Family Scandals by Denise Patrick Read Free Book Online

solemn features. “Correct.”
    This time Marcus took a healthy swig of his drink. Fortified, he looked to his brother again. “Tell me the rest.”
    “As it turns out, it wasn’t your grandfather who was coordinating the plot, it was your grandmother. She was French and her family had supported Napoleon through to the bitter end. Your grandfather refused to testify on his own behalf in order to shield his wife.”
    “What happened then?”
    “With his death, your grandmother and mother—who was fourteen at the time—were left destitute. They managed to get back to France, to your grandmother’s family, where your grandmother lived out her days. Your mother eventually married one of her French cousins, but when he later died, she returned to England.”
    “So, do I have any French brothers or sisters?”
    “Not that I’m aware of.” Brand took another drink. “According to the letter Father left me, not only was she abused by her own cousins, but when she decided to return to England, they washed their hands of her. He did not, however, elaborate further.”
    “I see.” Marcus had to consciously make his hand relax around the glass he held. If he hadn’t, he might have crushed it. “Did she pick Papa as a deliberate target?”
    The short silence seemed to last much longer. The air in the room was thick, and he struggled to breathe as he waited for Brand’s answer.
    “Apparently, although he didn’t say so. What he did say was that he made no apologies for taking her as his mistress after my mother died. When she became pregnant, he married her. It was as simple as that. He suspected nothing until Michael and I disappeared.”
    “That must have been a devastating blow,” Marcus observed. “I remember what he was like growing up. He would have enjoyed all four of us.”
    Brand let the comment pass.
    “After Michael and I disappeared, he hired a detective to delve into her background and discovered who she was. It was the reason he never allowed her to accompany him to St. Ayers.”
    “How did he get it?”
    “When George became King in ’20, one of his first acts was to take action against your grandfather. Once he was convicted and stripped of his title, his property was forfeited to the Crown. The King distributed it as he saw fit. He and our father were particular friends, so we received St. Ayers—the family seat. The rest of the holdings—all smaller pieces of property, and a townhouse—have been bought and sold many times over since then. I bought the townhouse two years ago.”
    “Why? Isn’t Waring House enough?”
    Brand smiled enigmatically. “It wasn’t for me.”
    “Then who?”
    “You.”
    Marcus straightened. “Me?” An estate and a townhouse. “Why?”
    “Because those were my instructions.”
    “From whom?”
    “Father.”
    “Why?”
    Brand put his glass down on a small table and rose from his chair. Crossing to the desk, he dug a small sheaf of papers from a drawer and returned, handing them to Marcus as he resumed his seat.
    “You can read them at your leisure, but it’s pretty dry stuff. The bottom line is that you are now the Earl St. Ayers.” There was no way to miss the amusement, tinged with pride, in Brand’s voice.
    Marcus was stunned. If he hadn’t already finished his drink and put down the glass, he would have dropped it. So much for being a second son with no prospects.
    “How? I thought you said that Parliament passed a Bill of Attainder. Doesn’t that mean the title’s tainted?”
    “Normally yes,” Brand answered. “But what you have in your hands is the document that repeals the original bill. However, because your grandfather died with no immediately traceable male heirs, the title would have died anyway, giving the Queen the ability to grant it as she saw fit. At Parliament’s urging, she granted it to you.”
    Marcus looked at his smiling brother suspiciously. “How much did it cost you?”
    “Nothing. Father had already set the wheels