Tainted Reasoning (Dark Sovereignty Book 2) Read online

  “I don’t want Victoria to be upset, especially after her news this morning… she’s too delicate.” –William and I had left Victoria and Nicholas celebrating the news of a positive pregnancy test– “So I intend to be on my best behavior. I want to check on my mother and persuade her to leave with us. That is all.”

  “Good idea. I’ll try to be on my best behavior as well. Though, my brain doesn’t always listen to what I want.”

  I wink at him.

  “I know. I’ve still not forgotten how you greeted me this morning.”

  “Hey, I brought you coffee.” He smirks.

  “Yes, and an appraisal of how beautiful my tits were looking.”

  “Well, they were.”

  We both laugh together, and the earlier tension in the car dissipates just as we pull up to Viscount Hamilton’s home. Once I thought the sun shone out of this place. It was my childhood home. Despite being a single mother with an unwanted pregnancy, Victoria’s father allowed my mother to keep her job and even helped to educate me. I wanted for nothing, and he treated me just like a daughter. In some ways more so than Victoria who he always sheltered, never allowing her to forge her own path in the world. Now we know why! He was part of a secret society who placed no value upon women except for their usefulness as a bargaining chip. It’s a betrayal I feel deeply in my heart, despite not being directly involved. He was like a surrogate father to me, and now it hurts to know the evil lying beneath the surface.

  Before I’ve even realized that William has got out of the car, he’s come around to my door and opened it. He holds his hand out for me, and I take it… I could get used to being treated like a lady. I’ve walked on the wild side at university for the last few years, but this feels nice, to be respected and cared for.

  “You ready?” he asks.

  I nod ‘yes’ and pull toward the servants’ entrance at the rear of the building.

  William coughs and refuses to move.

  “Where are you going?” he questions and looks toward the main front door.

  “I don’t use that entrance unless I’m with Victoria.”

  His brows furrow together.

  “I’ve been hidden away and forced to use secret doors for most of my life. I’m free now. I won’t skulk away and use a back door when a perfectly good front entrance is available.”

  “I thought we weren’t going to antagonize the Viscount.”

  “We’re not, but we’re also not going to hide away as if we are nobodies. Technically, until Victoria and Nicholas have a child, I’m the Earl of Lullington: Nicholas’ old title.”

  I look at William, and I swear I can hear him chuckling with an evil laugh. I know it’s all in my head because he’s standing there with an expressionless face. The only evidence of his mischief is the glint in his eye and the ever so slight curl to his lip as he strides off toward the front door. He rings the bell and Viscount Hamilton’s butler, Marcus, opens up with a wide-eyed expression.

  “Earl Lullington and Miss Tamara Bennett to see Ms. Elsie Bennett.” William doesn’t wait to be welcomed into the house. He pushes past the butler and into the hall. “Where is the receiving room? This way?” He points to a closed door to the left, which I know is the Viscount’s personal lounge and not one he would want William and myself entering. The butler tries to get an answer out but is so stunned at the intrusion into his day that he stands there with his mouth hanging wide open.

  “Come on, man. Did you not understand what I said? Do I need to repeat myself more slowly for you?”

  “The Viscount is in his study,” the butler exclaims in shock, having nothing better to say.

  “I didn’t ask to see his lordship. I requested Ms. Bennett. Please have her brought to me at once. I think I’ll have a whiskey as well. Its past midday isn’t it, Tamara?”

  I look down at my watch, stunned by the change in William. It’s like he’s suddenly turned into his brother, and it’s intriguing to watch.

  “Yes. It’s almost one.”

  “I think possibly a spot of lunch is in order as well then. I’m sure Ms. Bennett is entitled to a lunch hour.”

  A figure appears at the top of the stairs, her head poking around the corner of a marbled pillar. I instantly recognize my mother who takes the stairs at a rapid pace to greet me as I race toward her.

  “Tamara.” She throws her arms around me. “I didn’t know you were back. You should have called me. I would have asked permission to come to the station to get you. Where’s all your luggage? In the taxi?”

