Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

SYD BEGAN TO tremble as Lady Withnall cast her a pained look. "Syd, I truly do not know the answer. What I do know is that Harcourt raised you as though you were his own flesh and blood. Whether or not you are of his blood, he considers you his daughter. I have always believed he cared deeply for you, although his trying to sell you to Sir Henry was not one of his finer moments."

Syd nodded. "Well, we do know for certain that Lady Harcourt is not my mother. I believe my mother's name was Catriona Langley. The only question is, which man was in love with her? My father or his best friend, Sutton."

"Your father was blond and Sutton had dark red hair," Lady Withnall remarked. "Your father was tall and slender while Sutton was stockier in build. Someone in Miss Langley's family or in service to her family at the time might know which one of them she was secretly meeting."

"I plan to engage Homer Barrow to investigate," Octavian said.

Lady Withnall nodded. "He is a most reliable man. Syd, I see by your stubborn expression that you think to run off and investigate on your own. I strongly recommend against this idea. It will be too hurtful for you, my dear. You do not know how you will be received or what vile things Catriona's embittered family might say against her. Let Mr. Barrow ask his questions and deliver his report to you. Then you and Octavian can consider what is to come next."

Syd glanced at her husband, this man who was proving to be a bedrock foundation for her, and arched an eyebrow in question.

He sighed. "I agree with Lady Withnall, Syd. Let Mr. Barrow do his job and report back to us. I'll get him on the task this very day. Your mother is at a breaking point and will snap soon. Then she will unleash the gossip rags on you and your father."

"And destroy you as well, Octavian. In truth, you will be hurt most by this ugly affair because you have the most to lose," Syd muttered. "I meant what I said about protecting you. I could–"

"No," he said roughly. "I am not ending our marriage or distancing myself from you in any way. Forget it, Syd. And do not bother to ask Lady Withnall for her opinion. I do not care to hear it. My mind is made up. I'm in this with you to the end."

"Big, stubborn ox," she retorted affectionately.

"Minx," he teased her right back and grinned at her with equal affection.

Lady Withnall shook her head. "Your husband is right, Syd. He took a vow on your wedding day to love and protect you, so let him do it."

Syd did not recall their exchanging anything but their names and a quick ‘I do' from each of them before they were shoved off to the side and the next couple stepped up. They had said those vows at their second wedding, but she had no idea if that counted as official even under the lax Scottish laws.

"I will also contact some reliable sources of my own and see what I can dig up," the dowager continued. "If you are Harcourt's natural daughter, then you will be looked upon with scorn by some. But it is not all that unusual to have a father claim a child born out of wedlock and give that child the benefit of his status. Of course, that child would not be able to claim his title or entailed properties. But what if you were Sutton's child and he had secretly married Miss Langley?"

Syd stared at her. "Lady Withnall, what are you saying?"

"Any son of yours might not be heir to Harcourt's earldom, but he could be heir to the Duke of Parkhurst. Would that not be ironic? In trying to hurt you, Syd…it may turn out that Lady Harcourt's efforts will elevate your status instead of diminish it."

On that remark, their visit ended.

Lady Withnall hugged her. "Oh, Syd. My dear girl. Whatever will be, will be. You will sail past the malicious gossip, for scandals always blow over. Yours will soon become old news, especially when everyone sees how strong your marriage remains. In all of this jumble, pay attention to all that truly matters. Octavian loves you and you love him. Stand together. Love will always triumph."

Syd felt drained but also elated.

Her elation had nothing to do with the possibility of her eldest son– assuming she and Octavian had children– being in line for the Parkhurst dukedom. Was this possibility not too farfetched? Of course, it would please her to no end to see Lady Harcourt's vile attempts to destroy her blow up in the woman's face. Syd was compassionate by nature, but she was not a saint and that woman was a demon. A little gloating would not be sinful.

Her elation had to do with realizing how precious her marriage was and what a good man she had married. She also realized how much Lord Harcourt, whether he turned out to be her father or not, had done for her. She knew there was a reason why she loved him even though he was such a weasel.

She also gained an appreciation for her friends. Not only Lady Withnall, who had taken on so many roles for her. Friend. Confidante. Grandmother. Benefactor. Same for Lady Dayne. Those two dowagers had been a blessing to Adela and now to her.

