Page 13 of His Scandal
“I almost think you care about me, Lady Emmeline.”
“I care about my sister, and what danger you could bring to her.”
“And have you another letter for me from the fair Lady Blythe?”
“No!”
Oh, he was so arrogant he thought every subject was about him! When they came to the end of the stone manor, she pulled sideways and forced him toward the front drive, feeling triumphant at his obvious surprise.
Humphrey waited beside the coach, his cap in hand, his gaze obviously taking in how close they walked together. Emmeline pulled away, and literally stumbled because Sir Alexander let her go so easily.
“Tsk, tsk,” he murmured, taking her arm again with his strong hand. “Such clumsiness leads me to wonder if you can dance.”
“Oh, I dance very well indeed,” she said, lifting her chin. My goodness, what was she thinking by practically challenging him?
When Sir Alexander laughed, she couldn’t even look at him for fear he’d see that his low, rumbling voice somehow…affected her. She climbed up into the coach, banging the door shut behind her and trying not to imagine dancing in Sir Alexander’s strong arms.
Alex thought about ignoring his mother altogether, but knew she’d only follow him to his bedchamber. Instead, he went back into the withdrawing room and smiled at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.
He felt too restless to sit for her probing, and found himself aimlessly walking about the room, running his hand over the carpets decorating the cupboards, pretending to admire the tapestries on the wall. He ended up at the lead-paned window that overlooked the gardens, almost wishing he’d taken Lady Emmeline deeper into the foliage, hidden away. What would she have done?
His mother cleared her throat. “Lady Emmeline is a lovelyseñorita.”
“I am actually interested in her sister, Lady Blythe,” he said, not turning around.
She hesitated. “Oh. The younger one, eh?”
He glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled. “Don’t you want me to marry as Spence has? Don’t you want more grandbabies?”
“You are interested in marrying this girl?”
“No. Just interested in kissing her.”
Lady Thornton groaned and covered her face with her hands. “My son, it is difficult to know what to do with you. Your father would have known.”
Alex felt his smile dim. “No, he looked to you for that, didn’t he? It was always easier for him to talk to my brother.” The sadness in his own voice amazed him. His father had been dead over twoyears, and still some part of him grieved for the lost opportunities.
His mother rose to her feet and reached out her hands toward him. “Alexander, you always misunderstood your father. He would have been so proud of your work for the queen. Spencer’s mission succeeded in large part because of you.”
He shook his head and changed the subject. “So you go to Wight, I hear.”
“How could I miss the birth of my first grandchild? You could join me.”
“I’ll let you convey my good wishes. I have too many things to do here.”
“What things?” she asked skeptically.
She had good reason. It wasn’t as if he had done anything recently except attend parties and other amusements. It was his choice, wasn’t it?
His mother tried again. “You have not journeyed to Cumberland since Spencer returned,” she said softly.
“Most of those estates are his,” he said, unable to keep the warning note from his voice.
“Not all. Every day I can tell how the bailiffs miss you and regret that you could not finish the plans you’d begun.”
“It is Spencer’s responsibility now. He would not welcome my intrusion.”
“But he asked you to manage his northern estates. You have not given him an answer.”