  The butler clears his throat with a loud cough and nods toward William. My mother’s face instantly falls.

  “Earl Lullington.” She presents a small curtsy, but William waves his hand to tell her to stop. “The Duchess is she here?” my mother enquires and gulps…I wonder why?

  “No, my sister-in-law is at home resting. She’s had an eventful few months, and we discovered she’s pregnant, this morning, so the Duke wants her to take it easy.”

  “You sure it’s just resting.” A new deep voice enters the conversation when Theodore, Victoria’s brother, steps out of his father’s lounge. The Viscount is behind him, and it takes all of my strength to stay rooted to the spot and not run forward and scratch his eyes out.

  “Elsie, bring dear Tamara and the Earl in here. It will not do to keep them standing in the hallway like unwanted guests.” The Viscount holds the door to his lounge open, and Theo steps out of the way to allow us through.

  “Will you be alright, father?” I hear Theodore say with an icy tone.

  “Yes, of course. Let me know what you find out.”

  “I will.” Theodore disappears, and the Viscount follows us into the room.

  “Was the purpose of your visit to bring us the joyful news of Victoria’s pregnancy? Or was there something else?” The Viscount’s words are clipped, and we all stand around in the room on tenterhooks.

  “Miss Bennett wanted to see her mother,” William replies. He’s like a totally different man from the person wracked with fear in the car. Now, he’s confident and purposeful and stands up tall against his formidable foe. The Viscount shows no remorse for his actions. He must be aware I know the truth since I’ve seen Victoria and chosen to have William accompany me, but he wears the mask of a concerned father well.

  “Of course, she does.” The Viscount comes over to me and wraps his arms around me. He strokes my back and presses a kiss to my forehead. It has all the hallmarks of the tender fatherly display I would expect from him, but I can’t help but feel cold and disgusted by it. “Tamara, I’m so proud of the results you achieved in your law exams. You put most of your class to shame, and the position you’ve secured at Wells and Partners is prestigious, to say the least. I’ll have to see to it that all my legal affairs are transferred to the company in future.”

  William snorts and opens his mouth. He pauses, not saying anything before swiping at his ear and then his head. Viscount Hamilton steps away from me and looks toward William, warily.

  “Is something wrong, Earl Lullington?”

  “Nothing,” William replies curtly and takes a seat, which allows everyone else in the room to also relax in comfort. The tension fills the room like helium trying to burst out of a balloon, but decorum is maintained at all times. This is how the upper classes do things. My mother remains standing. In this domain, she is staff and unless invited to sit, she’ll not do so. Although I remain the daughter of a staff member, I’m finding it hard to behave in the manner my mother’s position requires. All the respect I had for the man in front of me has gone.

  “Mama, come sit with me,” I tell her, and she widens her eyes toward the Viscount in concern.

  “Elsie, join your daughter.” The Viscount motions with a flick of his wrist, and that one action strengthens my resolve to take her back to Oakfield Hall with us.

  My mother comes and sits beside me, and taking hold of her hand, I bring it into my lap. The room goes silent until the butler enters with a
whiskey for William.

  “Chef is preparing some sandwiches for our guests, my lord. Miss Bennett, may I get you a drink?”

  “No thank you, Marcus.” I reply, and we all fall back into quiet, again. William brings his whiskey to his mouth, takes a sip, and then places it down on the counter before standing and addressing the Viscount.

  “Hamilton, I hear from Victoria that you have a beautiful winter rose garden. Maybe, you could show it to me, so I can pick one to take back to her. I’m afraid my parents were not as fond of the flower as your family. Our gardens are severely lacking in that particular bloom.”

  The Viscount reluctantly gets to his feet with a vicious glare toward William. The two leave the room, and I’m alone with my mother for the first time in almost a year.

  “How is Victoria?” she asks.

  “She’s good. Very happy.”

  “Are you sure?” A line of worry mars her forehead. I take a moment to properly look at her. She has aged during the last year and has lost weight.

