Christmas?”
“Philip and I are considering it. I believe Marguerite and Anthony will join us after they return from France. I should imagine Lisette would wish you to come too.” Helene looked over her shoulder at him. “Would you come with us?”
“And leave this place to run itself?”
“Perhaps Ambrose and Mrs. Smith could manage it without you.”
Christian realized his smile was becoming forced. It was always like this with his mother. Somewhere inside him, he resented her for making familial demands on him, demands he still felt she had no right to make considering her long absence from his childhood.
A knock at the door saved him from answering.
“Come in.”
The man who entered the room was about his height and age and eerily familiar. Helene made a small choked sound, and Christian moved from behind his desk to stand in front of his mother.
“May I help you?”
The stranger bowed. “I certainly hope so. Am I addressing Mr. Christian Delornay?”
“Indeed you are.” Christian indicated his mother, who had recovered her composure and looked as serene as ever. “And this is my mother, Lady Philip Knowles.” Despite the fact that it was something of a secret, he deliberately used his mother’s full title, anticipating the effect it would have on their unexpected visitor.
“A pleasure, my lady.” The man inclined his head a stark inch. “You must be my stepmother. I’m Richard Ross.”
Helene studied him, her head angled to one side. “I have no doubt of that. You are the image of your father.” She moved past Christian and held out her hand. “It really is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Richard Ross smiled and brought her hand to his lips. “And it is a pleasure to meet you, too, and to find you are nothing like the woman I had imagined.”
Christian raised his eyebrows. “What exactly were you expecting to see—some raddled old whore?”
“Christian!” Helene frowned at him, but Richard seemed unperturbed by Christian’s pointed comment.
“Hardly that. Reports of Madame Helene’s beauty have reached all over Europe.” He gazed at Helene appreciatively. “And obviously were not exaggerated at all.”
Christian was used to men ogling his mother, but something about Richard Ross set his hackles rising. He deliberately placed himself between his mother and his half brother and indicated they should all sit down beside the fire.
“Are you looking for Philip, Mr. Ross? I believe he had business with his solicitor this morning.”
Richard sat down and crossed one booted foot over the other. “Actually, that’s where I found him earlier. He was kind enough to give me the address of this establishment so that I could come and pay my respects to you all.”
“Your respects?” Christian sat forward. “Rumor has it that you have never accepted your father’s second marriage or the revelation that he already had children. Is that not so?”
Richard sighed. “I must admit that in my youth, I did publicly air my grievances about my father’s behavior, but I am older and wiser now.” He glanced at Helene. “I was hoping we could settle our differences.”
Christian shrugged. “We have no differences to settle with you.”
Richard went to speak and then hesitated. “Can we not be friends? I understand that my sister Emily is already welcome here.”
“She is welcome in our family home and the kitchens here, but not upstairs,” Helene said firmly. “We have great hopes for her social success.”
“She is indeed a treasure,” Richard said, his smile wider and far more genuine. “I hope to further my acquaintance with her now that I am home for good.”
Christian regarded his half brother through narrowed eyes. Despite everything Richard was saying, he wasn’t convinced the reasons for Richard’s return were that simple or that easy. He hadn’t failed to notice that Richard was expending all his energy on captivating Helene rather than facing his slightly
“Philip and I are considering it. I believe Marguerite and Anthony will join us after they return from France. I should imagine Lisette would wish you to come too.” Helene looked over her shoulder at him. “Would you come with us?”
“And leave this place to run itself?”
“Perhaps Ambrose and Mrs. Smith could manage it without you.”
Christian realized his smile was becoming forced. It was always like this with his mother. Somewhere inside him, he resented her for making familial demands on him, demands he still felt she had no right to make considering her long absence from his childhood.
A knock at the door saved him from answering.
“Come in.”
The man who entered the room was about his height and age and eerily familiar. Helene made a small choked sound, and Christian moved from behind his desk to stand in front of his mother.
“May I help you?”
The stranger bowed. “I certainly hope so. Am I addressing Mr. Christian Delornay?”
“Indeed you are.” Christian indicated his mother, who had recovered her composure and looked as serene as ever. “And this is my mother, Lady Philip Knowles.” Despite the fact that it was something of a secret, he deliberately used his mother’s full title, anticipating the effect it would have on their unexpected visitor.
“A pleasure, my lady.” The man inclined his head a stark inch. “You must be my stepmother. I’m Richard Ross.”
Helene studied him, her head angled to one side. “I have no doubt of that. You are the image of your father.” She moved past Christian and held out her hand. “It really is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Richard Ross smiled and brought her hand to his lips. “And it is a pleasure to meet you, too, and to find you are nothing like the woman I had imagined.”
Christian raised his eyebrows. “What exactly were you expecting to see—some raddled old whore?”
“Christian!” Helene frowned at him, but Richard seemed unperturbed by Christian’s pointed comment.
“Hardly that. Reports of Madame Helene’s beauty have reached all over Europe.” He gazed at Helene appreciatively. “And obviously were not exaggerated at all.”
Christian was used to men ogling his mother, but something about Richard Ross set his hackles rising. He deliberately placed himself between his mother and his half brother and indicated they should all sit down beside the fire.
“Are you looking for Philip, Mr. Ross? I believe he had business with his solicitor this morning.”
Richard sat down and crossed one booted foot over the other. “Actually, that’s where I found him earlier. He was kind enough to give me the address of this establishment so that I could come and pay my respects to you all.”
“Your respects?” Christian sat forward. “Rumor has it that you have never accepted your father’s second marriage or the revelation that he already had children. Is that not so?”
Richard sighed. “I must admit that in my youth, I did publicly air my grievances about my father’s behavior, but I am older and wiser now.” He glanced at Helene. “I was hoping we could settle our differences.”
Christian shrugged. “We have no differences to settle with you.”
Richard went to speak and then hesitated. “Can we not be friends? I understand that my sister Emily is already welcome here.”
“She is welcome in our family home and the kitchens here, but not upstairs,” Helene said firmly. “We have great hopes for her social success.”
“She is indeed a treasure,” Richard said, his smile wider and far more genuine. “I hope to further my acquaintance with her now that I am home for good.”
Christian regarded his half brother through narrowed eyes. Despite everything Richard was saying, he wasn’t convinced the reasons for Richard’s return were that simple or that easy. He hadn’t failed to notice that Richard was expending all his energy on captivating Helene rather than facing his slightly
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