Page 3 of The Gentleman Was Right
“You don’t have to exert yourself,” Sebastian told him. “It isn’t particularly urgent. The expenses are puzzling, but not significant enough that they can’t extend until Higgins is available.”
Edward’s shoulders drooped.
“Someone needs to go. Why not me?” he demanded, uncharacteristically brusque.
Why was Sebastian so willing to send Higgins dashing about the country, but so hesitant to allow Edward to do anything at all?
“You’ve been a tremendous help to me already. You have nothing to prove,” Sebastian said gently, as if Edward was fragile.
Edward didn’t sigh, although he sure as hell wanted to.
His brother didnotunderstand. Sebastian probablycouldn’tunderstand, because his responsibilities had increased over the course of the past year rather than decreased. He was the earl, the head of the family, the one who had been responsible for restoring the fortune their father had squandered. And now, he had a new wife and a baby on the way. What did he know of being unnecessary?
“I require a task. I am”—Edward searched for the best word to use, but the only one that came to mind was—“bored.”
“Bored?” Sebastian’s brow shot up as if he were unfamiliar with the sentiment.
Edward groaned. “Why won’t you let me do anything?”
“I hadn’t realized you needed something to do. You were at Greydon Hall all those years, and—” Sebastian winced as he cut himself off.
It was lucky that he stopped when he did, because if he had finished that sentence Edward would have been tempted to leap over the desk and strangle him. His brother knew quite well that he’d had his hands full while at their country seat. “I wasn’t doing nothing.”
Sebastian smiled weakly. “Of course. I know you weren’t. Bloody hell. I’m undervaluing you again, aren’t I?” He quieted for a moment before nodding. “If you would like to go to the cottage, then I would appreciate your assistance.”
It wasn’t a glowing endorsement, but Edward would take it anyway.
He resisted the urge to leap to his feet, dash out of the room, and head out of town before Sebastian could change his mind, but even if he wanted to be rash, he couldn’t, because he had no idea where the cottage was located. Furthermore, because he had never been there, it would behoove him to discover as much as he could before he left, so he sat patiently and listened while Sebastian told him about the village, the housekeeper, and the cottage itself.
When Sebastian was finished talking, Edward offered to depart the next morning.
Sebastian agreed and then added, “If you’re unsure how to handle the situation once you discover what is afoot, send me a missive and I will advise.”
“Of course,” Edward replied, although he had no intention of appealing to his brother for help. Surely he could handle a thieving housekeeper on his own. If he proved himself useful, perhaps he could take on other tasks for the earldom. With something constructive to do, he left the study with more bounce in his step than he’d had in weeks.
ChapterTwo
Violet was curled in a chair reading a book when her sixteen-year-old sister stormed into the room. Isabelle didn’t pause to speak. She simply grabbed Violet’s arm, tugged her to her feet, and dragged her out onto the back terrace. Isabelle moved briskly down the weathered steps and then kept going down the hill toward the shoreline.
When they reached the water’s edge, Isabelle pivoted and continued until they were out of view of the house. Violet didn’t protest, nor did she suggest they stop moving.
Isabelle came to an abrupt halt near some jagged rocks and surveyed their surroundings as if confirming they were alone. When she was apparently satisfied, she looked at Violet and said, “We have a problem.”
Violet swallowed thickly as her sister started pacing.
“What happened?” she asked, as calmly as she could.
Since their father’s death, Violet had made a consistent effort to remain rational regardless of the obstacles life hurled in her direction, but it was not always easy, especially since she had discovered her fiancé Basil’s true character.
Isabelle kept pacing. “I was coming up the lane—I’d gone to visit Betsy—and a carriage rolled by. Afancycarriage drawn by two perfectly-matched horses. I moved to the side and watched as it turned down the lane toward the cottage.” Her hands fluttered at her sides. “I ran through the trees as fast as I could, and?—”
“Lord Greydon,” Violet whispered.
He wasnottheir worst nightmare.
But he was close.
The arrival of the owner of the cottage would ruin everything. Violet had begun to hope that he’d never come, but just because he hadn’t visited in years didn’t mean he would stay away indefinitely. Once they had settled in, she had asked the villagers questions as subtly as she could about the absent earl, and they had happily obliged her. They were a nosy, boisterous lot, and they liked to reminisce about the one and only time Lord Greydon had visited, so it hadn’t taken much prodding to get more information about him than she required. The women were fond of lamenting the fact that they might never see his handsome face again, and every time they had complained about it, Violet had felt a bit more confident that it was safe to remain.
