“You are being quite absurd. Why should I order anything done to that woman?” She glanced at him. “Or is she just another one of your many doxies? I suppose she is of a slightly better quality than your usual choices although the Wherlockes are not highly regarded everywhere.”
“Do not play this game with me, Mother. I begin to think you believe your own lies. I am not some dim-witted drunk you can fool. I may have spent far too much of the last few years steeped in drink but you should remember that I also managed the estate and my investments enough to send you a princely sum every quarter. Heed me now, I have sent away all your spies and retaken my home. Fieldgate, if you do not recall where I live, is no longer your little hunting ground. And, yes, I have also discovered a veritable horde of Father’s bastards.”
“He had no right to put his by-blows in my house.”
Her voice was still so cold Brant was surprised he did not see her breath forming in the air. “Neither Fieldgate nor this house is yours and they never have been. It might be best if you try to recall that from time to time. I fear your allowance may be trimmed so that I may sort out all these half-siblings. It is something that is long overdue.” He could see the smallest twitch at the corner of her left eye and knew the mention of his father’s bastards was not a subject she could maintain that icy calm she could wear like armor. Nor was the threat of lessening her income something she would accept lightly.
“You have no right to do that. It was an agreement made between us and you must honor it. You are, after all, a gentleman born and bred. Perhaps you best read it.”
“No, I do not have to read it as I helped write it up and read it most carefully. I will see that it is made null and void as quickly as I can. As far as I am concerned the attack upon Lady Wherlocke has ended all agreements between us. You did not hold up your end of the bargain.
“I was moving slowly to bring you down, but no more. I know what you have been up to, m’lady, and once you did not see it fit for you to obey the contract then neither shall I. I was willing to forget you even exist but you could not be satisfied with staying here, enjoying the place in society you have made for yourself, could you? You had to play your games again. Well, they will fail this time.” He leaned so close to her that he could almost taste the fury he could read in her eyes. “If you ever try to hurt Lady Wherlocke again, I will do far more than warn you off. Do not believe, for one single moment, that the fact that we share blood will make any difference to how hard I will come down on you.”
Afraid he was about to do something he would forever regret, his hands actually itching with the need to slap her until the icy grip she had on herself shattered, he left. He had warned her. That had to be enough. He could not make himself feel confident of that, however, as he returned to the Warren and Olympia’s bedchamber. His mother was arrogant and she had gotten away with her many crimes for so long it might well prove that only her own death would put an end to it. She probably thought herself too clever to be caught and too arrogantly sure of her own cleverness.
When he entered Olympia’s bedchamber, he saw that she still slept and moved to pour himself a tankard of the cider she favored and kept in her chambers. He actually wanted a large drink of brandy but he resisted the urge. Instead he sipped at a nicely spiced cider and sat down in a chair close to the side of the bed.
Olympia’s face was even more brilliantly bruised than when he had left. There was no swelling because of Enid’s swift and judicious use of cold compresses, but he hated to see her this way. She had not deserved this, was only trying to help him. Brant felt the bite of another failure in keeping someone safe.
And then he saw the kitten. It was watching him, its golden eyes peering out from beneath Olympia’s chin. Thinking it had to be uncomfortable, and probably unhealthy, for Olympia to have the creature so close, he reached out to move it and it hissed at him. Just as he thought to try and grab it by the scruff of the neck fast enough to avoid all those claws and teeth, Olympia opened her eyes and looked at him.
“They should not have dragged you away from your meeting with Andras,” she said. “Did they tell you what happened?”
“It was only Daniel and, yes, he told me what happened.” He frowned at the little cat. “Are you certain you should have that little beast so close to your face?”
“It was terrified. I fear it is why I was caught in that alley. I heard it cry out and, even though I knew it was unwise, I had to go and see if I could help.” She quickly told him all that had happened and was not surprised to see the anger on his face. “I know I made many foolish mistakes.”