Page 54 of The Earl and the Reluctant Lady
“You deserved better than that,” he said. His hand squeezed hers. “I remember little of my mother except that she was beautiful and kind.” He exhaled slowly.
“Your grandfather, he’s terrible to you, isn’t he?” They’d spoken of him a few times before, but she’d never gotten any specifics about his nasty behavior.
He pulled her over to him so her head lay on his chest, then he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.
“He is. But it’s not just me. He’s hateful to everyone. Though no one has ever confirmed it, I’ve always believed my grandmother killed herself just to get away from him.”
His chest vibrated against her ear as he spoke. Her heart ached for him, for the boy he’d been and the man he was. It seemed they were both somewhat alone in this world.
“I stuttered when I was a boy. Badly. He teased me relentlessly. Eventually I stopped talking. Didn’t say a single word for over a year.”
She might not have had a loving mother, but she’d never been subjected to abuse from any other family member. She ran her hand over his chest.
“You deserved better, too, Fletcher. And I’m so sorry about your father.”
He kissed her head several times, but he didn’t speak again. At some point later, when the fingers of dawn were beginning to stretch across the sky, he woke her and sent her back inside.
