood?”

Therese stifled a small squeak of triumph, holding a winning grin back with all of her might. She diverted her eyes toward her shoes, hoping to affect a demure and grateful appearance. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now get out of my study!” he finished with a snap, finally looking up at her.

“Yes, sir. Right away…” She exited toward the door, slipping out of the dark frame into the hallway. Before she shut the door, she ducked her head back in and added, “I mean, yes, father.” And with that, slammed the door behind her.

Chapter Twenty-One

Lord Darlington fumed to himself as he paced from wall to wall in his study. He had never thought his past mistakes would come back to haunt him in this most egregious manner. What if that little French girl was bluffing? She must have been. Also, his wife would never dare lie to him like that… and what’s more, his daughter, though so often reckless, had matured and would have never have been so careless with both her own body and the family name!

He had to confront Lady Darlington. But he needed to wait to make sure Therese was gone first.

Once Gerald returned to the study and nodded that Therese had left, Lord Darlington stalked out, slamming the thick mahogany door on his way out. He walked quickly to the garden hothouse, where his wife was so often to be found.

Lady Darlington stood there, sunbonnet over her dark salt-and-pepper hair, trimming a small rosebush. She hummed softly to herself as she snipped at the pungent red flowers. She wore a flowing yellow dress that covered her, yet gracefully clung to her figure. Lord Darlington stopped at the entrance and studied his wife’s body.

Although she had a mature frame, one that had produced three children, it was not the body of a woman who had just brought a newborn into the world. He had seen his wife post-child—her hips appearing wider, breasts plump with milk, and face fuller from nine months of providing food to her baby within. Besides a few extra wrinkles upon her face, Lady Darlington possessed none of these postpartum traits.

Pursing his lips, he spoke out, “Tell me the truth.”

Surprised, Lady Darlington jumped, and in doing so, snipped a rose too short and caught her finger in the process. “Ouch!” she exclaimed, brows furrowing as she turned quickly to see who had spoken. Putting her damaged finger to her lip, blood seeping down the side, she mumbled back to her husband, “About what?”

“The baby,” he replied flatly, looking stiffer than ever. His hands stuck to his hips and his face exuded