True Love's Deception (book 3) (The Fielding Brothers Saga) (32 page)

“Yes, Mother,”
he answered back.

“Are you ready to go?” Nick asked, breaking his thoughts.

Andrew shook his head. “I don’t know.” He studied the yard a little more. “I think I was here once. I used to push my sister on that swing.” He pointed to the large oak. “My father had just built it for us. Mother worried we might get hurt.”

He stopped and narrowed his gaze on the vines. “There were no vines back then, but more flowers.” Without being able to stop himself, he walked toward the swing. “My father once made me a tree house.” He walked to the large oak until he stood beneath it. Looking up, he smiled. A tree house sat on the strongest limb.

Behind him, Nick gasped. Andrew continued, “I refused to have Mary Kate come into my tree house. It was for boys and not girls. Besides that, my mother didn’t want her climbing trees, but this didn’t stop my big sister. One day I found her up in my tree house going through my most private things.”

He planted his hands on his hips, continuing to look up at the nailed-on steps going up the trunk of the tree. “To get back at her for doing this, I took her favorite doll and hid it. I told her all my pet insects ate her.”

Andrew smiled at the memory. Then another came crashing through his mind. He looked down on the ground and searched the area around the tree. He grabbed a large stick and began digging in one particular spot.

When the stick hit something hard, he stopped and held his breath. Quickly, he dug further with his fingers until he pulled out a rectangular box. “I—I cannot believe it’s still here.”

“What is inside?” Nick asked in a small, tight voice.

“The doll I buried.” Andrew lifted the lid. Tears stung his eyes. Lying inside the box was the very doll from his memory.
“Oh, good Lord.”

“Come.” Nick reached down and grabbed Andrew’s elbow. “This is the proof we need that you are indeed Matthew’s son.”

Andrew hopped to his feet and both he and Nick turned at the same time.
And stopped.
Not far ahead stood Lord and Lady
Grenwick
, and Mary Kate. All had tears floating in their eyes.

Mary Kate stepped forward and with a shaky hand took the doll from him. “This used to be my favorite doll. I named her...” She bit her lip in thought.

Andrew smiled. “You named her Sunshine.”

Mary Kate met his gaze and nodded as tears streaked down her face.

Suddenly, everything started coming back to him. His memory was returning.

He looked at his father. “Your full name is Matthew George Lawrence the third.” He gazed to his mother who sobbed uncontrollably. “And your name was Margaret Annie Wentworth before you married at seventeen.” He turned back to Mary Kate. “We had a dog named Shadow. He used to follow us all over the yard when we played. He was killed when a rabid dog attacked him. We were the only two who saw what happened, and we felt helpless because we couldn’t do a thing without getting bit ourselves.”

“Oh, Andrew.”
Mary Kate sobbed and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. “You are my brother!”

Andrew blinked back the tears, but they refused to stop. Through blurry eyes, he looked at the other two people waiting nearby.
“Mother?
Father?”
His voice cracked with emotion before he tore himself away from his sister and launched into his family’s waiting arms.

After several minutes of hugs and kisses, Andrew stepped back and wiped his eyes. Another memory sparked through his mind. “I think I remember the day I was kidnapped.”

Both his mother and Mary Kate sucked in their breaths.

“I was upset because Mary Kate wouldn’t let me and my insect friends come to her birthday party. I was with Mrs. White, our governess.”

Mary Kate nodded.

“Mrs. White took me for a walk in the park. She had stopped to visit with someone, and I chased a butterfly. The next thing I remembered, I was lost. That’s when I met Henry and Thomas. They told me they were my relatives and that my family had died.”

“
Ohhh
...” His mother cried while his father’s strong arm went around her for comfort.

Andrew took hold of his mother’s cold hands. “Please forgive me for going with them. If I had known—”

“No, Andrew. It is our fault.” She glanced at his father, then back to him. “We sheltered both of our children. Neither of you knew how horrid the world could be.” She sniffed.

He squeezed her hands. “If I had known you were still alive, I would have moved heaven and earth to find you.”

His mother continued to cry, and his father put his arm around him again. “We know you would have, son. We cannot erase the past seventeen years, but we can try to make up for the time that was taken away.”

Andrew smiled fully. “There is nothing I would like better.”

Chapter Seventeen

Madeline hummed sweetly as she checked herself in the mirror. Not more than fifteen minutes ago she had been informed she had a visitor waiting in the parlor for her. Gregg Fielding. Sighing heavily, she frowned. Would he still want to marry her after she told him she had been in Andrew’s bed?
Hopefully not.
Andrew was within her reach. She’d get him for certain.

But for certain she would have to tell Gregg and have him call off their engagement, and she wasn’t really looking forward to that. These past few days, he had actually been enjoyable. He had been a true gentleman, and he made her laugh too many times to count. She’d miss him.

