by Vella, Wendy
“Shall we walk?”
“If you carry Meredith, yes.”
“You poor old lady, Lilliana. How has it come to this? Is your life too indulgent, do you think? Have you become pathetic in your twilight years?” Nicholas wasn’t averse to getting a few jabs in when the opportunity presented itself. Especially considering how uncomfortable his sister had made him on the journey here. “Come to Uncle, Merry. Your mother can take my arm, and we shall keep our steps small so she does not tire easily.”
“Extremely amusing. But you try carrying that weight around for hours. Plus, I have had two others, if you will remember. Unlike you, I have more than myself to think about.”
“There is that. Come, I have a hankering for one of those sugar buns from the baker next door. We shall purchase enough for Cam.”
“It really is amazing how much that man can eat.”
“And not gain weight.”
Lilly tucked her arm into his, and Nicholas held Merry in the other one.
They chatted as they walked, and he thought that perhaps he could marry one day if he got to have a little bundle in his arms like this one and a wife who understood him like his sister.
Right in that moment, if he had to examine what he felt, he would say happiness.
“Clicky clacky.”
“Pardon?” He looked at Meredith.
“Pass her to me and you can purchase the buns. My daughter loves the noise of the printing press.”
“Really? Shouldn’t that terrify her?” He handed the child to her mother and immediately missed her soft weight in his arms.
“She is Dev’s child. What can I tell you but that she likes different things?”
“I’m telling him you said that.”
Lilly laughed as she headed through the doors of The Trumpeter. Nicholas purchased sugar-coated buns. He then followed her, but he took the stairs up rather than entering the “clicky clacky” area.
Something like contentment settled over Nicholas in that moment. He and Lilly were friends again, and he had family that seemed to care for him. Perhaps it was time to forget the past and move forward.
Smiling, he reached the top step and felt as if someone had punched him hard in the stomach.
Chapter Eleven
“Are you all right, Miss Sinclair? Forgive me, I did not see you coming.”
“Quite all right, thank you, Captain Young.” Alice stepped back out of his arms, and it was then she saw Nicholas.
“I was looking for Cam,” he said in a cold, flat voice. “Forgive my intrusion.”
“Intrusion?” She looked first to the captain and then to the angry lord. “What intrusion? I did not see Captain Young, and we collided.”
“Good day to you, Lord Braithwaite.”
She’d met Captain Young one night at a small dinner party; he seemed a nice enough man and easy to converse with.
“Captain Young.” Nicholas reluctantly shook the hand held out to him. “What has you at The Trumpeter today?”
“I had business to discuss with Mr. Sinclair and was lucky enough to run, quite literally, into Miss Sinclair also.”
The smile he gave Alice was sweet, and she wondered why she felt none of the excitement she did having Nicholas near, even if he did look like a storm cloud.
“Good day to you then, Captain Young.” Nicholas stood to one side for the man to pass. Instead, he looked at Alice.
“Will you be attending the Mueller masquerade, Miss Sinclair?”
“I will, Captain.”
His smile grew. “Excellent. I shall look forward to seeing you there, and perhaps you will save a dance for me?” He took her hand and bowed over it.
“I would like that, thank you, Captain Young.”
“Good day to you then, Lord Braithwaite and Miss Sinclair.”
“Captain.” Nicholas nodded but nothing more.
The silence that settled around them after Captain Young left was uncomfortable.
“Are you visiting Cam?”
He nodded, his eyes steady on her face.
“As am I.” Deciding she wasn’t going to get anywhere with him in his current mood, she turned away to walk to Cam’s office.
“If you were caught doing that by anyone but me, there would have been consequences to your actions.”
“I beg your pardon?” Alice spun on her heel to face him. “I have no idea what it is you allude to, Lord Braithwaite.”
“That,” he waved the hand that was not clutching sugar buns at her, “is a dangerous game. A man will take advantage of such behavior.”
Alice was shocked at his words. “How dare you suggest that was anything but an accident!”
“I know men, and Captain Young is interested in you, and that did not look like an accident.”
“He was apologizing when you arrived. How could you not have heard that?” Alice demanded.
“All I am saying is you don’t know anything about him, and—”
“He is a very nice gentleman,” she cut him off, “whom I have met once. Should I be lucky enough to do so again, I will not be disappointed.”
“His eyes are too close together. That makes him shifty, in my opinion.”
“They are not too close together, and he is an honorable man, unlike some.”
“I hope you are not suggesting I am not honorable?” He stepped closer to her.
“And shifty, do not forget that also.”
“I am not shifty!” He looked offended.
“Your past would suggest you are.”
“You know nothing of my past.”
“No. But I have heard rumors.”
“What kind of rumors?” He was close enough she could smell the buns in his hand, and that mixed with his scent was a heady combination.
“I do not tell tales. But I will add that the only person who has taken advantage of me is you!”
Turning away, she stormed to Cam’s office before he could stop her. Banging on the door, she entered.
“Cousin, how wonderful to see you,” Cam said from his chair. “What’s wrong?” he added, noting her glare.
“Nothing. I have the article for you.”
