Page 21 of The Secrets He Keeps

“And Merry Christmas to you.”

“Well done, sweet pea,” Hale whispered to the child as he set her down. The little girl went immediately to Lady Katherine, who scooped her up and placed her in her lap as she regained her seat.

Hale returned to his spot by the fireplace and the young duke took a seat on the settee next to Erik.

They continued to exchange small talk for a while. Lady Katherine questioned him a little further on his favorite places while Hale seemed intent on irritating his older sister. For her part, Pendragon appeared mostly relaxed, if a bit more restrained than he’d grown accustomed to seeing her. Likely, she was making an effort to hold back some of her more biting replies to her brother for the sake of the children. It became clear that Hale was fully aware of his sister’s predicament and used it against her. She managed to say quite a lot, however, with her searing gaze, which only appeared to amuse Hale all the more.

At one point, while the children were busy on the other side of the room, admiring the snow falling outside the large bay window, her frustration finally got the better of her.

“Really, Mason, must you insist on calling me that dreadful nickname. I haven’t been Lissy since you were a little brat who couldn’t say my name properly.”

Her brother simply grinned wide and teasing. “Sorry, sis. You’ll always be Lissy to me.”

Pendragon glanced to Lady Katherine. “How the hell do you put up with him?”

The lady arched her brow and slid the man under discussion a look that sparked with intimate heat before replying in a perfectly flat tone, “He’s proven to have his uses.”

Hale snorted a rough laugh, while Pendragon rose to her feet and smoothed the wrinkles from her gown. “Well, he certainly doesn’t have much to offer in his head.”

“Depends which you’re referencing,” Hale retorted crudely.

His sister responded with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “If you’ll excuse me. I’m in need of a brief respite from all this family accord.”

As she swept from the room, Lady Katherine turned a harsh eye to her husband. “Do you always have to be so irritating? That’s probably why she doesn’t come by more often.”

“You know that’s not why and, yes, I do. My sister requires regular reminders that she belongs to a world that extends beyond the house off St. James.” Turning to Erik, he added, “I’d guess Maxwell here knows what I mean.”

He did but he knew better than to enter the fray.

“Could you at least try to make these rare visits more pleasant and enjoyable?” Lady Katherine pressed.

Hale shrugged, unconcerned. “If they were pleasant, she’d hate them even more.”

Erik rose to his feet. “Please, excuse me.” Leaving the couple to continue their argument without his audience, he left the drawing room and looked about the awe-inspiring entry hall. After a moment, he noticed a faint light visible beneath a door at the far end of the hall.

Walking quietly across the parquet floor, he opened the door without knocking.

Pendragon stood at the far end of the room, pouring herself a drink from a discreet liquor service. The room appeared to be a personal study containing a desk, some chairs, and a small sofa. As Erik approached, she glanced up with a visible frown before putting the stopper in the liquor bottle and lifting her glass to down its contents in one smooth swallow.

“Perhaps you missed my cue, Mr. Maxwell. I left the room to be alone.”

Erik paused. “I do not wish to intrude. I just wanted to give your brother and his wife a few moments to finish a private conversation.”

She smirked as she set her glass down and turned to face him while leaning back against the table behind her. “I assume they were arguing again. Those two have absolutely nothing in common. I cannot imagine why they thought it would be a good idea to marry.”

Lifting a brow in genuine surprise, Erik continued forward until he stood directly in front of her. Close enough that her crimson skirts were stirred by his polished black boots. “Nothing in common?” He tilted his head to search her green eyes. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Surely you see the mutual respect and genuine admiration they have for each other. They are very different people with radically different backgrounds, I am sure. But they clearly appreciate those differences. I suspect they enjoy a deep abiding love.”

Her eyes widened with mocking shock. “My God, you are utterly relentless and totally delusional.”

He laughed. The woman fought hard to retain her skepticism. “If you did not see those things, surely you were able to detect the passion simmering between them.”

“Passion is not love,” she retorted curtly. “The hotter it burns, the faster it dies.”

“When valued and properly nurtured, passion can richen and deepen with time.”

“Passion is lust and lust weakens as soon as it’s indulged.”

Erik’s gaze fell to her lips—reddened and lush. “Shall we test that theory?”

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