Page 88 of To Treasure an Heiress
Was he still sleeping? He could think of no other explanation. He reached into his pocket, where his list rested, wrinkled and apparently superfluous. “But—”
“But nothing.” Abbie sliced a hand through the air. “I know we promised we wouldn’t interfere when it came time to choosing a wife, but clearly we must.”
“We must indeed!” Millicent scooted to the edge of her chair. “Ifleft to your own devices, you would have let Telford bully you into marrying Lady Elizabeth.”
“And the two of you can hardly even tolerate each other.” Both of them were shaking their heads now, that look of superior maternalism in their eyes. “Didn’t we warn you?”
Now, that was just too much. “No, actually. You didn’t. You were too busy gushing about how perfect it would be.”
Abbie lifted her nose. “We do notgush, Theodore. Really.”
“And you misunderstood our enthusiasm. We were laboring under the apparent misconception that you’d been nurturing secret affections for your best friend’s sister. You have to know we want nothing above your happiness.” Millicent reached over Abbie, hand outstretched.
He’d been too well trained not to reach back. Though not so well that he could contain his huff. “Well, yes, but—”
“And, Theo, dearest.” Abbie’s hand landed on his outstretched arm too. “You will have that with Beth. She understands you. We could see it straightaway as she spoke of you.”
“And she has the love of adventure and exploration that your future bride will require.”
“She’s so very intelligent—and imaginative! She had us on the edge of our seats while she was telling us the island stories.” Abbie shot a smile past him, presumably at Beth.
His neck was absolutely on fire. Did it not once occur to them that if hehadn’talready declared feelings for Beth, they would be putting him in quite the spot? “I’m quite aware of how—”
“She’s strong and resilient—”
“And beautiful!”
“And I swear to you, Theo”—Abbie leaned close—“she sounded intrigued when she mentioned one of your theories of the Druids in relation to the cairnfields.”
“You’ll never find another young lady like her, not in a thousand years.”
Sheridan slapped his list to the table. “Now see here, that’s quiteenough. I already know all that—and I was set on convincingyou.” He tapped a finger to the list. “It’s all written out—why’d you have to go and ruin it? Don’t you know you were supposed to object? I mean, it would have been stupid of you, but—but blue blood and family lines and all that. Ainsley promised me it would matter too much to you, and I’d have to ... to...”
Abbie looked at him as if he’d been speaking in Gaulish. Which was absurd, because he’d only learned toreadthe Druid language, he couldn’t speak it. “So, the lady in questionisBeth? Is that what you’re getting at?”
He pulled his hand free and sat back with a whoosh. “Ofcourseit’s Beth! Who in blazes else would it be?”
“Well then. We’re all on the same page. Ah, and there’s Bram, awake at last.” Abbie stood, her hand extended long before she reached the door Telford was just stepping through, a teacup clutched in his hand and Lancelot all but climbing up his legs in his excitement.
A bit of Sheridan’s mood turned to glee at watching Telly try with valiant effort to will Abbie away. A losing battle. Within a few seconds, he sighed and took her hand with his free one, bowing over it. Though Sheridan could only see his sister’s back, he knew well the arch look she’d be giving Telly.
Who’d closed his eyes for a second. And, upon opening them, managed, “Lady Abbie.”
“There now. Was that so difficult? As I keep telling you, Bram, you are perfectly capable of intelligent conversation before the hour of noon—you simply musttry.” Abbie pivoted back to them and motioned with her hand.
Millicent sprang to her feet too. “Quite right, Abbie. It’s high time we see what our lads have been up to. No doubt they’ve made an absolute mess of their search and we’ll have to bring some order to it.”
Beth leaped up, too, though a glance at her showed him that it was panic in her eyes now. “Oh, but no! It’s all ordered, I promise you. And most of it was mine.”
His sisters kept on smiling, Millicent saying, “Perfect. Then you can give us the tour of it all, like you did the islands.”
“Millicent.” Sheridan tried to halt her with a hand on her arm, but it was a losing battle. Wasn’t there a Scripture somewhere about grasping after the wind? The Lord had surely been talking about trying to stop his sisters once they’d set a course.
She did pause—for a moment, anyway—to pat his left cheek and chuckle. “You really made a list? You are adorable, Theo. Absolutely adorable.”
Millicent was at Abbie’s side a moment later, and somehow Mamm-wynn had gotten caught up in their momentum and was on her feet as well, offering to start the tour with the collection of whatnot Beth had brought her over the years.
Sheridan sighed. Though he was mostly mollified when Beth leaned into his side. “Well, she is right about that. Youareadorable.”
