by Heather Boyd
“Let me know when they do.”
“Yes, of course. If I might be so bold, your grace. The servants are wondering why you are making such a fuss over Teddy’s absence. What should I say? They wonder if he has stolen from you.”
“Only my peace of mind,” Sinclair murmured. The butler had known Teddy’s identity from the start but had been sworn to silence on the subject. Just like Sinclair, he could not speak the truth. “Why not suggest I am eccentric again?”
“Very good, your grace.” He turned away but looked back. “I do hope he returns home soon, your grace. He is an outstanding young gentleman.”
Sinclair nodded. “Get some rest soon, too.”
“Very well, your grace.”
Sinclair cursed softly when he was gone, determined not to disturb the child in his arms. “Where has he gone?”
“Where has who gone, Uncle?” Virginia asked as she tiptoed into the room. Her fingers ghosted over her daughter’s head, and then she smiled tenderly. “Give her to me.”
“She is almost there,” Sinclair protested but handed the child to the eager mother. Sinclair admired his niece her interest in her offspring. Sinclair could not ever recall Susanna doing as much.
He glanced at the other sleeping child. “That one can sleep through anything,” he noted. “Young Edward hasn’t stirred despite Isabel’s many protests tonight.”
“He already takes after his father.”
“True.”
“Are you going to tell me what is going on? My maid tells me half the servants are searching the city for your favorite footman.”
“I want him found.”
“Of course, Uncle. Is it anything I should be concerned about? My children…”
“There’s no danger to anyone. I swear.”
Eventually, Virginia nodded. “Very well.”
The thing he liked about Virginia was that she never questioned him too closely. Her mother had done it all the time, never allowing a matter to drop. They had quarreled over his need for an heir so often. She never understood why he would not marry any of the ladies she’d introduced to him over the years.
It was because of Kitty, of course.
“I like your friend, by the way,” Virginia admitted as she placed her child back into bed, resting one hand on her belly. She soothed her daughter with soft words and a gentle rocking motion until Isabel’s eyes started to flutter closed.
“Who?”
“Mr. Hunter.” She glanced at him, a smile on her lips. “I can see why you have never introduced him to me before, though.”
He looked at Virginia in surprise. “It was not a conscious decision on my part not to.”
“He is not really one of us, is he? I have never seen a man so ill at ease at your table before. I thought Lady Forbes much more refined, though she stared at everything. Mr. Hunter’s daughter, Miss Felicity, did, too.”
“I thought them all very much at ease tonight,” Sinclair declared. Tonight had been a great success as far as he was concerned. He had spent the night watching Kitty and talking to her about whatever he wanted.
“It is so hard to believe Lady Forbes was acquainted with Mama before her marriage.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Surely you knew Mama’s opinion of the lower classes rubbing shoulders with the nobility? She would not have approved of you inviting them to dine at your table.”
“Lady Forbes was your mother’s companion for a number of years,” Sinclair promised his niece. “They were the best of friends as children. She dined with us often. So did Percy Hunter.”
Virginia winced. “Mother never once mentioned any such person to me.”
Sinclair frowned at that. “She should have.”
“They must have had a falling out then. How sad.” She shook her head. “Not that I think Lady Forbes could be in any way to blame. I think she cared about Mother very much. She took one look at me and nearly began weeping.”
He sighed, having seen that moment with his own eyes, too. “You do resemble your mother a great deal.”
“You have never spoken of Lady Forbes before, either.”
“Did I not?” He shrugged. “Lady Forbes has only just returned to Town. It has been many years since we have spoken, or even lived in the same country.”
“You seemed quite cozy together tonight?”
“Since she spent so much time with your mother, she also spent time with me. She was a pleasant person, and still is.”
“Pleasant?” Virginia chuckled. “High praise coming from you. I thought her quite charming, but I do hope she is discreet.”
“Why so?”
A fleeting expression of embarrassment crossed Virginia’s face. “I told her something I usually would not with a new acquaintance. I hope I did not mistake her nature, but she seemed like an old friend and confidant and it just came out. I told her about the unusual connection between my brother and me. She was surprised at first, but then also surprised, too, that you and Mama did not share such a bond.”
“No, we did not. It was one thing to have your mama’s voice in my ear, but it would have been intolerable to have her unwanted emotions plaguing me, too.”
Virginia laughed. “It is not so bad, and it is not all the time.”
Only when they were in great distress or pain. Sinclair moved to his niece’s side and looked down at Isobel. “She is finally asleep.”
Virginia looked down, too. “She must have wanted us to have a private chat tonight. I am glad that we did. Since we are to go on our way again tomorrow.” She kissed her daughter’s head, and then Sinclair’s cheek. “Good night, Uncle.”
“Good night, dear girl.”
When she was gone, he made his way back downstairs to await news. The drawing room was silent, the study empty. No sign that Teddy had returned.
It was half past six in the morning when Teddy stumbled in, followed by two men wearing Sinclair’s livery. He looked surprised to see Sinclair up still and held up one hand. “I apologize.”
The two servants had lingered in the hall, but thanks from him sent them rushing for the servants’ stairs and their beds.
