Page 35 of A Sister to Beguile (Sherton Sisters 5)

Chapter Fourteen

The next day, savouring his morning coffee, Alex couldn’t get her out of his mind. That shouldn’t be surprising, considering they had been spending nearly all their time together for days. But if he didn’t consciously think about not wanting her there, he found that he quite enjoyed her presence, and that would never do.

Would allowing my family line to continue really be such a bad thing?

The thought came out of nowhere like a blow to Alex’s midsection. He had to stop and take deep breaths to stem the wave of panic that washed through him at the thought of taking a wife and having children. He had vowed to himself from a very young age that he would never consider doing so.

And yet, here he was, thinking that Lady Grace wouldn’t be such a bad addition to his life. In fact, despite the gravity of the matter they were trying to take care of together, he found her mostly sunny disposition to be delightful. Even though he continued to assure himself that the only reason he was remaining was a sense of obligation toward Rathnelly, if he were being perfectly honest with himself, he had to admit that the real reason was the young lady herself, rather than the intrigue they were investigating.

And then there was that moment in the innyard when he had almost kissed her. Alex could only hope she was too innocent to realize what he had almost done.

The investigation was fascinating, though. It would be even more so if not for the few times he had seen expressions on Grace’s face that showed how truly pained she was by the threat to her family. Alex could imagine that it would be devastating to find out a family member, even a distant one, was out to harm your loved ones. He was really quite impressed with how she managed to contain her hurt feelings most of the time. He would have thought her quite uncaring, if not for those few unguarded moments.

But he had seen them. And his heart yearned for the young woman who was trying so valiantly to look after everyone, despite her continued insistence that she was the lazy and boring member of her family. From what he knew of her now, that couldn’t possibly be true.

So, what was he going to do when they solved the problem or when Rathnelly came back and solved it for them? Could he really go back to his solitary existence? Whether the duke allowed him to invest in any of his schemes or not, Alex was beginning to suspect that it wouldn’t be enough to keep him satisfied any longer. He had never witnessed the sort of loyalty Lady Grace obviously had toward her family. Alex wanted that for himself. A loyal companion to weather life’s storms with.

If that meant he would have to accept the possibility of there being heirs, Alex was beginning to think that was a risk he was willing to take. If Lady Grace were their mother, Alex was reasonably certain his defective genes wouldn’t be able to mess them up too much.

Now, he just had to convince the lady to take a chance on him.

If only it were that easy. He cringed as he remembered a conversation they had endured the previous morning before they set out on another round of investigative calls.

“You are probably hoping we will be entrapped into marriage.”

She stared at him, her expression revealing that she was waiting for him to laugh because surely, he must be jesting. But the expression on his face must have told her he was serious. Fury like he’d never seen gracing her face before appeared to sweep through her, and she forced a laugh.

“That doesn’t sound the least bit comfortable, my lord. I have no particular interest in having a husband, but I can assure you the very last thing I want is a husband by entrapment.”

Alex knew, even as he was doing it, that he shouldn’t be goading her so. The poor woman had done everything possible to care for her family and assist him in the investigation he had taken on. And she had really done nothing to indicate warmer feelings for him. Certainly, nothing to warrant such an accusation. The lingering glances that had grown more frequent over the few days they had been together could arguably be attributed to their growing fatigue and not the love that was building up in his own heart. But despite his growing feelings toward her, he had still been uncertain of his intentions. Now that he was more certain, he was even more regretful. Clearly, he was daft.

When he didn’t retract his words, she seemed to become defensive. “Well, you’re only sticking around because you’re hoping Rathnelly will feel indebted to you.” She didn’t try to hide the sneer from her voice.

Alex had been surprised by her defence. She was usually so serene, he hadn’t expected her to react to his vitriol, especially not with a little of her own.

How was he to overcome that?

It had been followed by a period of silence, followed by rather icy politeness as they carried on with their questioning. Alex had missed her quite intensely, even when she was right there by his side. It was part of what had led him to accept that it was worth taking a chance on marriage. His feelings had only been reinforced when she had withdrawn her warmth. Having lost what he had barely enjoyed, he was now more determined than ever.

His circular thoughts were interrupted by a clatter at the door of the small dining room he was seated in, breaking his fast.

“Lord Sterling,” the duchess greeted as she sailed into the room. “I wasn’t certain if you would still be here. I do apologize that I have been preoccupied during your stay.”

Alex scrambled to his feet. “Good morning, Your Grace, it’s a pleasure to see you. Does your presence outside the nursery mean the children are on the mend?”

“It does, indeed. But now, it means I can turn my attention to you and my sister. I wouldn’t want to hear that you were leading her to scandal. She is not the family member most likely to survive an adventure.”

Alex wasn’t quite sure what the woman was talking about. “Lady Grace, do you mean?”

“Yes, my lord, she is the quietest of us Sherton sisters. Grace told me some of what the two of you were doing, but now I’d like to hear it all. I am well aware that she didn’t want to go into any sort of detail while speaking through a door and trying to keep the children from thinking anything was amiss, and she rightly put very little in writing. But now that the worst is over with the children, I am consumed with curiosity.”

“Felicity!” The excited tones from the usually quiet young woman at the door announced Grace’s presence, even as she hurried into the room and threw her arms around her sister. “I’ve been so worried.”

“All is well, my dearest, at least in the nursery wing. But now, it is my turn to worry about you. Tell me instantly what have you and his lordship been up to? I couldn’t make heads or tails out of the story you were trying so valiantly to whisper through the door and your notes were barely any better. I had hoped perhaps my matchmaking had played a part, but I’ve heard from Mr. Carter that you have been traipsing all around the surrounding countryside on some sort of mission for Rathnelly. I know you said as much and even Rathnelly said something of the sort, but everything became quite muddled for me in the past few days with the children so sick, so now you must explain yourself.”

Alex watched as Grace’s mouth opened and closed while she blinked a little dazedly at her sister. It was evident the young woman was unsure where to begin. Before she managed to piece it together, there was another commotion, this time from the front of the house ensnaring the duchess’s attention.

“Is that Rathnelly?” Without awaiting an answer, she ran from the room.

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