Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
BITTERNESS
James
For as long as I could remember, Richard’s resentment had been the Fitzroy family’s elephant in the room. For reasons unknown to me, he despised his father, my grandfather. When drunk, he’d curse Dad for his good luck in being born the heir.
And my uncle was a mean drunk.
Now I knew his secret, I had to name the beast. His problem was not mine. Nor could I fix it, yet it poisoned us all. We all had crosses to bear, but where blind obedience had been my sin, his was far worse.
“I’m sorry for what my grandfather did,” I stated. “His mistake cost you, but it shouldn’t define you.”
My uncle went deadly still.
His was the only lie my parents had ever told us. On the day he joined our lives and moved in with us, Dad introduced Richard as his younger brother. A well-meaning untruth.
Richard was ten months Dad’s senior.
Born out of wedlock and, though to the same family, he was destined to never inherit the title or estate he desperately coveted. Our antiquated and ancient rules put paid to that.
I’d realised the fact when in the portrait hall with Beth, when I’d passed my grandparents’ picture and noted the wedding date. My discovery made sense of his bitterness.
“Define me?” Richard said, his voice low and eerily calm.
A chill ran down my spine. “Illegitimacy has no stigma in modern society. Belvedere will be your home if you wish it, but you will accept—”
“My home? It is my home. I will accept nothing. You destroyed this family”—he choked on his words, red streaks painting his face—“and now you cast lies.”
“I do no such thing,” I stated, cold to my core.
“You killed your parents.”
“My father was a drunk who should never have got behind a wheel. Can you deny that?”
The words hurt. My betrayal of my father. Except Richard’s face told me everything. I spoke the truth.
I tried to keep control. “I wasn’t to blame. But you’re culpable for ever telling me I was. Now, I’m going to ask the Vandenbergs to leave, and I think you should go, too.”
“You’ll do no such thing. I even settled on an American for you, with the extra money she brings. Don’t you take one more step.”
Ignoring him, I made for the office door. Then I felt the rush of air. A thud knocked my head, and I wheeled around, blindsided by my uncle punching me, but barely hurt. More utterly confused.
Then something hit my legs, my balance went, I fell, and everything went black.