Gentleman Sinner

My head retracts on my shoulders, her harshness cutting through me. ‘What do you mean, she’ll be the death of him?’

An over-the-top smile is plastered on her face in the blink of an eye. It’s an insult. ‘Nothing, darling. The girl is a troublemaker. That’s all.’ She comes forward to claim me again, but I move away, wary, making her pull to a guilty stop.

‘Judy, don’t treat me like I’m stupid,’ I warn her, facing Theo’s formidable mother head-on. ‘Theo told me she’s the daughter of a friend who died.’

She laughs, short and sharp. It’s cold and it’s heartless. ‘If only,’ she snipes.

‘Theo lied to me?’ I ask quietly, feeling hurt and confused. ‘Why would he lie?’ My imagination goes into overdrive, reeling off the possibilities. What woman would be worthy of such protection from Theo? An ex-lover? Girlfriend? ‘Judy, tell me who she is.’ I’m slowly going out of my mind, my breathing becoming strained and erratic.

Her eyes close and she inhales deeply, defeat coming out in an extended puff of air. ‘His sister.’

I recoil, shocked. ‘What? Your daughter?’

‘No,’ she refutes viciously. ‘She’s the bastard child of my dead husband and his whore of a mistress.’ Judy staggers back, her head whipping from side to side. She’s checking that the coast is clear, making sure there’s no one listening.

‘A love child?’ I whisper, beginning to piece it all together.

‘Love?’ Judy laughs, the sound tinged with a hurt I’m unable to comprehend. ‘She’s the product of a fling, that’s all. Nothing more.’

My round eyes take in the desolate woman before me. ‘You hate her.’ I state it as the fact it is. There’s venom pouring from Judy’s Chanel suit, poisoning the air.

She drops into a decorative chair, the conversation already taking its toll. ‘Theo has some unreasonable sense of responsibility towards her.’ She waves her hand in the air. ‘I’ve long given up trying to dissuade him of his misplaced obligation.’

‘Where’s her mother?’ I ask, since she’s mentioned responsibility.

She snorts her repulsion. ‘Gone the moment my dear husband’s will was read and she learned she wasn’t getting a penny from his estate. She disappeared. Left Penny to fend for herself as a child.’

‘That’s awful.’

‘That’s life, sweetheart.’ She rolls her eyes in the most heartless way. I’m stunned by her coldness.

‘Penny didn’t ask to be brought into this world illegitimately,’ I point out. ‘This isn’t her fault. Why do you hate her so much?’

‘Because, my dear,’ she says on a sigh, ‘my husband treated his bastard daughter better than he treated my boy. Our boy.’ She falls into thought, smiling a little. ‘Our sweet, placid little Theo.’

I can’t pull back my frown. Sweet and placid? Never would I describe Theo as sweet and placid. Not now, anyway. But judging by Judy’s soft, reflective expression, there was once a time when those words could be applied to the formidable, deadly man. She’s full to the brim with resentment and bitterness. I’m partway between compassion and disdain for her.

‘Theo wasn’t always so . . .’ She thinks for a few seconds, looking at me. ‘Unapproachable. He was an adorable child, with no traits of his ruthless father in him. I loved that. I loved that he was nothing like my husband. But, of course, my husband hated it. Theo frustrated him. He saw his son as a pushover. He wanted an heir to take over his empire.’ She throws her arms into the air in the general direction of the luxury surrounding us. ‘He was a bully. Told Theo daily how much of a disappointment he was and how his bastard little sister had bigger balls than him. He wanted a boy as merciless as he was to continue his legacy, and Theo wasn’t showing any signs of being that boy.’ Her hands land in her lap with a light thud. ‘But he got his wish in the end, even if the callous bastard isn’t here to appreciate it. Theo is more formidable than his father ever was, and more respected.’ Judy swallows. ‘And feared.’ She looks at me. ‘Just how Bernard wanted him to be. Hollow. Cold. Merciless. But there’s one thing my Theo has that his father didn’t. Something more precious than money or status symbols or respect.’ She stands and comes over to me, regarding me as I shift from foot to foot, uncomfortable, trying to take in the endless bombshells. She takes my cheeks, holding me in place. ‘My boy has a heart, Izzy. And you possess it.’

I choke up, not liking the conclusion I’m drawing. ‘His father made him feel unwanted?’ I question.

I see tears form in her eyes, and she nods. ‘Trust me, darling. Where his father lacked, I made up for it.’

‘I’m sorry.’ I drop my head, sadness consuming me. And yet despite what he went through, he still shows compassion towards his half sister. Chose to take care of her instead of disowning her. ‘You can’t condemn him for wanting to help her.’