Page 34 of My Darling Rogue
Sebastian stood up from behind a huge burlwood oak desk. With a tumbler of whiskey in his hand, he gestured toward Gabriel. His smile was both pleased and mysterious. “Ah, here is the man himself, Lord Banbury.”
Gabriel swung toward the person Sebastian addressed. The other man stood near the fireplace, his body half turned so he could watch Gabriel stride forward.
A curious sort of premonition flooded Gabriel. A feeling that something momentous and life-altering was imminent. He recognized Lord Heath Banbury. And the young earl’s sudden appearance at Beaumont could only mean one thing.
“Lord Banbury,” Gabriel almost growled the two words, his nostrils flaring with distrust.
“Our father has died,” his half-brother stated without preamble. He took a gulp of whiskey from the cut crystal glass held tight in one hand.
The atmosphere swirled with tension. Silence hung heavy and it seemed no one was interested in breaking it.
Gabriel’s heart twisted with hate. Hate for the man who’d abandoned him as a child. Hate for the man who’d cast aside Gabriel’s mother as though she were something dirty. Something to be ashamed of. It was difficult keeping all his emotions in check as he stared at Heath.
When Sebastian pressed a tumbler into his hand, Gabriel took it automatically. The contents were downed in one gulp before he managed a cold response.
“I don’t care.”
His half-brother shared many physical characteristics with Gabriel. The same build, although Heath was not quite as large or muscular. The men did possess the same stubborn jawline and hawklike nose. Their eyes were different hues, however, with Heath’s the piercing blue of his own deceased mother’s.
The two men had never actually engaged in conversation before, but through his contacts, Gabriel knew Heath’s reputation. The man was decent. Honest. Despite having a reprobate as a father, Lord Banbury was an exemplary gentleman although he was quite popular with the ladies.
The younger man cast a glance at Sebastian who shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “I told you so.”
“You don’t understand what he has done—” Heath began.
Gabriel cut him off with a low snarl.
“You are right. I don’t understand. And I don’t give a tinker’s damn what he has done. I wanted nothing but answers the last time I saw him. Instead, he used his cane and gave me this scar.” Gabriel swept a hand through the heavy tumble of his hair while glaring at Heath. The fury seeping from him was like poison spreading through the room. “A useful reminder I was better off without him in my life. I want nothing from that man. Then or now.”
“Gabriel, you should hear Banbury out,” Sebastian murmured. “He’s traveled two days without rest to deliver this news in person.”
Gabriel rounded on his friend. “And you should keep your opinions to yourself. My lord.”
Sebastian’s hands rose in surrender, a smile tilting his lips at Gabriel’s grudging use of respect. “Understood.”
Heath cleared his throat, his dark blue eyes troubled as he continued despite Gabriel’s increasing anger.
“I know Father failed you, Gabriel. I know your hatred for him. He told me often enough how you ignored his commands and then his pleas for reconciliation. And he related how you fought the one time you saw each other. How angry he became and how he struck you.” Heath advanced toward Gabriel; his jaw squared with determination. Darkened circles rimmed his eyes, and the rumpled condition of his clothing spoke of his exhausted state. “I can’t say I blame you for despising him. Our father was wrong in his treatment of you. And even more so in the treatment of your mother.”
“Did you not understand what I said, Banbury? I don’t care. Now excuse me, I have other more important things requiring my attention.” Gabriel dismissed Heath and gave a deferential nod to Sebastian. “I trust the two of you will keep the knowledge of my father’s identity in confidence.”
“I’m afraid I cannot do that.” Heath took a deep breath. The look he gave Gabriel was a strange mixture of sympathy and regret. “Soon, everyone will know precisely whose son you truly are.”
“Those who matter already know who I am. And they know my reputation. The company I keep. The dangerous men I call associates. Do not force me into a position where I must personally ensure this never becomes fodder for the rumor mills.” Gabriel’s tone remained calm, but his hands clenched into fists, his eyes darkening with the violence coursing through his veins. He burned with the desire to shut his half-brother's mouth permanently.
“A useless threat, I’m afraid,” Heath said.
“And why is that?” Gabriel snarled.
“Because our father named you as his heir. Like it or not, four days ago at dawn, you became the new Marquess of Rosenthorne.”
CHAPTER16
Gabriel slammed a fist into the surface of Sebastian’s desk.
“I don’t want it.”
There was a moment of silence before Sebastian gave a low chuckle. “It seems you haven’t a choice, my friend.”
