Christian Seaton_ Duke of Danger(67)

‘You would not have acknowledged her!’

‘I will acknowledge her now. And gladly,’ Maystone assured her fervently. ‘If you should choose not to shoot me, Lisette will stay here in England with me, as my recognised daughter.’

‘And if I do not agree?’

‘I will of course listen to your arguments regarding the pros and cons of the situation—’

‘And then do just as you wish, as you always have!’

‘Am I to have no say in this matter?’ Lisette now rose impatiently to her feet, having heard enough from both these people who claimed to be her parents. ‘I am not a sweetmeat for the two of you to fight over. I am a person. With—with feelings of my own.’ Tears stung her eyes. ‘Three months ago I lived on a farm and believed the Duprées were my parents. I then learned that I was the illegitimate daughter of tavern owner Helene Rousseau. Now I am expected to accept that I am also the daughter of an English lord.’ She threw her hands up in disgust. ‘What if I should decide I do not wish to live with either of you? If—if I wish to establish my own household? Separate from either of you?’

Lord Maystone—her father—looked disconcerted. ‘It really is not the done thing for a single young lady to establish her own household—’

‘For an English young lady, perhaps,’ Lisette accepted stubbornly. ‘But I am not English.’

‘You could be, and in just a little time.’ Lord Maystone nodded. ‘I will hire a tutor to teach you to speak the language, and my daughter-in-law will, I am sure, give her advice on the correct gowns. In no time at all you will be an English young lady, and it will very soon be forgotten that you were ever French—’

‘Not by me!’ Lisette insisted exasperatedly. ‘I am French. I am proud to be French. And I will not deny my birthplace to suit English société.’

‘But my dear—’

‘Do not “my dear” me!’ Lisette all but stamped her foot in her increasing frustration with this situation. ‘A very short time ago I believed you would put me in chains and lock me away, simply because I am Helene Rousseau’s daughter—’

‘Are you responsible for telling her such a thing, Christian?’ Maystone frowned at him.

‘He did not need to do so,’ Lisette continued impatiently. ‘It was to be expected, when I am the daughter of a known conspirator against your English Crown. Except now I am expected to believe that you will not lock me in chains after all, because you are mon père.’ She gave a shake of her head. ‘I cannot so easily adjust to all these sudden changes in my life.’

‘Nor should you be expected to do so.’ Christian decided it was time—past time—that he intervened on Lisette’s behalf. ‘Madame Rousseau, Lord Maystone, I suggest for the moment that Lisette remains here at Sutherland House with me. That she be given time in which to...to come to terms with these sudden changes in her circumstances so that she might then make an educated judgement as to which life suits her best, England or France.’

‘Impossible!’

‘Impossible!’

At last the older couple seemed to agree on something. Even if it was Christian’s suggestion that Lisette should remain here with him.

It was an impossible solution; he had known that before making it. Wanting something did not make it so.

Just as he knew his reasons for making it were totally selfish ones.

He simply could not bear the thought of losing Lisette, of the two of them becoming polite strangers to each other.

‘Madame Rousseau.’ He turned to look at her between narrowed lids. ‘You knew Lisette had come to my home that night in Paris, so why did you not do more to prevent her from travelling to England with me?’

‘I followed on the next available ship—’

‘Why did you wait at all, when the two of you had argued— I do not appreciate the fact that you struck Lisette, by the way,’ he added darkly.

‘It was a mistake—an impulse— She is so headstrong, I could not make her see reason,’ Helene admitted heavily. ‘I deeply regret ever striking you, Lisette. I only wanted to save you from...from making a fool of yourself, as I did over your father.’ She shot Maystone a scathing glance.

Christian did not wish to begin that particular argument all over again. ‘That still does not explain why you allowed Lisette to come to England with me and then followed her.’

Helene’s chin rose. ‘I came here to take her back with me, of course.’

‘Why?’

‘Pourquoi?’ she repeated. ‘I do not understand...’