Chapter Five
Erin stared at the empty doorway where Blake had just been. What was that about? He’d been quiet after lunch, sitting apart from them while they’d played chess. The Ice Queen had disappeared to “take a nap” after lunch, though Erin was beginning to understand that was the term used in this house for anything private.
Suddenly she heard footsteps. Was Blake back already? He’d said they would be quick.
But these didn’t sound like Blake’s footsteps.
That was confirmed when Blake’s mother appeared in the doorway. The Ice Queen. Shit. She wished desperately that she’d agreed to take a nap when Blake had offered. Then she wouldn’t be sitting here like a… like a sitting duck, actually.
Which made Blake’s mother the hunter. “There you are, sweetheart. Where are our men off to?”
“I think they went to Mr. Morris’s study.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Morris moved deeper into the room. “You know you can call him Jeb. And call me Bel.”
Erin knew their names were Jebediah and Belinda. Old names. Beautiful names. The people themselves were both old and beautiful—and intimidating too. She had no desire to be here, alone with Bel, with the Ice Queen, and maybe that was unfair of her.
Maybe the woman was good at heart, with hopes and dreams and fears of her own. Undoubtedly that was true. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had singled out Erin as her enemy. And whether or not Erin agreed with that assessment of their roles, Bel was a dangerous enemy to have.
For all that Blake’s father—Jeb—was a bit pompous, he at least seemed to like her.
“You know, Blake suggested that I go take a nap, and now that I think about it, I am tired. I think I’ll go—”
“Stay.” Bel smiled again, sending a shiver down her spine. “You’re only here for tonight, after all. So little time to get to know you.”
Erin forced herself to remain seated in her chair while Bel sat down on the antique-style sofa nearby. Very nearby. There were only inches between their knees, and it made Erin uncomfortable. Was she overreacting? Probably. But knowing that didn’t shake the tightness in her chest, the dread in her throat.
Maybe she could still fix this. If she used the same tactic Blake had used with his father. “I’d love to hear about your life,” she said, feigning enthusiasm. “I’m sure you have lots of stories as the wife of a senator.”
Bel laughed. “Oh, I do. Stories about Jeb… you wouldn’t believe some of them, I’ll bet.”
That sounded ominous. “You must have gotten to meet some important people.”
“I have, darling. But I’m much more interested in you.”
She swallowed. “Me? I’m afraid I haven’t done much that’s interesting.”
“Haven’t you? You already snagged Blake Morris, after all.”
Erin stared, unsure what to say. What to feel. Technically it was true. She’d snagged Blake, who was a catch. Smart, kind, and hot as hell despite what he thought about his scars. Of course any mother would think that her son was a prize. And yet, she couldn’t help think Bel was talking about Blake’s money more than anything else.
“I’m glad to be with him,” she said carefully. “I love him.”
The smile seemed a little sinister but no less beautiful. “Of course you do. They’re lovable, our Morris men.”
What did that mean? “I think so,” she said, hoping that was the right answer. There were undercurrents here she couldn’t see. She could only feel them.
“Some might say too lovable. I’m sure you know what I mean.”
Erin was sure she didn’t. She would also rather be anywhere but here. The doorway beckoned her, and she wanted to run right through it and hide upstairs—except that would be childish.
It also seemed like a smart option.
“They’ll be out any minute,” she said in a rush, almost a prayer. Because God, she hoped so.
Bel didn’t even acknowledge that. Her eyes narrowed. “The important thing, with men like that, is to know where their loyalty lies.”
Well, this was getting creepier. “Okay,” she said. “That’s good advice. Now I really think I’m going to head upstairs and take that nap.”
“Do you know where Blake’s loyalty lies, Erin?”
She knew she was being baited. And yet she couldn’t help but respond. “Blake wouldn’t cheat on me.”
“Maybe not. You’re young and pretty, and he’s… well, he’s not quite the man he was. Some injuries can never be repaired.”
Excuse her? Shit just got real. She may not have known the man Blake was, but she knew the man he was now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but Blake is an amazing man. He’s honorable and brilliant and—”
“And ten years older than you. You aren’t fooling anyone, sweetheart. Definitely not him.”
Erin gasped. She didn’t want this woman to mess with her head, but that was her fear. Not that she was using Blake, but that he’d think so. Not that she didn’t truly love him, but that he didn’t truly love her. No, she wouldn’t let Bel mess with her. “You’re obviously angry and bitter over something, but you don’t know me. And I’m thinking you don’t know him.”
