To Desire a Wicked Duke (Courtship Wars 6)

“But how could he possibly excuse taking advantage of a girl that young? A defenseless dependent who deserved his protection?”

“He could not—and he eventually accepted the blame. Richard had continued the liaison even after he began courting you, but several months later, when Nancy discovered she was with child, he ended the affair and came to me for help.”

Her mind in chaos, Tess could barely focus on what Ian had said. “Why would he come to you?” she asked after a moment.

“Because I was the head of his family. He was third in line to be my heir, and he could have been duke one day. I gave Nancy a position at one of my smaller estates, since obviously she couldn’t remain in Richard’s employ any longer.”

“Obviously,” Tess echoed with bitter sarcasm.

Ian held her gaze intently. “Richard swore that he regretted his actions and begged me to keep the ugly truth from you. He feared how you would respond to his sins, given your idealism.”

He was right on that score, she thought numbly. She would have ended their courtship at once.

“So you agreed to keep his secret,” she said in an accusing tone to Ian.

“Yes. Richard didn’t want to lose you, but he also didn’t want his child to grow up a bastard and wished to do right by the girl. So I arranged for Nancy to marry one of my footmen. I insisted Richard enter the army, though. He joined his regiment by summer’s end, shortly after the wedding took place.”

With her heart thundering in her ears, Tess scarcely heard that last revelation. She felt light-headed and queasy in her stomach.

She must have swayed, for suddenly Ian was beside her, his hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

“I told you to sit down,” he said gruffly, although his gray eyes were dark with concern.

“For once I regret not obeying you,” she whispered, her throat dry enough that the words came out a mere croak. When Ian guided her toward a chair, she went weakly.

“How did you end up with Jamie?” she asked after a long, brittle silence.

“Nancy died a year or so later … the same winter that you lost your mother, in the same epidemic. So I took Jamie in as my ward. He was a blood relation, after all—he shares the Sutherland lineage. And he was innocent of his father’s sins. Moveover, he was unwanted by his stepfather, and I judged he would fare better as the ward of a wealthy duke than the castoff stepchild of a servant. Lady Wingate was able to find a reputable nurse for Jamie, which was fortunate since I knew nothing about caring for a baby.”

Her godmother knew about Jamie? Tess wondered. She raised her stricken gaze to Ian. “Does Lady Wingate realize that Jamie is Richard’s son and not yours?”

“Yes.”

“She never said a word to me.”

“Richard pleaded with her not to. And she agreed it was best for Jamie’s sake to conceal his parentage. Very few people know the truth, and I intend to keep it that way.”

She searched his gray eyes, which were dark and solemn. “Did you ever intend to tell me?” Tess asked in a faint voice.

“I don’t know,” Ian replied somberly, his gaze honest. “I might have someday. I wasn’t certain how you would react. Some ladies would punish a child for the ignoble circumstances of his birth. I have come to love Jamie like my own, and I want to keep him at Bellacourt if I can. I don’t want him growing up like I did, brought up by servants and shipped off to boarding school at the tender age of five,” Ian said with conviction.

Still stunned by the blow she’d been dealt, Tess rubbed her throbbing temple. At least she understood now why Ian hadn’t defended himself three weeks ago when she’d first learned about the boy.

He was watching her with caring and concern now, as if regretting the pain he had caused her. But she had insisted on knowing the sordid truth.

She could still scarcely credit it, though. She felt a cold, numbing shock along with a deep, aching distress to learn that her beloved Richard was not the honorable man she’d always believed him to be.

Tess clutched a hand over her heart, finding it difficult to breathe. The man she’d thought was so loving and honest and trustworthy had used his charm to debauch and impregnate a young maidservant.

And all that time Richard had deceived her, Tess reflected. He’d pretended to esteem and cherish her while carrying on an illicit liaison behind her back. He’d fathered a child with another wo

man while professing his love and devotion to her. And he’d purposely lied to her and covered up his betrayal.

Ian had deceived her also, but at least his deception had been for unselfish reasons: He’d been trying to protect her from hurt, and he’d wanted to protect a young child as well.

How should she react to the revelations about the boy’s parentage? Jamie was part of Richard, and she had loved Richard. Yet her love had been built on a deception. Now she didn’t know what she felt for him.

And what about his hypocrisy? How many times had he railed against his elder cousin, deploring Ian’s wickedness? Richard had been every bit as wicked as the Devil Duke, perhaps more so. Ian was known for his scandalous gaming and carousing in addition to his ruthless business dealings, but even at his worst, she felt sure he would have drawn the line at seducing young girls under his protection.