Page 7 of A Sister to Beguile (Sherton Sisters 5)

“Well, since you’ve accomplished your stated purpose for your call, you probably have need to be on your way,” she stated simply. “Lakewood is nearly an hour or so away. I wouldn’t imagine you would like to be on the road at dusk.”

The earl laughed. “Are you that eager to be rid of me, my lady?”

Heat filled Grace’s cheeks, but she ignored the sensation, refusing to be cowed by the arrogant man.

“I wouldn’t word it quite like that, but I don’t see any need for you to linger.”

Lord Sterling chuckled again. “You are a most unusual young woman, Lady Grace.”

“So, I have been told, my lord.” Gracie grinned in order to discomfit him further. If he was going to turn up and complicate her life, she had no compunction about being less than conciliatory.

Grace could just imagine the confrontation she would face with the countess once the earl had left. She would rather get it over with sooner than later. She had no intention of allowing anyone, not even herself, to get the wrong idea about Lord Sterling’s visit that day. Even though he had asked for her, he clearly hadn’t meant anything particularly intriguing by it.

“Why didn’t you ask Lady Sherton about Felicity’s availability for a visit, my lord? Surely, asking to see me was asking for far more trouble than it’s worth.”

Grace watched in amusement as the man gazed at her, as though she were a strange specimen he had never before encountered. He even opened and closed his mouth a number of times, as though he couldn’t quite give voice to his thoughts.

“That is a most excellent question, my lady, but I sadly do not have a logical answer to it, other than your reputed closeness with the duchess.”

“Do you have an illogical answer to it?” she asked, once again enjoying his obvious difficulty in answering her.

Finally, he just smiled and steered her back toward the house.

Grace tried not to allow her own smile to appear too satisfied. She still had the countess to face. She kept her manner as neutrally pleasant as possible as she bade the earl farewell. It was likely she would have to encounter him again if she couldn’t convince her parents to allow her to forego her debut altogether. It wouldn’t do to make him an enemy. With a final curtsy, she dismissed the man.

Turning to the butler with a smile she knew to be more brave than genuine, Grace asked for her mother’s whereabouts.

~~~

“Why did you not have his lordship stay for supper?”

Her mother’s shrill tone was only one of the things making Gracie blush.

“Mother, surely it would not have been appropriate for me to issue such an invitation.”

“Well, Graciela, surely you are not so lacking in intelligence that you couldn’t have made the arrangements without putting yourself beyond the pale. Look at what your sisters have accomplished. I will not accept that my youngest is any less capable than they are.”

“Truly, Mother? Are you going to hold my sisters as examples for me to emulate? Do you also wish for me to involve myself with treasonous schemes? Or to compromise myself into an eligible match?”

“Well, those things worked quite nicely for the other girls. And I am quite convinced that you are smart enough to manage it with even less risk than they courted.”

“I am afraid you are going to be sorely disappointed, my lady. I have absolutely no intention of following in any of their footsteps, least of all Felicity’s. And I am appalled that you would even suggest it. Don’t you remember how furious you were when you found out what she had done?”

“Well, it all came out in the laundry, didn’t it?” Lady Sherton’s entire demeanour was one of self-satisfaction as she raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, as though the matter were settled thoroughly.

Grace was amused by her mother’s literary reference, but she didn’t allow herself to be side-tracked from the point at hand. “It could just as easily have gone in a very different, much more disastrous direction.” Gracie couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. Up until a few years ago, she was certain her mother would have preferred death over even the suggestion of impropriety.

“But it didn’t.”

Gracie sighed and dropped onto the sofa. Her mother was on the edge of becoming irrational about the matter, and she had no interest in arguing further.

“Mother, my lady,” she began as firmly as she could manage. All she really wanted to do was escape from the uncomfortable situation. “I will not be attempting to coerce a gentleman into sharing his time with me. In fact, I really have no strong desire to wed, as you well know. And I truly have no desire to wed Lord Sterling. Please, put that idea from your mind. He did not come here to court me. I have never heard of him courting anyone, despite how popular he is among Society’s hostesses, so it is unlikely he is going to start with me. He wanted my opinion on something. I gave it to him. He left. That is the end of the story. I must insist that you accept that.”

Grace paused in order to take a deep breath. After slowly letting it out, she continued in a more conciliatory tone.

“You successfully married off four of your daughters. You now have Augustus to care for. You needn’t trouble yourself with me. I can assure you I am perfectly content remaining here at Glendale.”

Lady Sherton’s eyes narrowed.

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