After fluffing her balloon sleeves and patting her hair into place, she left her bedroom and wandered down the stairs. Andrew had not returned from his meeting with the Lawrence family, and for some reason, Juliana had locked herself in her room. He wouldn’t have told Juliana what happened last night, would he?

Nah.

When she entered the parlor where Gregg waited, she came to a quick stop. Standing near the window stood Gregg, looking incredibly handsome. But his scowl frightened her nearly to death. He pierced her with his gaze.

She swallowed. “Gregg. What a pleasant surprise.”

He arched a brow. “Is it?”

“But of course.” She chuckled. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

She shrugged, wishing he’d quit playing the guessing game with her. “It’s a beautiful afternoon, and your company only makes it sweeter.”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, unfortunately I am going to ruin your
wonderful
afternoon.”

She scrunched her forehead. “Whatever are you talking about?”

He marched to her and took hold of her shoulders. She gasped and her head fell back as she looked upon his dark features.

“Oh, I’m certain you know what I’m talking about. And don’t ever call me Gregg again. From now on, you may refer to me as
Mr. Fielding.
”

She blinked. “Gregg...Mr. Fielding, you are frightening me. I fear I don’t know why you are so cross.”

He shook his head. “What a good performer you are, but I can see through your deceitful ways now, my dear.” He yanked her closer to him. “I know what happened last night between you and Andrew.” He seethed. “Because of your scandalous actions, with Nick’s permission I’m calling off our engagement. You had a chance to marry a respectable and wealthy gentleman, but because of the jezebel you have turned into, you will probably never get that chance again.”

Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of him. Instead, she lifted her chin in defiance.
“Whatever you may think of me, I am
not
a harlot.
I did what I did because I love Andrew, and I believe I would be a better wife for him than my sister.”

He let go of her as if she were fire. He stepped away and shook his head. “You love Andrew so much you would ruin your relationship with your sister, not to mention separate Juliana from the man she loves?”

Madeline’s heart twisted. No! She must not feel weak. She
was
doing the right thing. She was! Quickly, she blinked back her tears. “I love Andrew more than my sister.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but your selfishness just might destroy Andrew because he loves Juliana with all his heart. Have you even considered what that man is going through right now? Do you even care?”

She whirled away from him and walked toward the window. “I did what I did because I
am
thinking of Andrew. Besides,” she paused, glancing over her shoulder, “with Andrew out of the way, you’ll be able to win Juliana for yourself.”

Fire practically shot out of his eyes as he stormed toward her. In a panic, she backed up against the wall. He reached her and grasped her shoulders, giving her one shake.

“I don’t care about winning Juliana. I don’t care about my selfish needs like you do.”

“Ha!” She laughed in his face. “You were correct when you said we are very much alike, because I know what you’re thinking right now. Inside you’re bursting with the knowledge of knowing you may get to seduce Juliana after all.”

His hands tightened on her shoulders and made her whimper.

“Don’t
ever
compare me to the likes of you again. True, I used to think we were the same, but now I see the error of my ways, and I have you to thank for that. I never want to be like you. I cherish my friendship with Juliana too much to become the vicious, conniving, scheming devil you have turned out to be.”

“Oh!” She pushed him away and walked past him toward the door. “Get out of my house. Now! I never want to see you again.”

He snickered as he strolled by her. “I would be most happy to do so.”

After he walked out the door, slamming it closed, she crumbled to the floor and wrapped her arms around her middle. Rocking back and forth, she allowed the tears to rush forth. She had indeed lost someone she had once felt close to. Gregg.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head. Andrew’s final words this morning came
resounding
through her head. He did not love her. He never would. He loved Juliana.

Oh, Lord. What had she done? And why did she feel Gregg’s loss more than Andrew’s?

* * * *

Juliana left her room and wandered outside. With a broken heart, she walked along the flower gardens, strolled by the stables. Everything reminded her of Andrew. Would she ever stop loving him?

Probably not.

Then could she bring herself to live with him here in England?

Her heart crumbled again.
Probably not.

As she rounded the corner of the house, Gregg bounded down the front porch, heading for his horse. He looked angrier than disturbed hornets. Only one person has ever made her that mad.

Maddie
.

“Gregg,” she called out, running toward him.

Near his horse, he stopped, looked her way and offered a smile even though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Good afternoon, my dear Juliana.”

When she stopped in front of him, she took his hand. “I need to speak with you. Hopefully, I’m not keeping you from anything important.”

He shook his head. “My dear, you are more important than anything I might have going on.” He stroked her cheek. “What is it you need?”

“Have you heard from Nicholas? I’ve been worried about Andrew because I don’t know how his meeting turned out. He hasn’t returned.”