Wolf Who Loved Me (24 page)

“Good-bye, Robert,” the duchess replied crisply.

After another scowl, her brother vanished from the threshold without another word.

Maddie looked back at her grandmother to find the duchess frowning at her. “I can’t imagine why you would want to be with such a man, Madeline, but if you truly want him, I’ll see if I can help.”

Grandmamma was formidable and generally got her way in any situation, but Maddie couldn’t see how she could possibly remedy this problem. “How?” she asked anyway, hoping against hope that her grandmother could do something.

“Well, I’ll just have put my head together with Caitrin Eynsford. I’m sure between the two of us, we can come up with something.”

***

Wes slunk through the doors of Eynsford Park, Gray right behind him. Misery had him so captured in its clutches that he didn’t even notice Price until he had almost bowled the old butler over. “Apologies,” he muttered.

But his voice was loud enough that Dash apparently heard it all the way in his study. “Weston!” his oldest brother bellowed.

“Now you’ve done it,” Gray mumbled under his breath. “Could you have at least waited five minutes before catching his attention?”

Then Wes heard stomping and stalking from the direction of the study, and within mere seconds, the Marquess of Eynsford stood before them, glowering like the pack alpha he was. “What exactly have you to say for yourself?”

“Take it easy on him, Dash,” Gray said softly. “He’s had a rough time of it.”

Dash turned his intimidating golden glare on Gray. “You have explaining to do as well, Grayson. I didn’t hire Lady Sophia so you could run out on your lessons without a moment’s notice.”

“Twins know when the other is in trouble,” Gray replied, though is voice was softer, more subservient. “I knew Wes needed me.”

“Next time,” Dash growled, “tell someone before you bolt. The two of you took ten years off my life making me worry about you.” Then he returned his gaze to Wes. “My study. Now.” He stalked off and didn’t even look back to see if Wes followed him.

Wes
did
follow, however. He’d been given an order from his pack leader, and he had no choice but to comply. Besides, he needed to tell his brother all that had transpired, and now was as good a time as any.

Dash barreled through his study door, rounded his desk, and sank into his large leather chair. He gestured to one of the high-backed seats before him. “Sit.”

A woman cleared her throat from the threshold, and Wes looked over his shoulder to find his sister-in-law holding Lia in her arms. “Dashiel.” Her Scottish lilt drifted across the room. “We discussed this.”

Dash stared at his wife. “I don’t tell you how to run things with your… friends.”

Cait rolled her eyes. “Because ye wouldna ken the first thing about it. I
do
ken somethin’ of this.”

Lia squealed and wiggled in her mother’s arms as she reached for Wes. At least someone was happy to see him.

“Caitrin,” Dash growled, which made Wes wince. His brother rarely called his wife Caitrin. Cait or Caitie often, but Caitrin only if he was thoroughly angry. If she was smart, she’d turn tail and never look back.

“Doona ‘Caitrin’ me.” Cait bent down, placing the squirming Lia on the ground at her feet. “And doona pretend that ye werena just as foolish as Weston when ye were younger. I am well aware of yer early exploits, as ye well ken. Do ye no’ remember what it was like ta fall in love with me?”

Lia toddled over to Wes’ seat and tried to climb up his trousers with her pudgy hands. Wes snatched her up and placed her in his lap and couldn’t help but smile at his niece. “I missed you, Lia.”

Dash speared Wes with a withering look. “Don’t think for one moment that just because you have my daughter in your arms I’ll show you any mercy.”

Cait walked farther into the study, a blue fire flashing in her eyes. “Ye are the most stubborn lout in existence, Dashiel Thorpe. How many times do I have ta tell ye that Wes dinna have a choice?”

He hadn’t had a choice, but how on earth did Cait know that? Wes stared at his sister-in-law. Was there something he was missing with her? Something he should have realized years ago? She always
did
seem to know everything that happened. He’d always assumed she could interpret his expressions, that something in his face gave him away. But Cait hadn’t seen him since the day Dash hired Lady Sophia and he’d escaped to Castle Hythe. And Renshaw said Cait had sent the carriage to him that night. How had she known to do so?

“We don’t go around abducting our neighbors’ daughters and eloping with them in Gretna,” Dash replied calmly, a little too calmly for Wes’ peace of mind. And how did Dash already know the particulars?

“His heart is broken.” Cait swiped at a tear. “Keep that in mind as ye eviscerate him. He’s already been punished more thoroughly than ye can ever do.” She held out a hand in Wes’ direction. “Come along, Lia. Yer father has business ta attend ta.”

