The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (37 page)

“Indeed we
have,” Alec agreed in apparent good-humor.  “Please accept our apologies,
and charge whatever damages we may have caused to my account.”

“Of
course, Your Grace, as you wish,” the man nodded.  “I am glad to hear the
issue has been resolved.”

One could
have heard a pin drop as he and Colin then made their way to the front door,
exiting the establishment together.  As the heavy wooden panel closed
firmly behind them, Alec could only imagine the conversations that were certain
to ensue.  Without a doubt, the speculation as to what had caused the
fight between he and Colin would spread like wildfire throughout the club, and
within hours, every detail surrounding the extraordinary event was sure to be
all over the city.

As they
had discussed, Colin sent his coachman home while they waited for Alec’s own
carriage to be brought around.  As if nothing out of the ordinary had
occurred, they stood patiently as the coachman pulled the horses to a stop in
front of them, and then entered the vehicle as one of the attendants held open
the door, his eyes as wide as saucers as he took in their dishevel.  
Once the door had been closed firmly behind them, they ended their genial
charade.
 
Gazing at one another from
opposite sides of the coach, their expressions were anything but amicable.

“I’ll have
Rory and Gavin begin spreading the word tomorrow,” Colin stated grudgingly.

Alec
nodded.  They had agreed to have the twins drop subtle hints about Town,
suggesting that the fight between he and Colin had been nothing more than a
foolish disagreement.  To all outward appearances, their friendship would
resume and continue on as it had before.  In private it would be another
matter entirely.
 
However, what happened
from that point on depended largely upon Scarlett.

Scarlett
was staring anxiously out one of the front windows when she saw a coach pull to
a stop in front of the house.
 
Though it
was late, the streetlamps cast the darkened street in a faint glow and she
could just make out Alec’s ducal crest on the side of the vehicle.  In
fascination, she watched as her brother stepped from the coach, immediately
followed by Alec.  They stood side by side for a moment and appeared to be
speaking with one another.  Then Alec turned away and started up the walk
leading to his house, as Colin turned in the opposite direction and did the
same.

With her
heart in her throat, Scarlett rushed to the front door, swinging it open as
Colin drew near.  Pulling him into the foyer and then into the front
parlor, she quickly shut the door behind them.  Several lamps had been
left burning and now bathed the room in a soft light as she turned to face her
brother.  “Oh,” Scarlett gasped, catching sight of her brother’s split
lip, and then his bruised and swollen hands.  “Colin, what have you done?”

“Don’t
worry, the son of a bitch is still alive,” he assured her, before dropping
wearily into the nearest chair.  “A few bruises, maybe a couple of cracked
ribs, nothing life-threatening I assure you.”

“You said
you were just going to talk to him,” Scarlett accused, as thoughts of Alec,
bloody and battered raced through her mind.  She should have known what
would happen.  She never should have let Colin confront Alec alone. 
She should have insisted that they talk to him together.  She sank into
the chair opposite her brother, her hands covering her mouth in alarm and
dismay.

“He’s fine
Scarlett.  In fact, he is in a hell of a lot better shape than he should
be, considering the circumstances,” he stated gruffly.

Despite
her fear, she supposed what Colin said was true.  She had seen Alec step
from the coach and then walk to his house of his own accord; if he’d been
seriously injured, he would have required assistance.  “I told you it
wasn’t his fault Colin,” Scarlett said, dropping her hands to her lap. 
“You know that I am to blame for what happened between us.”

“You are
partially
to blame,” he corrected, “which is the only reason I didn’t kill him.”

Scarlett
looked at her brother in frustration.  “Did the two of you even discuss
the situation at hand, or did you merely spend the entire time pummeling each
other?”

“We
discussed it.”

“And?” 
Scarlett prompted, quickly losing what little patience she had left.

“Congratulations,
you’re getting married.”

“What?”
she gasped, staring at her brother in stunned dismay.  “Colin, you can’t
be serious.”  She and Alec couldn’t get married now, not after all that
had happened. 

“It
certainly wasn’t my suggestion, but Alec intends to claim his son, Scarlett,
one way or another.  Would you create a scandal now, have Oliver labeled a
bastard, after all that you have done to protect him?”

“No, of
course not.”

“Then what
other choice is there?  If the two of you marry, Alec can legally adopt
Oliver and raise him as his own.  No one ever need know that he was
illegitimate.”

“But Alec
doesn’t want to marry me Colin; you know that as well as I do.  He has
these ridiculous notions about love and marriage,” she told him, shaking her head
in consternation.  “It will never work.  I won’t force him to the
altar.  I can’t.  He will never forgive me if I do and what kind of
marriage would we have then?”

“No one’s
forcing him Scarlett.  Like I said, it was his idea, not mine.”

His
idea
.  Of
course, Scarlett thought, but only because of Oliver.  He wanted his son,
and because of Oliver he was willing to marry her.  In truth, he was still
being forced to do something he didn’t want to do.  It was as she had
always feared, and the reality of it was not only disheartening but humiliating
as well.  “Surely there must be another way?”

“Is
there?” Colin’s tone was dubious.

“I…” 
She faltered, for in spite of what she wished, she couldn’t deny the
truth. 

“Are you
still in love with him, Scarlett?”

The
question caught her by surprise, and for a moment her expression was completely
unguarded.  Words weren’t necessary.

“I
suspected as much,” Colin said, nodding.  “He doesn’t deserve you,
Minx.”  Despite his words, his expression was resigned.

