The Christmas Countess. Adrienne Basso

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СКАЧАТЬ know that she is not your natural child.”

      Cameron stared at Tremaine, his gaze steady and sure. Tremaine stared back.

      “Nonsense,” Cameron stated firmly, because he did not know what else to say.

      “Hardly nonsense. ’Tis the truth, and we both know it.”

      The silence was charged and heavy as the earl contemplated Tremaine with an unfriendly gaze. “Blackmail, sir? I thought you said your business ventures were lucrative. Is this the means by which you have built your fortune?”

      Tremaine did not even blink. “Strange, my lord, that you do not deny it.”

      Cameron did his best not to react. “To do so would only give further credence to your outrageous lie.”

      His expression inscrutable, Daniel Tremaine leaned closer. “Six years ago, in Cornwall, on the 26th of August, Mildred Blackwell gave a newly born infant girl into your care. She told you the babe’s mother was unmarried, of genteel birth, and in need of assistance. For whatever reasons, you and your wife decided to help. However, when you brought the child to London the following spring, you declared the little girl, whom you had named Lily, was your daughter, born of your wife.”

      Cameron’s chest tightened. It took every ounce of his hard-earned self-control to remain seated. Good God, did he know everything? “Why should any of this matter to you, Tremaine?”

      “Lily’s natural mother is my sister.”

      For the first time, there was a crack of emotion on Tremaine’s face. As he leaned back in his chair, he looked vulnerable for just an instant. Then all too soon the intent, determined expression returned in full force. Cameron was not surprised Tremaine was so successful in business. ’Twas a useful talent to be able to contain and mask one’s emotions at will.

      The earl cleared his throat. “What do you want?”

      “My sister, Rebecca, would like to meet her daughter.”

      The earl’s angry, disbelieving reaction was swift, instinctive, protective. “You need to get one thing perfectly clear, Tremaine. Lily is my daughter. Not, your sister’s daughter.”

      “Understood.”

      Drawing his frayed temper back under control, Cameron pulled down the cuffs of his tailored linen shirtsleeves, stalling for time. “Enlighten me. What does your sister expect to accomplish?”

      A light of doubt entered Tremaine’s eyes. “She wants only to meet the child.”

      “Lily is six years old. ’Tis a bit late for a burst of maternal instinct.”

      Tremaine’s face clouded with anger. “I shall allow that insensitive remark to pass, my lord, but caution you to make no more. Rebecca was told the infant did not survive. She only recently discovered her child’s fate.”

      “How?” Cameron asked in disbelief.

      “Mildred Blackwell was our great-aunt. She wrote a letter to my parents outlining the plan to give the baby to you. It was found among my father’s personal papers.”

      The earl rose from his chair. “While not entirely unsympathetic to your sister’s plight, you must consider my position. I lost my wife three years ago. Christina adored our daughter and Lily was very close to her mother.

      “Though young, Christina’s death was a frightening, painful time for her. She has adjusted, as children do, and now finds female guidance and love from her grandmother and my sister, Charlotte, who is unmarried and lives with us. I absolutely refuse to expose Lily to anything that might cause her confusion or distress. Above all else, I will protect my daughter.”

      Tremaine also stood. “Rebecca means her no harm.”

      Cameron frowned skeptically. “That is of little assurance to me.”

      “’Tis the best I can offer.” Tremaine inclined his head. “That and my promise that Rebecca will not reveal her identity to your daughter.”

      Cameron’s chest tightened with an unpleasant sensation. His initial instinct was to have Tremaine forcefully removed from the club, but the earl knew he must temper his emotions. While not of the nobility, Tremaine was clearly a formidable opponent. One who had money and resources, not to mention influential friends like the Duke of Aylesford.

      “I need time to consider your request,” Cameron snapped, annoyed that he had to compromise, yet knowing in the end he might have no other choice. “I shall let you know of my decision in a fortnight.”

      “No. I need an answer by the end of the week,” Tremaine countered. “I have made inquiries, my lord, and have heard you are a decent, honorable man. I pray that you will find compassion and sympathy in your heart for my sister’s pain and suffering and grant her this simple wish.”

      Cameron sighed, deciding it probably would be better to have the matter settled sooner, rather than later. “I will contact you by Friday with my decision.”

      “Thank you.” Tremaine bowed respectfully and headed toward the door, but before he left he faced the earl one final time, his eyes glittering with purpose. “I appreciate that you have been rather suddenly thrust into a difficult position. One that no other man would envy. But as you ponder your decision, I would ask you also to remember one crucial fact, Lord Hampton. Mildred Blackwell’s letter naming you as the man who was given this child is in my possession.”

      Chapter 2

      Cameron left White’s in a foul humor. He practically stormed from the club, barely acknowledging the greetings of friends and acquaintances as he stood on the front steps and waited for his horse to be brought around. Once mounted, the earl began the ride home at as fast a pace as he dared, wishing all the while he was at one of his country estates, so he could race home and exercise away some of his edgy frustration.

      His marriage had been an arranged affair, a blending of families and wealth, but he had been very lucky. Within a few months of taking his vows, the earl had fallen deeply in love with his charming bride. And she with him. From that point on, their marriage had been passionate and loving and full of happiness. The only blight on their otherwise perfect life was Christina’s inability to bear a child.

      Sadly, she had no difficulty becoming pregnant; the problem was that she could not bring the babe to term. On the occasion of her fourth pregnancy, they had journeyed to one of his smaller estates in Devon. The countess’s physician had advised that the country air, quiet daily routine and wholesome environment could prove to be the difference.

      Alas, he was wrong. Christina had miscarried the child late in her pregnancy and subsequently sank into a deep depression. Isolated and grieving, the couple had kept the news from their families. Receiving the letter from Mildred Blackwell, a distant relation, requesting that they consider aiding her in finding a home for an illegitimate baby had seemed providential.

      The change in Christina had been instantaneous. The sadness lifted and she eagerly embraced the notion of taking the infant girl into their care. Cameron was elated with anything that made his wife happy, and thus they became parents.

      Ironically, they had not set out to deliberately deceive anyone that the baby girl was not their natural child. There were СКАЧАТЬ