Lia clutched Wes’ jacket with her hands. He smiled again at his niece, kissed her forehead, and then placed her back on the floor. “Go with Mama, Lia. I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”

After Lia toddled over to her mother, Cait settled the child in her arms. She sent one last look at her husband, then she disappeared down the corridor.

Wes glanced at his brother who was now frowning. “Just get on with it. Whatever you intend to do with me.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you yet.” Dash heaved a sigh. “But while I decide about the proper way to handle this situation, I do know that you will not leave Lady Sophia’s side except to go sleep at night. I don’t know if it’s even possible to salvage your reputation, Weston, but attending lessons with her is at least a start.”

Wes stood on the threshold of the nursery, watching Lia stack some blocks and Lucien topple them to the ground with one swipe of his hand. Wes smiled to himself, remembering simpler times.

A dainty hand touched his back, but Wes didn’t need to turn around to know Cait stood behind him. Her honeysuckle scent caught his nose. “Thank you for trying to help me.”

Cait sighed and stepped to his side, peering up at him. “If Dash finds out ye’re no’ at Sophie’s side, there willna be anythin’ I can do ta help ye.”

Wes looked back at the children once again. “I promised Lia I’d come see her.”

“I am sorry ye’re hurtin’, Weston. If there is anythin’ I can do ta help, ye ken I would do it.”

Wes glanced down at his sister-in-law and studied her pretty face, so angelic and sweet. “How did you know I was in trouble that night? How did you know to send Renshaw to me? To tell him to take us to Gretna?”

She smiled softly and shrugged. “Intuition, I suppose.”

In a pig’s eye. No one could have possibly known what had transpired that night. No one could have known the details Dash mentioned in his study. “Can you see the future, Cait?”

Her tinkling laugh reached his ears, but it sounded forced. “What a silly question, Wes.”

But she hadn’t answered it, had she? Wes took her hand in his and squeezed firmly. “Tell me Madeline will be all right, Cait. Can you see that?”

She shook her head. “I wish I could tell ye want ye want ta ken, Wes. But I canna do so.”

“Does that mean she won’t be all right? Does that mean I’ve truly ruined her life?”

“It means,” she squeezed back, “that I canna tell ye what I see or what I doona see. Yer future is in yer hands alone.”

But he was almost certain she could see the future, as a torrent of memories flooded his mind. Every time Cait seemed to know something she couldn’t possibly have discovered on her own. He wasn’t sure how she could see the future, but he knew without a doubt that she could do so. “Please, Cait. Tell me what you see.”

“No one should ken what the future has in store for them, Wes. It would disrupt the natural order of things. My best advice for ye is ta listen ta yer heart and follow it.”

“I did that already. And look where it got me.” He scrubbed a hand down his face in frustration.

Cait stepped in front of him, capturing his complete attention. Her blue eyes seemed almost intense enough that she could look into his soul. It was a little disconcerting. “Where did it get ye?” she asked softly.

Wes didn’t want to have this conversation. He’d already returned Madeline to her father. Hythe would undo the mess Wes had created with his ridiculously naïve actions.

But Cait pressed on. “Where
did
it get ye, Wes?”

Wes jumped to his feet and began to pace. “Nowhere,” he groaned. “Alone.” He took a deep breath as he watched his niece and nephew play. He wanted that. He wanted a family of his own. Sure, he was tightly aligned with his brothers. But the way Madeline made him feel, there was nothing like it. And now she was gone.

“I feel badly for forcin’ yer hand in this,” Cait said softly. “I should have left it alone.”

“What do you mean?” He glanced back down at her, and she looked a little more than chagrined by her admission.

“That night, would ye have thought about goin’ ta Gretna if I hadna sent Renshaw ta ye?” She tilted her head as she regarded him, studying him much too closely for comfort.

“It was a very logical conclusion,” he said. “She’d just learned something that only our mates know. So, making her my wife was the only way to keep our secret.”

“And is that the only reason why ye wanted ta marry her? Or does it go a little deeper than that?” She put her hands together as though in prayer. Or as though she wanted to beg him. “Please search deep inside yerself. How long could ye love her from afar?”

“Forever.” And that was the truth. He could have. “But I’m not good enough for her,” he growled. Then he realized that he was raising his voice at one of his only allies. “I’m sorry, Cait,” he said. “It’s better this way.” He nodded his head quickly, as though he could convince himself if he tried hard enough, instead of just her. But that was impossible. “She’s too good for me.”

