Page 22 of Redemption

Chapter 5

“Percy Rockwood, where have you been? You were supposed to have been here almost an hour ago.”

Patience’s voice stressed her irritation as she walked into the small entryway of the orphanage. Her head bent over the sleeve of her gown, his sister didn’t bother to look up as she scolded him. The fingers of Patience’s scarred hand fumbled as she worked to adjust the cuff of her sleeve. As Percy took in his sister’s efforts to straighten the material around her wrist, he clenched his jaw.

He was taking a huge risk bringing Rhea here without warning Patience or for that matter without Rhea knowing about his sister’s terrible scars. But he was counting on the fact that his sister was stronger than she believed. He was also placing a great deal of faith in the an dara sealladh. In his visions, Rhea had exhibited a kind, generous, and protective nature.

There was also his visit to Green Hill House that reinforced his impression of Rhea’s good heart. He’d been greeted at the door by two boys whom Mrs. Fremont had stated Rhea had taken in as her own after finding them on the streets. Although Beatrice Fremont had made it sound as if Rhea had simply stumbled across the boys’ plight, Percy had no doubt the children were refugees from Ruckley’s gang of pickpockets.

But it was the more recent information he’d gleaned from Beatrice Fremont that had sealed his belief in Rhea’s compassionate nature. The risks Rhea was taking to free children from Ruckley’s gang made him admire her, while at the same time wanting to issue a severe admonishment for the fool-hardiness of her venture. He’d considered questioning her on the ride to the orphanage, but had decided against it given the chilly atmosphere in the carriage. All of it made him willing to wager Rhea would not be repulsed by Patience’s scarred features. The moment his sister looked up, she came to an abrupt halt. Panic flashed in her soft brown eyes as her mouth formed an O of alarmed surprise. Cold anger quickly replaced the look of horror on his sister’s face as she held his gaze for a long moment.

Tension hung thick and heavy in the silence that filled the entryway. Damnation, he should have thought twice about his spur of the moment decision. The entire family had been gently encouraging Patience to go out in public more, but she still balked at most outings. He’d been far more persistent than the rest of the family in his efforts to make his sister face the world. The lot of them wouldn’t be happy with him for pushing the issue as he was doing at this moment. Even Julian had not been quite as unrelenting as he had at insisting Patience face her fears.

Patience’s decision to spend time in White Willow House whenever she and Julian were in London had been viewed by the family as a major step forward. Her willingness to work in the family-sponsored orphanage had made the Rockwood clan optimistic that she was finally beginning to overcome her fear of being seen in public. Now as he met her gaze, he realized he might have made a monumental mistake. Julian was going to have his head for upsetting his wife. Percy cleared his throat to swallow the knot of shame pressing against his Adam’s apple as he stared at his sister’s outraged expression.

“I was delayed as it was necessary for me to stop and collect Miss Bennett.” His quiet words made his sister’s gaze flit to Rhea standing beside him. “Rhea, this is my sister, Lady Patience. Patience, may I present Miss Rhea Bennett.”

“Miss Bennett,” Patience said in polite, stilted voice.

His sister nodded sharply in Rhea’s direction while turning her head so her scarred profile was covered by the shadows of the dimly lit hallway. Her anger had disappeared beneath the frozen, closed off expression she wore whenever she was in the company of strangers.

“Lady Patience,” Rhea nodded her head in greeting then scowled up at him. “It’s obvious my presence is unexpected. Clearly, your brother is in the habit of making decisions and appointments without consulting the affected parties. I apologize for any inconvenience my presence may cause.”

The censure in Rhea’s clipped statement made Percy start with surprise. He’d expected Patience to be furious with him, but Rhea’s voice held a far healthier note of scorn. He looked down to meet her look of contempt and winced. He should have known from the icy silence in the carriage ride to the orphanage that charming his way into Rhea’s good graces wouldn’t be easy. But something about Rhea’s demeanor suggested she was angry at having been party to upsetting his sister. He bit down on the inside of his cheek. Percy’s gaze shifted to Patience, and he saw a look of surprise on her unmarred profile.

“Recklessness is a family trait, but my brother inherited a larger portion than the rest of us.”

