Stranger in My Arms(91)

It was because of me that he had a very poor start in life, and yet he seems to have made himself into a capable man.

Of course, I don’t approve of what he has done.

However, one can argue that his actions are not those of an evil man but merely a desperate one.”

“Are you saying that he has your support?” Lara exclaimed numbly.

“Only if you wish it. Because it is you, my dear, who will have to live with a lie for the rest of your life… you who will bear his children and act as his wife in every way. If you are willing to take him as your husband, then I am willing to take him as my son. Mind you, if we establish him now as Hawksworth, there will be no turning back.”

“Could you actually betray the real Hunter in this way?” Lara whispered. “Would you be able to accept another man in his place?”

“My feelings about Hunter will remain my concern and no one else’s,” the dowager said with great dignity. “The question is what you desire, Larissa. Will you save this man or send him to the devil? Shall he go on as Lord Hawksworth, or will you return the title to Arthur? You must decide tonight.”

Lara was confounded by her mother-in-law’s reasoning. Never in a thousand years would she have expected Sophie to take such an outlandish position.

It didn’t seem right at all. She had expected Sophie to react with the appropriate outrage at having her son impersonated by another man, not supporting the charade and proposing that it continue.

As thoughts whirled through her head, Lara recalled Rachel’s voice saying, The facts aren’t absolute.

One could argue endlessly over them. And added to this impossible tangle, there were these facts to consider: The man downstairs…

whoever he was… had been good for her. He had made her happy. He had taken care of Johnny and Rachel and everyone on the estate. No matter what he had done in the past, Lara knew that he was a good man.

And she loved him down to the deepest corners of her soul.

“But… how can I love a man I don’t really know?” she asked, speaking more to herself than to Sophie. “And how can I trust that he loves me?

He is a chameleon, just as Captain Tyler said. I’m not convinced he’ll ever be capable of honesty. He’ll always be on guard, hiding his thoughts, never allowing anyone to see him for the man he truly is.”

“A troubled soul,” the dowager said, with a smile that combined irony and affection and a hint of challenge that bewildered Lara. “Well, that is your forte, is it not?”

Chapter 20

KNOWING THAT CAPTAIN Tyler had been called to London to give his deposition, Lara had sent for him early in the morning. To her vast relief, he came at once to the Park Place town house. He was dressed in uniform, a short scarlet coat fronted with thick gold braid, gleaming white trousers, immaculate black boots, a sash, and a plumed black hat tucked beneath his arm.

“Lady Hawksworth,” he said respectfully, striding into the parlor and bending over her proffered hand.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” she said.

“I only hope I can be of service to you, my lady.”

“So do I,” Lara said gravely, seating herself on a plump velvet chair and leaning against the carved, scrolled mahogany back. Obeying her gesture, the captain seated himself on an identical chair nearby.

“You’re in London to give your deposition to the lord chancellor, of course,” she said.

“Yes, my lady.” His neat black mustache twitched in discomfort. “May I again apologize for withholding the truth from you for so long, and for the distress I caused you when last we met? I will always regret my actions in this matter, and I hope that someday you will forgive my unaccountable silence-” “There is nothing to regret, or forgive,” she assured him sincerely. “I understand your silence concerning Lord Hawksworth, and in a way I’m grateful for it. As a matter of fact…”

She drew a deep breath and looked directly into his face as she continued.

“The reason I wanted to see you this morning is to ask for your continued silence.”

He showed no emotion save a fluttering blink of his dark eyes. “I see,” he said slowly. “You’re asking me to perjure myself before the lord chancellor today.

You wish for me to deny knowledge of the man masquerading as Lord Hawksworth.”

“Yes,” she said simply.

“May I ask why?”

“After much reflection, I have come to believe that it would be in the Crosslands’ best interests, including mine, for this man to continue as the head of the family.”

“My lady, I may not have successfully conveyed the character of this man to you “I am fully cognizant of his character.”

Sighing, Captain Tyler rubbed his thumb over the thick gold braiding on the sleeve of his coat in a repeated motion.

“I should like to agree to your request, as it would fulfill a debt I have longed to repay, Yet… to allow him to have a position entailing such power and responsibillty… to let him steal another man’s life…

it doesn’t seem right.”

“What debt do you owe him?” Lara asked curiously.

He explained stiffly. “He saved my life. We-the Crown, I mean-were establishing new towns further along the Ganges, and trouble arose in the Cawnpore territory. Thuggees would lie in wait along the roads and attack travelers, killing them without mercy. Even women and children weren’t spared. When they realized we weren’t going to be driven away, the devils became more aggressive.