Page 69 of A Relentless Rake

“For heaven’s sake, Alec! If you’re going to spend time in women’s company, then why not spend it with proper ones? Especially a woman like Miss Everett. She’s attractive, intelligent, funny, witty…” She counted off each item on her fingers, and with each tick off her list, his ire grew. He certainly didn’t need her to point out how special Olivia was. “Charitable and kind with a spotless reputation that—”

His patience snapped, and he bit out without thinking, “She’s living a lie.”

Beth froze, then tilted her head as if she hadn’t heard him correctly. “Pardon?”

He pulled in a deep breath and muttered against the rim of his glass, “Miss Everett may be a lot of things, but she’s not the spotless schoolmistress she presents to the world.”

She frowned, puzzled. “How do you…” Then she gasped. “Whatdid you do to her?”

He choked on his wine and sputtered, “Why do you blame me?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Because I know you.”

He blew out a harsh breath and glanced away—straight at Olivia. Her gaze pierced him as painfully as if she’d managed to stab him with that carving knife after all.

“I’ve done nothing to harm her or her reputation.” He felt the loss of Olivia’s gaze as harshly as if he’d lost a limb when she turned her attention back to Gantry’s niece. “I never would.”

“Then what happened that you’re both keeping the length of the room and two pianofortes between you?”

As if he’d answer that! “I’m not having this conversation with—”

“Oh yes, you are, dear brother.” She linked her arm through his to keep him from walking away and smiled sharply enough to cut glass. “I’m certain I’m not the only one noting the tension between you two. So explain yourself.” She tapped his arm playfully with her fan, although he was certain she wanted to break it over his head. “And for goodness’ sake, smile.”

While he would always do his best to give Beth whatever she asked, he couldn’t do that. Instead, he admitted grimly, “She’s pretending to be something she’s not.”

“I see.” Elizabeth’s eyes flicked between him and Olivia. “So you’re upset because a woman lied to you? I’m certain it’s not the first time…or the one-thousandth, given the sort of woman you normally associate with.”

He wisely ignored that baiting. “What she’s done is worse than a mere lie. She’s hiding the truth about herself.”

Beth frowned. “And because of that, she was cruel to you?”

“No.” Olivia had never been cruel, not intentionally. Not even when he deserved it.

“So…she’s a beautiful, intelligent woman who is dedicated to her students and has never been cruel to you.” She feigned shock. “Good God, the woman deserves to be hanged!”

He clenched his jaw at her blatant sarcasm. “She’s living a lie, Beth.”

“Lots of women do.”

“She’s been pretending to be virtuous.”

“Lots of women do,” she repeated just as dryly.

For Christ’s sake! He ran a shaking hand through his hair, not caring about the mess he made of it. “She’s built a reputation on something she’s not. She’s been lying to the world, to her students, to their parents.”She’s been lying to me.“Hiding behind a façade, pretending to be—”

“She’s not our father, Alec.”

He froze, his heart stopping as Beth’s quiet words struck him like a blow.

He turned toward her and searched her face for answers. How could she have known what Rupert Sinclair had done? Beth had been only a child when their father died, still in braids in the schoolroom. She’d never been exposed to the old earl’s brutality, had never been told about the other lives he’d ruined, and Alec had done everything possible to shield her from all of it.

But the knowledge glistened solemnly in her eyes.

He choked out, “How—how do you know…?”

“I know,” she said quietly. “I know what a horrible person he was, all the terrible things he did.”

No. Not all of them. She didn’t know what that bastard had done to Alec, or she wouldn’t be looking at him in shared grief. Instead, she’d be looking at him with pity, the same way Bivvens had every time he’d taken care of Alec after the beatings his father had unleashed. Even now, the old scars on the backs of his legs began to ache as if the wounds were still fresh. But he’d go to his grave before she ever learned about those.