He leaned toward me, his eyes unyielding yet full of something dangerously close to admiration. “I would expect no less from you, Miss Grenville,” he said, his tone low. “Regardless, you intrigue me too much to simply walk away. Take me to your salons and astronomy sites. I won’tcomplain. Unless there is someone else who has your affection, such as Lord Chudley with his invitation to his ball. Is there an understanding between the two of you?”
A vision of Lord Chudley’s broad shoulders and golden hair filled my mind. That, and the flirtatious twinkle in his eyes.
“Not as of yet, for I have only just met him,” I answered pertly. Dismay filled me. Mr. Sinclair obviously liked a challenge.
He regarded me for a long moment, his mouth quirking again. “Very well. If I may be as honest as you have been with me, I am looking forward to the adventures you promise.”
7:Sebastian
I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit.
To this I owe everything.
WILLIAM CAREY
I descended the staircase in the Grenville townhouse the next morning, my nerves thrumming from lack of sleep. Most of the night, I had tossed and turned, mulling over my conversation with Miss Grenville. What an impossible task lay before me. Frustration suffused me that both of our grandfathers would prove so heavy-handed in their demands. Had the colonel truly sequestered his granddaughter in the countryside, never letting her live in London until now? Clearly he had threatened her, just as my own had with me.
An inheritance and a life of isolation.
Hardly what a marriage ought to be built on.
Failure was not an option. If I faltered, everything would pass to my younger brother, Julien—a self-serving man who thought only of himself. The plantation workers, already vulnerable, would suffer under his harshness, and I couldn’t allow that. For their sake. Miss Grenville’s complaints about the East India Company would be amplified tenfold under his hand. If I had the authority, I’d have dismissed him already.
How strange to think that my future hung in the balance of two delicate hands owned by Miss Grenville.
My pulse surged as I strode into the morning room papered a bright yellow. The cheerful walls clashed with my grim mood, and I saw no sign of her, causing a flicker of disappointment that I attempted to quash.
Edward glanced up from his paper as he motioned for me to join him at the table.
“My sister will not be joining us. A megrim, or so I’ve been told. Or did your conversation last night prove the real difficulty?”
I sat next to him. “I suspect any megrim comes from the threat of an unwanted marriage.”
He thrust the paper into my hands. “I have no doubt. I do not envy your task.”
Numb, I stared at the headlines, too discouraged to reply.
NEW PROCLAMATION ON TRADE REGULATIONS SPARKS DEBATE IN BENGAL
The East India Company has issued directives concerning the cultivation of key cash crops and revisions to land revenue systems. Critics, such as William Wilberforce, fear these measures may place undue strain upon local agricultural communities, leading to unrest among prominent landholders. Reports suggest rising tensions within the Bengal Presidency...
“I am to meet with Mr. Wilberforce later this week,” I said with a wince as I set the paper down, my appetite fled.
“I wish you luck,” Mr. Grenville said cryptically. “He has the unique ability to ferret out a lie. You will not easily persuade him, nor my sister.”
Lord, guide me in this. Let me see beyond her prickly defenses to understand the pain lurking beneath.Any other man would have marched outof the Grenville townhome while his dignity remained intact, considering her shenanigans. But I was not like other men, and I had a duty to fulfill. I could not abandon my quest quite yet.
Regardless, I didn’t know whether to bite my cheek or tug on those curls once again. Difficult woman!
“Your sister... She is not an easy woman to understand. She told me of your shared history in Hyderabad. A tragic past,” I said, careful to keep my tone neutral. “Despite what she has endured, she has a spirit about her. A strength of will.”
Edward’s brow lifted slightly, though his gaze remained on the coffee in his hand. “Kit has had to be strong.” He set his cup down with a clink. “I daresay she’s been given no choice. I don’t expect you to understand the full weight of it, Mr. Sinclair, since you have had the benefit of being fully English, able to go where you wish and say as you please. But suffice it to say, my sister has been hurt more deeply than most realize. I hope you will keep that in mind with this arranged marriage.”
A complicated family, as complicated as my own.
“Tread carefully with her, or I shall be obliged to intervene, and you will not like it. Allow her to make her own decision.” The edge in his voice warned me against further questions. Still, his words lingered, leaving me with a growing sense of urgency. If I was to win her trust, I needed to rethink my approach.
“You have my word. I will accept her decision, whatever it may be.” Then, before I could help myself and sounding entirely too eager, “Will I see her later today?”
