Annie.”
Her brows rose. “The way you often covered for Adrian’s?”
Chase stared at her. “You two must think me naïve,” he smarted. “Do either of you actually believe I’m too thickheaded to comprehend why you wanted me out like a snuffed candle last evening?”
“ It was for your own good,” Anne insisted.
“ I know about Edwin, Cousin.”
“ Splendid, Cousin.”
“ Who is Edwin?” Lady Chase inquired.
“ Adrian’s son,” the duke replied.
“ Adrian has a child? Who is the mother?”
Chase glared at Leah. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Her mouth dropped open. “You think that I..?”
“ Nicolas, you really are thickheaded,” Anne stated. “Miss Sheridan and I have been friends for many years. I can assure you Edwin is not her son.”
“ A clever woman can hide a delicate condition.”
“ I am not that clever,” Leah announced then felt rather foolish at the outburst.
He withdrew a bundle of letters from his coat pocket. “Explain these.”
“ I don’t understand.”
“ Each one speaks of your hatred and shame. You were betrayed, Miss Sheridan, so you gave your child to Adrian’s mistress to raise as her own.”
“ I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who gave you these letters?”
“ Irma Crandle. But don’t worry. She’s not going to mention them in her gossip column. At least not yet.”
Lady Chase gasped. “Nicolas, you didn’t visit that horrible woman?”
“ I certainly did. If I hadn’t, I would not have discovered the truth regarding Miss Sheridan’s deception.”
“ What deception?” Leah smarted.
“ If those letters imply that Miss Sheridan is the mother of an illegitimate child,” Anne said, “they are obviously filled with lies.” She turned to Leah. “Remember what Mister O’Connell said?”
“ O’Connell?” Chase retorted. “You spoke with that idiot after I threw him out of the inn?”
“ She had no choice. He caught us sneaking out with Edwin. Nicolas, if you taper your arrogance, you will see that I am to blame and not Miss Sheridan.”
“ Save your pity for someone more deserving, Annie.”
“ Nicky, hold that sharp tongue of yours.”
“ Gran--”
“ Not another word!” her ladyship commanded.
He raised both his hands in disgust before turning his back on the argument.
Lady Chase took Leah’s hands. “Adrian has a son?”
“ Yes.”
“ How old is he?”
“ Sixteen months.”
“ Who is the mother?”
“ Maria Santiago. I was to meet her at the Imperial Inn last evening but when Lady Ashburn and I arrived, Edwin had been left in the care of a wet nurse.”
“ To put it bluntly, Aunt Margaret, Miss Santiago abandoned her child.”
“ Why were you meeting with this woman?”
Leah wasn’t sure how to respond.
Anne placed an arm around her waist. “Miss Sheridan has been sending that horrible woman monies each month to help with Edwin’s care.”
“ That’s quite selfless of you, my dear, but I am saddened you felt you could not trust me.”
The words stung, and guilt bore a hole through Leah’s heart.
“ And you, Anne. You’ve known all along?”
“ Yes, Aunt Margaret.”
Lady Chase sighed. “Miss Sheridan, if Edwin had not been abandoned, would you have come to me eventually?”
“ I wanted to tell you about him from the beginning.”
“ That’s not what she asked,” the duke snapped.
Leah’s throat tightened. “I gave a foolish promise, my lady, to keep Edwin a secret. I assure you I only recently learned Miss Santiago could not be trusted to care for her son.”
“ I see. Where is Edwin?”
“ In the study with Kat and Becca.”
“ I’ll fetch him,” Anne offered.
On the verge of tears, Leah turned away. The room’s picturesque window framed the vivid colors of autumn, but the urge to paint no longer beckoned her. When Anne returned with Edwin, Leah moved closer to the window. Nothing she could say would change the duke’s opinion of her, but now Lady Chase
Her brows rose. “The way you often covered for Adrian’s?”
Chase stared at her. “You two must think me naïve,” he smarted. “Do either of you actually believe I’m too thickheaded to comprehend why you wanted me out like a snuffed candle last evening?”
“ It was for your own good,” Anne insisted.
“ I know about Edwin, Cousin.”
“ Splendid, Cousin.”
“ Who is Edwin?” Lady Chase inquired.
“ Adrian’s son,” the duke replied.
“ Adrian has a child? Who is the mother?”
Chase glared at Leah. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Her mouth dropped open. “You think that I..?”
“ Nicolas, you really are thickheaded,” Anne stated. “Miss Sheridan and I have been friends for many years. I can assure you Edwin is not her son.”
“ A clever woman can hide a delicate condition.”
“ I am not that clever,” Leah announced then felt rather foolish at the outburst.
He withdrew a bundle of letters from his coat pocket. “Explain these.”
“ I don’t understand.”
“ Each one speaks of your hatred and shame. You were betrayed, Miss Sheridan, so you gave your child to Adrian’s mistress to raise as her own.”
“ I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who gave you these letters?”
“ Irma Crandle. But don’t worry. She’s not going to mention them in her gossip column. At least not yet.”
Lady Chase gasped. “Nicolas, you didn’t visit that horrible woman?”
“ I certainly did. If I hadn’t, I would not have discovered the truth regarding Miss Sheridan’s deception.”
“ What deception?” Leah smarted.
“ If those letters imply that Miss Sheridan is the mother of an illegitimate child,” Anne said, “they are obviously filled with lies.” She turned to Leah. “Remember what Mister O’Connell said?”
“ O’Connell?” Chase retorted. “You spoke with that idiot after I threw him out of the inn?”
“ She had no choice. He caught us sneaking out with Edwin. Nicolas, if you taper your arrogance, you will see that I am to blame and not Miss Sheridan.”
“ Save your pity for someone more deserving, Annie.”
“ Nicky, hold that sharp tongue of yours.”
“ Gran--”
“ Not another word!” her ladyship commanded.
He raised both his hands in disgust before turning his back on the argument.
Lady Chase took Leah’s hands. “Adrian has a son?”
“ Yes.”
“ How old is he?”
“ Sixteen months.”
“ Who is the mother?”
“ Maria Santiago. I was to meet her at the Imperial Inn last evening but when Lady Ashburn and I arrived, Edwin had been left in the care of a wet nurse.”
“ To put it bluntly, Aunt Margaret, Miss Santiago abandoned her child.”
“ Why were you meeting with this woman?”
Leah wasn’t sure how to respond.
Anne placed an arm around her waist. “Miss Sheridan has been sending that horrible woman monies each month to help with Edwin’s care.”
“ That’s quite selfless of you, my dear, but I am saddened you felt you could not trust me.”
The words stung, and guilt bore a hole through Leah’s heart.
“ And you, Anne. You’ve known all along?”
“ Yes, Aunt Margaret.”
Lady Chase sighed. “Miss Sheridan, if Edwin had not been abandoned, would you have come to me eventually?”
“ I wanted to tell you about him from the beginning.”
“ That’s not what she asked,” the duke snapped.
Leah’s throat tightened. “I gave a foolish promise, my lady, to keep Edwin a secret. I assure you I only recently learned Miss Santiago could not be trusted to care for her son.”
“ I see. Where is Edwin?”
“ In the study with Kat and Becca.”
“ I’ll fetch him,” Anne offered.
On the verge of tears, Leah turned away. The room’s picturesque window framed the vivid colors of autumn, but the urge to paint no longer beckoned her. When Anne returned with Edwin, Leah moved closer to the window. Nothing she could say would change the duke’s opinion of her, but now Lady Chase
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