Page 26 of An Earl Unmasked
“And?”
“My lord, I’m not blind, nor am I a dolt. You never let Diana out of view. Even now, you position yourself in order to keep her in your peripheral line of view.” Minerva took a half step forward to block his view and punctuate her statement. “Whether you wish to acknowledge it or not, you are drawn to my sister.” She pinned him with a stare.
He caved. “I shall agree to your terms—I win, we shall marry. You win, and I shall marry your sister.”
Chapter Thirteen
Balling the softcotton material of her skirts in her hand, Diana willed Minerva to turn around. The lines in Randal’s forehead only deepened as he peered down at Minerva. What could they be discussing? The serious slash of Randal’s eyebrows had Diana staring at the man. If he believed he’d intimidate Minerva, the man was in for a shock—the horrid moniker of Ice Queen was unfortunately all too true. Nothing aside from Drake could ruffle Minera’s feathers. She shifted her weight to gain a better view of Randal.
“Sister, mine. If you lean any further, you shall injure yourself once more.” Greg pulled his chair closer. “It doesn’t appear Chestwick is all too impressed with Minerva’s demands should she win.”
“What do you think she is bargaining for this time?”
“I fear to guess.” Greg stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles.
Randal held out the chair for Minerva and turned to take his seat. He stopped briefly to stand toe-to-toe with Drake. Neither man appeared pleased with the other. Drake was the first to act, producing what Diana knew was an artificial upward turn of the lips into a smile that she was beginning to resent.
Diana righted her posture and asked, “Why is it frowned upon to have a friend marry a sister?”
Solemn faced, Greg replied, “Our dear old brother knows every dark secret Drake possesses. Every single one, and I can attest they are not saints.”
“Neither are you.”
“Aye, but…this is not a topic for your ears.”
It was asinine for men to believe women didn’t talk, but she was in no mood to spar with Gregory. Diana returned her gaze back to her sister, who was busy assembling her pieces. Randal, on the other hand, was seated and relaxed in his chair with his arms crossed against his chest and appeared to be studying both Minerva and the board before him. A bolt of anger hit her. What had she been thinking? Minerva was correct—jealousy would not provoke Drake into a proposal, but the irrational emotion could very well result in both Drake and Chestwick standing in an empty field at dawn.
Shooing her morbid thoughts from her mind, Diana focused on the more pleasant activity of admiring Randal’s profile. For years she had wondered what the man in the portraits would be like in real life. From her observations, none of the painters had accurately captured Randal’s unique ability to swiftly adapt to his surroundings.
Drake moved to stand between the chess opponents, slightly blocking Diana’s view of Randal, the chessboard, and its pieces. The material of Drake’s jacket was stretched taut across his back. She leaned toward her brother, but her view remained hindered. “Do you agree with Kent—that Drake would be a terrible match for Minerva?”
“My opinion matters not.”
“Of course your opinion counts. If it didn’t, why would I have bothered to ask?”
Greg glanced at her and frowned. “Even if I did disagree with Kent’s belief, there is naught we could do.”
“Ah, but what if…”
Greg raised a hand to stop her from continuing. “I know that look, and I want no part in your scheme.”
Drake moved to stand behind Randal, capturing Diana’s attention. Mayhap their plan would work. Drake’s inability to remain in one place was in stark contrast to his normal laissez-faire attitude when Minerva was present.
Diana lowered her gaze to Randal. His features relaxed as he chatted with Minerva as he prepared his pieces on the board. Minerva gave him her full attention, ignoring Drake with ease. It appeared neither Minerva nor Randal was in any rush for the game to begin. Randal picked up another piece and twirled it between his thumb and forefinger. His full lips twisted into a smile as he spoke.
She was too far away to hear Randal’s short tale, but she noticed Drake rolled his eyes each time Minerva smiled or laughed. With a clear view of Minerva, Drake appeared more relaxed and even seemed to be enjoying Randal’s musings. The stubborn fool was no longer exhibiting any signs of jealousy. Randal needed to cease entertaining them both and start wooing her sister. Minerva needed to be the recipient of those devilishly wicked smiles that made Diana’s mind go blank.
Greg’s warm voice intruded Diana’s thoughts. “While they play, shall we make most of the distraction and work on those riddles you are determined to solve.”
How was she to concentrate on the riddles when Randal was seated opposite Minerva, playing potentially for her hand? But Greg was right; she should make the most of her time in the library before Randal changed his mind.
“My notes are in my chamber.”
“Shall I go fetch them for you?”
“If you don’t mind. I believe I left them on the table next to the window.”
“I’ll have Kent come keep you company.” Greg stood.
