Page 31 of If Not for the Duke

As if thoughts of her somehow conjured her relatives, he saw Rothwood, Marbury, and Vanbridge sitting at a table together with drinks before them. He approached slowly, not wanting to interrupt.

“Good evening, Your Grace.” Marbury nodded as he and Vanbridge stood to bow. “Care to join us?”

“Certainly. Thank you.” He drew back an empty chair and sat as a waiter hurried forward. After ordering a whiskey, he glanced at the three men. “Is this a family meeting?”

Rothwood smiled. “Of sorts.” He looked at the men who had married two of his granddaughters with obvious pride and satisfaction. “We have discussed a few family concerns and have since moved on to other topics.”

“Glad to know I’m not interrupting.”

They visited a few minutes before Marbury caught Sterling’s gaze. “Have you heard from Clarke as to progress on Oak Island?”

“Only basics.” He wasn’t ready to share specifics when he assumed the other men wouldn’t support his efforts. Not for the first time, he wished he’d told them earlier. He’d approached the situation wrong from the start. Now it felt as if the opportunity had been lost, and he didn’t know how to get it back.

“No chests of gold?” Vanbridge raised a brow, an amused look on his face.

“You don’t think there’s treasure on the island?” Sterling asked.

“I have no idea if there is,” the marquess answered. “But I do know the island won’t give up its secrets easily.”

Sterling didn’t care for the reminder. He realized he’d allowed Clarke’s confidence to make him hopeful. Hope too often led to disappointment. At least, it had every time he’d experienced the emotion.

How often had he thought someone was a friend, only to learn they had pretended to like him because he was heir to a dukedom? His father had proved that to him time and again, making a lesson of each occasion. School had been a lonely place. Then there’d been a young lady who’d professed her love for him during his university days until his father convinced her to show her true colors. The woman had eagerly taken the money his father offered instead of Sterling’s affection. Those painful memories were ones he’d never forget.

Hope wasn’t to be trusted. Nor were people, except for family.

Was it any wonder that he looked at others with suspicion?

Now, he considered himself a realist. And the past had taught him that people couldn’t be trusted. Many wanted something, whether it was an introduction, a favor, or money. As long as he remembered that, he got along fine. He was careful that any relationship allowed him to gain as much as the other person.

But the three men sitting at the table with him didn’t need anything from him. He didn’t know quite how to act around them.

He didn’t want people to make comparisons between Clarke and David Wright’s efforts. That would surely hurt Lena. He didn’t want her upset because of him. But neither did he want to appear as if he didn’t believe in the search.

“Perhaps that’s true,” Sterling admitted at last. “Clarke seems to think he has a few ideas that could prove helpful. A fresh perspective could provide results.”

He glanced at Rothwood to see his reaction. It was well known that the duke had cut off all ties to his only child and her treasure-hunting husband. It had taken the arrival of his granddaughters on his doorstep to change him. However, Sterling didn’t think their presence had truly changed how he felt about David Wright.

“I suppose there’s something to be said for a new outlook,” Rothwood said. “But whether it outweighs experience hasn’t been determined.”

Sterling studied the older man, wondering if he spoke about the treasure hunt or himself.

“I’m sure you’ll be relieved to know that Marbury and I have refrained from placing a wager on the outcome of your search,” Vanbridge said.

Sterling shook his head, still frustrated about it. “The Society members should have better things to occupy their time than betting on treasure hunts.”

“It’s not just our fellow Society members.” Marbury’s grin made Sterling frown. “Members of Brooks’s are now doing it as well. Do you want to hear the odds?”

“No, I do not.” Sterling reached for the whiskey the waiter set before him and took a deep sip. He didn’t like being the subject of people’s speculation. That was something he hadn’t anticipated when he’d started the dig, though he supposed he should’ve.

“Then you won’t be offended to learn they aren’t in your favor here either.” Vanbridge idly turned his glass on the table.

“What of your wives?” Sterling asked, much to his surprise and certainly against his better judgment. “Do they think Clarke will be successful?”

Marbury and Vanbridge shared a look before glancing at the duke.

“I believe we will refrain from discussing my granddaughters’ opinions since they’re not here to share them.” Rothwood seemed to find something that caught his interest across the room, suggesting the subject was closed.

Sterling thought it wise of them not to speak on their behalf. Besides, he was fairly certain he already knew the answer. If the ladies’ father hadn’t found treasure, they most likely thought he and Clarke wouldn’t either. Time would tell.

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