“Follow me,” Sinclair demanded of Teddy, expecting no argument.
Once they were in the privacy of his study, Sinclair turned on him. “Where the devil have you been the past two nights? Rutting with a whore somewhere?”
Teddy’s stare turned furious. “How dare you.”
“How dare you disappear without informing me when you would be returning? For God’s sake, do you know the dread I have felt these past hours?”
“How can I inform you of anything when you seem to spend every other night at the club? I left a note there, and you should have had it yesterday morning.”
Sinclair sucked in a sharp breath, remembering his deception almost too late. The night Teddy disappeared was the night he had spent in Kitty’s arms. He had told Teddy he was going to the club to talk to an old friend, instead. “They gave me no note.”
The man shook his head. “Damn shoddy. I am sorry, but as you see, I am whole and safely returned to you. Not a single scratch on me.”
Sinclair studied the man’s lined face. “Did you get any sleep at all?”
“Not much.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to demand the particulars of his absence. However, something about Teddy’s mood set him back on his heels. He seemed exhausted. A night or two with a woman might have cured him of his blue devils, but he seemed unsettled still.
“Would you care for food or refreshment?”
Teddy set his head back on the armchair and looked up at Sinclair with a hopeless expression. “My father spent his entire life expecting to be the next Duke of Exeter. He lived every day waiting for that happy event. He told me over and over how things would be better for us when he inherited your title. I was not allowed friends from the village my own age. I was expected to live up to his high standards every day of his life. He always wanted to know whom
I was with…just the way you do now.”
“I apologize. I was just expecting to see you each day.” Sinclair was not sure where this conversation was headed, but he wanted to hear it. He sat down. “There must have been someone you called a friend once?”
“Servants.” Teddy laughed bitterly, pointing to the livery he still wore. “I had to sneak away at night like a thief and coward with them just to learn something of the real world. Drinking in a tavern, having a pretty wench perch on my knee and flirt was once the highlight of my life. My father put on airs and graces, but no one respected him in the end. No one believed he would inherit, and neither did I.”
“I am sorry. Had I known…” Sinclair started but fell silent at the wave of Teddy’s hand.
“What could you have done but die? My father controlled every aspect of my life, Sinclair, and I hated him for it.”
“You do not have to give up your freedom.”
“I already have just by being here.” Teddy raked a hand through his hair and covered his face. “I know all this will be mine one day, and I will do my best to protect your legacy but…”
“You do not want it.”
“I do not want to disappoint you.”
Sinclair moved to sit beside Teddy. Had Teddy worked himself into such a state over the responsibility of the inheritance that he was about to walk away from their arrangement? Sinclair believed his dissatisfaction was deeply rooted in his past, and with his father too. Sinclair had been trying to help him adjust by introducing him to this life as gently as possible.
He put his hand on the young man’s shoulder and squeezed. “I want you to listen to me very carefully, Teddy. I was not lucky enough to have married to have a legitimate son or even a bastard to spoil. But if I had, my greatest wish would have been for someone just like you. You are the son I wish I had. I would spoil you, too, if I thought you would let me. I might dislike our current arrangement, but I am proud of you for keeping up this charade and sticking to your opinions. You have met me half-way in everything. I have gotten to know you very well, with no interference from anyone.”
Teddy’s expression grew sadder. “Every time I look in the mirror…”
“You may resemble your father, but you are nothing like him. Neither am I for that matter.” Sinclair chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood. “I never entirely trusted your father, but I have never once been afraid to fall asleep around you.”
Teddy’s brow rose. “Never?”
“Well, maybe the first night after I found you again,” he admitted. “But that night, I was afraid you would run away, not that you would murder me to take the title.”
Teddy shook his head.
“Come now, boy,” Sinclair soothed. “Do not fret about the future. I think you are uniquely placed to make the best of it. You know who to trust and who to avoid now.”
“I will be avoiding Lady Finch,” he declared very decisively.
“Her niece is not cut from the same cloth.”
“No, she’s not.”
“She would make an adequate duchess.” Sinclair looked at Teddy quickly. To his disappointment, there was no sign of envy or disapproval in his expression at that prospect. Miss Hargrave had not engaged Teddy’s affections or protectiveness in any way, it seemed. That disappointed Sinclair intensely because, aside from her, there was no one else worthy.
“No, she won’t do as your duchess, or mine either if that is what you were about to suggest,” Teddy disagreed. He was silent for a long time, and then Teddy did something extraordinary. He embraced Sinclair. “Thank you, cousin. I wish I had been born your son, too.”
Sinclair patted his back and released him, astonished to see Teddy with wet cheeks. “Just think of the adventures we could have had through the years if we’d both had that wish come true.”
Teddy turned away and discreetly wiped his eyes. “I should have liked to see that building blown up at Grafton Park.”
“It was truly spectacular, but that was before you were even a glint in your father’s eye.”
Teddy shuddered. “Please do not say that to me ever again.”
“Sorry,” Sinclair said quickly. Now that Teddy had brought up what really troubled him, they could move forward. Working together to ensure a smooth transition, he hoped.
