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Jacob cursed himself a thousand times as he looked down at that damn veil covering her face. Emily was a fragile and protected beauty and on the few occasions they’d met, he could not deny that he felt her appeal. Intimately.
But until this morning, he’d kept his emotions well within check. He was not the sort of man who dallied with a viscount’s daughter. Not an eligible one, anyway.
He liked his life just as it was, which was free of entanglement, devoid of commitment, and full of pleasure.
But after watching Emily this morning…
Not even he was cold-hearted enough to leave her to face this day alone. Was he going to regret this? Likely yes.
Jacob returned to the sitting room, Mr. Barrow looking decidedly irritable as he fidgeted with his glasses and adjusted his pocket watch. “My lord,” the man began before Jacob had even sat. “There was little point in seeing the lady off.”
“Why is that?”
“The details are not for you to discuss.” The man somehow looked down his nose at Jacob despite being several inches shorter.
“Which details are those?” he asked, wishing for something stronger than tea. He knew it was a bad habit to drink as often as he did, but then again, life so often disappointed. He scraped a hand through his overlong hair.
“The ones that pertain to my client. I ought not to share them with anyone other than the new viscount.” The man continued to fidget, pulling at his waistcoat and straightening his cravat. “The problem is that Miss Cranston has—” The man stopped, his lips pressing together.
Jacob sighed. He understood the solicitor’s dilemma. Still, Jacob could not help Emily if he didn’t know of any potential problems. And for some ludicrous reason, he was intent upon helping her.
At times, Ashton had felt like his only family, and he couldn’t leave Ash’s only living relative to flounder. He should pay Ashton back and this was his chance.
Besides, Emily seemed so fragile, and what was happening to her might lay even the strongest low. He’d not allow himself to get so tangled that he’d forget who and what he was, a man who did not allow himself to become attached to anyone.
Ever.
And he wouldn’t to Emily. He was a seasoned rake, and she was just an innocent debutante. Hardly seasoned at all.
A small voice argued the point, he found her innocence refreshing, captivating even. Her grace and kindness were like a beacon and her beauty bewitching. But he turned that voice off. This was Ashton’s sister and besides, innocence quickly faded and then he’d be left with the same sort of woman he knew well…
He wasn’t meant to be tied to any female’s apron strings.
Assured that he was not in danger of compromising his way of life, he gave Barrow an easy smile. “Mister Barrow, between you and I, I was in the process of negotiating with the viscount when his untimely death interrupted.”
“Negotiating?”
Jacob gave a quick grimace that he quickly covered. He needed to know what was happening, which meant misleading Mr. Barrow into giving him information. Jacob would like to say that this was a first, but he was rather adept at fooling people into acting as he wished.
Which meant he knew the pitfalls to avoid.
“Emily and I…” He lifted his brows. He’d not say engaged. He was speaking to a solicitor, and he’d have preferred if the man inferred meaning rather than Jacob outwardly saying words he’d have to retract later. But he wanted Barrow to think it. He wanted the man to know that in Ashton’s absence, Jacob was the man to trust.
Mr. Barrow’s eyes widened, his hands smoothing down his middle. “I see.”
Jacob could practically see the man calculating behind his spectacles, his pupils quickly moving left to right. And then he seemed to relax his shoulders. “All around, that makes everything easier.”
Jacob had to agree.
Of course, he wasn’t engaged to Emily, nor would he ever be, but Ashton would surely forgive the fib when he learned that Jacob only wished to protect the man’s sister. Then again, perhaps this was the exact sort of behavior that made him so like his mother. But he pushed that thought aside. He was in it now, and he didn’t see another way. “So tell me. What should I know?”
“Well, if you were negotiating a dowry then you’re aware already. Aren’t you?”
Jacob lifted his brows. Know what? But he didn’t say a word. He found that silence often forced the other person to begin speaking.
Which was exactly what Mr. Barrow did. “But perhaps you’d not reached that point yet in your negotiations.”
“Perhaps,” he replied, again not committing to anything.
