Scorpion Sunset by Catrin Collier Page B

yourself.’
    Reggie took a deep breath and plunged headlong into the revelation he’d been framing since he’d spotted the opportunity to take revenge on Maud. ‘It was rumoured Mason intended to divorce your daughter, sir. As soon as Mason was listed dead, she arranged to marry an American doctor …’
    â€˜First I’ve heard about a divorce. Sounds like malicious tittle-tattle to me. And so what if she was going to marry again? She received official notification of Mason’s death last Christmas. The army doesn’t often make mistakes.’
    â€˜It doesn’t, sir,’ Reggie agreed. When she’d refused to become his mistress Maud Mason had dealt a blow to his pride. He suddenly saw an opportunity to exact revenge. ‘And the proposed marriage to an American was understandable. Mason didn’t see your daughter for a year before she had a child. The whole of Basra knows her son isn’t Mason’s. She wanted to marry the doctor because no man or woman in decent society would associate with her. I’m sorry she didn’t tell you this herself. Forgive me if I’ve spoken out of turn, sir, but I refuse to stand back and remain silent while a man of your courage and integrity be made to look a fool. Even if the one sullying his reputation is his own daughter.’
    The colour drained from Perry’s face.
    Conveniently forgetting the earlier plea that he’d had too much brandy, Cleck-Heaton lifted his finger to the orderly. ‘Brandy all round, here, boy. Now.’

Chapter Six
    Colonel Perry’s bungalow, British Military Quarters, Basra
    June 1916
    Maud entered the kitchen and told the cook to take the curry from the heat. He wasn’t pleased. Anxious to avoid a shouting match she retreated to the drawing room where she found her father ensconced in the most comfortable chair, with a brandy at his elbow.
    â€˜Father.’ She ignored the hostile expression on his face and forced a smile. ‘I didn’t hear you come in.’
    â€˜Evidently.’
    â€˜Shall I ask the servants to serve dinner?’
    â€˜You can ask but I won’t be eating with you.’
    â€˜You’ve eaten?’ she proceeded warily.
    Her father had always had an unpredictable temper, especially after visits to the mess. Her mother had been adept at shielding her from the worst of his outbursts. As a result her father had been a remote figure during her childhood. Her marriage to John had exacerbated the situation, driving them even further apart, if that was possible in a relationship that barely existed.
    Perry finally looked up at her. ‘I’ve eaten in the mess, and that’s where I’ll be taking all my meals from now on.’
    Shocked by his unpleasantness Maud went to the kitchen, informed the cook they wouldn’t be eating and ordered him to clear the table. When she returned, her father had finished the brandy in his glass and was pouring another.
    She sat down and picked up her own glass.
    â€˜Did I invite you to sit with me?’ Perry snarled.
    â€˜You invited me to move into this bungalow with you when you returned from Kut. I assumed you wanted to live with me and Robin as a family.’
    â€˜Family,’ he sneered before setting down the brandy bottle.
    She saw the red light of anger in his eyes and attempted to defuse his temper. ‘I’m your daughter. Robin is your grandson.’
    â€˜From what I heard in the mess today, Robin is your bastard. A daughter whose child is disowned by her husband is no daughter of mine.’
    â€˜Who told you Robin is a bastard?’
    â€˜Every man in the mess knows.’ He evaded her question. ‘You’re the talk of the regiment. The colonel’s daughter who’ll open her legs for any man who crooks his finger. Not that I have any time for Mason, but I won’t blame a man for refusing to acknowledge a child conceived when he’s away on active