A voice broke the sudden silence that descended upon the room. “Don’t worry, Mr. Hadley,” Lady Sophia said from behind him in the threshold. “Maddie’s been taught that very thing since the day she could walk. So, please take note of what a leap of faith it must have been for her to get in that carriage with you…”

Not that he’d given her a choice that fateful evening.

Lady Sophia continued, “…What a leap of faith it must have been for her to marry you. To leave her father, her home, her fortune. And when you look at all that, ask yourself how she’s feeling now that you’ve put her back on this pedestal that she’s been trying to jump down from her whole life.” The lady sighed heavily. “Imagine that you’ve been groomed for greatness. For respectability. Imagine what it’s like to be locked up in that little box your whole life. And imagine what it might feel like when you find someone who’ll let you out. Who’ll love you for the kindness in your heart. For the future you can have together. You’re more than she ever hoped she’d find.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Wes interrupted. And she didn’t. The lady knew nothing of the past sennight.

“I know what it’s like for your life to change in an instant.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“Certainly it’s not,” she scoffed. “But I’ve known Maddie most of my life. And I can see that you’re so busy wallowing in your own self-pity that you don’t see the truth that’s staring you in the face. Maddie gave up her fortune. She gave up her family. She gave it all up. For you. You’d be a fool to give up on her now. I thought you Hadley men were made of sterner stuff.” She sniffed, raising her nose in the air. “And although you and your brothers are quite disrespectable, I have no doubt about your intellect. You’re smart, the lot of you. I think you like wreaking havoc. I think you like being scandalous.”

“It’s not your place to make a determination about this,” Wes scolded. But what if she was right?

“Would you like to make something of yourself? To be worthy of her?”

Wes snorted. He’d like nothing more.

“Then let me do what I was hired for. Let me teach you to be respectable.”

“Do you have any idea how difficult a task you have, my lady? The Hadleys have more to overcome than the average family.”

She waved a breezy hand in the air. “Posh,” she scoffed. “You know how to dance. How to respect the social niceties. You know how to be respectable. You’re just not.” She narrowed her eyes at Wes. “Do you have a way to support her?”

Wes avoided her gaze. He’d spent hours of their wedding night asking himself that same question. “I have some ideas,” he mumbled.

“Ideas aren’t worth anything until you put them into motion,” Lady Sophia said. “This is the question, Mr. Hadley—can you pull yourself together soon enough? Before her father finds some way to dissolve your union? Can you come up with a plan so you can afford her? Can you make yourself into someone she and her father can respect? That, Mr. Hadley, is up to you.”

“Well said,” Cait added softly.

Lady Sophia smiled at her, then turned her attention back to Wes. “I’m here if you need my guidance, Mr. Hadley. Now I believe there is an unruly viscount awaiting me in the music room.” She nodded quickly at Wes, then disappeared from the nursery as quickly as she’d arrived.

“Cait,” Wes started.

But she didn’t listen. She laid a hand on his forearm and squeezed. “I kent I liked her. She’ll give yer brother a run for his money.” She laughed lightly. “I canna wait ta watch it all.”

Wes almost swallowed his tongue. Lady Sophia and one of his brothers? Certainly not Gray.
Archer?
Wes laughed out loud. Cait was right: that would be something to watch. But his mind went right back to the problem at hand. Could he make himself worthy of Madeline? And if by some miracle he was able to, would she have him? “I had a business idea occur to me in Scotland. I suppose I should go talk it over with Archer and Gray.”

Cait grinned. “I have a feelin’ that idea will be a great success.” She waved him toward the door. “Go on,” she urged. “Hurry, though, before Madeline gives up on ye.”

Wes descended the steps in search of his brothers. Lady Sophia had mentioned the music room, hadn’t she?

He started in that direction and heard the lady singing, “
Oh, once I had thyme of my own. And in my own garden it grew. I used to know the place…
”

Before he could reach the music-room doors, Gray came up from behind Wes and clapped a hand to his back. “Archer’s in hell in there. Let’s go the other way,” he whispered.

“
…where my thyme it did grow. But now it’s covered with rue, with rue. But now it’s covered with rue…
”

“What is she doing?” Wes kept his voice low as well.

“Expecting him to sit through a musical performance and feign interest and keep his temper.” Gray rolled his eyes.

