Page 3 of A Sister to Beguile (Sherton Sisters 5)

Chapter Two

Lord Alexander Sterling stood at the sound of the door opening. He hoped it was Lady Graciela arriving, as he didn’t think he would be able to tolerate Lady Sherton much longer. He really should have just asked to see the countess to gain the information he sought instead of requesting an audience with Lady Graciela. Clearly, he hadn’t been thinking correctly when he’d thought to visit Glendale. But he’d had horses on his mind, and that seemed to be all he had space for at the moment. Ridiculous for a grown man to be incapable of holding two different thoughts in his mind at once; he chided himself even as he turned toward the door.

Suddenly, horses were the farthest thing from his mind. Lady Graciela Sherton was like a ray of sunshine with her yellow gown and bright face. He dismissed the nonsensical thought almost as soon as it popped into his head.

A ray of sunshine? What rubbish.

She was a young woman like any other. Probably not much going on in her upper works except for wondering how to get her hands on his estate for their future children. He reminded himself to remain vigilant in his wariness even though he needed Lady Grace’s cooperation in his efforts to seek Rathnelly’s patronage.

“My lady.” Alex bowed politely before she even approached with her hand outstretched. He didn’t like to play the gallant, but he supposed it was necessary if he was going to turn her up sweet. He bowed again and kissed the back of her hand but was surprised when she snatched it back quickly and didn’t simper in the least.

“My lord,” she replied with a brief curtsy and a furtive glance at her mother.

Alex tried to keep his eyebrows from climbing toward his hairline. He was intrigued to see a young woman more interested in her mother’s reactions than his. He tried not to be overbearingly arrogant, but he was a highly eligible bachelor and never seemed to fail to catch the eye of any available female. Even the unavailable females, truth be told, which was one of the many reasons he had so low an opinion of the fairer gender. As one who was quite used to being admired, he was completely unprepared for a young lady who lacked an instant and obvious attraction to him. It was intriguing.

But not as intriguing as why he had called.

“Might I have permission to escort Lady Grace for a stroll, my lady?” Alex properly addressed the question to Lady Sherton, but he kept his eyes on the object of his interest, surprised by the pallor his request produced.

“The tea hasn’t yet arrived, my lord. Perhaps, it would be best to take your stroll after we’ve shared a cup.” Lady Sherton’s polite words felt a little bit like a reprimand.

Alex bit back a grimace. It would have been too easy if the countess had said, yes. Nothing worthwhile came without sacrifice. Still, time enough to have tea with the grasping women was far more than he would have preferred for his visit. Except, Lady Grace didn’t appear in the least bit grasping. In fact, she seemed discomfited that the afternoon was to be prolonged. She had yet to utter another word since her truncated greeting. He kept his sigh silent as he thought of the effort he was going to have to put in to being conciliatory.

In the end, Lady Shertondidn’tmake him work overly hard, as she carried on a bright chatter throughout the almost ceremonial session of tea-taking. Alex thought for a moment that he saw amusement in Lady Grace’s eyes as she listened and nodded while her mother prattled on, but he dismissed the thought. He hadn’t yet met a young Society lady who found their mother amusing.

“What do you think, my lord?”

Alex blinked. He hadn’t been attending, and the countess had called him on it. He quickly replayed in his mind as much of the conversation as he could recall.

“I don’t think Parliament will resume any earlier than usual this year, my lady, but I will, of course, do my duty if it does.”

He received her nod of approval for that save and had to stifle the laugh that wanted to come up from his belly. That would certainly not do. He quickly gulped down the rest of his tea and glanced significantly at the countess.

“Have you finished your tea already?” Lady Sherton asked. “Well, young people are always so eager.” Alex fought a blush at her implication when the countess glanced significantly at her daughter. “You may go but not out of sight of the house.”

Alex watched a mutinous expression cross Lady Grace’s face for the briefest moment, and he had a momentary suspicion that the chit didn’t wish for his escort, but he dismissed the thought. Perhaps, she merely hadn’t finished her tea. Just the same, he didn’t have the patience to sit there any longer. She could order another cup when she returned home.

He rose with impatience and waited for Lady Grace to slowly gain her feet.

“I will just fetch a shawl from my chamber and be with you in a moment, my lord,” she murmured and hurried from the room without awaiting his response.

Once again, he swallowed his impatience and offered the countess as sincere a smile as he could muster, not bothering to sit again. He strode toward the windows, feeling confined by the feminine room. He should have just asked for the earl. It was perhaps a bit surprising the man hadn’t bothered to put in an appearance even though Alex hadn’t asked for him. But of course, it was probably assumed he was there tocourtLady Grace, rather than just gain information from her. So, the earl would want to stay as far away as possible, no doubt. Alex kept his amusement under a tight leash, along with his impatience.

It was a surprisingly short wait. Within moments, the staccato of hurried footsteps could be heard. He couldn’t help smiling when he heard them slow noticeably before Lady Grace appeared in the doorway, perfectly composed and not nearly as out of breath as he would have expected for the hurry she must have been in. Unless she had sent a servant to do her bidding, but for whatever reason, he didn’t think she had. He watched her tie her shawl around her shoulders and gesture for him to precede her from the room. Lady Grace dipped a brief curtsy to her mother before following him.

Despite his preoccupation with why he was there, Alex couldn’t help being curious about this youngest Sherton daughter. She wasn’t turning out to be what he had expected. He should have realized that from their brief encounter at her sister’s wedding.

They strolled along in silence, another surprise for Alex. He was used to women chattering his ears nearly off. It would appear this one was preoccupied with her own thoughts.

“It’s a lovely day,” he remarked, as a way of prompting some conversation and was rewarded with her bright stare and wide grin.

“That it is, my lord.” She agreed with him but then went right back to enjoying it.Silently.Alex stared as she averted her gaze to the vista before them as they meandered through the Sherton gardens.

“Your gardeners seem skilled,” Alex observed.

“They work hard to follow the countess’s requests, to be certain.”

“Your mother designs the landscape?” Alex was surprised.

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