Realm 02 - A Touch of Velvet Read Free Page A

relative. Imagine a duke’s daughter in such a position. Will that not set tongues wagging?”
    The mention of Velvet Aldridge’s name brought a brief smile. He had wondered about her forever. When he had lain on a muddy battlefield in those early years, it was Velvet’s innocent face, which had kept him alive–had kept him going. However, he had betrayed her–betrayed her with a need to never be like his father. Decidedly, Bran had placed his memories away on the shelf, never to disturb them again. “Velvet surely does not expect my attentions after all these years?”
    “We have purposely not discussed Velvet’s hopes since before father’s illness, but I seriously doubt she expects anything from you, Brantley. You were seventeen when you swore to love her forever; Velvet was not yet twelve. If she holds any such delusions, she does not openly speak of them, and truthfully, our cousin does not require your regard. Velvet has turned out quite lovely. If father’s illness had not prevented us a proper coming out, we both could be established elsewhere, and Thornhill’s fate could be someone else’s problem. However, father’s lifestyle only allowed for his own needs. Cousin Horton is five and twenty years older than Velvet; he suffers from gout and rheumatic spasms. Worse than that, the man’s reputation for debauchery far outshines father’s. Will you leave our cousin and me to such a fate? Horton will run through the money within a year. We will be destitute, and we will be subject to the same kind of profligacy Father brought daily into our lives.”
    Bran flinched from the memories. “Tell me how he died.” His words sounded far away, even to him.
    Ella assumed a practiced control. “Our father, according to the official story, suffered from pneumonia and never fully recovered.”
    Bran’s eyes searched her face. “What is the truth?”
    “Frankly, his lust–his licentious lifestyle brought him the diseases, which killed his desire while eating away his mind. He spent the last two years in a bed, often restrained or on laudanum to prevent him from hurting himself or others. Ironic, is it not? I mean, that he ended up confined to his bed.” A rueful chuckle escaped her lips. “When he had a lucid moment, I convinced him to sign his name to page after page of paper. Then I ordered what the estate needed, with his signature to verify it to be our father’s wish.”
    “You were very resourceful, Ella.” Bran meant it as a compliment, but her body language told him that she heard his words differently.
    Before he could explain, his sister interrupted. “Do you realize, Bran, that I no longer have any friends? Do you remember how many young ladies used to stay with us for weeks on end?”
    “Of course,” he added quickly. “Sometimes the number of bonnets and ribbons floating up and down the grand staircase overwhelmed me.”
    “Father put an end to those friendships. He began by intruding on my time with our visitors. He would feign being interested in what my friends discussed or what they did. Then he would try to lure the girls alone–in a hallway–in a private room. Once I saw him touch Jane Breckington’s breast. He simply reached over her shoulder and caressed it. I was outside the room. Jane ran from him, nearly knocking me over; her terrified countenance still haunts me. Father simply laughed when he espied me standing in the doorway. Jane and my other friends departed that day. They never returned; they never spoke to me again. They knew what type of man our father was.”
    Bran heard the sadness and the loneliness. “I am so sorry, Ella. When I left, I should have taken you and Velvet with me.”
    The insensibility of his words did not change his sentiment. He could not, in reality, have taken the girls with him; his fortune had yet to be made. However, his sister’s hoarse reply sent a shiver down his spine. “If you think, Bran, I pardon you for leaving me at Thorn Hall–to