Page 59 of Pursued Beyond Treachery
“No, Melior’s complaints are of a natural source, it is only”—Eddie’s voice dropped to a near whisper— “Lady Braithwaite spoke to me.”
Johnathan wanted to breathe a sigh of relief at Melior's apparent health, laugh at Eddie for the moony way he’d spoken, and shake him all at once. By the way the man had been pacing, he’d expected to find that Melior had taken to her deathbed. Instead he’d found a lovesick fool.
Odd, he’d never even considered Lady Braithwaite to have any such effect on his friend. And yet here they sat, Eddie off in his own thoughts, a silly smile upon his lips.
Johnathan stared at him. It always surprised him how much the Kendall siblings shared in their appearances, from dark brown hair to bright blue eyes, and even their full pink lips. Each one of those features was accentuated in the firelight and for the first time, he wondered why his friend had not married before now.
Surely he would make some young lady very happy, but Lady Braithwaite? It was no wonder he remained unattached if she was his idea of a perfect woman. Not that Johnathan had anything against her, but she was as prickly as a cactus, and if rumors were true, about as dangerous as one.
He relaxed into his seat. “Well, I must say I am taken aback.”
“I know. We have been acquainted all these years and not once has she approached me on her own.”
“No, Eddie. I meant I was surprised to find you have a tendre for her.”
Wide blue eyes met his. “You cannot tell Nate or Al. They would tease me to within an inch of my life. And if Lady Braithwaite found out, she’d have me drawn and quartered.”
“She’s not an executioner, but that sort of weariness is exactly why I am astonished. Other than her l-l-looks”—Johnathan took a deep breath, trying not to let his nervousness about ladies and relationships bind his tongue— “What can you possibly find attractive about such a woman?”
Eddie’s eyes unfocused once again. “The woman can command a room with a mere glance, she is poised and controlled and puts up with nothing other than complete respect from her peers, but most of all, it is her fire that draws me in. It’s not flamboyant or uncontrolled like other ladies. It simply exists in the containment she’s built for it. It lights her jade-coloredeyes whenever she finds a case of injustice, and I find myself wishing I held a singular gram of her conviction and strength.”
Johnathan crossed his arms. It was even worse than he’d thought. Mere infatuation was one thing, but Eddie had grown poetic. His words showed he’d had ample time to consider her, years perhaps. He frowned. The lady had not always beenavailable.
“Andhow longhave you felt this way?”
His friend’s gaze focused sharply on him. “I understand that tone; I am not unprincipled if that is what you think. I did not take note of her while she was married… at least not much,” he muttered. “But she has been widowed for two years, is that not long enough?”
“Perhaps too long. You have nearly lost your senses over her. You must know she will never have you. She has no need to marry, not with the fortune Lord Braithwaite left her.”
Eddie slumped. “I know.”
The silence in the room became so thick one might cut it with a knife.
Finally, he said, “And that is why this secret must stay between the two of us. Nate and Al would not be so discreet as I know you will be.”
Johnathan cut off a groan. Why was he always the keeper of everyone’s secrets, especially when it came to women? He’d been sworn to secrecy by Nate several years ago when he’d admitted his attraction to Melior. And while Al and Javenia had never extracted such a promise from him, they both came to him when they had questions about each other.
“John? You will hold my secret, won’t you?” Eddie’s hands gripped the armrests of his chair as if ready to bolt if he did not get a satisfactory answer.
“You know I will.” Johnathan leaned forward. “On one condition.”
Eddie mimicked his position. “And what is that?”
“Answer a few questions I have about women without becoming a nuisance.”
A bark of laughter disrupted the calmness of the room. “I am not sure I am the right man to ask about such things. More than once Nate has warned me from giving advice when I’ve never tried to woo a lady myself.”
“But the women of the Ton flock to you.”
“That’s because I am the nephew of a generous duke and they hope for a piece of his wealth and consequence. I am a commodity to them, a means to a connection, nothing more.”
“Even so, you hold their attention and what’s more, you understand what they are saying… or more to the point, what they are not saying. For starters, I heard whispers between Javenia and Susannah about some fan language. Am I missing something?”
Eddie rubbed the top of his lip, but it did not hide his smile.
“You are laughing at me.”
“No, I am not,” Eddie choked out around a grin. “But it will take me some time to explain all the ins and outs of the fan. For now, just two of them will do. If a lady closes her fan, she wishes to talk to you.”
