Page 5 of Moonstone Angel
“Yes, you did,” she said, casting her a soft smile. “But I did not expect him to blow in like a gale-force wind.”
His grandmother laughed. “This is the only way he knows how to be. Blame it on his ducal upbringing and his years of military command. He expects everything to be in tip-top shape and thinks anything can be fixed by barking orders. Alas, it cannot be. My dear boy, as you will have noticed, I am not well. Such are the ravages of age.”
“No, Grandmama. You are as beautiful to me as ever.” He sank into the seat beside her and took her frail hand.
She cast him a doting smile. “I have a request of you, my dear.”
He nodded. “Anything for you.”
“Be kind to Cara. She is only doing as I instructed.”
He arched a dark eyebrow, not looking particularly pleased. “Kind? She slammed the door in my face.”
Cara tried to stifle a laugh, but it came out as a snort.
She hastily put a cup of tea to her lips to cover up her mirth.
He fixed his magnificent gaze on her, quite living up to his reputation as a rogue who melted hearts. “What do you say, Miss Angel? Shall we call a truce?”
“I did not realize we were at war.”
Truly, he was handsome. Dark, wavy hair that was neatly trimmed and beginning to gray ever so slightly at the temples. Yet, he could not be more than thirty years old. Likely, not even that. Perhaps the strain of war had added a certain appealing character to his face and brought on that attractive dusting of gray in his hair.
His silvery eyes captured her as did his engaging smile. “We were at war, and you were kicking my arse in battle.”
“I’ll try to be more gentle in the future, Your Grace. I do hope we shall be friends. You may call me Cara if you wish. Your grandmother does.”
His broad shoulders and muscled arms flexed magnificently beneath the fine cut of his jacket as he pondered her offer a moment. “Cara…it is a lovely name. It means ‘dear one’ in Spanish.”
She grinned at him. “Try not to choke on it. I know I rile you, and you do not like me.”
He cast her another devastating smile. “That is not so, Miss Angel…Cara. You are taking care of my grandmother, and she obviously adores you. There must be something about you to like. I’m sure I shall figure it out eventually.”
His grandmother chuckled. “Rowan, do not tease the dear girl.”
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I shall be on my best behavior while sleeping under her roof. I promise.”
Her teacup rattled as she set it down and gazed from him to Cara with her mouth agape. Then a soft smile spread across her lips. “Dear boy, you are staying here? When was this decided?”
“Just now. It is all settled. I am to remain here with you until you are ready to return to London. Grandmama, you really should not be so far away from the family or your doctors.”
“Family,” she said with a dismissive snort. “I could no longer abide to have them around, sifting through my belongings and frowning at me because I was taking too long to die. This is why I came here, to escape them all.”
“I’m sorry they made you feel this way. I know Joan and Ellen are not warm by nature.”
His grandmother patted his hand. “Your sisters are condescending creatures, just as their mother was. But I ought not speak ill of the dead. Your mother was an entirely different matter. She was a love match for your father, and we all adored her. Your poor father never recovered from her loss.”
Cara picked up the teapot and held it over her cup. “Duchess Anne, would you care for more tea?”
“Yes, my dear. That will be lovely.” She turned to her grandson with a grin. “This is Cara’s subtle way of drawing me out of this grim conversation. Very well, let’s speak of happier topics. Where is Rowan to sleep?”
Cara coughed. “We haven’t figured that part out yet. You occupy the converted study, and there are only the two bedchambers upstairs. He cannot possibly sleep in a room that close to mine.”
The oaf was grinning at her, obviously enjoying her discomfort.
She cleared her throat and continued. “I’ll have to sleep down here on the sofa. It is the only solution I can think of. Your grandson can then have the entire upstairs to himself.”
His grandmother nodded. “Yes, that is workable. It will not be uncomfortable for you at all to curl up right here.”
