Love for Christmas by Denise Patrick

Author:Denise Patrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2012-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

“How much do you know about Vincent’s death?” Phillip asked Viscount Northrup.

Seated before the fire in the billiard room, their game was long forgotten in favor of getting to know one another. Arthur had taken himself off earlier to hunt for a book he insisted was in the viscount’s library.

“He was shot by the Earl St. Ayers while attempting to harm the earl’s wife. I also know your sister was involved, but no one ever completely explained how that came about.”

Phillip took a large swallow of his brandy, then set the glass down on the table beside his chair. “It’s a very long story.”

The viscount took a sip of his own brandy and settled back in his chair. “I suspect we have at least an hour or two.”

Phillip nodded. Where to start? Nothing would make sense without his family’s background. That was probably the best place. He took a deep breath and let it out.

“My mother died when I was four. My father remarried when I was six. Corinna, now the Countess St. Ayers, was born the next year. I’m ashamed to say that my sisters, brothers and I were not the most welcoming. In fact, we were quite hostile toward our stepmother and her son. And when Corinna was born, well, we had no use for her either. More often than not, the nursery at Houghton Hall was little more than a war zone.” He picked up his glass and stared into the deep-golden liquid. “My youngest sister, Diana, developed an obsessive dislike of Corinna. When I look back at some of the pranks we pulled, I wonder that we survived to adulthood. When my father and stepmother died in a carriage accident in ’67, my brother, Gregory, chose to act as if Corinna had died with them, thereby setting in motion the chain of events that led to Vincent’s death.”

“How?”

Phillip took a sip of his drink before he continued. “I don’t know the exact dates because I was in and out of London for much of the time, but sometime in early ’70 Corinna disappeared from Houghton Hall. Not long after that she somehow encountered Vincent. And not long after that, Vincent contacted my brother regarding her. Gregory then paid Vincent a large sum of money to ensure that Corinna never returned to London, but Vincent lost track of her. When she appeared in London in the autumn of ’72, Gregory was furious. But by then Vincent was not only your son-in-law, but also your heir. There was nothing Gregory could do to force his compliance.

“Vincent apparently played his cards very close to his chest because no one was any the wiser about his activities. My family had no idea he’d been declared your heir until Corinna arrived in London. As for Diana, the only thing I can think of is that she and Vincent might have been having an affair. I know it’s not complimentary to her, but it’s the only way I can think of that she might have been able to convince Vincent to try to kill Corinna.

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