Chapter 11

Three days later, Colin sat in front of the fire, staring into the crackling flames, though he was mostly not seeing them. His thoughts remained on the incident that had happened with Maddy three nights before, and even the delightfulness of her response couldn’t distract him from the heavy knowledge weighing on him. He had been unable to approach her since, though Mrs. Harris had apprised him of her overall health the many times he’d asked in the ensuing time.

She had been pure. He had made assumptions based on her profession, and they had been wrong. He was forced to reevaluate his actions and behavior toward her, and he realized he had been treating her shabbily. He had assumed she was an experienced paramour when really, she was a green girl. She must have been frightened and overwhelmed by his offer to keep her as his mistress.

There was a knock at the door, and he grunted, hoping the servant daring to disturb him would take it as a refusal and leave without opening the door. It wasn’t to be, for the door opened seconds later, and he was shocked to see his mother enter.

He hadn’t been to the family estate in years, preferring to send Keen to deal with any matters that arose there, but the last time he’d seen her, when his father was still alive, she had been confined to her rooms. He had spent a few minutes in an obligatory visit before thankfully departing the space.

“What are you doing out of your rooms?” He reached for the bell pull, intent on having her returned, since he assumed she had escaped.

“You can relax, Colin,” she said softly, but with a surprising amount of strength. “I am not a risk to myself or anyone else, and the servants will verify that for you.”

He found that improbable, but he made a mental note to speak to Mrs. Harris the next morning, since the housekeeper would be apprised of all comings and goings. “What are you doing here?”

“I have heard of your guest, and the circumstances of her arrival.” Mariah Nash dared look at him with disapproval. “I have come to verify for myself if you have truly become your father in all the ways that matter.” She sounded sad at the possibility.

He reared back, instantly feeling defensive. “Papa was a fine marquess.”

Mariah didn’t bother to argue as she came to sit across from him in the armchair that was unoccupied, though he had not asked her to do so. “He might have been a fine peer, but he was a terrible father and an even worse husband. I would hate for you to make the same mistakes he did.”

“Such as marrying a madwoman who brings disgrace and has a bankrupt family on the brink of entering the poorhouse?” He sniffed at her as he asked the question.

She flinched, but she didn’t respond otherwise. “I have heard you have the girl locked in your room for three days now. Surely, she is not your wife, and if she is not of sound mind as you claimed to the servants, you have no business interfering with her.”

He scowled at the woman who’d given him life, though he barely knew her. He certainly didn’t welcome her input. “You will keep your opinions to yourself, madam, or you will find yourself once more restricted to your rooms. I highly question the staff’s discretion of allowing you to roam freely as it is.” He might ensure that privilege was curtailed, depending on what Mrs. Harris said.

She stiffened, and he expected her to immediately withdraw at the threat. She trembled for a moment, her head drooping forward, and there was such an air of defeat about her that he couldn’t fail to see it. It caused an uncomfortable sensation in his chest, and he kept his voice softer when he said, “I appreciate your concern, but my business is my own.”

“Not when it involves an innocent young woman.” She looked at him with sadness, but also a disconcerting amount of disappointment. “I suppose you truly are your father’s son.” Without another word, Mariah stood and left the room, closing the door behind her.

He was unsettled by the encounter, and the way she had looked at him, as though he were a disappointment. Him? She was the disappointment, unable to keep her mind organized enough to see to raising her child and participating in his life.

If anyone should be disappointed, it was him—and he was grossly disappointed in the woman. It was far too late to consider her any sort of mother or maternal role model, and that she dared try to offer him input now offended him greatly.

His first instinct was to summon Mrs. Harris and instruct her to lock Mariah in her room, but he held back. She did seem far calmer than she had in the vague memories he had of her when he was a boy, alternated with the times she had been drugged into compliance with laudanum after some of her fits.

Certainly, she didn’t seem on the edge of violent fits as he recalled so vividly from childhood that they still haunted his dreams all these years later. Perhaps she was in a better state than she had been, but she still had no right to offer him advice.

He pushed aside thoughts of his mother and tried to suss out how to handle the actress in his bedchamber. He was confused why she wasn’t flattered by his attention, and why she was so insistent on repudiating him. It made no sense. Did she not realize he was a marquess? With the kind of power he wielded, and the wealth at his disposal, he could make her life easy. Or he could make it difficult. Did she not realize that either? He shook his head in annoyance.

There was another tap at the door, and he thought about barking a harsh command to go away, but he said, “Enter,” bracing himself for his mother’s return. He wouldn’t be so lenient with her this time if she were back to meddle more.

Instead, Tolley Tribbs entered the room, and he was happy to see his man. He was certain Tolley wouldn’t have ridden all the way to Coventry Park without good reason. Certainly not to report he’d learned nothing.

“Sit down, Tribbs, and tell me what you’ve learned.” Though Tolley was his social inferior, he had proven himself trustworthy on many occasions, and they enjoyed relaxing the roles of formality slightly when it was just the two of them.

“Thank you, my lord.” The man sat down, and his hair was damp. He must’ve been caught in the rain during his ride from London. “I came as soon as I got the information you requested, guvnor.” He opened his coat to remove a sheaf of papers, and they were thankfully dry when Colin took them.

“What will I find inside?” He fully intended to read every bit of information, but he preferred a brief summary from his man first.

“Her full and real name is Madeline Eleanor Chastain, and she is the daughter of Baron Richard Chastain. The man died when she was little, so she was mostly raised by her mother, then her stepfather, Garrett Hearthstone, whom her mother married when she was ten. Her mother died a couple of years after.”

He winced in sympathy, imagining it must have been difficult for Maddy to have lost both her parents so young. He barely knew his mother, and his father had been a distant figure, but Colin Nash III had at least survived until he reached his majority.

“Hearthstone died three years ago, and her stepbrother inherited her guardianship. From what I can determine, he has told everyone she is rusticating at the country estate after a serious accident rendered her unable to walk. In reality, she must have run away from home, for Maddy Carew did not exist until three years ago. Far as I can tell, Carew was her mother’s family name.”

“I see.” He frowned thoughtfully, realizing he had deflowered an innocent daughter of a peer. True, a baron was far below him in standing, and the man was dead, but it was still a dishonorable action. There could only be one remedy for it, and he was startled to realize he didn’t mind feeling the parson’s noose starting to tighten around his throat.

“Thank you for your information, Tribbs. You are free to remain here at this estate if you would like, or you can return to London. I leave that to your preference, though I suggest you stay at least the night to rest if you are returning tomorrow to London.”

“I believe I shall return to London with your permission then, guvnor. I would like to look more into certain matters, like why the young lady felt the need to run away.”

Colin nodded at his servant. “I am most curious about that as well. I thank you again for your excellent service.” Obviously recognizing his dismissal, Tolley stood up and bent at the waist in a bow before leaving the room, leaving Colin to his thoughts.