“I can’t. You’ll be cross.”
“Can you tell me?” Rose pressed the child.
Keeping secrets only caused guilt to fester inside. She glanced up at Lord Farleigh’s handsome countenance. Perhaps she should tell him the truth about her situation, too. But no doubt his sense of honour would prevail, and he’d be obliged to offer marriage after sleeping under the same roof as an earl’s virgin daughter.
“This is ridiculous.” Lord Farleigh threw his hands in the air. “You were barely six years old when your mother died. Whatever it is you’ve taken, no one is angry with you, Jacob.”
What reason did he have for keeping the secret? What was so terrible that he couldn’t tell his father?
Rose stood. “Does Alice know you stole things from your mother?” Manipulating minors was beneath her, but for the boy’s well-being, they had to discover the truth. “Does she know your mother threatened to leave?”
Jacob’s eyes widened. “No.” Panic infused his tone. “Don’t tell Alice.”
“What else can we do when you refuse to offer an explanation?” Lord Farleigh said.
“Alice will want to read the letters.” Jacob gasped and covered his mouth with his hand.
“Letters?” Lord Farleigh straightened. “What letters?”
>
The boy hit his leg with his fist. “I can’t give them to you. You can’t see them.”
Something Jacob said earlier flashed into her mind. The servants gossiped about his mother being a cheat. What if the letters contained information that might hurt his father?
Rose turned to Lord Farleigh. “With your permission, I’d like to take Jacob to his room. Let me speak to him in a place he feels at ease.”
“God damn,” he muttered under his breath. “What sort of man has no control over his children?” The green eyes that she’d seen sparkle with amusement were dull with pain. “You must think me weak and foolish.”
Weakness was not a trait she associated with Christian Knight. Just thinking his name sent a shiver from her throat to her belly.
“Loving your children and trying to protect them does not make you weak,” Rose whispered. “Not in my eyes.”
He studied her face, his gaze falling to her lips and moving up to her hair. “Who are you?” The words held an air of wonder.
She smiled. “Someone sent here to help you in your great time of need. It seems your troubles are far greater than my own.”
Throughout her life, no one had ever taken her seriously. People considered her too pretty to be intelligent, too petite to have strength, too blonde to be a Darby. Lord Cunningham had treated her as a trophy, something to prove he’d won the game. And yet Christian was different. He listened to her opinion as if she were a wise seer, sent from a foreign land with the knowledge others only dreamed of possessing.
“Take Jacob upstairs.” Lord Farleigh’s voice broke her reverie. “Return here tonight after dinner. There are other things you should know. Things upon which I would seek your counsel.”
Rose inclined her head gracefully although her heart pounded against her ribs with the force of a battering ram. The more time she spent in his company, the more her obsession for him grew.
She took Jacob’s hand and brought him to his feet. “I may have news of my own when we reconvene.”
“I’m sorry, Papa.” Jacob’s head fell forward, his chin touching his chest.
Lord Farleigh placed a hand on the boy’s head. “Go now. Spend time with Rose. Tell her all the things that trouble you. You can trust her. We all can.”
The sudden sense of elation she’d felt moments earlier dissipated. Would he still feel the same when she finally found the courage to reveal her identity? Would he say the same when he discovered the full extent of her deceit?
Chapter Nine
They climbed the stairs to the first floor, but Jacob tugged Rose’s hand and pulled her towards the next flight leading up to the nursery. A mild sense of relief filled her chest. The children slept next door to Lord Farleigh. Visiting their room made for an awkward affair when her mind conjured images of the master lying naked in his large bed.
Jacob stopped outside Rose’s room. “What I want to show you is in here.”
“In my room?” She opened the door and gestured for Jacob to enter. “I must say, it is all rather mysterious.”