“Nicholas.” Cam’s eyes moved to the doorway behind Alice. “What did you say to upset my cousin?”
“Nothing,” they both said at the same time, in the same tone.
Cam sat back, watching them.
“Clearly it is something. Let’s hear it.”
“I have no wish to discuss the matter further. Some men are simply fools, and I have no need to elaborate on that,” Alice said.
“And some women are naive,” Nicholas added.
Cam’s eyes went from Nicholas to Alice. He shrugged.
“Very well, keep your secrets, but only if you hand over one of those buns.”
Alice moved behind Cam’s desk and opened her reticule to pull out the paper she’d written.
“Read this. If you wish for me to make changes then I shall, or if you don’t like it—”
“Stop talking down the article. You are a Sinclair, we are an intelligent family, it will be brilliant.”
Nicholas snorted at Cam’s words, which had Alice’s fingers twitching to swing her reticule at his head.
“Why was Captain Young here, Cam?”
Nicholas moved to take the seat across the desk from where she stood instead of leaving as she’d hoped.
“He wishes to invest in my next acquisition. Apparently, Wolf told him about it.” Cam was reading her article as he talked. The man could do any number of things at once.
“What acquisition?”
“More an investment,” Cam muttered.
“What investment?”
“In the steam locomotives that will one day thunder across this country. Benjamin Hetherington and his brother are involved, and lured us in. Captain Young wishes to invest also.”
“Do you really believe they will run everywhere one day?” Alice asked.
“Indeed. The first passenger-ca
rrying locomotive is not too far away, or so Ben led me to believe.”
“I should love to one day travel on that,” Alice said.
“Perhaps you shall, cousin.”
“I would be interested in investing. But we can discuss that later,” Nicholas said, clearly not wishing to talk on the matter with her nearby, which made Alice want to say something rude.
Lowering her article, Cam took the bun Nicholas held out and a large bite.
“Would you care for one also, Alice?”
She would love one, in fact she could almost taste the sugary goodness, but she shook her head wanting nothing from this man.
“No, thank you.”
“How are your investments going, Alice?” Cam said with a small smile that told her he had said the words deliberately. “After all, you are a Sinclair with that fiendish ability you have with numbers.”
“You invest?”
The shock on Nicholas’s face would have made her laugh if she’d had one in her. His words after her encounter with Captain Young had left her feeling angry and unsettled.
“Yes, it’s a strange occurrence really. Even considering I had the disadvantage of being born a woman, I can think for myself, and with some clarity.” Her words came out coated in ice.
“I did not mean to imply otherwise.”
His face changed suddenly, and she could see he was fighting to hide his smile.
“I’m quite sure you did,” she muttered.
“Children.” Cam lifted a hand. “You surely understand why she is good with investments, Nicholas, considering you have the same freakish ability Alice does with numbers.”
“As I stated, I did not intend to insult you, but even you must agree, Alice, that not many women have investment portfolios.”
“I don’t agree. How would any of us know if they did or didn’t?” She wasn’t conceding anything to him. “Women are not openly going to share such knowledge, as they are meant to be painting watercolors!”
“Hello!” In sailed Lilly, much to Alice’s relief.
She’d never known a man who could pull so much emotion out of her. Those sensations the other day in that lane, the hurt and anger today. How dared he suggest she was some kind of... of woman capable of fast behavior, just because she’d walked into Captain Young accidentally.
You let him kiss you... more than once.
“Hold this child, Nicholas, she’s been chanting your name in her garbled language since you left us.”
“Hello, Merry.”
The smile he bestowed on his niece was so gentle it made Alice’s insides quiver, which in turn made her angrier.
“I just met Captain Young on the stairs,” Lilly said, taking a bun. “He’s a very nice young man, Alice.”
“Yes, he is. I met him also.”
“I know that look,” Cam said.
“What look?”
“The Lilliana meddling look. Eden has one, as do the other married women in this family.”
“I have no idea what you mean. All I’m saying is he’s a fine gentleman and it would not hurt Alice to understand that.”
“Understand what?”
“That Captain Young is a nice man.”
“I already agreed with you, Lilly, that he is.”
“Surely you are not that slow.” Cam looked over his shoulder at Alice. “Lilly thinks Captain Young will make you an excellent husband.”
Shock held Alice still. Her eyes found Nicholas’s, and something passed between them. She thought maybe it was sympathy.
“Stop meddling, Lilliana.”
“I am not meddling, Nicholas. Just stating facts. Captain Young is a good man.”
“She itemized a list of prospective wives for me on the journey here. You’ll be pleased to know I crossed you off, Alice.”
He said the words to make them all laugh.
It can never happen again. She remembered him saying this to her the night of the twins’ birthday. Well, if he would not kiss her again, he certainly would have no wish to wed her. She felt no different. The man was too much of everything for her. Too experienced. Too jaded. Too handsome. Not entirely logical, yet she didn’t want people looking at her husband in sympathy as he was saddled with her. Too secretive. Nicholas Braithwaite had a past, and she knew it was dark, and Alice would need to know every detail but doubted he’d be willing to share.