  “Yes. She and Nicholas are really in love. He worships her.” I take in a deep breath. “Mama, Victoria told me she asked you to come and work for her, but you said no. Do you know what happened to her?”

  My mother gulps and tears start to form in her eyes.

  “You do. Then, why not leave?”

  “I can’t.” She pulls away from me and stands. Her eyes keep flicking to the door. “It’s complicated. I have to stay here.”

  “Mama, please. I’m worried for you here.”

  “I’m safe.”

  “How can you be? You know what he did to Victoria. Her own father! He gave her away like she was nothing but a tool to advance his name. How can you bear to be here any longer?” I’m really confused. My mother has always been a strong woman, and someone I look up to. She’s terrified, though. Her hands are fidgeting. “He’s forcing you to stay here, isn’t he? That’s it, we’re going!”

  I jump up from my chair and taking her hand, I start pulling her toward the door.

  “Tamara, please stop. You don’t understand.” She digs her heels in, but I’m stronger, and we’re out into the hall before she has a chance to stop me.

  “I understand perfectly. He’s an evil man. I’m not going to allow you to stay in this house for another moment longer.”

  William and the Viscount appear in front of me. William’s brows are furrowed together, and anger radiates from him. The Viscount has a smug smile on his face.

  “You sick, sick man.” I let go of my mother and stomp toward him. My hand raises of its own volition and slaps him hard across the face. He grabs it and yanks me toward him, so my body is flattened against his.

  “You think I’m sick? You know nothing, little girl. You’re staying with the devil himself…a man who branded five girls to prove his ownership of them.”

  “Only because he had no choice, and one of them was the daughter you knowingly gave to him,” I spit back in his face.

  William seems to come to life and pulls me away from the Viscount.

  “Don’t you dare touch her,” William snarls as he pushes me behind him.

  “Why would I want to do that when I have Joanna?” The Viscount laughs, and I see William pull his own fist back. I remember Victoria mentioning a missing girl called Joanna who’d been bought at an auction by the Viscount. This must be the woman he’s referring to.

  “No! William. He’s not worth the trouble. We are going.” I return to my mother and grab her hand. “You are coming with us, no arguments. I’ll have William drag you to the car if I need to.”

  “Tamara, please don’t do this. Please stay, we can all discuss this together,” my mother whimpers.

  “I won’t spend another minute under his roof.”

  It’s uncouth, but I turn and spit at the Viscount’s feet as William takes my mother’s other hand, and we drag her toward the front door. At the same moment, the butler appears with a tray of sandwiches but instantly turns around when he sees the confrontation going on.

  “Why don’t you tell her why you don’t want to leave, Elsie? See if she wants you with her, then.” The Viscount’s evil laugh comes from behind us, and I feel a chill wash over my body.

  “Tell her you knew all along what would happen to Victoria. That you were a part of my plan to keep her pure all those years. You watched her like a hawk. You helped dress her on the day I gave her to Nicholas, knowing full well what would happen to her. Tell her, Elsie. Tell her that if I’m evil, then so are you.”

  I’m vaguely aware of William letting go of my hand and heading back toward the Viscount. I don’t look at what’s happening, but the sounds of a fist meeting bone followed by a body crashing against the marble floor echo in the hallway. I should probably stop William, but all I can do is stare at my mother as she stands there repeating over and over again that she’s sorry. I can’t listen to it. I can’t be hearing this.

  “You knew,” I cry.

  “I’m sorry.”

  I try to say something else, but I have no words. My mother, the woman who I’ve always looked up to, knew what would happen to my best friend.

  “Did he blackmail you to do it?” I ask as William appears at my side and wraps his hands around my waist. My mother looks to where the Viscount is lying flat out on the floor.

  She shakes her head.

  “It was my job.”

  My legs give way as my heart breaks, and William catches me. We leave my childhood home without a backward glance.

