Page 39 of The Tempting of a Devilish Lord

He scarcely acknowledged her sister with even so much as a look. “You have not written to me in weeks, Lucinda.”

“We’ve been rather busy...”

“Too busy to put quill to paper?” he demanded. “Lucinda, I was mightily worried about you.”

“I do not know why.” She gestured inside. “Will you come in for tea? Mrs. Barker can put some on for us.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“But we were to go rowing,” Mary-Anne protested. “We need to go now, Lucinda. Please.”

“We can row tomorrow,” she assured her.

Mary-Anne gave a pained expression. “No. We need to gonow.”

“Rowing is hardly the most feminine of pursuits,” Bernie said. “You would be wise to listen to your sister, Mary-Anne.”

Her sister gave a huff. “Fine, then I shall go for a walk.”

“Mary-Anne,” Lucinda called after her, but Bernie put a hand to her arm.

“Leave her be. She must learn she cannot always get her own way.”

Lucinda bit back a sharp response, rankled by his manner toward her sister. Mary-Anne was not the easiest person to manage but Bernie did not need to treat her like a child. “You came all this way because I did not write for a while?”

“Well, I have business in Yorkshire,” he explained.

“Ah.”

That made more sense. Bernie was fulfilling his lawyerly duties rather than desperately worrying for her welfare. After so many years of writing to one another, she would have been surprised indeed if he had made a journey specially to see her.

“Though, I was worried.” He followed her into the house and divested himself of his outerwear, moving as though he owned the house. He gestured around. “It is a little small. I do wonder why your mother brought you here. I hear tell of several scandalous men in your midst. It is the talk of London.”

She ignored the pang the mention of Alex and his brothers created and led Bernie through to the parlor.

“I would not know much about that,” Lucinda said stiffly. “We have met the Marquis of Kirbeck, and his brothers, and they seem quite pleasant.”

“So you do know to whom I refer.” His lips tightened as he sat. “I do hope you have not been reckless, Lucinda.”

“Reckless? How on earth could I have been reckless?”

“Your sister is quite a bad influence.”

“My sister is ten years my junior. I hardly think she can be a bad influence on me.” She dropped onto the sofa but kept her back rigid.

“You are a good girl, Lucinda. I should so hate to see that change.”

Yes. Good. And boring. And scarcely living her life. Seeing Bernie brought it into even more stark relief. This was how she had been spending her days, writing to a man who scarcely tolerated her sister and never had anything interesting to say.

Unlike Alex.

“Anyway, I am glad to see you looking so well. You look quite…well.”

“I am well.”

“Yes. I can see that.” He clapped his hands to his thighs. “Shall we have some tea? I have the most marvelous rock to show you.”

Inwardly, Lucinda groaned.

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