She was surprised to find Marigold and Gory waiting for her when she and Octavian returned to the Huntsford residence after making a stop at Mr. Barrow's office to engage his services. She handed over her pelisse, gloves, and reticule to a maid and hurried into the parlor. "Did I forget a meeting? I'm so sorry."

Marigold and Gory assured her that she did not.

"Oh, then why are you here?"

Marigold, who was always so sweet and compassionate, took hold of her hand. "We heard you had a terrible row with your parents yesterday. And now there are ridiculous whispers going around. We were worried about you and wanted to see that you were all right."

Syd hugged them both. "I am now."

Octavian came in a few minutes later. "Syd, since your friends are here…"

She nodded as he came to her side. "You need to report to the Admiralty, I know. Yes, please do. I've distracted you long enough. I will be fine here with my friends." But she followed him out because she wanted to tell him how much she loved him and appreciated him.

Poor Greeves tried not to look or listen as she kissed Octavian, and cooed words of love to him. Yes, she sounded like an infatuated peahen. But how could she not worship and adore Octavian after all he had done for her?

Before Octavian departed for the Admiralty, she reminded him of tonight's plans. "We are to dine at Lady Dayne's this evening. Shall I pick you up at your office? Or will you come home to change?"

He groaned and glanced down at himself. "Pick me up on your way over, will you? Well, it is a bit out of your way."

"No, it's fine," she insisted.

He kissed her on the brow. "Can you bring me a change of clothes? I'll wash up and change into them there. Do you mind?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Not at all. It is no inconvenience. I would go to the ends of the earth for you if you asked it of me."

Greeves made a sound somewhere between a groan and a chuckle.

Syd sighed.

Octavian kissed her. "I love you, Syd."

She floated back to the parlor to join her friends.

Neither Marigold nor Gory stayed long after seeing she was fine because they had all been invited to supper at Lady Dayne's residence on Chipping Way and needed to prepare. "Until later," Marigold said and gave her a hug.

Marigold loved to hug.

Usually, she hugged her husband, Leo, who did not seem to mind her displays of affection at all.

Gory, who preferred dissecting cadavers rather than dealing with living people, also gave her a sincere embrace. "We'll stand by your side no matter what lies are spread about you. Friends forever."

Marigold agreed. "Friends forever."

Syd smiled. "Yes, forever in friendship."

The day had started with so much trepidation that Syd marveled she was able to begin the evening in such good spirits. Amid the dark clouds of turmoil, she had discovered the light that true love and true friends had brought to her.

So it was with a dancing step that she walked into the Admiralty building and made her way up to Octavian's office in the early evening to pick up Octavian. Most of the staff had gone home by now, so she encountered hardly anyone other than a guard at the entry and another few guards along the empty hallways.

Her footsteps resounded as she walked down the dimly lit hall to his office while carrying his change of clothes. She held the garments carefully so that they would not wrinkle. "Octavian, I–"

Her stomach sank into her toes.

Her world fell apart.

Standing before her, with her octopus arms wrapped around Octavian's neck and her body pasted to his, was Lady Clementine. "Oops," the horrid debutante said with a malicious gleam in her eyes. "Your wife has caught us, Captain Thorne. Why did you not tell me you expected her here?"

If Octavian was a dragon, he would be breathing fire.

Syd wanted to run away, but her legs seemed bolted to the floor.

"Syd, seriously? Lady Clementine must have heard you coming down the hall and this is why she suddenly threw herself at me," he said, trying to extricate himself from her grip. "You cannot believe I would ever…Syd? For pity's sake. I knew you were coming to pick me up. Do you think I would be so stupid as to arrange a tryst with another woman at the same time? In my office, no less?"

Was it cruel of her to make him squirm?

Especially since she knew Lady Clementine had purposely set him up. She knew it because she could see the malice still gleaming in the odious debutante's eyes. Revenge. This is what Clementine wanted, revenge on the man who had spurned her. She was another just like Lady Harcourt.

Octavian had told her so, but she had dismissed the warning until now.

Syd also noted the honest anguish in Octavian's eyes, and knew this valiant man did not have it in him ever to be unfaithful to her.

But feelings of hurt did ripple through her.

It made no sense, for she truly did not doubt him for a moment. Was this not a wonderful revelation? Octavian was her guardian and protector, proving himself worthy in countless ways.

