Page 71 of Redemption

“And rightfully so,” his sister muttered with obvious distaste.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you know very little about the woman and what she’s done.”

“The an dara sealladh showed you something,” he bit out with a growing sense of concern. Dismayed sympathy caused Patience to shake her head in sorrow.

“The an dara sealladh showed me she’s wronged you Percy, and you don’t even know it.”

“We both know our gift never gives us a clear understanding of anything we see.”

“I saw enough to know she shot you and left you for dead in the museum last year.”

“She did not shoot me,” he bit out in an icy voice. “A man by the name of Ruckley is the one who shot me.”

“Even if that is true, she left you for dead,” Patience protested angrily and sprang to her feet.

“She had no choice in the matter.”

“Don’t be a fool. Has your infatuation with the woman blinded you to the fact that everyone has a choice, Percy? How can you defend her when she left you to die on that cold floor?”

“She thought I was dead, and if she’d tried to save me she would have been killed.”

“I don’t understand how you can defend the woman.” Patience eyed him with disbelief. “You’re asking a great deal of us to believe that Miss Bennett had no other choice but to leave you dying on that museum floor.”

“Us?” The realization that his sister had told someone else about her vision increased his outrage. Percy pinned his gaze on her, and a color flushed her cheeks as she looked away from him. “Out with it, Patience. With whom have you discussed your vision?”

“Everyone,” she whispered with a rebellious note in her voice.

“Everyone? Since when do you speak to others about visions that involve me?”

“Since I happen to love you and care about your safety.” His sister drew herself up to her full height as she met his gaze with a look of frustration. “Surely you can understand how upsetting it was to see Miss Bennett hovering over you as you lay dying.”

Despite the anger flowing through him, Percy struggled to empathize with his sisters’ explanation. He stared at Patience for a long moment then turned away from her and returned to the window. His hand brushed the translucent lawn curtain to one side as he struggled with what his sister had done.

While he didn’t doubt Patience’s fears for his safety, it was impossible to ignore the fact that she’d shared a vision involving him with the entire family. Simply based on Patience’s own demeanor, he had no doubt the family now viewed Rhea in less than favorable terms. He now had only one of two choices. He could betray Rhea’s confidence by sharing her secrets or continue to let his family think the worst of her.

“Percy, thank goodness you’ve come to visit.” The sound of Louisa’s voice made him turn, and his heart sank as she crossed the carpet to his side. The youngest sibling in the Rockwood clan turned her head toward Patience. “Did you tell him what you saw, Patience?”

“Yes,” the abrupt note in their sister’s voice made Louisa frown as she turned to look at him again.

“Are you all right?” Louisa said with a note of concern in her voice. “We’re all quite worried about you.”

“There is no need to be,” he bit out between clenched teeth. Percy stiffened as Constance entered the morning room. The oldest of his three sisters halted a few feet away from him, and her gaze swept across all of their faces.

“Well, it’s obvious Patience has told you the news,” Constance said quietly. “I am sorry, Percy. This must be a terrible shock.”

“What? Shocked to learn my sister betrayed me?”

“Percy,” Louisa exclaimed with astonished dismay. “Patience didn’t betray you.”

“No? She shared her impressions about a matter that concerns me with my family without speaking to me first.” Percy glared at each of his sisters in turn, and Louisa stepped back in surprise at the fury he was certain she could see on his face. “Patience’s images were incomplete, and each of you has reached a conclusion about Rhea that is undeserved. You’ve tried and convicted her of misdeeds that were out of her control.”

“If that’s the case, perhaps you should enlighten us as to what would prompt the woman to leave you dying on that museum floor,” Patience snapped fiercely.

“I’m not at liberty to comment on Rhea’s action that night. Suffice it to say that you must—”

“For God’s sake, Percy. The woman left you to die,” Patience cried out with fierce indignation.

“No, she chose to let others live. The man who shot me threatened to harm Rhea’s sister and several children in her care,” Percy snarled. “She believed I was dead already. Was she to abandon others to the same fate? She had no choice but to obey a man who owned her like one owns an animal.”

His vicious outburst caused his sisters to gasp, and Percy immediately realized his misstep. In his anger, he’d betrayed one of Rhea’s secrets. Furious with himself at having done so, he ignored the remorse and shame on his sisters’ faces. He narrowed his gaze on Patience, whose expression was one of deep humiliation.

“I would have thought you, of all people, Patience, would know better than to accept the an dara sealladh at face value.”

“That’s enough, Percy,” Constance commanded quietly as the color drained from Patience’s face. “Patience was only concerned for your safety.”

“Do not patronize me, Constance.” His gaze quickly swung from Patience’s face to the oldest sister. “Are you going to claim you didn’t think the worst of Rhea when Patience shared her vision with you? Did you, Louisa?”

The two women slowly shook their heads in a contrite manner. All three women in the morning room showed a significant amount of regret, but it didn’t alleviate Percy’s rage. They’d judged Rhea, and it would take time for him to forgive them for having done so. He looked at each of them with deep disappointment.

“Each of you’ve have done yourself a disservice and injured a woman who rivals everyone in this family in courage and fortitude,” he said coldly. “If I’m able to find a way to convince Rhea to marry me, I shall consider myself a fortunate man. However, at the moment, I cannot say the same where my family is concerned.”

Percy barely took in the looks of devastation, consternation, and compunction on his sisters’ faces. His anger and disappointment in their behavior was too deep. Without another word, he brushed past Louisa, tugging free of her grasp to keep him from leaving and strode from the morning room. As he opened the front door, he heard his aunt call his name, and he glanced over his shoulder.

The dismay on Aunt Matilda’s face made him blow out a snort of anger before he viciously slammed the door of Melton House closed behind him. For the first time in his life, Percy realized just how reckless his family could be. He was no less guilty than any other Rockwood when it came to rash behavior. But this incident illustrated why his brother, Sebastian, made every effort to control the Rockwood trait of recklessness.

Unfortunately for him, Patience’s impulsive decision to share her vision with the family had cost him the counsel of someone he’d trusted—someone he’d hoped could help him find a way to convince Rhea to marry him. The worst of it was for the first time in his life there wasn’t a Rockwood in sight to support or encourage him in his quest. It was an unsettling feeling, but he refused to let anything stand in his way when it came to making Rhea his wife. If there was anything else the Rockwoods were known for it was their stubbornness.