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“Exactly!” Grey had pounced on the possibility. “Envy over your esteemed position can be a powerful motivator.”
Miles pondered this for a moment, but he shook his head with a sigh. “Not a single man that I can call to memory has ever treated me with anything other than honest sincerity. I could not call one of them out for wishing me harm.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I fear this is a lost cause. Certainly, nothing more than a wild goose chase after an invisible villain. Other than Miss Stillwater, of course.”
And there they sat, no closer to understanding why the lady would wish to destroy his current happiness, other than the fact she wanted to engage her own.
He closed his eyes, wishing that he could turn the clock back and pretend that none of this mess had ever taken place. He wanted to return to that moment when he was with Olivia right here in this room, when he had finally convinced her to take a chance on him. He’d won her forgiveness, and yet, with a single accusation, he had lost any ground that he might have gained in her favor. And then some. He might not ever fully recover in her eyes, but he was going to do whatever it took to prove that he was sincere, both in words and actions.
The disappointment he’d read in her eyes, directed solely at him, had cut him to the quick. All night he’d felt as if he was bleeding from the inside out, and yet, with the dawn his eyes had opened to reveal a cold room and an even colder heart inside of his chest. All during his recovery he hadn’t dared to believe that he might wake up the next day, and yet, he had. For weeks, he wondered if he was about to breath his last, the pain had been excruciating and the healing process even worse, but he’d survived.
He wasn’t sure he could survive being without Olivia.
Miles glanced down at the neatly stitched cut in his hand where she had carefully administered to him the night he’d broken the pitcher, because he had been distracted by her presence. The very sight of it caused his eyes to sting.
He shoved the offensive hand through his hair.
“Perhaps you could take her back to London and drop her off at her father’s doorstep. Let her be his problem,” the earl suggested.
“If I thought it would work, you can be assured I would have already attempted to do so, but considering he was doing his best to implore me to adhere to the previous contract, I doubt he would be so easily persuaded to let the matter lie. Do you know that he actually admitted that people in society believed the reason for my reticence over the years was because my injuries from the war had caused me to go mad?” He snorted, and then pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the window. He crossed his arms as he stared out at the snow-covered ground that was just starting to melt from the sun’s rays. “I was hoping to resolve this matter quietly and efficiently. Perhaps I could speak to Miss Stillwater and see if there is some underlying motivation, other than gaining the title of duchess. Mayhap a few hundred pounds would be enough to placate her—”
“Don’t you dare,” Grey said furiously. He walked over and stood beside him. “As your future brother-in-law by marriage, youwillgain Lady Olivia’s hand and not that of some fortune-hunting interloper, or I shall remove to London myself and ensure that not a single shilling reaches her greedy palm.”
Miles couldn’t help but grin at the determination on the other man’s face. He didn’t know how he had managed to deserve such an ally as Lord Somers, but he was a force to be reckoned with. He set a hand on the earl’s shoulder. “I appreciate your loyal friendship, Grey. Rest assured it will not be misplaced.” He walked back over to his desk. “But I have something else in mind. Since I need to get to the heart of the matter as soon as possible, I will pen a letter to a few contacts in London to see what they can uncover. While Lord Rundale showed me a copy of the marriage contract, I should like to study it more closely. I assume that the duke kept a copy of the same document in a safe place. If not, I shall travel to London and confront the solicitor directly.”
“It soundsas if you are preparing for battle,” the earl intoned with a touch of mirth.
“Of course.” Miles looked at him steadily. “One does not fight alongside Wellington without learning a few things about achieving victory.”
* * *
Although Olivia had puton a brave face, she was grateful when Miss Stillwater, nor the duchess were in the dining room when she entered with Araminta. She wasn’t eager to see Miss Stillwater again, and she wasn’t sure she could look the duchess in the face and end all hope she had for Olivia’s marriage to her son.
However, she was grateful to see Isadora and Calliope. The latter jumped to her feet with a face wreathed in smiles, although, as usual, Isadora was a bit slower to rise, and her smile was genuine, if not a bit more reserved.
“I wanted to come and see if you were well this morning, but Minty forbade me to go.” Calliope glared at Araminta and Olivia wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d stuck out her tongue in order to make her point.
However, Olivia was quite sure the message was properly received, as Minty rolled her eyes. “Callie, really. I thought Livy might need my particular guidance this morning, but it seems the tables have turned. Our little sister has come into her own.”
Before Calliope could reply, a raspy, masculine voice spoke up behind Olivia. “She is quite a remarkable woman.”
Olivia stiffened, since she knew that voice would haunt her dreams for years to come, perhaps until the end of her days. She gathered her courage and made herself turn to face him. “Your Grace,” she said coolly.
When her heart immediately seized in her chest, she knew she’d made a terrible mistake.
Miles was so handsome that the air left her lungs in a rush. And it wasn’t as though he was dressed formally. He was wearing plain brown trousers with a matching jacket, a tan waistcoat, and a white cambric shirt and cravat.
It was hishairthat captured her attention.
It was no longer held back in a queue but shorn closer to his head.
A part of her wanted to weep at the loss, because she had grown quite used to the longer length. But she had to admit a certain part of her liked the change. He didn’t look quite so wild and untamed as before, but perhaps that is what she missed the most.
“Lady Olivia,” he returned almost huskily, and she had to glance away, lest she was singed by that scorching, obsidian gaze.
There was an awkward pause and then Isadora spoke up from her place at the table. “Your Grace, won’t you join us?”
As always, Isadora could be counted on to apply grace and diplomacy to any situation. It was why Olivia knew, that if any of her sisters could make it as a lady of business in a man’s world, she had the fortitude to tackle any unpleasant obstacle.
“I would be honored, Lady Isadora.” He bowed slightly in her direction and then headed for the sideboard to fill his plate.
