An Affair So Right (Rebel Hearts #4)(17)

“No, sir,” Quinn bit out instantly.

The crop lashed out again, but Quinn caught it before it connected with his face. He held it, staring into his father’s hard eyes. “I do not owe anyone more than I have already given in the service of my country. I have lost friends because of your ambitions. I’ve often wondered if we lost Mary because of something you had a hand in.”

Quinn released the crop quickly. He’d not meant to accuse his parent of such an unconscionable crime. There were some things even his father would not do in his pursuit of power. He looked to his father, believing the next punishment would be at last one he deserved.

His father paled at the accusation, swallowed quickly, shocking Quinn to the core by the first glimpse of guilt he’d ever witnessed on his sire’s face.

“I had no part in your sister’s death,” Templeton blustered, schooling his features to blankness.

But it didn’t matter. Quinn saw culpability in his eyes.

He observed his father even as he struggled to hide his contempt for the man. “I don’t believe you.”

“It’s the truth.” Father’s eyes grew stony. “You’ll never prove otherwise.”

Quinn grew icy cold all over. He’d seen that look before—on the day they’d buried Mary, in fact. Father had a temper, but Quinn had always believed his sisters had been spared the lash of punishment over the years. Had he been wrong? “What did you do to her?”

“I did nothing.”

“But you know why she took her own life, don’t you?”

“I refuse to speak of her with you.”

“And I refuse to speak to you of anything else.” Quinn’s anger grew. “You pursue your own agenda that has nothing to do with what your own children want or need. You should have protected Mary.”

“I did protect her,” Templeton claimed. “The girl was always high-strung. Flighty.”

He swung at his father, but Templeton deflected the blow, sending his fist into the squabs of the carriage.

They stared at each other across the dim interior. It was the first time Quinn had ever attempted to strike back at his father, and it would be the last. He would never be like him. He shook off his father’s touch. “Don’t you dare malign Mary ever again.”

But he knew his father well—his obstinacy was legend. Quinn would get nowhere in a more prolonged confrontation. Templeton would rather die than admit fault in Mary’s death.

It would be wiser to withdraw and continue investigating behind his father’s back, and to that end, Quinn slammed his fist hard on the roof to make the driver stop the carriage.

He trembled in anger as the carriage came to a shuddering halt. It gave him intense satisfaction to notice his father had grown even paler in the last minute. He looked worried, and he should be. Quinn knew now to look for his father’s involvement in Mary’s death.

If Templeton had hurt Mary, he’d pay dearly for what he’d done. Quinn would lash out with his own brand of revenge until he was satisfied Father had been punished enough. There were plenty of ways to hurt him. “Goodbye, Templeton.”

“You are not dismissed,” his father roared as Quinn stepped out in the middle of Bond Street.

“You may not wish to acknowledge it, but we are done, my lord. I have nothing left to say to you, but that will not always be the case. I will have the answers I seek—and soon.”

He set his hat on his head. He would walk the rest of the way to his club while he reviewed what facts he had about his sister. Mary had been in London at the same time as Father the week before her death. She’d returned to Newberry without Templeton and drowned herself the very next morning.

Something had happened in London, and he would find out what it was.

“A woman like her, in her situation, wants only one thing,” Father called. “You will see I am right in this. She uses you!”

It took a moment for Quinn to understand that his father was not speaking of Mary, but had returned to the subject of Quinn’s mistress. The old man was a mule when it came to his own agenda. Quinn knew precisely where he stood with Adele, so he wasn’t worried. She was his future. The only woman he could imagine spending the rest of his life with.

Marrying Adele would not please Father one bit.

Quinn glanced at the store ahead of him. Cabot & Hunter Haberdashery was bustling with activity, and it was a warning to him of the consequences of underestimating Templeton. His father cared for no one, but innocent lives were forever changed by the man’s interference.

Quinn returned to the carriage. “And how will you use me, my lord? Will you destroy my life and the happiness I’ve scraped together to further your own ambitions? I am not your dog to bring to heel anymore. If you want something unpleasant done, do it yourself.”

“I’ll show you who is using who, here,” Templeton threatened.

Quinn turned away in disgust, flicking up a coin to the groom hanging off the back of the conveyance as it began to pass him by. “Next time warn me when it’s not Rutherford,” he called to Harrow.

“I was forbidden, my lord,” the groom said by way of apology.

Typical. Harrow would probably be threatened with dismissal if he tried to warn Quinn. That had happened before, too.





Chapter 7