Summer's Distant Heart - Laura Landon Page 0,20
afraid of him, Miles. I’m only afraid of what he has the power to do.”
“Come,” he said as he led her to a corner bench. “Sit with me and tell me everything. Why are you pretending to be Janice?”
Lia sat beside her brother and leaned against him. He draped his arm around her shoulders and rested her head against his chest.
“Lord Montclaire arrived last week. He had been searching for his nephew.”
“Why does he call you Lady Atherton?”
“Because that’s what Janice would be if she were alive. She and the Earl of Atherton, Lord Montclaire’s brother Evan, were married.”
“They were married?”
Lia felt her brother’s arms stiffen at the shocking revelation that his youngest sister had been secretly wed.
“Yes, Miles. Lord Atherton married Jannie when he discovered she was carrying his child. But he contracted a terrible fever and died about the same time the babe was born. He made his brother vow to take care of Jannie and the child before he died. If the babe had been a girl, I doubt there would be much fuss over her. But—”
“But the babe was a boy,” Miles finished for her. “The Earl of Atherton.”
“And, the future Marquess of Trentridge.”
“Bloody hell,” Miles hissed through his teeth.
Her brother sat forward and turned to face her. “Are you afraid that Montclaire intends to do the child harm?”
“No, not him. He isn’t at all jealous of the child. He never relished the idea of being the next Earl of Atherton. In fact, he doesn’t want the title.”
“And you believe him?”
“I think so…no, I actually do.”
“Then why is he here?”
“At his brother’s request. To protect the babe.”
“Protect him? From whom?”
“From George’s grandfather. From the Marquess of Trentridge.”
“Why?” Miles asked in disbelief. “You’d think the marquess would be ecstatic to have an heir from his firstborn son.”
“He might be if Jannie had come from a titled family. But she was a commoner. The Marquess of Trentridge refused to allow them to marry. He forbade them from ever seeing each other.”
“So, Lord Montclaire is here to protect the babe from his own father.”
Lia pressed deeper into Miles’ shoulder. “He intends to take us to his estate north of here so we can hide George there. His father knows nothing of the place.”
“For how long?”
Lia breathed a heavy sigh. “I don’t know. I imagine until his father has come to terms with the fact that his heir is a child of less than six months and the son of a commoner. Or, until his father is dead.”
“Oh, Lia. What a mess you’ve been thrown into.”
“Yes, Miles. This is why I am forced to pretend to be Jannie. If Lord Montclaire discovers I’m not George’s mother, I will have no hold on the babe at all. I’m only his aunt, after all. Lord Montclaire is the next in line to the earldom after George. And the third in line to the Marquess of Trentridge. He has more right to the babe than I do and can take him in the blink of an eye.”
“So, the babe in the nursery is the Earl of Atherton?” Miles said rubbing Lia’s arm.
“Yes. He is the earl.”
“And you’re sure the babe is in no danger from Montclaire?”
“It may seem strange, but I feel he’s been absolutely truthful about it. He has no love for his father. According to Montclaire as well as what Jannie told me, the Marquess of Trentridge and Lord Montclaire have always been at odds. There’s no reason for him to want to turn the babe over to his father. In fact, I believe he is certain his father will do the babe harm.”
“Oh, Lia. No wonder you’ve been so worried.”
“Things will be better now, though. You’re here. Everything will be fine.”
The reassuring smile she tried to give her brother failed to reach her eyes. And she knew it. Perhaps she just needed a fortifying night’s sleep. Morning would come soon enough, and at least now she would have an ally when she faced the looming problems—the most worrisome of which seemed to be the formidable Lord Hunter Montclaire.
Lia shivered. Why was she so damnably cold?
Chapter 7
Hunter rose the next morning to find Lady Atherton’s brother at the breakfast table.
“Good morning, Halloway,” he said in greeting. “You’re up and about early.”
“Army habit, no doubt. Now that it’s actually possible to indulge myself with a lie-in, I find it absolutely impossible to do so.”
Hunter filled a plate and sat down across from Halloway.
“My sister tells me you’ll be taking us to your