Seductive Deception

Chapter 30

"Ad—Whit, there's a woman here who'd like a few moments of your time," Tess came in from the hallway, pushing the poor butler out of the way, who stood there bemused for a moment before he turned and went on his way.

It had been a few days since he'd walked away, a few days of soul-crashing agony that caused Morgan to push himself further and harder so he wouldn't have to think about her— he mended fences, he dug drainage canals, he patched holes in thatched roofs, he even spent time enjoying the company of his tenants. And truth be told, this felt right. All of it felt right, except when it came to her.

"A lady, a woman, she looks younger than us. I assume she's not yet out. I mean, if she's into all of that, which you know how I feel about—"

Morgan tapped his pen, interrupting her — only half invested as he watched the ink spill onto the paper in a big, black blot.

"Why do we even bother with a butler?"

She shrugged one shoulder before biting into a scone. "Think of all the money the estate could save if we got rid of ladies' maids, butlers, and that manservant of yours."

He grunted without looking up from his paper, which he'd read and reread multiple times as he couldn't focus, and motioned with his hand. "Send her in."

A few minutes passed before a dark-haired, bespectacled young woman stepped in, hands folded, eyes downcast as she gave Morgan a curtsy. He recognized she'd not done it often as it did not come naturally to her, having to nearly catch herself before she tumbled.

"My lord."

"Pardon me, lady—"

But she cut him off, waving her hand, her cheeks flushing a bright cherry color. "Oh no, no, nothing of the sort."

"You have the better of me, Miss?"

"Louisa."

"Louisa?"

"Lord Whittington."

She gave him a wan smile, her face lighting up. While she was otherwise plain, when she smiled, she had a vibrancy that he could appreciate, a subtle form of beauty that took time to observe and appreciate.

She held her chin up and stepped forward. "I've come on behalf of my sister."

"Your sister?"

He didn't recognize the name, Louisa. Frantically he tried to place it. Who was she?

"Allegra Warren."

Ahh. That made sense. He'd forgotten she'd had a sister. They looked nothing alike, much like his cousins looked nothing alike.

He cleared his throat, adjusting his cravat. "Would you like to take a seat?"

He gestured to the chair across from him, and she politely inclined her head before sitting, fluffing her skirts.

"What can I do for you...Miss Louisa?"

She bit her lip, and he was mesmerized, his thoughts instantly drawn back to the sister he vowed to find, the sister he'd fallen in love with. She'd shared this trait with her, it seemed.

His brows snapped together.

"She would not be pleased to know that I came."

Morgan nodded and waited patiently for her to continue, setting his pen down and leaning back.

"Why is that?"

"Because she doesn't want me to share what I'm about to share with you."

Now he leaned forward, elbows on the desk as he rolled it over in his head.

"But, I think it's important," she clarified, gesturing with her hands, and Morgan couldn't resist the tug at his lips.

"Ok," he said.

"It's fairly complicated, but I suppose I could start from the beginning."

Lord, help him gain patience.

He waved her on. "start with whatever you feel most comfortable with."

She nodded, confirming with herself more than him that it was ok.

"Yes, well, we were both young when we were enrolled in the girl's school, Misses Thornbury's. It was...traumatic."

He bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"We were wards of our uncle after our parents died, and he did his best to ensure we'd never be heard from again. We were forced from the only home we ever knew by someone we believed we could trust."

Morgan swallowed.

"And so, we weren't. Not by the people who we assumed would come to rescue us. Allegra did the rescuing, at least when it came to me. She woke me one night, and we escaped and never looked back. We found Ginny and...."

He studied her as her face puckered and straightened, her throat taut from unspent tears, "Barrett. And they took us in, made us a family again. And Allegra vowed never to return to the people who abandoned us, to our uncle who wanted to pretend we didn't exist, and most especially, to the peerage who didn't ask any questions."

Morgan's blood began to boil as he propped himself on the edge of his chair, his hands clenching and unclenching. "No one came to find you?"

She shook her head.

"No one knew?"

"Perhaps they did?" she shrugged, "but no one cared."

Morgan's teeth gritted.

"Why wouldn't she tell me this? Why wouldn't she want me to know?"

She sighed. "I think," she started, her eyes drifting off, "she saw you as someone she could no longer have. You were out of her reach simply because you were here because you were an earl. The last place she wanted to return to was the only place she would ever have a chance of being with you."

He was instantly thrown back to the moment she'd told him not to call her 'Lady Allegra,' and it all made sense.

"It's funny," he said, as he picked his pen up again, tapping it on the desk, "I never asked for any of this either."

She nodded, understanding.

"Do you think I can give it up?"

The side of Louisa's mouth kicked up as she gave a shoulder shrug.

He knew the answer. He'd accepted his fate. But that didn't mean he couldn't make changes; that didn't mean he couldn't bend the rules in his favor.

"I've got an idea, but I will need your assistance."