There would be the added benefit of enticing Sophie to admire the art while he admired her, he thought with satisfaction.
"A happy topic for you indeed. What piece of art are you thinking of to draw such a gratified smile to your face?"
"Trust me when I tell you, Father, you do not want to know." Sinclair grinned.
"That is very kind of you Sinclair, but you have yet to shock me even after you hit your third decade a few short months ago. Now you are home, I understand you intend to pick up certain things where you left off, but I will remind you of your Montgomery duties. I am afraid we have come full circle, son."
Sin heard the faint plea in his father's voice and was hit with a pang of guilt. Because he had left his father all alone, they had each mourned Andrew’s death alone and, while Sin had gallivanted from country to country, his father had continued with the responsibilities that came with being a member of the peerage.
"I know, Father, and I am ready and willing to step into my role as heir."
Acknowledging it out loud helped a little to assuage his grief and guilt and allowed him to accept his role in life. Estate management, political obligation and influence. As a second sonhe would have had some responsibility, though much less than a first born, and he had always been satisfied with that.
Sin looked around the room. The navy wallpaper emblazoned with white roses. The familiar silverware he had used his whole life. The paintings of landscapes that decorated the walls, displaying various holdings of the marquisate. And of course, the Montgomery family crest with its armoured medieval knight and peregrine falcon in ode to their Norman ancestry. Being the first or second son had never mattered, he was a Montgomery and needed to live up to the name. Now he was responsible for ensuring their lineage continued. He needed a wife. Faces of the women from last night danced before him but they were all a blur, as none had truly captured his interest. The only face that stood out was Sophie's. Those pale jade green eyes and the smattering of faint ginger freckles on her pert nose. He needed to learn more about her. She was a widow, but no children? But she was still young. She looked to be a young twenty-something. He would consult Daniel.
Damn, but do I want to court her or bed her?He knew both were possible, but finding a wife meant going about it in the proper way. The jealous reaction she evoked in him made it clear he wanted her, but to what end? Sin shook his head in a bid to clear his mind. There was plenty of time for that, but now he should focus on his father.
"Sorry for the woolgathering, father.”
“What is on your mind? A woman?” he asked knowingly.
Sin could not hold back his grin. “Indeed, it is a woman. And what a woman! Not a young debutante on the marriage mart, but a mature and intelligent lady. A dowager duchess.”
“Not very attractive, I assume?” His father tried to suppress a laugh.
“She is the most delectable woman I have ever seen, but my admiration is more than skin deep!”
“I am pleased to hear you thinking that way. A good woman is an asset in navigating life and all its follies.”
“I have only met her the once, but I find myself besotted already. Is it lust or the start of something more?”
“Sounds to me as though this is the first time you have ever felt this way about a woman.” His father’s curious tone encouraged him to keep sharing his feelings.
“Never. She has stirred something primitive in me. And though I am still unsure of what I want from her, I do know I cannot allow any other man to have her.”
His father’s forehead crinkled in thought. “And she is a widow?”
“Yes, why?”
“Becoming a widow gives a woman a certain independence, especially one of her rank. She may not appreciate your jealousies. Your mother certainly did not.”
“When did you ever act jealous?” Sin was thoroughly confused, recalling how happy his parents were. His father must have noticed his consternation, as he began to laugh.
“Before we were parents, we were a young, wedded couple. And before that, I courted her for months. You know how beautiful your mother was. When she debuted, every unwed man wanted to court her, and I was insanely jealous. It drove her crazy. She interpreted my jealousy as mistrust. The point I am trying to make is that when you find the right woman, no matter how other men lust after her, jealousy is a useless emotion if she has chosen you and only you.”
This was a very wise lesson from his father. And Sophie did exude an independent nature, one he would have to be careful not to curb since that was part of her appeal.
“How insightful you are, old man,” Sin exclaimed as he stood up and patted his father on the back.
“Don’t you worry, there is plenty more wisdom to come. When will I learn her name?”
“Soon, Father, soon. I do not want to bring bad luck on myself until I find out more.”
“I will await an update with bated breath. Is there anything else on your mind, son? You know you can share anything with me.”
Sin hated the vulnerability he would show by voicing his deep-seated doubts out loud but he knew it was now or never.
“I worry I may not have it in me to be the man Andrew was.”