He remembered something, and smiled. “You may have missed the first explosion, but I think I just found a second for you to arrange.”
They talked about the garden extension Sinclair wanted to be completed by this time next year. There would have to be considerable demolition work carried out, but he knew just the man to undertake the delicate project.
“Can I ask you something, Sinclair?”
“Of course.”
“I was thinking about Lady Forbes. You were more than just acquaintances once, weren’t you? The way you chased after her in the pleasure gardens suggested you were very close when you were young. She was important to you.”
“Yes,” he admitted slowly without looking up. “We all played together as children. Susanna, Percy, Kitty, and me.”
“Did it matter to your family that she was common-born, and you were destined to be duke?”
“My family had no idea I had any romantic interest in her.”
“How did you keep it a secret?”
“I do not know. It just was.” That had to be something of a miracle, now he thought of it.
“Sinclair, do you think it is right that men must marry women solely because of the size of their dowry? Must your heir marry a great heiress even if he could not love her?”
Sinclair’s eyes stung at the question. “No, I do not suppose an heiress is a necessity for you.”
“Good,” he said suddenly. “When I do marry, I want to have something in common with her. Why did you not marry Lady Forbes when you were young, if you liked her?”
Teddy was too bright by far. “I was young…younger than you at that time.”
“Are you close again?”
So many questions but this one was the hardest to answer. Sinclair had made Kitty a promise. “Teddy.”
“Why not tell me?”
He straightened and glared at his cousin. “I keep the promises I make, Teddy. Every single one.”
Teddy’s eyes narrowed. “Would you marry her?”
“Teddy, enough. It is late, and we are both tired. You missed an excellent dinner last night. What did your note say?”
“If you will not answer me, I choose not to answer that question.”
Sinclair nodded. “Very well, you may keep your secrets, and I will keep the rest of mine for a while.”
Teddy blinked, and then dragged himself to his feet. “Excuse me, your grace, but I can hardly keep my eyes open.”
“Good night,” he called. There was plenty of time to learn Teddy’s great secret tomorrow.
Chapter 16
Kitty had almost forgotten Sinclair had a wicked tongue when they were alone, and he gave her ample evidence of his love of the foibles of others whenever they met in secret.
Sinclair had been calling on her at Lady Darrow’s home every night for the past week, and occasionally he whispered nonsense to her when they met at tonnish events, too. In public, they were very polite, and she was happy. In private, in Lady Darrow’s home, she was almost giddily in love again.
Tonight, Sinclair had managed to arrive a little earlier than usual to share supper with her. Now it was just the two of them in Lady Darrow’s cozy sitting room. It was hard to believe they’d ever been separated.
There was an easiness in being with him that Kitty had longed for all her life. She dabbed at her eyes with his handkerchief in a futile bid to compose herself. She had not laughed so hard in such a long time. Her cheeks were hot, tears rolling down them unabated as Sinclair related yet another amusing near scandal involving his friends and family members.
Her past was not anywhere near as colorful as his, but Sinclair had always told a good tale, too. She had given up sitting
straight long ago in favor of hanging onto the arm of the settee for support. “Please, please no more! I beg of you.”
He grinned, turning to face her on the settee. “But I have not told you the best part. Before he left the stables, he put those gold-embroidered stockings on one of my hunting dogs. The poor thing pranced around and shredded them with its sharp teeth.”
Kitty covered her face at the image. “You do not play fair.”
“Of course not,” he admitted. “Where would be the fun in that?”
“No more recollections of that nature, your grace.”
“Sinclair,” he murmured. “Few call me that anymore. Not since…”
“Not since Susanna?”
“No.” He grimaced. “In fact, I have been your grace’d until I cannot stand to hear it anymore.”
The more they’d talked together, the more natural it seemed to be with him now. Sinclair seemed to want to tell her everything about his life that she’d missed. His failed romances, his love of his niece and nephew and their problems, too. When he smiled, her heart still fluttered foolishly like a trapped bird against her ribs, as it had when she’d been young.
She studied him, and then shook her head. He’d lived a full life, even if she could tell there had been times of great loneliness for him. She had been lonely, too, sometimes. Thinking of him always caused her to be. “I think there are worse things in life than having everyone address you with respect. You have no reason to complain as far as I can tell. From what I have heard, you are universally adored by a great many ladies.”
Sinclair threw back his head and laughed. “That is exactly what I mean. No one but family ever speaks back to me like that these days.”
Kitty laughed, too. “You have hardly changed.”
“We’re older. Yet, you are still the woman I adore.” He sat forward and kissed her hard. As ever, Kitty melted under the assault and soon found herself lying beneath him on the settee. His lips were on her throat as he made her forget the real world was waiting just beyond their private oasis. She trembled in anticipation of another night of passion with him and wrapped an arm about his shoulders to hold him close.
He lifted his head slowly and smiled down on her. His hair was decidedly mussed, and the devilish look was back in his eyes. “Do you remember the last time you stayed at Grafton Park? We certainly had to perfect our creeping skills very quickly there. I looked for every chance to steal a moment with you. I would like us to live in the same house,” he whispered. “One I own, and not keep borrowing this house from your friend every evening.”