“
…The rue it is a flourishing thing. It flourishes by day and night…
”

Wes bit back a smile. “Problem is, I need to speak with Archer. And you, too.”

“Should we save him then?”

“
…So beware a young man’s flattering tongue. He will steal your thyme away, away…
”

Wes could certainly use his older brother’s goodwill. “We’d better.”

He stepped into the music room to find Lady Sophia standing beside the piano, her hands clasped in front of her as she continued singing. “
…He will steal your thyme away…
”

Wes cleared his through. “I beg your forgiveness, my lady. But I seek an audience with my brother.”

Archer leapt to his feet like a dog who had just been saved from taking a bath.“I really must speak with my brother, Lady Sophia. I’m sure you understand.”

The lady pursed her lips. “You do realize that this sort of behavior is exactly why I’m here.”

Wes smiled at Lady Sophia. “You asked if I could afford my wife. I am hoping to answer yes to your question, my lady. But I will need an audience with Radbourne in order to do so.”

“You are using my affection for Maddie against me, Mr. Hadley, aren’t you?”

He nodded in agreement. “I suppose I am.”

“Very well, you may have his lordship for half an hour. Then I will expect all three of you to meet me back in this room.”

Wes didn’t even have time to thank Lady Sophia for her indulgence because Archer grabbed his arm and dragged him into the corridor. “I owe you,” he hissed.

“I’m glad you think so,” Wes replied. “Because I truly do need to speak with both of you.” He made his way to Cait’s pristine white parlor, and after his brothers joined him, Wes firmly closed the door behind them. They’d have to whisper to keep Dash from overhearing their conversation, but no one else would be able to hear them from this spot.

“I must say,” Archer began drolly, “you certainly do know how to make a mess of things. Lady Madeline?” He shook his head in awe. “I didn’t think you had it in you, pup.”

“We only have half an hour, Archer. Will you shut up and listen?”

His brother bristled at the comment, but he gestured for Wes to continue with a wave of his arm. “By all means.”

Now that he had both Gray and Archer’s attention, Wes wasn’t quite sure how to tell them about his idea. He knew Dash would be opposed, but he didn’t know anything about any other business. “What do you think about opening a gambling establishment?”

Gray’s eyes widened and he dropped onto the settee behind him.

Archer smirked. “I think that between your elopement and opening a gaming hell, Dash will be too busy with you to pay any attention to me.”

Gray coughed into his fist.

Wes glared at his older brother. “Just consider my proposal, will you?”

Archer sighed. “All right. Tell me, why do you want to operate a gaming hell?”

“I don’t know how to do anything else,” Wes admitted. “In my mind I know Madeline is better off without me, and I know Hythe will do everything in his power to dissolve our marriage. But he might not be successful. And in my heart…” Wes shrugged and felt like a green lad, so open, vulnerable, exposed. “I’ll always love her. But I can’t provide for her. My income is quite pitiful, as you well know. So what options are open to me? Can you see me as a country vicar?”

Gray chortled.

Wes scowled at him. “Neither can I.”

“There are a million options between being a vicar and running a gaming hell.”

“Something in trade.” Wes agreed with a nod of his head. “But I know nothing of shipping or of being a merchant. I do know gambling and I know gamblers. And you know as well as I, luck comes and goes, but the fellow who owns the tables always makes money.”

Archer’s brow creased as though he was seriously considering the possibility for the first time. “And you think this is the way to go about winning her? I can’t see Hythe happy with his daughter married to the proprietor of a gaming hell.”

“I wish you wouldn’t call it that. I don’t want the place to be smarmy. More…”

“Upscale?” Gray provided.

“Exactly.” Wes smiled at his twin. “Upscale. Something the three of us can do together. Increase each of our fortunes.”

“And if Hythe is successful at dissolving your union?” Archer asked.

“Then I’ll have something to focus on and throw myself into.”

“I’m tired of being one of the penniless Hadleys,” Gray said from his spot on the settee. “I would never have thought of this, Wes. But I do like the sound of it.”

Archer smirked. “And I can just imagine Lady Sophia’s reaction. How on earth will she make gentlemen out of gambling proprietors? She’ll be so disgusted by the idea that she’ll wash her hands of us, and I’ll never have to sit through another faux musicale.”

“Cait said it would be successful,” Wes tossed in.

“You told Cait?” Gray’s voice rose an octave. “Are you mad?”

Well, he hadn’t really told her, and he wasn’t certain how to explain his bizarre conversation with their sister-in-law. “She went toe to toe with Dash for me.”