Free Fate Is A Stranger: Regency Romance by Gloria Gay Page B

gazing at her, Hawk realized that these thoughts had already passed through her head. She had probably spent sleepless nights going over it and trying to find ways to exonerate Souten. Childless, she had poured her maternal love on Cade and was blind to his many faults.
    "Do consider also, Hawk," she said, her voice in a tremor and her hand shaking slightly, so that she put back the pastry on the plate, "that I have the unenviable chore ahead of convincing Deckworth of this scheme you are entangling me in. Needless to say that will not be a pleasant experience for me. Give me at least some peace of mind by refraining from throwing mud at Cade, knowing how fond I am of him."
    "Well, all right," said the duke, relenting. "I surely don’t want you to go into battle with Deckworth, that non cock, without the proper frame of mind."
    "You do tend to disparage those I love the most, Hawk," noted Lady Deckworth. In spite of the cool day, perspiration trickled down from her hair to her neck so that she wiped it out nervously with a bit of lace.
    "You married against my advice the first and second times, Arabella," Hawk replied, shaking his head, "and if we were to be gifted with Deckworth's early demise, you would probably marry against my wishes for a third time. Do not expect approval from me this late in the day, for it is not forthcoming."
    "I can’t believe you could say—" Lady Deckworth had almost stood up in alarm.
    "Elsidore was only one degree better than his son; if you can use the word 'better' in relation to Elsidore and Cade," continued the duke, undaunted by his sister's reaction, "and a better matched set of scoundrels I have yet to see. Mercifully, the Lord saw fit to take Elsidore into his midst, if indeed he is with Him, which I seriously doubt."
    "Well, said Arabella frowning, "what a harangue!" She bit into a delicate syllabub she had again lifted nervously from the plate, hardly seeming to know what she was doing and nervously took a sip of wine. "And for you to talk so ill of the dead, too!"
    "Since I spoke ill of him while he was living, I should be a hypocrite if I praised him now that he is in the earth," said Hawk.
    "No, no one can ever accuse you of wavering in your beliefs, at least, Hawk. I loved Elsidore until his death and I love Cade as if he were my own flesh and blood. I do believe that through the years you might have softened your attitude towards them, for my sake, at least, if not for them."
    "I would have, Arabella, if it had been at all possible; please believe that. But I cannot, for your sake alone, pretend to be blind, as it seems easy for you to do so. I believe Souten to be an unrepentant cad but you must see him with maternal eyes that drip with love for him. Were it possible to shake that love you have for him by shaking you I would not hesitate to do it."
    "I don't imagine you would," said the marchioness, returning a half-bitten syllabub to her plate and replacing her wineglass on the table.
    "Well, let us leave this subject for now," she said, a tremor in her voice. "There is another subject I must speak about."
    "And what is that?" asked the duke.
    "I must ask a question of you and I believe you must answer it, since I am to do so much for you," she said.
    "And that is?"
    "Why are you doing this?"
    "Doing what?"
    "This expensive house party at the castle, Hawk, that you are organizing. Why on earth are you going to such trouble? Gossip runs that you are in love with the girl, Lord Kelly's illegitimate daughter. Is this true?" Arabella now looked deep into her brother’s eyes.
    "I believe I hear Deckworth arriving, Arabella, and I must be excused from answering anything about my affairs that I deem too private for your ears. If you hear gossip, you must indeed shift through it and decide what is best for you to believe."
     
    * * *
     
    When the Marquess of Deckworth arrived and the marchioness had disclosed her intention to be the hostess at a house party at the castle, Lord