After she’d catalogued the reasons they should not marry, she felt better. Not that he’d asked her, but at least now she could be happy that he wouldn’t
You are clearly losing your mind, Alice Sinclair.
“It really is an excellent piece, Alice,” Cam said. “I shall let you know when we print it.”
“Really? That’s exciting. I have many others that I could write.”
“Write them.”
“May I read it?”
She didn’t want to look at him, because he was disturbing enough without a small pink-cheeked child in his arms. Plus, she was still angry with him.
“No.”
“Yes,” Cam said, handing her paper to Nicholas. “For goodness sakes, the man reads The Trumpeter, Alice. You will need to develop a thicker skin if you are to publish in my paper.”
“Why do you not wish him to read it, Alice?” Lilly asked her. It was curiosity and nothing more in her expression, which pleased Alice. After all, Nicholas was her brother, she would not like it if Alice spoke harshly about him.
“They were angry with each other when they arrived,” Cam said. “As yet, I have no idea why.”
“Really? Tell me what you said to upset Alice, Nicholas.”
Meredith was seated in his lap, playing with the large ring on his finger.
“How do you know I said anything?” He did not lift his eyes from her article.
“Alice, what did you say to upset Nicholas?” Lilly asked.
“Are you ready, Alice, dear? I have drunk a pot of tea and eaten two of those delicious little sugar buns!”
Alice exhaled with relief as Kitty Trent wandered in looking like she’d stepped out of the pages of the latest La Belle Assemblée. Her eyes went from Lilly to Cam and then to Nicholas.
“Another one.” She clutched her heart. “I cannot take much more of the handsome noblemen this family associates with. And this one is holding a darling little girl.”
Nicholas had regained his feet with Meredith in his arms as Kitty entered.
“Kitty Trent, this is my brother, Lord Braithwaite.”
As Lilly made the introductions, Nicholas dipped into a bow with Meredith, making the girl giggle.
“It’s is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Trent.”
Kitty sighed, then kissed Meredith’s cheek.
“Come, Alice. I have left you alone long enough. If your handsome brother finds out, I shall be in trouble.”
“She was with me the entire time,” Cam said. “I promise,” he added solemnly. The expression did not reach his eyes.
“Wicked man” was all Kitty said.
She then held out a hand to Alice, who made hurried goodbyes and took it.
Bids pulled up with the carriage as they left The Trumpeter. Alice exhaled as they rolled away with her inside.
“That man is far too good-looking,” Kitty said.
“Who? Cam?”
“The other one, Lord Braithwaite. Now he has broken a few hearts. You mark my words and stay away from the likes of him, Alice.”
After today, she thought that was sage advice. But one thing she knew for sure was that Alice would never allow him to break her heart.
Going forward, it was important she showed restraint and control when that man was nearby. Both things that she’d never really mastered.
Chapter Twelve
The Mueller masquerade was a genteel affair, unlike some masked occasions he’d attended. A mask often let some lose their inhibitions, he’d certainly enjoyed many a flirtation at such events.
Nicholas wandered in through the front doors.
&nb
sp; Torches flickered outside the door, and the liveried servants lined the paths, bowing and directing.
“As if we can’t find our way in a front door,” the Earl of Grant muttered.
“There are fools who walk among us,” Nicholas replied, as something was expected of him.
“Too true. One to your left, Braithwaite.”
He turned at Grant’s direction and saw Lord and Lady Nibley.
“Who dresses like their wife, Braithwaite?”
“Apparently Lord Nibley.”
“I always question a man in puce.”
“Not a color I would choose,” Nicholas agreed.
It was not a subtle shade and therefore easy on the eyes. No. Lord and Lady Nibley wore a violent shade of puce. Their dominos were the same color.
“Idiots,” Grant muttered before stomping away.
“Agreed.” Nicholas followed.
“Hello, my lord.”
“Lady Mueller.” He took her hand and bowed deeply. Beside her was her husband, who was elderly and deaf.
“My husband is leaving Friday on parliament business, Lord Braithwaite.”
The words were whispered for his ears alone.
She fluttered her lashes through the small holes in her mask and plumped out her breasts.
“Is he? How lonely you will be.”
“Very.” She pouted. “Perhaps you could help alleviate that boredom?”
He made the appropriate reply, but strangely had no wish to share her bed.
“Duke,” she then added, looking over Nicholas’s shoulder.
He turned to see James, Dev, and the rest of the Raven and Sinclair clans. He found the green eyes of Alice Sinclair watching him. She couldn’t have heard the words he’d spoken with Lady Mueller, but something in her gaze told him she was angry.
“My lady.”
Nicholas moved on to allow them to acknowledge their hostess.
He’d made a fool of himself at The Trumpeter; it had taken her leaving Cam’s office for him to realize that. Seeing her in the arms of Captain Young had produced a nasty and immediate reaction inside him. He’d struck out at the nearest available target. Unfortunately, it had been Alice.
“Black, silver, or pink, my lord?”
A footman stood behind a table of dominos. These were for those guests who’d hoped to sneak in without wearing a mask. He was one of them.