  Chapter Five

  William

  “Why, Mum? Why did you have to leave me?” I place my hand against the weathered headstone of my mother’s grave. This is my place of calm, and it’s exactly where I need to be, following our meeting with Viscount Hamilton. I left Tamara sobbing in Victoria’s arms after learning that her mother knew what would happen to her friend. I can’t even begin to understand the betrayal they must both be feeling. But it’s Viscount Hamilton’s mention of Joanna that has left me feeling unable to control my oddities: my hand swipes every few seconds around my ear and then on top of my head. I can tell I’m particularly anxious because my tongue darts out as well, swiping around my lips. In the cold air, I can already feel the skin getting sore. I can’t stop my body’s natural reactions – they are a part of me, and until I can rid my mind of my concerns about Joanna, they will remain. Why can’t we find her? Nicholas and I have been searching everywhere we know the Viscount is linked to but have discovered nothing. It’s as though she’s vanished off the face of the Earth. Is she dead? No. Victoria insists her father told her Joanna was meant for her brother, but Theodore seems oblivious to the fact his father is hiding a poor girl somewhere. Maybe he’s also involved? I’m sure Tamara never expected her mother to have been aware of Victoria’s fate, let alone knowingly preparing her for it. The darkness we witnessed today is deep rooted and shows me Nicholas and I still have a long way to go to rid the world of the old Oakfield Society. There are still too many pockets hidden away, believing it’s right to treat women as objects, fit only for their sickening desires. My ancestors including my father created a place for the monsters who dwell in the shadows to flourish. I just hope Nicholas and I can shed enough sunlight to destroy them all.

  “It’s so hard, Mama.” I stroke her gravestone again and collapse down into the wet grass. “Everything is so different. Just being outside here in the fresh air. I never knew it could be so clean…no stale odors or dust. Why did he do this to me? Am I really that different?”

  I shut my eyes and allow a memory from my youth to enter my head.

  “Nicholas, don’t be so stupid.” My father stands with his arms folded across his chest, looking down at my fourteen-year-old brother with a stern expression.

  “But, Your Grace, it’s his birthday. Surely, he could join us for a little while. I’ll look after him. He can sit next to me,” Nicholas pleads.

  “No.”

  “But…” Nicholas pleads again, and I look on fro
m the shadows through a peephole into my brother’s bedroom.

  “If you ask me again, I will take him and lock him up in the tower just to shut you up.” My father pulls my brother toward him, using his superior weight and height to impose greater discipline. I wish Nicholas would stop asking for me to join them for dinner. I don’t mind that it’s my twelfth birthday. I’m perfectly happy up in my room. It’s quiet up there, and my brother brought me some new books to read today about all the different countries in the world. I’m beyond excited to start. He bought me a book of flags last year, and he takes great delight in trying to trip me up in naming them, but I know them all, even the obscure countries that nobody has ever really heard of such as Nauru, Benin, and Suriname. He even tried to fool me once by showing me the old flag for Venezuela, but luckily the book had shown me that as well. The books on countries will be amazing because I’ll be able to learn more about them, their populations, languages, and all those sorts of amazing facts and figures. My tutor thinks it’s a waste of time, but then he thinks it’s a waste of time for me to be taught anything when I don’t leave my room. It’s not as though I’ll ever be able to take any exams and gain qualifications, which I could use for a job in the future. My father says my job is just to behave and not embarrass him with my weird hand movements and inability to keep my mouth shut. I try so very hard not to say silly things, but I can’t help it. If a thought pops into my head, I tell myself to keep it to inside, but it’s as though there is a wire in my brain that isn’t correctly plugged in, and I can’t control the opening of my mouth and the words that come out.

  All of a sudden, I’m brought out of my reflection when the door to the hidden passage I’m in is pulled open, and my father’s hand reaches in and hauls me out to stand next to my brother.

  “You’re so strange you can’t even hide quietly because of all the stupid foot tapping and hitting of things you do.” He throws his hands up in the air. “Damn it, William, why do you have to be such an imbecile? You’re a freak of nature. A result of your mother’s addiction to drugs. I should have done us all a favor and had you terminated when I could have. But no, I wanted a spare in case anything happened to Nicholas and look how I was punished. The most stupid child in the world.”