He wanted to build a life and family with her.

He was the one insisting on continuing their marriage, even knowing she was likely born out of wedlock.

That Lady Clementine was here meant the scandal surrounding her birth was already making its way around the ton . Lady Harcourt must have gone to the London gossip rags as soon as she and Octavian had left her this morning.

With rumors no doubt abounding, Lady Clementine, who was ever the predator, had seen her opportunity to add to their wounds and grabbed it. "My father will see that your fake marriage is annulled," she said, eyeing Syd with disdain. "No court will uphold a marriage based on fraud. You are not an earl's daughter. You are a baseborn nobody and the Thornes are well rid of you. Then your husband will be free to marry me."

"That does it," Octavian growled and grabbed hold of Lady Clementine's arm. "No one insults my wife. Out. Get out of here and never come back, or I will order the guards to bodily toss you out." He dragged her into the hall and slammed the door in her face when she attempted to walk back in.

He growled again, ignoring her screeches as he locked the door and turned to Syd, his body taut and shaking with anger. "Syd…you have to believe me. I had no idea… bloody hell ."

She set down his suit of clothes. "Octavian, I do believe you. I–"

"Because she walked into my office less than a minute before you did. I had no idea what she was doing here, and I had just come around to the front of my desk to escort her out when…" He raked a hand through his hair. "Wait…did you just say that you believed me?"

Syd smiled at him and nodded.

He released a groaning sigh of relief. "Thank heaven for that. The look of hurt when you saw us…"

"She caught me off my guard, that's all. She still wants you."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, love. She just wanted to hurt me. She was hoping to ruin whatever feelings you and I have for each other, undermine the trust we have in each other. Even if she does want me, you know that I never wanted her. Syd, you have to know this. Have I not always told you so? Now can you understand why I wanted nothing to do with her? She is another one who only knows to spit poison. I–"

She reached up on tiptoes and kissed him. "You wonderful, big ox. I believe you. I trust you. I could have found you naked in here with her and still trusted you…just don't put that one to the test, however."

He chuckled. "No, love. My clothes stay on except for you."

"All right, then. Speaking of clothes, let's start by removing yours," she said with an impish grin, carefully shifting aside some papers he must have been working on, in order to sit atop his desk. "We are going to be late if you do not start scrambling, Captain Thorne."

He unbuttoned the jacket of his uniform. "Are you all right, Syd?"

She nodded. "A little rattled, but only because I did not expect her to behave so brazenly. She did not waste a moment in coming after you, did she?"

"Blessed saints, she's a shark. She smelled blood in the water and attacked." He tossed his jacket aside and removed his shirt, his muscles flexing in graceful motion and making her wish they did not have plans tonight.

A sharp, constricting pang shot through Syd's heart.

Octavian immediately noticed her pained expression and came to her side. "Love, are you sure that you are all right?"

She nodded.

He kissed her on the brow and then stepped back as he began to unbutton the falls of his trousers. "As if I would ever consider exchanging you for her," he muttered in disgust. "I don't know how she got through the guards in the first place. They don't let just anyone up here."

"She is a duke's daughter."

"That still should not have given her access. We're supposed to have tight security in this building." He cursed under his breath. "I did not invite her up here, Syd. I never would."

"I know." She put her arms around him when he came back to her side, loving the strength of his own and the warmth of his skin that covered his exceptionally fine body. "Your every thought and every action from the moment we met has been to protect me. You've taken a punch in the face for me. Fallen off a roof for me. Even married me twice. And now I think you are more rattled about Lady Clementine's attempt to split us up than I am."

"You are calm about this?"

"No, I am still angry and quite a bit shaken. But I trust you. I also know you are irresistible to women. That is your lot in life, to be so handsome that every woman wants you."

He relaxed and emitted a playfully laughing sigh. "Indeed, it is a curse."

She gave him a light swat to his arm, but turned serious a moment later. "You are irresistible. I cannot blame others for desiring you. I'm still not sure what you find so perfect about me. I feel as though I have put you through the labors of Hercules."

"No, love." He donned his elegant dinner trousers and crossed to a ewer and basin on a sideboard in order to wash up. "They were labors of love."

She came to his side and watched as he scrubbed his hands and face.

His was such a handsome face.

Firm jaw and masculine angles.

