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“Well…”
“You may be my twin, but you are also a female. Can’t tell you everything.”
Mandy laughed, “Nevertheless, in this instance, I do think she is trying to take advantage of you.”
“Then you think she wants me for my inheritance?” Ned sighed over the fact.
“Oh my dear, any woman with a decent soul would want you—for who you are and even though you are my brother, I have eyes in my head. You are passably fair.”
He snorted.
“But I have never thought Celia possessed much of a soul, decent or otherwise.”
“Well, that is coming on a bit strong about her, but…”
His sister cut him off as something occurred to her, “Ned, think what it would be like to have Aunt Agatha as your mother-in-law!”
He choked and she gave over to a fit of the giggles. As they approached a large young farmer who stopped to tip his hat to her as he smiled flirtatiously, Mandy stopped laughing and gave him a warm “Good-morning.”
“Aye then, lass, it is now,” the farmer lad said.
She beamed and turned to find her brother frowning at her.
“You can’t go around the countryside flirting with every man you see,” Ned remarked disapprovingly.
She turned a shocked expression, “Now see here, brother. There is a world of difference between flirting and simply being pleasantly polite, and besides, he was ever so good looking!” This said, she burst out laughing.
“You know, even so, you don’t want to…”
She cut him off with a wave of her hand, “It isn’t fair, that men can go about saying outrageous things and stealing kisses and a woman can not.”
“Well, as to that, if a woman is discreet, there is no saying what she can and can’t do,” Ned grinned broadly. “But, you are my sister, so I don’t think I’ll discuss such things with you.”
Mandy laughed musically and shook her head and her brother said nothing more for a few minutes as they maneuvered through a wide gate and through a grassy field, but it became apparent to Mandy that he had in fact, returned his thoughts to the Celia situation when he remarked, “Aunt Agatha…mother-in-law? Fiend seize such a notion and send it to perdition, sister! I never did one thing to lead Celia into thinking I was ready for marriage.”
“Then tell her so and have done before she continues this game of hers.” Mandy eyed him and added, her tone full of banter, “I did notice Neddy, that even yesterday she managed to take you off for a long walk and I am not green enough to think that all you two did was walk.” She put up a hand to stall him. “We both know you have kissed her. So then, that allows her to say you led her on.”
“No, it doesn’t! If every man who kissed a woman could be forced to the altar, it would be all hell to pay.”
“Neddy!” laughed his sister.
“Well,
I did kiss her, or rather she kissed me and yes, I kissed her back, but then I set her away and walked her back to the house and only once, Mandy. I swear, only one kiss yesterday because I’m a man yes, but not at all interested in Celia.”
Mandy grimaced, “Well, Ned, it’s marriage the chit now seems to have in mind, so depend upon it, she will cease on anything to convince Aunt Agatha you led her on, she might even say…you tried already to seduce her. Better end this clearly the next time she tries to get you alone, for you just might be seduced before you realize what has happened.”
He frowned across at her and admonished, “Mandy!”
“Faith Ned, think you are the only one up to snuff? Just because I haven’t been to London for my season, doesn’t mean I don’t know the way of things. I have many friends already married and we have had our heads together a time or two.” She laughed at his expression.
He made no response to this and they continued along the trail through the pasture, taking a shortcut to Harrowgate Village.
Both were lost in thought and neither paid any heed to the beauty of the landscape. The heather was near its glory and its purple held a tantalizing scent. Harebells fluttered in the summer breeze and invited admiration. However, Mandy was too preoccupied to do more than give it all a slight glance. She was far more disturbed than her bantering had indicated. Her brother, the young baron, Edward Sherborne was headed for trouble, and she did not see any easy way out if he would not immediately take a stand away from their cousin, Celia Brinley. Knowing Ned, he would hope it might all fade away and not seek her out to end it.
The young woman in question was a tall, elegant, fashionable (beyond her means), secretive and quite lovely chit. Their aunt and Celia’s stepmother, Agatha Brinley, had brought her to Ned’s attention, directly after their grandfather’s funeral, a little more than a year ago.
Their aunt Agatha had inherited very little from their grandfather and being a widow of limited means, this had come as a blow. She invited herself to stay on at Sherborne Halls, in order according to her, look after the twins, who at nineteen did not think they needed looking after.
