Thea watched them, her heart filled with love. If she stopped too long and thought about their futures, she’d be frightened. They lived on an edge, where a misstep one way or the other could throw them into the streets ... but so far she’dmanaged—and she would keep going. She loved her boys with a fierce passion.
She understood why Neal would want children.
Thea turned to close the door and was startled to realize they had a visitor.
A statuesque, raven-haired woman stood on her step. Her features could have been chiseled from marble, they were so even and perfect. Her dress was of the very finest stuff, a muslin lawn so light and well woven it seemed to float around her, and it boasted an ivory lace inset around her neckline that was a work of art. She had to be of Thea’s age, or perhaps a few years younger, given the smoothness of her skin.
She also seemed somewhat familiar to Thea.
“May I help you?” Thea said.
“Yes, you may help me, Mrs. Martin. I’m Lady Margaret Chattan. Lord Lyon is my brother. I’m here to ask you to leave him alone.”
Chapter Six
“Ibeg your pardon?” Thea said, a bit startled by the request.
Lady Margaret took advantage of the moment and walked right into the house. “You heard what I said,” she replied. “If you value Lyon at all, if you care about him,youwill walk away.”
“Is this about his requesting my assistance to find a wife?” Thea demanded. “Or is it about the curse?” She was tired, and her tone cynical.
“You mock the curse. Many have,” Lady Margaret said. “I don’t blame you. I wondered at one time if it was real or not, and I was raised with it.” She took a step toward Thea, her manner intense. “But itistrue, and if you don’t remove yourself from his life, you’ll be signing his death warrant.”
“His death warrant?” Thea repeated in disbelief, only to be interrupted by Jonathan’s voice.
“Is everything all right, Mother?” He’d come halfway down the stairs. He’d removed his jacketand pulled his shirt from his breeches, but that was all he’d done in preparing for bed. Christopher waited on the top step. “Do you need me?” Jonathan asked the question with such seriousness that Thea could see the man he would one day become.
She crossed to the stairs. “It is fine, Jonathan. Now please help your brother prepare for bed.Please,” she reiterated when Jonathan didn’t immediately do as bid. She didn’t want her sons listening to the curse nonsense.
At last he reluctantly obeyed, but she knew he’d be hovering at the top of the stairs.
She turned to discover Lady Margaret standing right beside her. Her ladyship watched Jonathan as he disappeared from view. For his part, Jonathan kept his eye on her.
Thea moved away from the stairs, putting a hand on the door, a wordless suggestion for Lady Margaret to leave. “I don’t know what you’ve been told,” Thea said, “but your brother asked me to find a wife for him, not tobea wife to him.”
Lady Margaret didn’t move a muscle. “You were very important to him at one time.”
“Was I? I’m not so certain. If I’d been that important, then he wouldn’t have just walked off from our friendship without one word.”
“Hecouldn’tbe your friend,” Lady Margaret said. “It’s the curse. It has all of us.” Her manner had changed. The fierce anger had vanished. In its place was something far more fragile. She turned and walked into the sitting room.
Biting back an impatient sound, Thea shut the front door and followed.
Lady Margaret stood by the upholstered settee, struggling to control herself. Her actions didn’t make sense to Thea. She understood pride. She understood anger. Or being protective and territorial. Neal’s sister acted as if afraid.
“Do you fear the curse as well?” Thea asked, gentling her voice.
Lady Margaret looked at her. “I do.”
“But you have no need to fear it,” Thea pointed out. “It has no impact on you. It touches only the males, does it not?”
“Are you certain?” Lady Margaret gave a sad smile. “You see, we Chattans don’t know. Amazingly, I’m the first female in the line. And what of second sons? Does Harry need to fear? What of any sons I have? All of us in the family have a terrible history of dying. Even in Scotland, the name of Chattan is all but gone.”
“Scotland?”
“Yes, we have Scottish roots. Many of ourfamily hail from the countryside around Glenfinnan. Do you know of the battle of Cullendon? I’ve heard that the Chattan family lost more men on the Scottish side than any of the other clans fighting. In England, we are all but gone save my brothers and myself. Any other relatives are from my mother’s side.”
“Cullendon? Wasn’t that a battle of insurrectionists? Lady Margaret, please, do not overdramatize this. Men die in battle. It’s a hard truth. Furthermore, Colonel Chattan has been in battle and has not died.”