Page 68 of Courting Scandal With The Duke
Her heart sank. ‘Charles. Please. I—’
He put up a hand. ‘No, no.’ He laughed, his teeth flashing white in his beard. ‘You misunderstand. I mean that we are brother and sister still.’
She let go a breath of relief. For a moment… ‘Yes, brother and sister.’
‘Then you will take the advice of your brother. Give it some time before you discount marriage altogether.’ He put down his cup and patted her hand. ‘You know…’ His eyes twinkled. ‘Do they not say better the devil you know? Sometimes friendship is better than so-called love in a marriage.’
Her jaw dropped. ‘You are confusing me.’
‘I am merely offering to you some advice, but be assured, whatever you decide, you will have my full support.’
He pulled out his watch and flipped open the lid. ‘Oh, my goodness. I will be late for an appointment if I do not hurry.’
He got to his feet and kissed her hand.
‘Please call again,’ she said, shaking a finger at him. ‘When you have more time. I want to hear news from home. How things are now the war is over.’
‘Yes. Of course. You will be interested in all I have to tell. I will be sure to call when we can have a long chat. In the meantime, if there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, please do not hesitate to let me know.’
‘I will. I certainly cannot think of anything at the moment.’
He clicked his heels, bowed and left.
Barbara took a deep breath. The feeling of disquiet in her breast did not go away.
She poured another cup of tea and leaned back.
Was he offering friendship, or something more like marriage?
Why on earth would he want to marry his dead brother’s wife? It must be a misunderstanding on her part. Something lost in his mental translation of German to English.
Not once since they had met had he seemed romantically interested in her. Nor she him.
They were friends, who were related by marriage, nothing more.
She rang the bell to have the tea tray removed.
Tomorrow she was to meet Xavier. Her heart picked up speed. Perhaps Charles could be useful with regard to her plan after all. Not now. But in the near future.
She would need to think about it carefully.
Nothing must go wrong when she let herself be caught in a sordid affair in as public a way as possible.
Xavier paced the small living room. ‘Paced’ was too strong a word. He walked from the French doors to the sofa and back.
What he really wanted to do was stand at the gate and watch for her carriage to arrive.
He compared his watch to the clock on the mantel. They both said the same thing. Half past two. She was late.
Perhaps she was not coming after all.
Something could have prevented her leaving given the clandestine nature of their meeting.
He would give her another half an hour and then he would leave.
The minutes ticked by slowly.
At ten to three, he flung himself down on the sofa. The tension inside his chest was a dull ache. She wasn’t coming.
