He spared a single glance in the direction of Nora and her friends, and she felt as though she had been struck by lightning when their eyes met.
What… what an incredibly infuriating man.
“You ladies look as though you’ve seen a ghost. Or a prey to sink your claws into.” A voice suddenly said.
Jane jumped, startled, while Penelope whirled around with a glare, addressing the man who approached them.
“Perhaps if you were a tad more interesting, more women would want to sink their claws into you. However, your bad manners leave much to be desired.”
The man gasped, pressing his hands over his heart in mock hurt.
“You wound me, my lady. I’ll have you know that I am desired by an innumerable number of lovely ladies, many of whom are simply devastated by the thought of my departure. Though from the usual animosity in your tone, I must assume that you shall miss me as well.”
Penelope’s glare grew fiercer. “Hardly. If you were not my dear friend’s brother, I would have wished that you were trampled to death during your travels.”
“All I hear is that you will be thinking of me while I am gone.”
Nora sighed, grabbed hold of his arm, and dragged him towards her as she scolded him lightly,
“Do not fight with my friends after frightening them, brother. Surely this cannot be how you wish to be remembered in your absence – as a bother.”
Her older brother, Cecil Wightman, grinned down at her, sparing a glance at her companions.
“It is quite unfair that I am the only one at the end of your ire. And I did not mean to frighten you. I was just worried that if you stared any harder, your eyes might fall out of your heads. Surely a brother can fuss over his dear sister and her friends, right?”
“You can take your concern and choke –”
“I cannot wait until there are seas between us,” Nora cut Penelope off swiftly.
“Lies,” Cecil’s grin grew. “You’ll miss me immensely. I can already feel it. You want to cling to my coat, just like you did when we were children.”
“You have no proof that such actions ever took place,” Nora turned her nose up in the air. “And I will not miss you one bit. In fact, I think that you should leave now, rather than wait till tomorrow. The sooner you are out of my life, the sooner I can gain some semblance of peace.”
She did not really mean any of the words she had said. Growing up as the youngest of her two siblings, she had been closer to Cecil than their older sister, Valerie. Their sister had done what she could to shield them from their father’s coldness and detached upbringing, but after she had wed, her priorities were more on her new family – not that they blamed her.
And in her absence, Nora had grown more attached to Cecil, fondly recalling the way her other sister, Valerie’s twin Isobel, had talked about her own older brother, who was apparently similar to Cecil in many ways.
Nora had always been reliant on him, but now that he was about to embark on a Grand Tour, exploring parts of the world she could only dream about, his trip left her feeling bittersweet.
She would never admit it, but she already missed him; she could not wait for him to be away, leaving her to her devices. Her father did not care much and would not interfere in her business, so her courtships were hers to manage as she saw fit.
“Brat,” Cecil smirked fondly, tapping her nose with a finger. “As always, ladies, it was a delight to be in your wonderful presence. However, there is someone I must speak with, so I must leave you now. Oh, how my heart breaks at the thought of being apart.”
“Good riddance,” Penelope grumbled, loud enough for them to hear.
Cecil winked at her, leaving after he bowed, and Nora’s gaze followed him.
“Your brother can be quite charming,” Jane noted innocently.
“I hardly think so,” Penelope fumed, cheeks pink.
But Nora barely heard either of them. She watched her brother walk off, heading in the direction of the duke who just arrived. At once, her instincts were on high alert, suspicion rolling around in her gut as her brother moved closer to speak to the duke.
“I do not like that one bit,” she muttered quietly.
Moments later, she tore her gaze away.
“You look well, Your Grace.”
