Free Family Scandals by Denise Patrick Page B

What was wrong with him? Why was he suddenly having maudlin thoughts about a wife he hadn’t truly known? And why now?
    Corrie’s face floated before him. Perhaps he was reacting to the feelings he sensed in her. He hadn’t asked, but it was obvious she missed her parents. She had not taken him to task over his casualness about his own family, but he had felt the rebuke nevertheless.
    She shouldn’t have to toil at someone else’s beck and call for the rest of her life. She should be cared for, cherished and loved. What she really needed was a husband, not an employer. Perhaps, when the other governess returned, he’d talk Felicia into sponsoring her for a season—at his expense, of course. Then she could find herself a husband.
    Marcus didn’t delve too deeply into his reasons for suddenly wanting to help a woman he had only met the day before. He wasn’t ready to examine his motives for the sudden empathy he felt for her.
    When Douglas died, he had stood beside his friend’s grave and vowed to take care of his sister. The letter that arrived from Douglas’s stepbrother had deprived him of the opportunity to fulfill his vow. Amy was beyond his help now, but Corrie wasn’t.
    If the regular governess returned before Brand and Felicia left, he might let his interest show, but until then he’d spend time with his niece and nephew, knowing that Corrie came with them. If, after getting to know her, he felt comfortable with the possibilities, he would decide if he should, or could, help her.
     
     
    Corinna stared into the darkness, listening to the sounds of the sea beyond the window of her room. Going over her conversation with Marcus earlier, she wondered at his thoughts. That he didn’t recognize her was obvious, confirming her earlier speculation. She was certain she knew why.
    She had changed dramatically in appearance since the last time he saw her.
    He had known her as Amy Houghton. Corrie wouldn’t strike a chord with his memory at all, unless he remembered her first name from the ceremony.
    She wondered if he had traveled to Houghton Hall looking for her. What would Gregory have told him? That she had disappeared? That he didn’t know where she was?
    And what would Marcus’s reaction have been to that? Maybe he had someone out looking for her right now. He could have hired a detective to try to find her. If he had, how would the person go about finding her? And how would she find out if he had?
    Too many questions. Not enough answers. Especially since she’d asked Miss Ridley to deny having had any contact with her after she left school at eighteen.
    Turning over, she punched her pillow in frustration. Her reaction to his touch yesterday had startled her. Today, however…she wasn’t sure what to think. He had been the perfect gentleman during their walk in the garden. Of course, he had nearly forced her to walk with him in the first place, but he hadn’t made any overtures.
    His presence had been comforting. He had been solicitous, but not importuning. That he had insisted on the stroll had only been in response to her remark about stretching her legs. Perhaps he thought she had been extending an invitation. She frowned. She did not want him to think her forward.
    Nonetheless, she found herself drawn to him. The ease with which they conversed and his sympathetic understanding was like a soothing balm on an open wound. She realized now that she had been very lonely since Great-Aunt Mirabel had died. And very scared.
    With no friends to confide in, she had busied herself with first finding a position, then fitting in, and watching over the children. Once they left London, she ceased to look over her shoulder and, gradually, her fear of discovery had faded. She and John’s nurse spoke occasionally, but it was obvious they had little in common beyond the children. They were rarely even together because Miss Timson often took the baby outside when the twins were at lessons in the morning, and John napped