Heartless Read Free

soon enough.” He coughed again, a racking spasm that made the veins stand out on his forehead. Silently he damned the lung disease that was slowly but surely killing him. Recovering himself, he lay back against the pillows, his face the same white hue. “She is my … ward, of sorts.”
    Edmund motioned to the footman, who stepped forward to place a bundle of letters within his reach. Edmund rested the stack on his chest, lifted the one on top with an unsteady hand, and gave it over to Justin.
    Long dark fingers opened the sheet of foolscap, and Justin scanned the letter, putting to use the expensive Oxford education Edmund had paid for. He might not have claimed the boy until he’d been forced to, hadn’t given the lad the slightest thought over the years, but had never abandoned his financial obligations to the child or its mother.
    Justin glanced up. “You are seeing to the girl’s education?”
    He nodded. “And anything else she needs.”
    Justin’s smile was hard and mocking. “I never realized what a benevolent soul you were.”
    Edmund ignored the sarcasm. “We had a bargain of sorts.” He went on to explain the pact the two of them had made, sparing no detail, forcing himself to meet the disdain in his son’s iron gray eyes. “Ariel was fourteen when she went away to school. She is sixteen now. Her father was a tenant of mine. He drank himself to death last year.” He sucked in a breath of air, let it wheeze out of his lungs. “I leave it to you … what to do with her.”
    Justin stared down at the letter, what appeared to be the first of a series the girl had written. The letterhead stated simply: “The Thornton School for Girls.”
    Lord Edmund Ross, Earl of Greville
    Dear Lord Greville,
    I send to you my good wishes. As this is my furst attempt at penning a letter, I hope that you will overlook any mistakes I make. I would have writtin sooner, but I have only just learnt enough to attempt the task. Still, from this day forward, at least once each week, I shall take pen in hand and do my best to relay my acheevements.
    Justin read the balance of the letter and handed it back to him. Edmund studied his face but couldn’t discern a single trace of what his son might be thinking. “What will you do?” he asked.
    Justin gave a noncommittal shrug, lifting those broad shoulders so much like his own. He was dressed in a black coat and dark gray breeches, the white of his fine lawn shirt a stark contrast to the darkness of his skin. “You gave your word. If I am earl, I will respect your pledge.”
    Edmund just nodded. For some strange reason, a feeling of peace crept over him, and he settled more comfortably against the pillows. Unconsciously his hand came to rest on the stack of letters. He had read each one a half-dozen times.
    He hadn’t seen the girl in more than two years, had never really known her. And yet he felt close to her in a way he couldn’t explain. When had Ariel Summer become so important to him? How had he grown so fond of her? It was the letters, he knew. Each week, he found himself looking forward to them. He had never answered even one of them, wouldn’t have had the slightest notion what to say. Yet as he had fallen more and more gravely ill, they had brought a bit of sunshine into his fading world.
    Perhaps making Justin his heir had been the right thing to do after all. At least his Ariel would be protected. His son might despise the father he had never known, but Justin was a man of his word. The lad had graduated from Oxford with the highest marks. Since he had reached his majority, he had prospered in the world of business, and though he had a reputation for being ruthless in his dealings, he never made a pledge he didn’t keep.
    â€œWill that be all?” Those cool dark eyes found his. Though Edmund lay dying, there wasn’t a trace of pity in their chilling