Juliette did not want to be left alone withthem. It would be her mother and two sisters against four imposinggentlemen. By their frowns and the anger she just witnessed fromone, she well understood why her mother feared them.
Acker stopped beside the eldest who placed ahand on his shoulder. “Please tell Eleanor what has happened andwait for me to return.”
Acker simply nodded and left the room.
Eleanor, the woman Acker had once thought tomarry but had married Bentley instead, Acker’s friend.
“I should have known you would find us. Ishould have never returned,” Maman said as she collapsed againstthe back of the settee.
“Why did you return?” Bentley asked.
“I learned he was dead,” she answeredbluntly.
“We thought you were dead,” the fourth mansaid. “Until a year ago.”
Maman had a look of defeat about her with theway her face was drawn and shoulders slumped. Maman had always beena proud woman, her appearance near perfection and backbonestraight. This illness and worry of discovery had taken their tolland it looked as if she would just prefer to curl up and disappear.“I didn’t find out that I was supposed to have died until Ireturned to England,” she finally said.
“Father told us your carriage had gone overthe side of the bridge and you and Julia had died.”
Maman glanced from one brother to the nextand they each nodded in clarification.
“I saw the wreckage myself,” Jordanconfirmed.
“Not only did he want me gone, apparently hewished me dead as well,” her mother said as she glanced toGenviève. “Please get the brandy and enough glasses for all of us.This might take a bit and not a pleasant discussion to have.”
As her sister did their mother’s bidding,maman asked the rest of them to take seats. The brothers shared afew looks between them but capitulated and settled into differentchairs about the room, except the one named Jordan, who remainedstanding by the entrance. The young lady who arrived with them tooka seat beside Juliette on the settee.
Genviève returned a moment later and poured aglass of the dark liquid for each of them. Juliette rarely drankbrandy but suspected she would need it tonight.
Maman sighed and glanced at each of herdaughters. “I was running away from your father,” she informedthem.
Nothing could have shocked Juliette more. Awife did not just leave her husband, especially if he was alord.
Her mother then focused on Bentley. “Yourfather caught up with us before we reached town. I thought he wasgoing to make us come back and I hoped Julia didn’t suffer for myimpertinence.’ She took a sip of from the glass she held tightly inher grasp. “I knew he would punish me, but I didn’t want to see mydaughter hurt again. But he didn’t. He wanted me gone and had nouse for a daughter. At least he didn’t foresee one at that time.”She laughed bitterly. “He sent me to Paris to live and ordered meto change my name and to never return.” Her eyes leveled onBentley’s. “It never occurred to me that he told everyone I wasdead.”
“Why Paris?” Jordan asked.
She sighed. “I had wanted to go to Paris buthad dismissed the idea. It was too dangerous.” She shivered as ifhorrible memories flashed in her mind. “Only Lady Acker knew I wasleaving and that is the destination I had told her, not that I wasactually going to go there.”
“Why did you tell her Paris if that had notbeen your intention?” The auburn haired one asked.
Juliette wished her mother would have atleast introduced her to them, but perhaps maman had her reasons fornot doing so.
“I knew if I managed to escape, your fatherwould go to her because she was my dearest friend. Even though Iknew she would hold my confidences I did not want her to be forcedto lie to him. And, if she was forced to tell him Paris it was mylie, not her own because she wouldn’t know any differently.”
No wonder maman had not wanted her to meetwith Acker. He was much closer to the family than she realized.Would maman want to see Acker’s mother now that their secret wasout? Would Acker tell his mother that he had tried to make herfriend’s daughter his mistress?
Juliette closed her eyes. That was assuminghe lived through the dual tomorrow. She must somehow find a way tostop that from happening. Perhaps she could appeal to Jordan.
Jordan stepped forward. “You left because ofwhat I did. Because Julia was struck.”
Adele smiled weakly, tears glistened in hereyes and she grabbed his hand. “I left because he had taken aswitch to Julia. It had already happened once before. This was thesecond incident. I knew it would happen with more frequency.”
“Still. . . “
“It is not your fault, Jordan.” She squeezedhis hand. “You were simply teasing your younger sister, as bigbrothers are supposed to do. It was your father who was toblame.”
Maman looked at those gathered around. “Itried to make him stop striking you. My stomach churned each timehe picked up that willow switch. None of you ever did anything thatdeserved such harsh punishment. In fact, you rarely did anythingthat you should be disciplined for. You were the sweetest andnicest boys I had ever had the pleasure of knowing but your fatherwas hard and had his version of perfection for each one ofyou.”
“It was different?” Genviève asked.
Her mother swiped a tear from her cheek.“Yes. Matthew would be struck if he didn’t do well on his Biblememorization.” She indicated to the auburn-haired man. “Yet Jordancould fail all of his subjects and his father wouldn’t care. Heexpected different things from each one of his children so theycould grow into the men he expected them to be.”
“So you abandoned us to protect yourdaughter?” The quieter one demanded.
“I know it feels like I abandoned you,” Shedrew out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. “I would have takeneach of you with me if I thought I could have gotten away with it,but there was more than Julia at stake.”
She glanced at the two young women sittingon the opposite sides of the room. “I was expecting.