His sister’s sharp words of chastisement were bad enough, but it was the look she directed at him that stung. It was clear Patience believed his actions were a form of betrayal. Not since he was a boy of six when Sebastian had caught him dumping a bucket of water on Constance had Percy felt so remorseful. The last thing in the world he would ever think to do was cause injury to any of his family. But Patience had always held a special place in his heart. She’d always looked up to him, and it was the first time he could remember ever having disappointing her with his behavior. He cleared his throat and swallowed the shame that was a knot lodged in his throat.

“I should have sent word that I was bringing a guest, Patience. I ask your forgiveness.”

Percy’s quiet apology made his sister narrow her gaze at him. Despite the anger tightening her mouth into a frown of displeasure, Patience’s brown eyes softened slightly at his expression of remorse. She nodded sharply.

“Forgiven.” Patience’s gaze moved back to Rhea, and he saw his sister’s throat bob with what he knew was trepidation. “Since you were late, I ordered Mrs. Hughes to set our meal aside as the children have already eaten. It’s a simple meal, Miss Bennett. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I prefer simplicity,” Rhea said.

With a nod, Patience gestured for the two of them to follow her down the hallway. Rhea didn’t look up at Percy, and he released a small noise of disgust. He’d bungled things badly with both women. Especially Rhea. Patience would not remain put out with him for long as she was family and loved him. Rhea on the other hand didn’t take well to coercion, and yet he’d done just that. The original intent of his visit to Sherrington House had been to gain Rhea’s trust. He knew her help was critical when it came to finding Ruckley. But he had to convince her that he would see to it that the man wouldn’t harm her.

The worst of it was he’d forced Rhea’s hand not because of his desire to find Ruckley, but because of Dewhurst. He didn’t like the man. The colonel was a womanizer and a social climber. Even more troubling was that his dislike of the man couldn’t account for the fury he’d experienced the moment he’d walked into the viscountess’s salon. The sensation that had swept over him had been territorial in nature. It had dug into him with the ferocity of an eagle’s talons the minute he’d seen Dewhurst. Rhea’s warm greeting had only strengthened the possessive sensation. In that split second, he’d realized he didn’t want Dewhurst anywhere near Rhea.

Percy gritted his teeth as he looked down and met her scornful gaze. His desire to convince Rhea he could be trusted had been made all the harder simply because he’d allowed Dewhurst to get under his skin. A mocking laugh filled his head as he was forced to admit his reaction would have been the same no matter who the man was. In silence, Percy gestured for them to follow Patience, and his fingers cupped her bare elbow. Her skin was soft against his fingers, and he wondered if the rest of her was as warm and silky. The tactile sensation made him want to find out for certain.

The thought tightened his muscles with anticipation, and his heart slammed into his chest with the strength of a sledge hammer as desire surged through his blood. Quickly jerking his hand away from her. Christ Jesus, what the hell was wrong with him? He was acting like a school boy blinded by the smell of a woman. And she smelled delicious. Her scent was that of honey and lemons. Without thinking, he turned his head slightly to breathe in the soft fragrance of Rhea’s hair.

The sweet aroma had barely grazed his nostrils when the an dara sealladh overwhelmed his senses. He stumbled sideways and managed to brace himself against the wall. The strength of the vision dragged him downward into a whirlpool of darkness. When the light appeared it blinded him for a moment before he was able to see a small group of children surrounding Rhea. Several appeared to be the same age as his nephew, Charlie, who would be six in a few months.

The images shifted quickly to Rhea retching into a small basin. Another picture flashed in front of him. It was Rhea struggling with the same pock-marked man he’d seen before. The images blinked into oblivion as quickly as they’d come. As if coming up out of dark waters with no air left in his lungs, Percy dragged in a deep breath. Sweet Jesus. He would kill Ruckley for touching Rhea. He sucked in another harsh breath as the images from his vision played over again in his head. Slowly his breathing became less desperate as the an dara sealladh released its grip on him. Almost as if she’d sensed his distress, Patience glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes widened with alarm.

“Percy.” The moment his sister cried out his name, Rhea whirled around. Violet eyes reflecting her dismay, Rhea was at his side in two quick steps. Patience was only a short distance behind her.

“You’re ill,” Rhea exclaimed softly. “You look like death warmed over.”

“It’s a headache. I’m fine,” he said as his head began to pound. It wasn’t often that his visions caused him a headache, but when they did they were severe. Fortunately, they never lasted long.

“Liar,” she muttered as Patience reached them.

“Miss Bennett, if you would, please help me get him into the dining room. He gets these unexpected headaches from time to time.”