“Well, I am not going to be one of them. As I’ve said, I am not interested in either young lady. My brother can have them both, if he wishes.”
She set aside the newspaper she held in her hand and cast him a chiding look. “Imagine the stir you would cause if you chose one and your brother got the other. Thetonwould go wild with excitement. Everyone who was anyone would be biting their fingernails awaiting an invitation to these weddings. And what a fall from grace if their names were overlooked!”
He lolled his head back and groaned. “It isn’t going to happen, so stop making a thing of it.”
“It is harmless jesting. But I am not jesting about wanting to see you happily matched.”
“Should you not be more concerned with your own happy match?”
She sighed. “I am firmly on the shelf and there is no help for me.”
“That is nonsense, Temple.”
“It is the truth.”
“I do not believe it,” he said, growling because Ailis was joyful and enthusiastic about everything, so why not her own wellbeing? He did not want her giving up on love or marriage.
“Your Grace, I am a spinster. This is an indisputable fact. I have accepted my lot. You needn’t frown or fret—or even growl,” she said when he growled again. “I am not worried about my future, so why should you be? I will admit to being a little sad, for certain. I wanted a husband and children and a bustling home life. But I will make do. As I’ve mentioned, I have a small inheritance to tide me over into my dotage.”
“And when the time comes, you shall get yourself a cat and a cottage and live comfortably by the sea?”
“Yes, exactly, although I think I will enjoy having a dog more. Cats will not take long walks along a sandy beach with me. Perhaps I shall acquire one of each.”
“You will do no such thing, Temple. You are not on the shelf. Far from it. And how can you think to get a cat when you sneeze whenever they are around you?”
She regarded him with some surprise. “You noticed?”
“Yes. You may believe I am detached and reclusive, but you would be wrong. I miss very little of what happens around me. Those fresh-faced young bucks might be interested in the younger ladies, but any man of any substance will notice you and desire you above them all.”
She snorted.
“To prove my point, I shall invite you and your uncle to dine with us once my mother and her party arrive. Shall we place wagers on how many gentlemen find you to their liking?”
“Don’t you dare. My uncle and I will be occupied preparing for the church’s Christmas ball. I hope you will attend with your friends and family.”
“I’ll make certain we do,” he said with a nod. “But you and your uncle must also join us. I will not take no for an answer.”
“But—”
“Ah,” he said, holding up a hand. “I have decreed it. You cannot refuse a duke.”
“Seriously?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Yes, I am playing the duke card here and ordering you to join us…please.”
She laughed. “Well, put that way…my uncle and I shall be delighted to accept your invitation.”
“Good, that’s settled. I’ll send my carriage to pick you up when the time comes.”
She rolled her eyes. “Ifthe time comes. Your family is not even here yet.”
“But they will be, for my mother can be quite stubborn once she gets an idea into her head. I have never met anyone as determined as she can be.” He leaned forward and cast Ailis a dangerous smile. “Are you prepared to meet the dragon?”
Chapter Five
Ailis stared outthe window of the duke’s bedchamber the following morning and shook her head in dismay. The blizzard was still going strong for a third day, and there was no sign of its clearing. Not that she minded being stranded with the duke, for she enjoyed his company immensely.
When would she ever get the chance to know him better?
