Chapter Twelve
Serenity was sitting in the parlor with Gemma when someone pounded loudly on the front door. The women exchanged concerned looks as Browne went to answer it. After only two days, Serenity had already gathered that Gemma didn’t have many guests, and the voice that drifted down the hall sounded decidedly male and very angry.
A few moments later, Browne arrived at the parlor door, her face a bit pale. “Miss Cross, the Earl of Hawkesmere is here to see you.”
What is he doing here?
Serenity rose from her chair in a panic. “Don’t tell him I’m here,” she pleaded. “See what he wants, but don’t tell him I’m here.”
Gemma nodded but looked strangely nervous herself. “Send him in,” she instructed Browne.
Serenity hurried across the room to the door that connected the parlor to the dining room, ducking out of sight against the wall on the other side, her heart thundering in her chest. How had he found her so quickly? How had he possibly known where to look? She hadn’t thought he’d have kept track of Gemma.
“Good afternoon, Miss Cross. Forgive me for dropping by so unexpectedly.” Luke’s deep voice had its usual effect on Serenity’s frayed nerves, and she pressed harder against the wall, forcing herself to stay put instead of running back to him, as she wanted so badly to do. Why did she still love him so?
Gemma cleared her throat. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, my lord. It’s been many years. Please, have a seat.”
“I won’t be staying long,” Luke said, still sounding angry, despite his politeness. “I’ve come about this.”
Serenity wanted to peer around the corner to see what he was referring to but couldn’t risk it.
“How did you get that letter?” Gemma asked nervously.
“I’ve sent my mother away,” he said. “But when I saw your name on this letter, when I have been looking so hard for Serenity Pratt, I decided to read it. Imagine my surprise when you mentioned the previous financial arrangement you’d had with my mother, and your attempts to gain more money for the new information you have about myself and Miss Pratt.”
Had Gemma written to the countess? Tears burned Serenity’s eyes when she realized this hadn’t been the first time. She should have realized Gemma had been the one who’d alerted the countess of her relationship with Luke. The one person she’d thought she could trust had been the one to destroy her.
Tears stinging her eyes, rage welling up in her throat, Serenity abandoned her hiding place and entered the parlor once more. Luke’s blue gaze immediately met hers, and the relief and happiness she saw there banished the last of her doubts. If the choice was between taking his charity or Gemma’s, she would always choose him.
“How could you?” she asked Gemma, her voice rising wildly. “How could you write to the countess about me? I trusted you.”
Gemma’s dark eyes flashed with sudden anger of her own. “You expected me to just take you in? I hardly have any money left. I needed the countess to give me more, so that I could maintain my household.”
“I told you I only needed to impose upon you for a few days! You were the one who asked me to stay permanently!” Serenity cried.
Luke crossed the room to her side and took her hand in his. “That’s not all she’s done,” he said quietly. “I’ve spoken to my mother. It’s worse than you could possibly imagine.”
Gemma paled, her righteous indignation vanishing as she wrung her hands, obviously understanding what he was about to reveal. “I had no choice. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. Especially not you, Serenity. I do care for you. I do.”
Luke squeezed Serenity’s hand, as if to give her strength, and sickness bloomed in her stomach once again. “I never told my mother to send you away, Serenity. You were my entire world, and I was devastated, because I thought you’d left me. It wasn’t until we met again that I realized what my mother had done. When I confronted her, she revealed some horrible truths.”
He turned to Gemma. “You were the one who told my mother that Serenity was with child.”
Gemma closed her eyes and swallowed, then opened them again and nodded.
“But how did you know?” Serenity cried, thrown completely off balance at the knowledge that Gemma had been the one to betray her, and worse yet, that Luke now knew her secret. “I didn’t tell you. I wasn’t even certain myself.”
“I was your servant! Who do you think made your bed and washed your clothes?” Gemma cried. “Of course, I noticed when you missed your monthly flow.”
Serenity blinked, stunned and embarrassed. She hadn’t realized Gemma had paid that much attention to the most private workings of her body. She’d never intended for her to feel that she was a servant, but when she’d arrived, she’d just taken over. Serenity had just assumed that’s what companions did.
Luke cupped her face in his hands. “I wish I would have known. About the baby. I would have been there for you, angel. I would have been there for you every minute.”
Tears overfilled her eyes. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Luke. I’m so sorry that I lost our baby.” Tears wracked her body and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. Sharing this pain with him, after all this time, was surprisingly cathartic. She’d needed to share this with him for so long, and even though it was horrible, she was glad he finally knew what had happened.
“Tell me, Gemma,” he said, his voice anguished. “Tell me what happened to our child.”
“The baby died,” Gemma said, her voice strangled.
“No!” Luke yelled, his arms tightening around Serenity even more. “My mother admitted it to me. You and Roger told Serenity the baby died, but it didn’t. What did you do with our baby?”
“What?” Serenity cried, jerking away to look wildly between Gemma and Luke, who were locked in a battle of wills. She stumbled back, her ears filling with a rushing sound as the impact of what he’d just said sunk in. Seven years! Her baby would be seven years old, and if the child wasn’t dead, then she’d been without her mother all this time.
She leaned forward, bracing her hands on her knees as the world spun around her. Luke glanced over at her, his eyes widening. He lunged toward her as her world went dark.
* * *
Luke caught Serenity just as she collapsed, sweeping her up in his arms, her heart breaking for her. He hadn’t meant for her to find out this way. He’d wanted to break it to her in the kindest, gentlest way possible.
“Oh, my Lord,” Gemma breathed, hurrying forward and pressing her hand to Serenity’s pale cheek. “Is she all right?”
“What do you care?” Luke snapped, turning around and laying her down gently on the sofa. “You took her child from her and betrayed her at every turn, all while pretending to be her friend.”
Gemma sank back into her chair, tears streaming down her face. “I had to. Don’t you see? Your mother made me! She threatened to cut me off if I didn’t! I had no choice.”
Luke sank to his knees beside Serenity, holding her hand as he finally met Gemma’s shattered gaze. He shook his head in resignation, realizing that she was not the villain here. He knew Gemma well enough to know how powerless she’d always felt. His mother had given her the opportunity to have a home of her own, to have some semblance of control of her life. All he had to do was give her a chance to do the right thing this time.
“Miss Cross, name your price. I will give you whatever you want. All you need do is tell me the entire story. I want to find my child. I want to undo the harm my mother has caused.” He gave her the gentlest smile he could summon. “Please. Help me undo the pain we’ve all caused Serenity and this innocent child.”
Gemma closed her eyes, wringing her hands together as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I don’t know where the girl is, Lucien. I swear I don’t. All I know is that after she was born, Lord Winters took her to a brothel he owned. Miss Hawley’s Gentleman’s Club.”
“A brothel? Dead God. Are you telling me that my baby girl is being raised in a whorehouse? That she could be—” He bit the thought off, horrified to even imagine what his little girl could be enduring at this very moment. He couldn’t even wrap his mind around that, on top of everything else. How could he have failed his child this completely?
Then he remembered something else, something even more troubling. Disguised as Prometheus, his brother Adrian had burned Miss Hawley’s Gentleman’s Club to the ground several months ago. How would he ever find out what he needed to know when the only place he knew to look was gone?
He scrubbed his hand over his face and forced himself to stand, instead of launching himself across the room and strangling Gemma with his bare hands for her part in this. “Thank you, Miss Cross. I will make sure that you are provided for. Please gather Miss Pratt’s things. I’m taking her with me.”