He couldn’t wait to deliver her to a husband sohecould worry about her. The years he’d been her guardian had been a struggle. Perhaps he could have pushed thoughts of her welfare aside, left her to the threat of possible mischief while she searched for a husband at the balls, parties, and teas, if she weren’t so easy to love.
Spoiled though she may be, Adele didn’t have a malicious word to say or think about anyone. She wasn’t mean-spirited, or ill-tempered. She had a simple, engaging charm about her, and because she had no callousness or heartlessness in her soul she couldn’t see it in other people. Which was why he didn’t want her to attend the Season and be subjected to every bachelor who wanted to marry a duke’s sister. If there was the slightest possibility of anyone wanting to embarrass her or sully her reputation because of what he did years ago, Hawk wanted to preempt it.
“You know Miss Wiggins isn’t the only reason I’m here,” Adele said as he walked into the drawing room behind her.
“No, I don’t know,” Hawk answered, making himself comfortable in one of the upholstered armchairs by stretching his legs out in front of the fireplace while she made herself busy with the decanter.
“Well, it would have been silly of me to come all this way just to tell you that.”
Hawk grunted a laugh and brushed his hair away from his forehead. Did she really think he hadn’t already thought of that?
She handed him the glass of brandy. Hawked smiled up at her and said, “Thank you.”
Adele smiled, too, knelt down beside him, and said, “I couldn’t wait until you decided to return to Hawksthorn to hear what Mr. Quick had to say about an arrangement between us.”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t know when you’d return. You stay away from Hawksthorn for weeks at a time.”
There was no way Hawk was going to enlighten his innocent sister to the fact there were few things at the family estate to satisfy the appetites of a twenty-eight-year-old man. There were no friends to play cards, throw dice, or fence with. There were no fighting clubs to attend, no horseraces to watch, no deep political discussions to argue. Most of all, there were no women to enjoy. In fact, his father’s collection of fine brandy, which he stopped and took a sip of, was about the only thing he could indulge in when he was there.
“We’ve discussed this before, Adele. I am not your doting father. I am your brother and there are commitments that keep me here in London. I told you I would return to Hawthorn as soon as I had talked to Mr. Quick. You should have waited there for me.”
“Oh!” She rose from her knees with a huff and a whirl of skirts. “You teased me by saying you have found the perfect husband for me and then you go away and I don’t see you for a month.”
“I never said he was perfect. Only that I think the two of you would suit. I told you this would take time. If you are uneasy about a prearranged marriage tell me now and we can forget about it.”
She folded her hands across her chest and stared down at him in disbelief. “Why should I want to choose my own husband when you can do it for me? You know all these men—their families, their habits, their pockets. I don’t.”
“Most young ladies want to choose their own husbands.”
“But most young ladies are not the daughter and the sister of a duke. Why should I go to all that trouble of sorting them out when you can do it for me? Papa always told me he would see to it that I married a young man who would be perfect for me. Now that he’s gone it’s up to you to do that for me.”
“And I will,” he answered patiently. “You must allow me the time to do it. I’ve just returned from trying to see Mr. Quick. He wasn’t at home.”
“Oh,” she said curiously. “Why not?”
“I really have no idea. Miss Quick, his sister, wasn’t very forthcoming about his whereabouts.”
“You didn’t tell me he had a sister.” Adele’s eyes lit with sparkles, and she knelt beside him again. “What is she like?”
A warmth settled over Hawk. He remembered Miss Quick standing in front of the glowing fireplace, looking like an angel. He remembered her delicate hands as she gently removed the cold, muddy boots from the sick lad.
Hawk looked back to his sister and said, “You. In certain ways, she’s like you.”
“What are those certain ways?” she asked excitedly. “Tell me now.”
“She’s gentle and kind but she’s also very outspoken just as you are. She wants her way about everything. And I do believe she loves her brother as much you love yours.”
Adele laughed. “She sounds positively charming. She and I should get along together grandly. I’m glad the brandy is calming you. I do enjoy being with you when you aren’t cross with me.”
“I never intend to be cross,” he admitted, doing his best to give her a contrite expression.
“I know, but—oh, Hawk, I just had an idea. Since you can’t find Mr. Quick, let’s invite him to Hawksthorn.”
“What?”
“Invite him to come see me. We’d talked about me meeting him before we settle anything.”
