Beauty Tempts the Beast (Sins for All Seasons #6) - Lorraine Heath Page 0,20

don’t understand why you won’t let me help.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“I’m not a child.”

The voices, the inflection of them, were familiar. Scrambling out from beneath the covers, she crawled to the window and lifted her head only enough to peer over the ledge and hopefully not be seen. The two men were shadows, but she’d recognize their silhouettes anywhere. The larger of the two was Marcus, the other Griffith. Why was her older brother visiting now, at this ridiculous hour? Why didn’t he come inside out of the cold? Why not come inside so he could see her?

“Then don’t act like one,” Marcus said, disgust rife in his tone.

“Christ, you sound just like Father.”

“I am nothing at all like him.” Marcus’s tone was hard, brittle, and she rather thought he’d uttered those words through clenched teeth.

“I misspoke. I apologize. I’m just frustrated. I hate living here, hate working the docks. Hate feeling so impotent. I want to assist with your endeavors. Are you getting any closer to discovering with whom Father was conspiring against the Crown?”

Althea’s breath caught. Those were not the sort of people with whom Marcus should become involved.

“Possibly. I finally have some leads.” He sighed. “What I said about you being a child. I know you’re not, and I appreciate that you want to be involved with this undertaking, but it’s important that you are here for Althea, that she is not left alone. Someone needs to look after her.”

“But then who is there to watch your back?”

“Her back is more precious.”

Horror was taking hold of her. All their backs were equally precious.

“Do you really believe that if you discover who all was involved in the conspiracy the Crown will return the titles and properties to you?”

“I care little for the titles or properties. I care only that we’re not all viewed as traitors. Have you forgotten what it was like to be arrested, to sit in the bloody tower wondering if they were going to hang us as well?”

“I haven’t forgotten. I’ll never forget. I can hardly sleep without waking up in a cold sweat.”

Her brother’s confession tore at her heart. She’d had no idea he suffered so.

“I just want to regain our respectability, if not for us, then for Althea,” Marcus said. “Who would marry her as long as this pall of doubt and suspicion hangs over us? She’s the daughter of a duke. She should have her pick of suitors.”

She backed into the corner and wrapped her arms around her drawn-up knees. They were placing themselves at risk in large part because of a desire to better her prospects? Although in bettering hers, they bettered themselves as well, but the risk was too great.

“She did. She chose Chadbourne.”

“The scapegrace publicly turned his back on her. I should have done more than blacken his eye. I should have called him out.”

“Not to disparage your skill with weaponry but if he’d somehow managed to kill you, he’d have been hailed a hero.”

“There is that. Listen, you might see less of me. It’s becoming a bit more . . .”

“Dangerous?”

“Risky. If it should be discovered that I’ve been less than honest in my desire to replace Father . . . I don’t want anyone coming after you or Althea.”

“I hate being a bloody nanny. I want to be in the thick of it. I want to help you.”

“Then make certain you give me no cause to worry about Althea.”

She was trembling by the time they went quiet, and she realized Marcus had left. She heard a distant door, the one that led into the garden, open and close, followed by the echo of footsteps. A pause in the hallway. Another door opening and closing.

She was vaguely aware of tears trailing down her cheeks, gathering in pools in the corners of her mouth. She’d never considered herself particularly close to her brothers, and yet here they were doing all in their power to protect her. As though she hadn’t the means to protect herself, as though marriage was her only option. The thought of losing either of them created an acute pain in her chest.

Marcus was placing himself in danger. He needed someone to watch his back, needed Griffith far more than she did.

She certainly wasn’t a child in need of a nanny. Although tonight, damn it, had proven she needed a protector. Except she had one, and it hadn’t been Griffith. She could make do without him, and then perhaps Marcus wouldn’t be in as much danger. Or