He sighed and ran a hand through his thick hair. “My wife will come by to personally thank you as soon as she stops hugging our son. Max the Terrible. He’s certainly earned his reputation today.”
Lettie took Brynne’s hand and held it in both of hers. “No wonder my father never complained of having daughters. Your son can keep an entire army running in circles.” She cast Lord Wrexham a gentle smile, appreciating all that he was doing forBrynne and desperately hoping it would be enough. “I’m glad little Max is all right.”
“So am I,” he said with sincere feeling, clearing the lump of relief obviously stuck in his throat. “I’ll have one of my staff sent up assist you. Don’t hesitate to ask for anything you desire.”
The only thing she desired was a healthy Brynne.
Brynne suddenly shifted and turned onto his side. Lettie jumped from her chair and sat on the mattress by his hip. “Brynne, can you hear me?”
He muttered something unintelligible. “My lord… Max! He’s talking.”
Lord Wrexham was already at her side and his eyes were wide as he studied Brynne’s birthmark. “Lettie, what is that mark on his shoulder?”
“He’s always had it. It’s in the shape of a wolf. But I don’t know if it signifies anything. In truth–”
“My father has to see this.”
“The earl?” Lettie was suddenly on her feet, gaping at him. “What do you know about that mark? Please tell me.”
He shook his head. “I don’t really know anything about it, but… my father might. I can’t make promises, of course. I know Brynne’s situation, a foundling left on your neighbor’s doorstep. It seems impossible… too farfetched…”
Lettie’s heart began to pound through her ears. “In truth, I came here hoping to find something that might connect him to your family. The mark of the wolf is unmistakable. Brynne dismissed the notion, for surely the de Wolfe clan would have noticed a missing infant and searched high and low for him. I suppose I’m grasping at air. That mark doesn’t link him to your family. But I didn’t know where else to start.”
She let out a long, ragged breath. “He means to leave me as soon as he’s fit to travel. He thinks he’s unworthy of me. I’ve tried my hardest to convince him otherwise, to no avail. So youmust tell me what you know, I’ll never see him again unless I can prove to him that he’s fit to marry an earl’s daughter.”
Lord Wrexham grinned at her. “We’ll see if the de Wolfe family can help you out.”
While he left to speak to his father, Lettie sank back in her chair beside Brynne’s bed, trying not to allow her heart to soar. What if the earl did know something? What if he refused to tell them? More likely, what if he sadly assured them that there was no connection between Brynne’s wolf and the de Wolfe family?
Suddenly feeling completely spent, she rested her head against Brynne’s chest as he shifted onto his back once more. He felt a little warmer now, but the heat could have been coming from her, for her skin was flush with excitement after her conversation with Lord Wrexham. She hoped it was Brynne’s warmth and he was truly starting to heal.
Her tears continued to fall because the wild swings from despair to hope and back again had wrung so much out of her. Still crying softly, she put her arms around Brynne because she needed to do something to ease her fears. Holding him close and feeling the renewed strength of his heartbeat went a long way toward allaying those fears. “Please wake up. I can’t do this alone. I need you, Brynne.”
His silence left her in despair once more, but after a moment she suddenly felt the soft brush of his hand against her cheek. “Lettie, sweetheart.”
His voice was a croaking rasp, but it sounded like music to her ears. She sat up and smiled. “You’re awake!”
“What happened?” He glanced around and must have noticed he was naked under the covers. She would have been burying herself under the covers, too embarrassed ever to show her face again, but he had no such qualms about his nakedness. He arched a dark eyebrow and grinned. “Wicked girl. Still trying to seduce me?”
She laughed. “Absolutely.”
He traced his finger along her jaw and momentarily turned serious. “How is little Max?”
“He’s fine. Howling and terrorizing the de Wolfe staff. Not to mention that he aged his parents about fifty years.”
“I’m glad he’s back in form. I was afraid that I’d be too late.”
“The little terror is strong. So are you. Oh, Brynne, it was such a close call! I thought I’d lost you, too.” Her lips began to quiver, but she tried hard not to burst into tears again. He was awake. This was a joyous moment, for Brynne and little Max were safe. “We have to talk seriously about our future.Ourfuture. Together. You can’t leave me behind, Brynne. I won’t let you.”
She saw by the furrow of his brow that he was going to protest, but he didn’t have the chance to speak before the Earl of Wrexham hobbled in. He was a tall, distinguished looking gentleman with a full head of white hair and intelligent, dark eyes.
Lettie, sensing the importance of this moment, moved aside to allow the earl access to Brynne. He walked slowly to his bedside, leaning heavily on his cane and obviously in pain from the gout that had plagued him for days. He studied Brynne for a long moment before he spoke. “Young man,” he said in a voice of gentle authority, “care to show me your birthmark.”
Brynne didn’t appear pleased about it, but he nodded and turned slightly to show the earl the back of his shoulder. Lettie tried her best to show no feeling, but she was too excited to contain herself. There had to be a reason why the earl was staring at it so intently.
“My lord,” Brynne said quietly, “it’s just a mark. Doesn’t mean anything, nor do I expect that it is in any way connected to your fine family.”
The earl said nothing for another long moment. “I know another who bore the identical mark.”
