“And who is that?”Grayson asked, willing her to respond.
She did, with a vehemence that surprised him.“Uncle Jasper!”
“Your mother’s brother?”Grayson hazarded a guess since no one had assumed the title.“And where is he?”
“Who knows?Vienna?Rome?We have never seen him.He leaves addresses, and Kate writes, but he rarely answers.”
“What of your solicitors?”
Lucy shrugged.“Kate went to see them after Papa died, but Uncle stands guardian until we marry.”Her eyes narrowed.“I knew even Wroth… or rather, my beloved… would never gain permission.I wanted to elope, but he said that he would not hear of it.He did not want to damage my reputation,” she added in a voice that dared Grayson to disagree.
Then she lifted her chin in a gesture that revealed her resemblance to Kate.“And now, I fear that Jasper has done some mischief to come between us.”
Grayson’s jaw tightened.Jasper had already been up to plenty of mischief.It sounded as though he had taken the girls’ inheritance and left them with nothing but a house that required an immense amount of upkeep.
His musings were interrupted by his companion, who chose that moment to burst into tears again.She fell upon his chest, and Grayson absently lifted a hand to her shoulder, while he anticipated his first meeting with the infamous uncle.
“Hush.I will take care of Jasper.Now tell me what your young man looks like,” Grayson said.
Lucy sniffed.“He is young and handsome, with light brown hair and blue eyes, and he is not at all cruel, like some I could name.”
“Describe what you mean by ‘not cruel,’” Grayson said dryly.
“He does not have your insufferable arrogance, nor does he talk to me in a way that makes me feel inferior,” she replied, pulling away to glare at him through wet lashes.
As she spoke, Grayson began to form a suspicion about this estimable fellow that made his lips curve wryly.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me!”Lucy snapped.“Oh, I don’t care what you think.I hate you!”
Far from being insulted.Grayson contemplated the ungrateful chit with a lift of his brow.“Oh?”
“Yes!Because you are nothim!You have ruined everything.”She sobbed.“You have destroyed the last of my illusions.”
Grayson drew in a sharp breath.He would never have expected to hear such honesty and insight from her sulky mouth.He studied her anew, as she bent her head, her auburn curls falling forward to hide her face, her hands coming up to cover the sounds of genuine sobs.Maybe Lucy was more like her sister than he thought.Or maybe not.
Whatever her disposition, he was bound to help her find her missing man, for her sake and his own.But if his suspicions were correct, by the time he was through, Lucy would have even more cause to despise him.
Kate stared at the door for a long time.She wasn’t sure what was more astonishing: that the Marquess of Wroth had gone after Lucy, or that she had let him.But she stayed where she was, relieved not to have to take on the onerous task herself.
“Bloody high-handed bastard,” Tom grumbled.
“Yes,” Kate agreed softly.A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, for she had grown to like Grayson’s imperiousness.His haughty stare and his very arrogance had begun to appeal to her.
Come, bathe me, Kate.The memory of those words and his heavy-lidded gaze made her blush.Even the soft request had sounded like a command, and she, who never took orders from anyone, had nearly obeyed.Kate shivered, forcing such thoughts aside when she noticed Tom eyeing her sourly.
“You aren’t going to let him go after her, are you?”
Kate almost flinched at the harsh accusation.She was so weary of doing everything, of being looked to for each decision.What harm was there in letting Grayson tend to Lucy?
And yet, wasn’t this the very thing that she had feared?Already she was giving ground to Grayson’s strength, Kate realized, with something akin to panic.It would be so easy to let him take charge of the household and of herself, but then what?She shuddered at the consequences, knowing she could not give in to temptation.
“He’ll do more harm than good,” Tom warned.
The coachman was right, of course.Grayson was hardly one to cater to Lucy’s wayward moods.He was more likely to terrify than to soothe her.Biting back a sigh, Kate straightened her shoulders and rose to her feet.
Making her way through the garden, Kate noticed its neglect and mentally cataloged the slew of chores that awaited her.She would never get them all finished before autumn, and the knowledge threatened to weigh down her already heavy mood.She brushed it off, telling herself instead to welcome the sun that had finally decided to show itself.
Blinking in the light, Kate saw Grayson and Lucy seated together on the bench under the old alder, and she climbed the gentle slope toward them.Her steps slowed, however, when she watched Lucy throw herself against Grayson.His arms closed around her, and Kate stopped dead at the sight of the intimate embrace.For a long moment, she simply stared, too stunned to make sense of the scene.
