Page 60 of Tempting the Earl

Tense silence hovered over the gathering until Colin cleared his throat. He had no idea what to say that might reach the young man, but he had to start somewhere. “It may be hard to believe, Mr. Thomas, but I do understand your anger. Your correspondence made it very clear how you feel about our father. And me.” He ignored the man’s rough snort to continue, “But it’s my sincere hope you’ll find it in you to see past his actions—abhorrent as they were—to consider the possibility that just as you have chosen to disavow the actions of our sire, so perhaps have we.”

Thomas’s eyes remained fixed and unwavering as he replied, “That may be so, but it doesn’t mean I’m under any obligation to acknowledge a connection between us. I’m satisfied in my life as it is. I’ve no need for anything more than the family I’ve got. The family I’ve always had. My only wish is to be left alone, my lord.”

The sneer in his address instantly reminded Colin of how Miss Morgan had used a very similar tone when they’d first met. He flicked a glance to her and saw her looking back at him with a barely disguised smile, suggesting she realized the similarity as well.

“I assure you,” Roderick said in a quiet but weighty tone as he gazed intently at their younger brother, “it’s not our intention to bully you into submission.”

“We simply want you to have all the information before deciding whether or not you’d like to write us off indefinitely,” Colin added.

The younger man stood in a rush. “I need to know nothing more than what I already do.” He glanced down at Miss Morgan. “It’d be best you tell your ward nothing of our meeting. No good could come of it.”

Regret and the harsh grip of failure clenched tight around Colin’s chest as he watched the young man stride angrily from the room. But hope remained strong in the acknowledgement that if Thomas really wanted nothing to do with them, he wouldn’t have come all the way to London to tell them so.

Chapter Twenty

Ainsworth bit her lip to keep herself from calling after Mr. Thomas. A part of her wanted to lecture the young man for being so angrily dismissive, but then she recalled her own attitude the day the earl had arrived at Faeglen. She understood Thomas’s position even if she could no longer agree with it.

Mr. Bentley’s frustration was evident in the weight of his black brows and the hard press of his mouth while the earl’s intent determination to remain emotionless revealed his own distress.

“I should send word to Nightshade,” the earl noted after another moment. “Have him call off his efforts regarding Thomas.”

“I disagree,” Bentley replied decisively. “In fact, Nightshade is no doubt already on our brother’s tail.”

“What?”

Bentley shrugged at the earl’s hard tone. “I had to make a quick decision. I had no idea how long it would take to find you or how long Thomas would stick around once he realized I was calling a quaint little family meeting.”

The earl didn’t appear to agree with his brother’s choice of action, but rather than argue the issue, he asked, “How did you manage to get word to him so fast?”

“I made the request as a personal favor,” Bentley replied evasively. “I told you we knew each other.”

Ainsworth realized the truth just as the earl stated, “Nightshade was here. In attendance at the party.”

The other man didn’t deny nor confirm that assumption. “I asked him to keep an eye on Thomas when he left just in case the young man got all fired up after our conversation and felt a need to do something rash.” He arched a brow. “Perhaps you didn’t notice, but our brother harbors a rather violent grudge and though he controlled it this evening, I suspect he possesses a healthy temper.”

The earl didn’t reply and Ainsworth could see that although he was upset about his authority with this Nightshade person having been overridden, he also accepted the reason behind Bentley’s actions.

“Once we know Thomas has headed back to Wales,” the earl noted firmly, “our involvement with him will have to come to an end.”

Though it was obvious both men would have preferred an entirely different outcome, Bentley nodded in agreement. They had no choice but to resign themselves to their brother’s wishes.

Ainsworth was surprised by the intensity of her own disappointment. Mr. Thomas was brash and angry. But he was Caillie’s brother and it had been impossible not to see the resemblance between them—especially in the man’s stubborn determination and unquenchable pride. There had been a poignantly familiar set to his mouth and in the way his hands fisted tightly at his sides. She’d seen the same ferocity and passion in Caillie on countless occasions.

He was a man who felt things very deeply.

Though she could utterly understand his resistance and prejudice against his horrid father’s legacy, it nearly broke her heart to think the young man might leave London and never return. That he’d so abjectly refuse to give his brothers and his young sister a chance.

“My apologies, Miss Morgan,” Mr. Bentley said ruefully. “No doubt this family drama has effectively ruined your enjoyment of the evening.”

“No need to apologize, sir. I’m grateful to have had a chance to meet Mr. Thomas, brief though it was.”

“Will you recount the meeting to our sister?” Bentley inquired.

Ainsworth took a breath. “I must. I do my best not to keep secrets from Caillie, even if the truth might be a wee bit painful.”

Bentley nodded in acknowledgement though his expression was tense.

“We should go,” the earl said.

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