“But I want to marry her,” Connor said.
“Connor.” Grace took hold of the lad’s hands once again. “I love you as a friend, but not as a man I wish to marry, so I fear I must refuse you. Some day you will understand. I promise.”
“But I will never meet another woman like you.” Connor tugged on her hands, his dark eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“I should hope not,” Grace said, obviously attempting to lighten the moment. “And my brother would tell you to consider yourself fortunate on that count, because I embarrass him at every opportunity.”
The boy turned to Wolfe with a dark look that warned trouble was brewing. “Youmarry her, then.”
Wolfe almost choked on his own air. Not brave enough to witness Grace’s reaction, he kept his focus locked on his little brother. “What?”
“You heard me,” the boy said. “You marry Lady Grace. She can’t refuse you because you are too young.”
“Your brother can’t marry me,” Grace said, sounding mournful enough to give Wolfe some hope. “He is betrothed to Lady Margaret.” She motioned for the children to move along, trying to herd them like a pair of wayward lambs. “Come, now.Let’s get you back to Broadmere for tea and cakes in the kitchen. You can give Gastric and the other dogs their treats, then play with Lucy’s puppies before it’s time for you to return home.”
“Can Hector and Galileo come along too?” Sissy asked.
“Of course,” Grace said. “We can’t very well leave them here, now can we?”
Connor shook his head and planted his feet. “I ain’t going anywhere until you promise to marry my brother, since you refuse to have me.”
“I can’t promise to marry your brother,” Grace said in an even tone that revealed the slightest strain of her attempt to maintain control.
“Why not?” Wolfe asked her. He captured her blue-eyed gaze and intended to hold it until she agreed. If his little brother was courageous enough to speak his own mind, he should be as well. “After this terrible morning, I have decided to end the engagement to Lady Margaret—no matter the cost. That betrothal will no longer be an impediment or a grounds for your refusal of me.”
She stared at him, her mouth slightly ajar.
Connor tugged on his sleeve. “I think she would’ve been more impressed had you gone down on one knee. Father did that with that last woman he was going to marry, and after Lady Whatever-Her-Name-Was saidyes,old Feebson helped him get back up again. Course, you do have that bad knee from the war, so maybe that would be bad form too. You might get stuck like Father did. But you could still say something nice to get her to say yes.” The boy nudged him, trying to push him closer to Grace.
“Me and Connor could help you up,” Sissy told him. She turned an angelic smile on Grace. “Will you tell himyesif he gets down on one knee and asks you really nice? He prolly still won’t say anything all soft and pretty like Prince Charming says to hislady love, but you could pretend Wolfe was all gallant and such, just like in the storybooks.”
Wolfe groaned and hung his head.
Grace snorted, her shoulders trembling with poorly stifled laughter.
Determined to prove them all wrongandtake control of the situation, Wolfe moved to stand in front of her and took her hand. “My siblings are correct. If I kneel, my knee will either lock or give out. Neither choice is good whenever that happens.” He pressed a tender kiss to her knuckles and tugged her a step closer. “Grace—myGrace, I think you hopelessly trapped my cold, jaded heart on our very first meeting. No woman ever put me in my place before or so thoroughly convinced me that place was at her side.” He resettled his footing, grinning when she caught hold of his arm as if to stop him from kneeling. “You see? You do care for me—or at least for my knee. Might I dare hope you care half as much for my heart that you have awakened?” He had never realized how blue her eyes were until that very moment. A man could spend a lifetime in those eyes of hers. He touched her cheek, then slid his fingers into the silky wildness of her hair. “Say yes, Grace. Please? It will take a little while for the issue with Lady Margaret to be sorted, but at least say yes for now so I might have the hope ofusto give me strength.”
She wet her lips, making him ache to taste them once again if two seven-year-old chaperones were not watching with such avid interest. Her eyes narrowed the slightest bit, as if sighting in a target. “You should not speak of such things until free to do so, Your Grace,” she finally said in a breathless whisper she apparently hoped would stay between them.
Your Grace.A heavy sigh left him. She had addressed him asYour Grace. Even as thick-skulled as he was, he recognized it as the gentle reprimand that it was. He had insulted her by speaking out of turn and should not have done so. Damn his lackof patience when it came to something he wanted, and heaven help him, but he wanted her.
He let his hands drop to his sides, bowed his head, and took a step back. “Forgive me, my lady. You are correct. I spoke out of turn and was quite thoughtless.”
“What did she say?” Connor moved closer, as did Sissy. He peered up at Wolfe, then turned to Grace. “What did you tell him, Lady Grace? Did you tell himno?”
Grace eyed them both, then reached out and straightened Sissy’s ebony curls and tousled Connor’s black thatch of hair. “I told him now was not the appropriate time to ask, since he is still bound to another.”
“But he said he’s done with Lady Margaret,” Sissy said.
Connor bobbed his head in agreement. “And when my brother says he’s done with something, he means it. You should see his temper when he’s had enough. He’s—”
“Connor, you are not helping!” Wolfe scrubbed a hand across his face, then raked his fingers through his hair. Grace had turned away with her head bowed. “Grace…Lady Grace…I am…” Gads, he was such a fool, and enough was enough. He refused to lose this precious woman. He took hold of her shoulders, turned her to face him, and gently tilted her face up to his.
Merriment filled her eyes, and her face had gone red from holding in her laughter.
Relief flooded through him, along with the urge to kiss the wily minx senseless. “You think this humorous, my lady?”
She hissed with mirth, then covered her mouth to stop it. After delicately clearing her throat, she tried to assume a solemn expression. “Indeed, I do, Your Grace.”