His hands were big and his palms calloused. She loved the feel of them when he touched her body. "They were labors of endurance, Octavian."

He dried himself off. "I would go through the fires of hell for you, Syd."

"You are going to make me cry if you continue to say such nice things to me."

Octavian took her into his arms. "I will always be nice to you. We still have a few minutes before we must leave. I could show you how just nice I can be to you," he said, his voice now husky and seductive.

She could be seductive, too.

But heavens, she hoped he would not laugh at her attempt to be sultry. "Forget about nice," she purred. "I would rather you were naughty with me."

He lifted her in his arms and set her back atop his desk. "How naughty?"

"Octavian, don't you dare grin at me so wickedly," she teased, laughing because she knew exactly what he meant to do, and now that she had goaded him, she had no intention of stopping him. "Oh! Um…is this is something new?" she asked as he moved between her legs and now trailed his fingers up her thighs.

"Close your eyes, love. You're going to like this."

They arrived late to Lady Dayne's party.

The dear dowager might have believed their sincere apologies had Octavian not been grinning from ear to ear. As for her, she was blushing furiously.

Honestly, where did this man learn these tricks of seduction?

She was going to embarrass herself if she did not stop thinking of what he had just done to her.

"Oh, dear heaven. Spare me, you two," Lady Dayne admonished them, and then had her ancient butler, Watling, ring the dinner bell to summon them all into the dining room.

The dinner party was a quiet affair among friends.

They made passing mention of the breaking scandal, but only for the purpose of assuring Syd of their support. Mostly, they spoke of the latest Huntsford Academy finds, the excellent wine and dessert courses served, upcoming horse auctions, and the abysmal weather.

Syd knew tomorrow's ball at Lord Winstone's was not going to be anywhere near as pleasant. However, she could endure the snide cuts and malicious whispers if Octavian stood beside her. Nor was she without her supporters, for Marigold and her Aunt Sophie were Farthingales, which meant she would have a host of their family members coming to her aid if the insults got out of hand.

This was most appreciated since most of the Thorne family was out of town and not able to come to her rescue.

Octavian carried her up the stairs when they got home.

It still amazed her how fiercely Octavian believed in them as a couple. But she was growing to understand these Thornes were family men, and none were more ready to settle into that staid, everyday life than Octavian.

His eagerness to be a good husband and father surprised Syd, for she thought he was the handsomest of all, and never had a problem luring women into his bed. Yet, he had not given a second thought to abandoning his rakehell ways and committing to their marriage. Not even a glimmer of regret.

Dear heaven.

Even she would have jumped into bed with him had he attempted to seduce her instead of marry her, although she would have made him work harder to accomplish his seduction than others might have done.

Perhaps this is what made them a good fit.

He did not want a woman who would give him his way in everything. He liked a challenge.

She was certainly proving to be that.

Had she not given him enough challenges in a month of marriage to last a lifetime?

His hand brushed lightly over her bare shoulder as he helped her to undress now that they were back in their shared quarters. "You look beautiful, Syd. That rose color is nice on you. I should have mentioned it earlier, but I was too steamed."

She sighed. "Octavian…"

"Do not ask me again if I am sure of my choice, Syd. Every moment, every incident, only confirms I have made the right decision."

She turned to face him. "We are going to have some serious battles coming up. I'm glad to have a big fellow like you to watch my back. But are you certain?"

"Never a doubt. Always at your service, ma'am."

Later that night, after settling in bed together, Octavian grew pensive. "We need a place of our own, Syd," he said, taking her into his arms. "Time to establish some roots."

She nodded. "I agree."

"We should start looking tomorrow."

She nodded again. "Yes, that is a fine idea."

"A big house with a large nursery to accommodate our children."

"Perfect. I already have decorating ideas in mind."

"I would like our home to be close to this house. Ambrose and I have always been close. Julius, too. I like the idea of their being able to pop in whenever they wish."

"Absolutely."

He chuckled. "You are being quite agreeable. What have you done to my Syd?"

"She is right here beside you, where she always wishes to be. I love you, Octavian."

He kissed her on the brow. "Back at you, minx."

Syd fell asleep contentedly in her husband's arms, but she wondered what tomorrow would bring. She did not think either Lady Harcourt or the horrible Clementine were done with them yet.

What would they try next?