The Dowager Countess (The Saga of Wolfbridge Manor Book 2)

it seemed that every time he looked at me, he saw her death. I was the instrument of that disaster, thus he wanted nothing to do with me. I learned later that my first word was not Papa, but Deedee for my nurse.”
“It is not unusual for male parents to remain apart from their children, Daniel. At least at a young age.”
“This is true. And fortunately my dear Deedee was a warm and loving woman who brought some happiness into my life during those early years.” He smiled a little.
“That’s good.”
“It is. But it could not remain that way, of course. As I grew, my father made his distaste clear and forbade me to come anywhere near him. I was cursed, he said. I was a killer, he said. Brutal accusations for a child to suffer from his father.”
“Dear God,” breathed Adalyn, shocked to her core. “My parents cared next to nothing for me, as you know, but what you’re telling me is far beyond what I experienced.”
“He gave me away.”
“What?”
“In every sense of the word, he gave me away. I kept the family name—I have to suppose he couldn’t strip that from me since he had no other heir. But I moved out of the house completely. And I didn’t see him once for probably close to fifteen years.”
“Where did you go?”
“I went to live with the estate manager, Mr Dawson. Albert Dawson. And God bless him, he was a kind and patient man. He noticed my interest in what he did, so besides arranging for a tutor for me, he also let me sit alongside him as he worked, and learn all about what he did. A skill that has served me well, I might add, for it brought me to you.” He picked up her hand from his chest, interlinked their fingers and carried it to his mouth, dropping a kiss on her knuckles.
“For that alone, I am grateful to your Mr Dawson, Daniel.”
“Yes, indeed. And as time went on, I was able to take over some management chores from Albert, dabbling in the running of Nordean Swale, understanding the finances, the decisions that were made to keep the place well-cared for. Albert came to rely on me, and together we made some significant improvements, most of which my father knew nothing about. He had discovered brandy during these years, and more often than not was the worse for wear, even when meeting with Albert.”
“How sad.”
“I suppose.” Daniel shrugged again. “It could have been otherwise, if he had been a different type of man. But he was stubborn in many ways and weak in others.”
“Yes, that sounds very true.”
“He enjoyed women,” Daniel’s voice levelled, revealing little of his emotions. “A lot of women. Few of whom were reputable, and several very expensive.”
“Was he looking to replace your mother, do you think?” Adalyn asked the question uppermost in her mind.
Daniel was silent for a moment. “It’s a possibility, I suppose. To be blunt, I didn’t care enough to think about it. I just stayed as far away as I could. But of course, the reports reached Albert’s cottage, and me.” He winced. “Those times were difficult.”
“I can’t begin to imagine.”
“Anyway, a few years ago, one woman’s name started to appear consistently. She’d arrived in the neighbourhood not too long before, and had seemed most interested in the drunken wreck of a man my father was becoming.”
“Oh dear,” Adalyn shifted in his embrace. “This does not bode well.”
“No, it doesn’t.” He paused for a moment or two. “They married. A hasty business, forgoing the banns and travelling to Scotland. It couldn’t have been more than a couple of months after they met—they became man and wife.”
“Without telling you?”
He gave a scornful laugh. “Without telling anyone. But that was my father’s way. His word was law in his own home, apparently. What he wanted, what he did…it was all perfectly proper in his mind because he ruled absolutely.”
“So you found yourself with a step-mama.”
“I did. I met her once or twice, out and around the estate. She was polite, aloof, and her eyes were hard, cold, assessing. I tried to like her, Adalyn. I really did. But there was something in her gaze that chilled me to the core.”
“And your father?”
“From what I heard, he was content and boasted about getting himself a new heir off her.”
“Ugh. Daniel, your father was an ugly man. I’m sorry to say it, but he was. He didn’t deserve you.” Adalyn shuddered at the mere thought of what he must have experienced.
“Let me finish, darling.” He sighed. “It wasn’t too long after their marriage when Albert and I began to notice small discrepancies in the bookkeeping records. Nothing huge, just ten pounds or so off here and there.”
Adalyn closed her eyes and took a breath, well able to guess where the story was leading.
“The problem grew. And by the end of that year, almost four years ago now, we knew that someone was stealing the estate blind.”
“Your stepmother?”
He nodded. “Yes. The sums that regularly disappeared were now quite sizeable. The quality of the farms started to deteriorate because we had insufficient funds to help them through the winter the way we usually did. Then there were demands for money from my father. Jewellery, gowns, all that kind of thing. And when Albert tried to tell him, he flew into a rage. He even hit Albert once, blacking his eye.” He swallowed. “Can you imagine it, Adalyn? An older man, trying to do his best for his master, and getting punched for his troubles?”
She shook her head. “No, no I simply can’t, Daniel. How terrible a time for you and Mr Dawson.”
“It all came to a head that winter. Albert became ill—whether through worry or for other reasons—and reduced