“I like you as well,” said Evie and, to her surprise, she meant it. Shedidlike Brynne. Immensely. What had begun as a means to get closer to Weston was rapidly developing into a friendship. The first that she’d entertained in years.
When a flicker of guilt nudged at the edge of her conscience, she pushed it aside.
It wasn’t as if she were taking advantage of Brynne. All right, maybe she had at first. Just to get herself an invitation to the house party. But now that she was here, she could foster a genuine relationship with Weston’s sister. One that would help fill the void left behind by Joanna and Claire. And if she wasn’t beingcompletelyforthright in her intentions regarding Weston…well, surely that wasn’t the same thing as lying.
Was it?
When a frown threatened, Evie deliberately relaxed the muscles around her mouth. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. If anyone should feel guilty, it was Weston.Hewas the one who had put all this in motion when he’d taken the ring.
Stolen, she reminded herself, using Brynne’s own term.
When he’dstolenthe ring.
In doing so, he had cast a rock into a pond, creating an untold number of ripples. How far and where those ripples might travel remained to be seen, but Evie knew one thing with absolute certainty: no matter how rough the water became, she wasnotgoing to let her boat to sink.
“I’d like to thank you,” she told Brynne impulsively.
“For what?” asked Weston’s sister, smiling.
“For this,” she said, gesturing around the room. “For welcoming me here. For being so accepting of the skeletons my family has unknowingly harbored in our closet.” She paused. “Not to say your father is a skeleton.”
“He has been called much worse, I can assure you.”
“W-will the marquess attend the house party?” For the first time, Evie considered that she might actually meet Joanna’s birth father before Joanna. It was an uneasy thought, made increasingly more so by the fact that she hadn’t the faintest idea of what she would say.
“Hello, Lord Dorchester…how nice to make your acquaintance…no, I’m not the illegitimate daughter you conceived with my mother out of wedlock and kept a secret for two decades. I’m the other one–the one that intends to marry your son.”
Oh, yes.
What a splendid introductionthatwould make.
“Who knows whether my father will grace us with his presence or not?” Brynne said lightly. “To the best of my knowledge, he is in Scotland. Or maybe it’s Spain. My father is very fond of traveling. Attending house parties, not as much.”
Evie’s brow knitted. “Is he aware that…?”
“That his long-lost daughter and her sister came to London? I haven’t any idea, to be honest. When he does find out, if he hasn’t already, I’m certain he will be quick to make things right. Which is to say, he will settle an obnoxiously large sum of money on your sister and wish her good health and good fortune before he heads off to another part of the world.”
“I don’t know what Joanna will think about that,” Evie said honestly. “She may not be a…willingrecipient of his generosity. At least, not anything of a monetary nature. I could be wrong, but I believe she mostly wants to learn more about him. Specifically, the time he spent with our mother. What she was like. What they did. Where they went. That would truly be of value to her. To both of us, really.”
Brynne’s smile lost some of its warmth. “Alas, I regret to tell you that his attention is the one commodity my father is in short supply of. Wouldn’t Joanna like to become an heiress? There are those who’d attempt to take advantage of her newfound wealth, of course. But from what you’ve shared, she strikes me as an intelligent, independent woman who is more than capable of fending off would-be fortune hunters. And from personal experience, I can tell you that being an heiressdoescome with its own unique set of benefits.”
“You needn’t convince me,” Evie said with a laugh. “Were I in her position, I’d have no such qualms. But that is an area where my sister and I differ. Not to say that she absolutely would not accept such a boon were it freely given. But I’m familiar enough with how her mind works to know that she wouldn’t want to feel as if…as if it were merely a transaction, or a debt to be paid.”
Brynne nodded. “I understand.”
They sipped their tea.
“Would you care for a walk around the grounds?” Brynne asked after an uncomfortable pause. “There’s a garden I’d like to show you, along with the stables. We’ve just had a foal born. Late in the season, I’m afraid, but she’s a strong little lady. You can help me come up with a name, if you’d like.”
“I’dloveto.” Grateful for the opportunity to leave their heavy conversation behind, Evie rose from her chair and followed Brynne out of the parlor.
Weston’s morning rideover hill and dale on a fresh, frisky mount had done him good. Not only had it helped to clear his head from the lingering effects of drinking too much with Sterling the night before, but it’d given him a way to expend his energy.
Outsideof the bedroom.
Hopefully, the gallop, coupled with the cold bath he’d taken upon waking, would alleviate any lingering fantasies he’d been nursing of Evie since their last kiss…and ease the throbbing between his thighs that was a constant reminder of how badly he wanted to kiss her again.
Everywhere.
