Page 27

‘I invited your brother for a visit,’ Charlotte said smoothly. ‘And he will join us for Christmas breakfast, as well.’

Alaric eyed his wife. ‘And were you going to ask me if I wanted him here? Brothers can be annoying.’

She ignored his gruff statement and said softly, ‘Christmas is a time for family. Your brother is your family, so I thought he would enjoy sharing the holiday with us.’

Thornton reached for a tea cake and sent him a wicked smile. ‘She asked me what you wanted for Christmas. I told her—’

‘Don’t,’ he interrupted. His brother’s reputation as a rake was well known. He could only guess what Thornton had suggested Charlotte offer him for Christmas.

And it was only confirmed when Thornton winked at him with a bold grin.

Alaric didn’t smile but took the cup of tea Charlotte offered him. He was about to reach for the milk when he looked down and noticed it had already been added. With a frown, he took a sip and realised it was exactly the way he took his tea.

His wife had noticed. Or perhaps she had asked a servant.

The thought startled him—no, humbled him. He’d paid almost no attention to Charlotte, even though they’d been married for several days now. When he glanced at her own cup, he couldn’t quite tell what she’d added to her tea.

He sat beside his wife while she told Thornton about her visit to the village and the people she’d met. Her green eyes sparkled with humour when she cast him a look and admitted, ‘I met Mrs Abrams, who was selling knitted wares.’

The unspoken hint was that she had indeed bought him socks, as she’d threatened.

‘What do you want for Christmas, Thornton?’ she asked brightly.

‘Oh, I imagine it would be the same thing my brother desires,’ he said.

A growl caught in Alaric’s throat, and he shook his head slowly in a silent warning. Don’t you dare.

Thornton’s expression turned devilish. But before he could say something inappropriate, Charlotte interrupted. ‘Socks for both of you, then.’

Thornton choked on his tea. Then he grinned at Alaric. ‘Is that what they’re calling it these days? I thought it was pronounced differently.’

Confusion slid over the duchess’s face, and Alaric wanted to throttle his younger brother for the sexual innuendo. Before she could ask what Thornton was talking about, he said, ‘Allow me to escort you out, Thorn. We wouldn’t want you to overstay your welcome.’

‘Don’t be rude, Your Grace,’ Charlotte chided. ‘I’ve already told Thornton he can join us for supper.’

His brother seemed to guess that he was treading upon thin ice, and he laughed, shaking his head as he turned to Charlotte. ‘It’s kind of you, Your Grace, but I really should be getting back to Wintermere.’

‘Oh, do call me Charlotte,’ she insisted. ‘And promise you’ll join us for Christmas.’

Alaric rather wished she’d asked him first, but it was too late to rescind the invitation. Thornton clearly had no reservations at all.

‘Of course.’ He took her hand and kissed it. ‘I’ll let you walk me to the door, Alaric.’

His brother was most definitely up to something. Alaric followed Thornton to the door, but when Charlotte looked as if she intended to join them, he motioned her back. ‘There’s something I need to speak with my brother about in private. I’ll return soon.’

His wife sat down again, but there was a trace of disappointment in her expression.

Alaric walked alongside his brother in the hallway and asked, ‘Were you aware that Father took out several loans?’

His brother’s expression turned uneasy. ‘Unfortunately. Towards the end, his mind was so lost, I don’t think he was aware of our finances.’

A flash of guilt slid through Alaric, for his father had said nothing of the debts, and he hadn’t known of them. At the time, he’d had Thornton’s courtesy title of marquess and had been focused on Wintermere instead of Severn. Now he wished he’d paid more attention.

‘I also saw a number of donations to charity.’

Thornton’s face tightened. ‘Likely donations he shouldn’t have made.’ He glanced at his brother. ‘Do you need my help?’

‘I need you to look after Wintermere. Let me know if anything is in need of repair or if there are problems I should be aware of.’