Wolf of Arundale Hall by Jennifer Leeland Read Free Book Online

in one of the chairs and twirled his wine glass. Sullen and unfriendly, he hadn’t said two words to any of them.
    When Perry had finally appeared his only response to Joshua had been a grunt. Appalling behavior.
    Gerry was a bright spot, trying to help when he could and chattering away about some animal he’d seen on the moor. But even he was a strain for Elizabeth when Melinda intervened as Elizabeth scolded Gerry mildly for trying to steal birds’ eggs from a nest.
    He noted instantly how Elizabeth backed off and how Melinda undermined any discipline she tried to give the child. He marveled at his wife’s serenity until he saw her clenched fist around her wine glass.
    It didn’t help that Perry had visitors. Two creditors and a disreputable rake, one after another, “dropped by”, insisting on being announced during dinner. Finally Joshua threw down his napkin and glared at his brother.
    “Tell them to go,” he snapped.
    Everyone at the table stared at him. Perry sputtered. “This is my home—”
    “No.” He shook his head to emphasize his statement. “It’s my home. This disgusting behavior will stop now.”
    He knew his brother. Confrontation had always made him disappear. It was one of the reasons he’d never allowed Elizabeth to confront him about anything. Joshua’s greatest fear was that his brother would cut his family away and drift helplessly toward madness.
    “Perry, please,” his wife begged.
    Perry stared at Joshua. “I’m going with my friends.”
    Joshua strode toward him. “As long as I go with you.”
    His brother stared at him. “No.”
    “Why not? I know where you’re going,” Joshua said bitterly.
    “You don’t.”
    Joshua leaned closer to his brother and spoke a name he hadn’t said aloud in ten years. His brother broke out in a sweat, his eyes wild and uncertain. “How do you know his name?”
    He gripped his brother by the arm. “Because I know.”
    With a firm hand, he escorted Perry toward the door. “Wife? Don’t wait up for me.”
    “As you wish, my lord.” She appeared at his elbow and opened the dining room door.
    Joshua heard Melinda’s plaintive whine. “But Joshua, you just got here.”
    Elizabeth clenched her hands in front of her dress and waited in the hallway. “Do you want me to send a note to Jaimison?”
    He gazed at his wife. From his six-foot-five height he could look down his nose at anyone but couldn’t beat Elizabeth at it. “Yes. And cancel my morning ride. I won’t be home until late.”
    She bowed her head. “Yes, my lord.”
    He could feel the seething resentment, the way she agreed to do his bidding but probably thought about killing him. With a shove, he catapulted his brother into the hallway. “Let’s go, brother.”
    His brother whirled around, his eyes a bright blue, his teeth elongated. A grim smile froze on Joshua’s face. “Tsk, tsk. A lack of control. We have work to do.”
    A hand gripped his arm and he turned to see his wife restraining him. “Please, my lord,” she whispered.
    “What is it?”
    “Take the book with you.” She pressed the book that he’d left on the table into his hands.
    “Why would I need my mother’s words to discipline my brother?” He glared at his snarling sibling.
    “Because your father never explained anything to either of you. He never had the chance. Your parents died before they could tell you and then your grandmother kept your mother’s diaries—”
    “What does my grandmother have to do with this?”
    “Your mother died and she kept the book. I found it by accident.” His wife’s guilty tone got his attention. She’d stolen it. Why?
    He took the book and Elizabeth relaxed. The earlier anger seemed to have subsided. The Beast scented her arousal more strongly now. It spurred him, tormented him.
    With the book under one arm, he wrapped his free one around her waist and yanked her into his embrace. She gasped, her eyes wide and her face suddenly young and vulnerable. He