Breaking
the news to Conner, Rory and Gavin that Alec Weston was Oliver’s father was
going about as well as Scarlett had anticipated.   Rory and Gavin’s
initial shock was quickly turning to outrage, while Conner, the most intuitive
of her brothers merely looked speculative, and not entirely surprised.

“I’m going
to kill him,” Rory said, rising angrily from his seat.

“He’s a
dead man,” Gavin concurred, as he too rose to his feet, his face a mask of
fury.

“Sit down,
both of you!” Colin ordered, his tone commanding.

For a
moment neither of them moved to retake their seats, and the air quickly grew
fraught with tension.

Colin
repeated the order, his demeanor slightly less formidable though his tone was
still authoritative.  “I said, sit down.  Please.”

Grudgingly,
her brothers resumed their seats.

“After
what happened last night, the last thing we need is another incident to fuel
the gossips.”

“What
exactly happened last night?” Rory queried, looking slightly gratified as his
gaze moved to Colin’s bruised knuckles.

Over the
course of the next half hour, Colin filled them in on the events of the past
evening and outlined what was to come, first and foremost, Scarlett’s impending
engagement and what needed to be done prior to any sort of official announcement. 
At Scarlett’s request, he also made them promise not to tell Alec the truth
about Ian McKinnon.

“As I
said, we don’t want anyone to suspect that Scarlett had anything to do with the
cause of our fight, so I need the two of you,” he said, looking toward Rory and
Gavin, “to start spreading some false rumors as to its cause.  As far as
everyone knows, Alec and I have resolved our conflict and remain friends.”

“And as
for Scarlett and Alec, they will begin being seen together in public as soon as
possible.  In a couple of weeks I will confirm that I have given my
blessing for a courtship between the two, and shortly thereafter, they can
announce their engagement.  Once the banns are read they will be married,
and hopefully no one will be the wiser.”

“I expect
all of you,” he said, looking pointedly at each of his three brothers, “to act
as though nothing out of the ordinary has transpired.  In public, you will
continue to treat Alec as a close family friend, and in private…well...
difficult as it may be, I will expect you all to behave in a civil
manner.  Is that understood?”

Nodding
their agreement, her brothers clearly recognized what had to be done, despite
their obvious aversion. 

For
Scarlett, who had remained quiet for most of the conversation, the entire
situation seemed surreal.  She had dreamed of becoming Alec’s wife for
years, and now that it was actually coming to pass, it was nothing at all as
she had imagined.  In fact, the entire thing seemed more like a nightmare
than a dream.

Next door,
Olivia Weston had just returned from having breakfast with one of her friends
and had yet to see her son, for he’d still been abed when she had left. 
Now however, she eagerly sought him out with obvious purpose.  Questioning
Alec’s butler she learned that her son was presently in his study, and with her
heels clicking loudly against the marble floor she hurried down the hall,
opening the door to Alec’s study without knocking.

Seated
behind his desk, Alec looked up at his mother’s abrupt entrance.

Moving
forward, Olivia gasped as she took in the sight of Alec’s bruised face. 
“Dear Lord, it’s true,” Olivia uttered in astonishment, raising her hands and
crossing them over her chest as she stared at her son in horror.

“I presume
that means you have already heard,” Alec replied, his tone droll as he leaned
back in his chair.  News certainly traveled fast.

“What on
earth were you thinking partaking in a public brawl, and with Colin McPhearson
of all people?” his mother demanded, clearly shocked by Alec’s nonchalant
manner.

Tossing
the document he had been reading onto his desk, he sighed in resignation. 
It was time to tell his mother about Scarlett, and about his son.  “Have a
seat mother,” Alec said, rising from his chair and motioning toward the sofa as
he came around from behind his desk.  “We need to talk.”

Ten
minutes later, his mother knew everything.  To say she was upset was a
definite understatement.  “Look at it this way,” Alec said, his tone
sardonic, “you no longer have to wait for that grandchild you’ve been so
desperately longing for.”

Olivia
looked at her son with withering reproach.  “This situation is certainly
nothing to make light of Alec.”

“I am well
aware of that, Mother, I assure you,” he sighed.  He couldn’t blame her
for being angry.  His horrible lack of judgment three years earlier had
put them all into a difficult and precarious situation.

“You will
have to tell Duchy of course.”

“I
know.  I’ll go and see her later today.”

“Knowing
your grandmother, I don’t envy you that conversation,” Olivia said with raised
brows.  “You will be lucky not to have garnered another bruise or two by
the time she’s finished with you.”

It was an
exaggeration of course, but they both knew Gwendolyn Weston wasn’t going to be
happy when she learned of her beloved grandson’s shockingly immoral behavior.

Much to
Alec’s surprise, Duchy wasn’t nearly as outraged as he’d feared she would
be.  In fact, after recovering from the initial shock, she seemed almost
pleased by the situation. 

“We will
hold the ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral of course,” she said, already making
note of all the things that would need to be done.  “Your mother and I
will have to start the preparations as soon as possible.  When do you plan
to announce your engagement?”

“I can’t help
but notice that you don’t seem to be overly troubled by this unexpected turn of
events.”

“Troubled,
why on earth would I be troubled?” she asked, looking at Alec with a knowing
smile.  “Though I have never met the girl, I can only assume that Scarlett
McPhearson must be a very remarkable young lady to have caused you to cast
aside your principles as you did.”

“She was,”
he agreed, somewhat sullenly.

“And still
is I’m sure,” Duchy countered, with a slightly disapproving look at her
grandson.  “I can only guess as to her rationale for keeping the boy from
you, Alec, but I’m sure she had her reasons.”

Alec
merely snorted in response, still angry at Scarlett’s deception.

“She was
in love with you, wasn’t she?”