Page 113 of The Texan Duke
First, however, he was going to settle something.
The family was arranged on the two settees and two chairs just as they had been the night he’d arrived. The sisters were sitting together on one settee. Felix was in the chair at a right angle to it. Sam and his aunt were sitting together, and if he wasn’t mistaken, Sam was actually holding the duchess’s hand.
That answered a question or two.
The only person who wasn’t in the Clan Hall was Elsbeth. Had someone sent her on another errand? Or was she performing another task to ensure that the family was not inconvenienced or otherwise bothered by the annoying minutiae of their lives?
That, too, was going to change.
He was tired of Elsbeth being used as a maid of all work, a term he’d heard Addy use. The women in this room, every single one of them, was a Lady, yet they didn’t act particularly ladylike. A true lady—like his mother and sisters—wouldn’t always send someone else to do her bidding. Nor would she talk down to others.
He wasn’t impressed with the gathering of females in the room, even his aunt.
“You just don’t understand her,” Sam had said, just this morning. “I don’t think many people do. Rhona’s not like anyone I’ve ever met. She doesn’t show her true worth to many people, Connor, but I think that’s because she’s been in a loveless marriage for years. She loved your uncle, but it was clear he didn’t think much of her. So what was she to do but harden her heart?”
He’d been a little surprised that the older man had taken on the role of protector. His aunt hadn’t struck him as needing a defender. But he had his answer now, didn’t he? Sam met his eyes and damned if he didn’t recognize that look. Make one derogatory comment about Rhona and Sam would come after him, tooth and nail.
Since he felt the same about Elsbeth, he couldn’t fault the man.
He couldn’t say the same about his relatives. He suddenly realized, standing there, why he’d felt a discordance from the beginning. He couldn’t see Graham here among them. His father hadn’t been perfect, but he’d been a good man, a decent man, a man who played fair and who treated others with dignity. The same couldn’t be said for the group sitting in the Clan Hall.
Maybe Gavin had been more like Graham. Maybe his presence had added some honor to the people Connor faced now. Elsbeth genuinely mourned his uncle. Not only had she loved Gavin, but he had a feeling that the two of them had been outcasts at Bealadair. Two lonely people who’d banded together and created their own kind of family.
He would continue to be polite to his cousins and his aunt. Not for their sakes, but his father’s. And Gavin’s. And maybe even Elsbeth’s. He’d been raised with manners, behavior that had nothing to do with titles or pretentious expectations.
All except one of them. He couldn’t find it in his heart to be polite to someone who wanted him dead.
He took his time walking to the seating area, waiting until Felix stopped talking.
The other man was pontificating again, something about a new gun he’d purchased. Or a servant he’d upbraided. Two of Felix’s favorite topics.
The door opened. He glanced over as Elsbeth entered. She illuminated the room simply by being there. She sent him a smile, making him wonder when a simple expression had acquired the power to affect his mood.
“I know it was you who shot at me,” he said, his gaze fixed once more on Felix. “And tossed the statue over the side of the roof.”
Sam made to stand, but he waved the older man back.
“Are you certain about this, Connor?” Sam asked.
Before he could answer, Elsbeth spoke. “No.”
He turned to her. He hadn’t expected her opposition, but he could understand it.
“I know how you feel about family,” he said, “but Felix doesn’t deserve your loyalty.” He wanted to spare her the truth, but he couldn’t.
She walked slowly toward him, her purple gown trailing behind her on the carpet. Her hair was arranged in a complicated twist pinned high on the back of her head. The style served to accentuate the perfection of her face.
She looked like a princess or what he’d always imagined a princess would look like, beautiful with a look of warmth in her lovely gray eyes. Every time he thought he was used to her beauty, it struck him again like a blow to his chest.
Once she was at his side, she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. If they hadn’t been here, in this room, with these people, he would have embraced her. All he could do now was place his hand atop hers.
“He doesn’t have my loyalty,” she said, flicking a glance toward Felix. “It’s just that you have the wrong person.”
“I know you don’t wish it to be him,” he said. “But the proof is there.”
“No,” Elsbeth said again. “You’re almost right.” She turned her head slightly until she was looking directly at Lara. “It wasn’t Felix, was it, Lara? He taught you to shoot. I remember all those times when I worried about you accidentally hitting one of the cattle in the east pasture.” She shifted her gaze to Felix. “You never seemed to care about that, though, Felix. You never really cared about anyone or anything if it didn’t fit your purposes.”
Elsbeth’s hand gripped his arm tighter as she glanced back at Lara.
