died.”
He did not share a mother with Bea, though they’d been raised to believe they were blood related and of equal status.
“That doesn’t give anyone the right to mistreat you, Bea.”
His sister looked away from him and toward the window. “You know I lost a lot of faith in myself when those letters were found.”
He nodded, even though she wasn’t looking at him. He, too, had lost a lot of faith in everything he thought he knew. Why did it always seem that when you thought your life was figured out, something would propel you in an unexpected and unanticipated direction?
“It’s been a long time since I thought about any of this.” His sister was contemplative, not seeing what was out the window, but looking at the past in her memories. Hopefully she was not reliving it as they discussed said past.
It hadn’t been a good time in either of their lives. It had taken them both a number of years to get their lives back on track after their parents’ deaths. Tristan finally had the estate in order, and Bea had seen her first season and had made a worthy match. Then it had all been taken away with the exposure of a few damning letters.
He hated to think what would have happened had he not been old enough to deal with the repercussions.
There was no use fretting over something that didn’t matter anymore. The past could not be changed. And giving the children a decent life was all that mattered to him and Bea now.
Bea gave him a questioning tilt of her head as she assessed him. “What did the girl give you at Gunter’s?”
Tristan grinned. “Saw that, did you? And I thought I was being so sly in greeting her.”
“I’ve raised the two most mischievous children God has ever gifted the planet with, and you didn’t think I would notice that something was passed between you two? Was it a letter?”
“What she gave me, my darling sister, was ammunition against a mutual foe.”
Bea raised one eyebrow and waited patiently to be enlightened.
“She’s to marry Mr. Warren before the year is out.” He held out his hand when his sister opened her mouth to ask how he knew. “Let me finish. The source is Jez. He mentioned his intention to marry the Ponsley girl at the reading of the will.”
“Of course.” Bea sat back heavily in the chair and stared down at her entwined fingers. “He’s to inherit everything that was hers, is he not?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Tristan rested his elbows on the edge of his desk and steepled his fingers. “I can’t stop it from happening, nor can Jez. The will handicaps her gravely. Everything, including most of her inheritance, is entailed in the estate.”
“Will he toss her out so cruelly?” His sister looked away again, though he thought maybe she was fighting tears she didn’t want him to see. “I guess he will, considering her less than scrupulous behavior these past few years.”
“How right you are.” He stood, walked around the desk, and squeezed his sister’s shoulder affectionately. “I can’t stop him from taking the seat but I can make his life very difficult.”
Bea looked up at him, her eyes watery, but not one tear fell on her porcelain skin. “And would it be for your sake or for mine?”
“He has a debt owed to us both.”
“I’ve moved on from the past, Tristan.” She removed his hold from her shoulder and took his hand in hers. “You need to let go of what cannot be changed. I like how things are.”
“You’ve grown used to how things are, Bea. There is a difference.” He clasped her hand once more before releasing her. “I will never forget or forgive. Life would be so much different for you had he manned up and taken you as his wife. Instead…”
Instead the cad had left his sister pregnant and completely shunned by society.
Bea stood with a sigh, a look of calm about her. “I wouldn’t change my life back for the world, you know. Rowan is the best thing to have happened to me. And I would make the same mistake
He did not share a mother with Bea, though they’d been raised to believe they were blood related and of equal status.
“That doesn’t give anyone the right to mistreat you, Bea.”
His sister looked away from him and toward the window. “You know I lost a lot of faith in myself when those letters were found.”
He nodded, even though she wasn’t looking at him. He, too, had lost a lot of faith in everything he thought he knew. Why did it always seem that when you thought your life was figured out, something would propel you in an unexpected and unanticipated direction?
“It’s been a long time since I thought about any of this.” His sister was contemplative, not seeing what was out the window, but looking at the past in her memories. Hopefully she was not reliving it as they discussed said past.
It hadn’t been a good time in either of their lives. It had taken them both a number of years to get their lives back on track after their parents’ deaths. Tristan finally had the estate in order, and Bea had seen her first season and had made a worthy match. Then it had all been taken away with the exposure of a few damning letters.
He hated to think what would have happened had he not been old enough to deal with the repercussions.
There was no use fretting over something that didn’t matter anymore. The past could not be changed. And giving the children a decent life was all that mattered to him and Bea now.
Bea gave him a questioning tilt of her head as she assessed him. “What did the girl give you at Gunter’s?”
Tristan grinned. “Saw that, did you? And I thought I was being so sly in greeting her.”
“I’ve raised the two most mischievous children God has ever gifted the planet with, and you didn’t think I would notice that something was passed between you two? Was it a letter?”
“What she gave me, my darling sister, was ammunition against a mutual foe.”
Bea raised one eyebrow and waited patiently to be enlightened.
“She’s to marry Mr. Warren before the year is out.” He held out his hand when his sister opened her mouth to ask how he knew. “Let me finish. The source is Jez. He mentioned his intention to marry the Ponsley girl at the reading of the will.”
“Of course.” Bea sat back heavily in the chair and stared down at her entwined fingers. “He’s to inherit everything that was hers, is he not?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Tristan rested his elbows on the edge of his desk and steepled his fingers. “I can’t stop it from happening, nor can Jez. The will handicaps her gravely. Everything, including most of her inheritance, is entailed in the estate.”
“Will he toss her out so cruelly?” His sister looked away again, though he thought maybe she was fighting tears she didn’t want him to see. “I guess he will, considering her less than scrupulous behavior these past few years.”
“How right you are.” He stood, walked around the desk, and squeezed his sister’s shoulder affectionately. “I can’t stop him from taking the seat but I can make his life very difficult.”
Bea looked up at him, her eyes watery, but not one tear fell on her porcelain skin. “And would it be for your sake or for mine?”
“He has a debt owed to us both.”
“I’ve moved on from the past, Tristan.” She removed his hold from her shoulder and took his hand in hers. “You need to let go of what cannot be changed. I like how things are.”
“You’ve grown used to how things are, Bea. There is a difference.” He clasped her hand once more before releasing her. “I will never forget or forgive. Life would be so much different for you had he manned up and taken you as his wife. Instead…”
Instead the cad had left his sister pregnant and completely shunned by society.
Bea stood with a sigh, a look of calm about her. “I wouldn’t change my life back for the world, you know. Rowan is the best thing to have happened to me. And I would make the same mistake
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