Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(46)
“I know him,” Liam says. Somehow he insisted on coming with us, and I couldn’t be bothered arguing with him when the priority is protecting Nell. “A wolf who wears the guise of a gentleman.”
That sounds like a man who could seduce a young girl.
“How did he avoid exposure?” I ask.
Liam snorts. “Because he’s a lord, that’s why. A few words with the owner of the paper, and he can get away with anything. That’s the way this country has been, treating those good-for-nothing peers as though they were a God-chosen race.”
“He gave Nell some dough ter hold her tongue,” Molly says. “If anyone were to ask, she’s to say it's someone from Moryn. He was gettin’ married and didn’ want his bride upset.”
Liam makes a noise of contempt. Usually I dislike his snark, but this time I agree with him. Lord Fremont is truly despicable.
There’s a row of snow-clad trees planted across the Fremont mansion. Nell stands under a tree, holding a wailing baby, and arguing with a pudgy guy who’s waving his hands, trying to shoo her off as if she were a hungry dog.
“Nell!” Molly shouts. “It ain’t no use, he won’ see you.”
The pudgy guy looks back—he looks like a butler or valet to the master of the house, judging from the thick, well-made material of his coat. He sees me holding Molly’s hand, and his expression, originally an annoyed scowl, swiftly changes into shock.
“Princess…Katriona?”
I should have denied it. But the butler’s instant deference makes me pause. I could use this to my advantage.
“Yes?”
He bows low. “May I inquire why you came with…do you know these girls?”
“I do.” I turn around and put a finger to my lips, a warning look in my eyes. Liam and Mr. Wellesley get the message. “Actually, they have told me a very interesting story about your master.”
“Nothing but a pack of lies, Your Highness,” the butler says quickly. His denial only confirms my suspicion.
“Then allow me to ascertain the truth.” I am really hitting my stride of my old role. My heavy, dark green fur-lined cloak (the only item I didn’t skimp on, due to the freezing weather) does a good job of making me look like a woman of wealth and position. My intonation, my lift of chin, my haughty gaze—no one can tell that I’m not the princess. “I would like to see your master. Is he currently in?”
The butler licks his lips. “I…er…”
“If not, I shall be happy to wait here until he returns.”
That alarms him. He can’t keep the princess standing in the cold.
“Er…this way, Your Highness.”
We all enter the brightly-lit parlor. The Fremont family is one of the oldest noble families, right up there with the Mansfields. Their mansion is one of the few residences in the capital that boasts a croquet lawn, a river, and a greenhouse—such a massive residence is usually seen only in rural areas.
The butler disappears upstairs. Two maids in black caps and white aprons, who appear confused at this weird mix of visitors, escort us into a magnificent sitting room. I am offered a seat in a fancy upholstered chair with an embroidered cushion and a mahogany footstool, while the girls get a plain wooden stool. At first I think about arguing, but considering the dirt on their clothes, I decide against it. After all, it isn’t necessary to soil a good chair and create more work. There’s a roaring fire in the huge marble fireplace, and Molly moves her stool surreptitiously closer to the fire.
It only seems a few seconds before footsteps pound on the stairs, through the foyer, and into the parlor. Lord Fremont appears. He has a rugged handsome face, broad shoulders and muscular arms that suggest he practices at least one sport, and despite his velvet waistcoat and trousers, he reminds me of a school jock--something like the equivalent of a jock among the aristocrats. Claire had once boasted her brother had won several boxing competitions. The thought of this brawny man impregnating a girl in her early teens, no matter whether she was willing, makes me sick. And to think that he was once regarded the most eligible bachelor—after Edward of course—in Athelia.
“Princess,” Lord Fremont says, his tone surprised. “This is an unexpected honor…” His voice dies away when he sees Molly and Nell.
Didn’t his butler tell him that the girls came in with me? Maybe there wasn’t enough time, or the butler lacked the courage.
Lord Fremont’s gaze falls briefly on Mr. Wellesley and Liam, before he resumes addressing me. “May I inquire the purpose of this visit, Your Highness?”
I perform a regal wave of my arm, acting as though he were a commoner. “Do you recognize this girl and her baby?”
He glances at Nell and his lip curls into a sneer. “Why, Your Highness, what an extraordinary question. Considering my station, what are the chances I would have made the acquaintance of a street rat?”
A flash of emotion in Nell’s eyes, but she trembles and hangs her head. Whatever stubbornness she had has vanished at sight of her molester. I bite my lip to restrain myself. “I did not ask you of your acquaintances, Fremont. I was asking you if this girl appears familiar to you.”
“If you mean I remember this street rat had tried to demand money from me, even after I gave her a pound, then yes, Your Highness, I do remember this ungrateful girl.”