Page 64 of Tempting Her Viscount

“Good morning, brother.”

“Good morning. How was your trip? And before you answer, please know that I don’t want to hear any of the details and am pretending you were with a female friend visiting her elderly grandmother who had taken ill but is doing much better.”

Celia patted him on the shoulder. “Understood. Then I’m happy to inform you that the elderly grandmother has made a full recovery and is quite satisfied with her time in the country. I believe she has a spring to her step from all the wonderful—”

Gray groaned. “That’s well enough. Sit and eat your meal.”

Laughing, she took her seat and thanked Guthrie for serving her.

“I am glad to have you back, and luckier still that you never moved away. I am sorry for trying to order you about. I know better than to try to boss you around.”

“Thank you. To be honest, I never really went to find a new home. I only wanted you to think I did.” She knew well how to handle her brother to get what she wanted.

“I know that because I met with the property managers and made sure to tell them how the last place you’d let had burned to the ground.” Perhaps, Gray knew well how to manage her as well.

She smacked him, knowing he was joking. Or hoping he was anyway.

Her smile faded as she looked across the table to the vacant seat that was occupied by Kit most mornings.

“Is everything all right?” Gray asked.

She let out a sigh. “I imagine you would not care to know.”

“Perhaps not the details, but I am getting better at pretending if you’d like to talk about it.”

“Nothing is right, per se. But it is as it should be.”

“You would not go wrong to marry him, CeeCee.” Gray shrugged, giving an air of indifference to words she knew he meant to his very soul.

“I do know that. But I’m not ready to marry and he is.”

“He would wait for you to be ready.”

“It’s not fair of me to ask him to wait for me to be ready. Especially since I don’t know how long it might take.” If ever.

“All this romantic business causes more pain than happiness. I have no idea why anyone would want to get tied up in such a scheme.”

“I agree. Much better just to take strangers to your bed for mutual gratification.”

Gray coughed and dropped his fork, as he pushed his plate away.

“Are you not going to eat your toast,” she asked pleasantly as she snatched it from his plate.

“Blast it, CeeCee, you did that on purpose.”

“What? Never,” she poured on the innocence and batted her eyelashes.

“Keep with this behavior and I might kick you out of Penbrook House myself,” he threatened with an indulgent grin.

After breakfast, she left the house for Berwick Street as she had many times over the last few months. This time however she wasn’t there to sneak into Kit’s rooms, so she used the front entrance.

The butler opened the door and stared as if he didn’t recognize her. He was older, but seemed sound of mind the other times she’d encountered him.

“I’ll announce your arrival,” he finally said and left awkwardly toward the study. He returned and led her to the room where she’d spent many hours in a state of undress. A shiver of anticipation ran up her spine but she shook it off. She wasn’t here for that.

“Lady Hamlin,” the butler said and left. Kit rose from behind his desk and waited for her to take her seat before sitting again.

“Good day, countess. How are you?”