“I know enough. I know he’s rejected everything we’ve ever stood for, including a life in politics, including our friends, including the kind of woman who would have been a good wife to him.”
“I will be a good wife.”
“And I know you came from trash. That’s all you’ll ever be.”
* * *
Blake wanted to be anywhere but in this office, where he’d been lectured many times for some dumbass antic or another. He had quite a rap sheet at the prep school he’d gone to—ironic considering he was now a professor.
His father didn’t sit behind his desk. Instead he sat in one of the high-back leather armchairs by the fire, and Blake joined him there. Equals? Blake doubted that would ever be true. And maybe that was the way of fathers and sons, for one always to be the leader, even if the son had stopped following years ago.
“It must be serious,” his father remarked idly. “If it’s taking you this long to come out with it.”
Blake huffed a laugh without humor. “Serious, yes. I have a question to ask you, but I’m afraid I won’t like the answer.”
His father was silent, staring into a fire grate with no fire. Long minutes passed. “I know you thought I hated that you enlisted. And you’re right. I did.”
“Glad we cleared that up,” Blake said dryly.
“I was scared. Scared you’d never come home. And I was right, in a way. You never did come back to us.”
His throat was dry. “It wasn’t me you wanted. It was some other kid. One just like you.”
“Not just like me. I never had your courage.”
There was a finality to his words that made Blake’s gut clench. “I didn’t cut you out completely. I’m here now. And you’ll be invited to the wedding.”
“Even if you don’t like my answer to this question you’re going to ask?”
It was Blake’s turn to be silent, because he couldn’t make any promises. His loyalty was to Erin, and beyond that, it was to do the right thing. Any gratitude he had for his parents was like this house—old and creaking under the weight of the present.
“Dad, what happened with Sophia Raider?”
Silence. Stillness. His father had heard him, and understood him, every nuance of the question.
Blake gave him time to answer, because he’d rather have the truth. And he knew that for all that his father could spin a lie, in this room with just the two of them, he’d hear it.
His father spoke slowly. “How do you know about her?”
“She worked here, didn’t she? I could have known her that way.”
A slow shake of his head. “You were at university then, and coming home as rarely as possible. You never met her.”
Suspicion turned dark. “Why would you remember that? Something so specific, about your maid meeting your son?”
“Because she wasn’t just my maid.”
Blake closed his eyes. “Jesus.”
“It was wrong. I’m not defending myself. I’m just answering your question.”
“Did you hurt her?” he demanded. “Did you…” He couldn’t even say the word. “Did you force her?”
“What?” His father turned to him, a rare shocked expression on his lined face. “Christ, no. I would never force anyone, never hurt any woman. And definitely not her.”
“Jesus.” So his father had an affair. It shouldn’t surprise him, but it still did. At least it was better than the alternative. “Do you know what Erin’s last name is?”
A muscle ticked in his father’s jaw. Realization entered his eyes. “Sophia had a daughter.”
“That’s right. And Erin knows her mother used to work here. She remembers her coming home crying the last day she came here.”
His skin paled. “I… cared for Sophia. A great deal.”
“Apparently not enough to continue employing her. Or to keep your hands off her so she wouldn’t feel pressured.”
“She wanted what we had together. Call me wrong but I believe that.”
Blake shook his head. “Then what happened?”
“Your mother found out. She didn’t confront me, though. She confronted Sophia while she was upstairs. It was… very ugly.”
“No shit,” Blake said, disgusted.
“I put a stop to their confrontation but I…” His father sighed, looking more tired than he’d ever been. “I let your mother throw Sophia out of the house. I didn’t stand up for her. I loved Sophia but when it came out, I chose to keep my wife and standing rather than be with her. I was a coward.”
Blake agreed but he was too sick over the whole thing to say so. In the end he understood the irony of him accusing his father of wrongdoing. Blake had fought his attraction to his young maid, knowing it was too improper, that she was too young and beautiful and good for him. And in the end he had given in to his desire—just like his father.
But there were differences too. Blake wasn’t married. He hadn’t broken any vows to be with Erin. And when it came to defending her against anyone, he would fight a fucking army.
Something about that poked at him.
He cocked his head. “Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t have your investigators look into her and find this out for yourself.”
“I did,” his father admitted. “I ordered a report. A brief one. I didn’t want to intrude.”
“Of course,” Blake said dryly.
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I didn’t actually read it. I was away on travel until just two days ago. Your mother read it, I believe.”
If that was true, then his mother knew about Erin’s connection to Sophia Raider.
And he’d left Erin alone.