Chapter 21

Edmund's face went dark and still, like a stagnant pool.

Sebastian's words were not without sense. Hannah carried his blood, yet she had let herself be humiliated this far. She was hardly fit for any important task.

If it had been Rosalind, she would have kept the Hales firmly in hand, and there would have been no divorce, no betrayal.

In the end, it was because Hannah hadn't been raised at their side. She lacked experience and polish, and so she wasn't ready for the public eye.

Eleanor frowned in thought, as if sharing the same worry.

Seeing his father silent, Sebastian kept quiet too. He had already gotten what he wanted.

Ha. She doesn't even know what she is. She has no ability and no education, and she still dreams of being loved by her parents. Dream on.

Hannah's thoughts churned as she listened.

She could see plainly that Sebastian harbored a deep hostility toward her. Her own brother did not want her in the family.

His words were meant to drive a wedge between her and Edmund, to make him think she was a useless coward unworthy of being his daughter.

The truth was that she and Edmund had no deep bond yet. In all these years, she had not spent a single day with her parents. His present affection came mostly from guilt over her twenty years away.

Now Sebastian was hinting that it was exactly because she had been left to wander that she'd become so incompetent, so easily thrown out by the Hales and left so wretched.

If guilt began to mix with distaste, Edmund's affection would fade with time.

With that in mind, she made her decision. She looked up at him, eyes glistening, her face full of hurt.

"Dad, before you and Mom found me, I believed I was Gerald and Doreen's daughter. After I married into the Hales, they treated me like a purse. If I didn't give them money, they threatened to cut me off. To hold on to that pitiful tie with the Winterses, I had to give in to the Hales. If I had known I was a Harrington, I never would have let the Hales trample me like that."

Edmund was overcome with guilt, and Eleanor even more so. She clasped Hannah's hand and wept again.

"Hannah, you've suffered so much all these years..."

Edmund stroked her head and spoke slowly. "Hannah, it's all your parents' fault. You were stolen by that nanny and ended up in a family like the Winterses. You suffered so much..."

Sebastian's eyes flickered as he watched his parents' attitudes shift in an instant. A cold look crossed his face.

Hannah, tears in her eyes but a smile on her lips, looked at them both. "Mom, Dad, I'm not suffering. Really, it's better that I've cut ties with the Hales. If I find a suitable husband someday, with you beside me, he won't dare bully me."

Eleanor couldn't help starting to plan. "Hannah, we'll find you a match between equals. With your father behind you, no one will dare mistreat you."

The words struck Edmund like a bell, and he began to plan too.

His daughter was home now and free of that poor Hale boy, which meant she had more choices. A marriage between equals was a business alliance, a powerful union. If she married well, it would raise the Harringtons' standing and secure their place as the richest family in Eldermere.

She needs to be properly groomed. If she had the bearing and manners of an heiress, then with his reputation she would have no shortage of suitors. A second marriage and her fertility troubles were no obstacle at all.

"Hannah, I've hired five etiquette tutors for you. Today is your first day home, so rest well. Lessons begin tomorrow. In one month, I'll check your progress. If you pass, I'll host a grand banquet and announce your identity to the whole realm."

Hannah stopped crying and blinked. "Dad... you'll announce me in a month?"

"Yes. Do you think something's wrong with that?"

She shook her head. "No. I'll follow your arrangements. I'll study hard."

"And I'll stay with you and watch over you every day," Eleanor said. "You must study well."

"I understand. I'll do my best."

Just then, Secretary Lane, who had been standing beside Edmund, came in from outside and murmured a few words to him. Edmund nodded and turned to Sebastian.

"The head of the Hartwell Group's Eldermere branch has important business to discuss with me. Sebastian, come with me. You'll meet this young master from a great family in the capital."

Sebastian looked puzzled. "Father, the Hartwell Group's arrival in Eldermere is plainly an attempt to take market share from us. You still want to negotiate? Could you mean to... cooperate with them?"

"Cooperate?"

A rare cold smile crossed Edmund's handsome face. "That depends on whether the Hartwells are sincere enough."

Sebastian frowned slightly, worry in his voice. "But Father... that's like asking a tiger for its skin..."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Edmund said. "Sebastian, you understand that."

Sebastian thought it over and nodded. "Yes. I understand."

"Good. We must go."

The coldness left Edmund's face, and he smiled warmly at Hannah and Eleanor. "Eleanor, have someone prepare dinner. It's Hannah's first day home, and our family should celebrate properly."

"Don't worry, dear. I'll arrange everything. Go to your work. Your career matters most. Hannah is here with me, so there's nothing to fret about."

"Thank you for seeing to it."

Edmund left the hall, with Sebastian following behind.

On his way out, Sebastian cast a glance at Hannah full of disgust and contempt. She noticed it. She raised her eyes without a flicker of weakness and met his gaze with a faint sneer.

Once father and son were gone, Eleanor took Hannah's hand and led her toward the lift.

"Hannah, I'll take you upstairs now to see your own room."

Only then did Hannah realize the manor had a lift. She nodded, returning to her obedient manner, and followed.