Page 16 of The Lady Was Lying
James wasn’t entirely certain what Greydon meant by complications, but when the other man asked a second time if he would come for dinner, he graciously accepted the invitation.
“Unfortunately, my wife Clarissa and I cannot join you this evening,” Danford informed them. “We are due at her parent’s house, and we’ve already canceled once. Canceling again would be foolhardy. Her father is not a patient man.”
“Maybe the ladies can organize a dinner party between our families soon?” Greydon proposed.
“I will suggest it to Clarissa.” Danford exchanged a look with Greydon and then refocused on James. “If you’d like, you could meet my other sister and brothers along with my wife and sons.”
Even though it might be foolish to form a deeper connection, James wanted to. “That sounds wonderful.” He managed to squeeze the words through his tight throat. He had a family—more than just his mother—and while he didn’t know exactly what his relationship with them could be, he was eager to find out.
“Excellent.” Danford rose. “We should be off before it gets any later.”
James nodded. “Of course. It was…good of you to call.” His words felt inadequate, but what else could he say?
Both he and Greydon stood up too.
In the normal course of events, James would not escort guests out of his house, but he found himself leading them into the hallway anyway. It was a much more comfortable walk than the one they’d shared earlier, and James lingered in the entrance hall while the other two men waited for their outerwear.
When they had shrugged into their greatcoats and donned their hats, James wasn’t entirely sure what to do, so he settled on repeating their titles, “Greydon. Danford. Pleasure.” He sounded far more stilted than he’d like, but he’d never been introduced to a brother before.
“Please call me Eliot,” Danford said, before taking a few steps and pulling James into a tight hug.
Having grown up as the heir to a dukedom, James was used to a certain distance between himself and others, but Danford did not seem to have the same reserve. Stunned by the casual affection, he didn’t manage to hug him back. Instead, he stood stock-still until he was released. “I am James,” he added awkwardly.
He still hadn’t recovered when Greydon reached out and shook his hand. “Eight sharp.”
“I’ll be there.” James nodded and waved farewell, more than a little off balance from the revelations of the day.
Chapter Four
When Belinda returned home from her misadventure at the bookstore, she was cornered by Sebastian and Emmeline’s daughter Arianna and convinced to go to the park. She didn’t realize they were to be joined by Emmeline and Jane—in addition to Arianna’s nursemaid—until they were nearly out the door. She could have changed her mind, but Arianna would have been disappointed, and she had to talk to Jane at some point, so she followed everyone out of the house. She trod along slowly, dreading the fact that she needed to apologize, while listening to Arianna chatter about how fast she could run.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, snagging her sister’s arm when Arianna darted off the path toward the patch of green in the center of the park.
Jane halted, her eyes latching onto Belinda’s face. “You don’t have to apologize. It isn’t your fault that I keep trying to force you to consider marriage. If anything, I should be the one to apologize.”
“Not at all. I overreacted. You want me to be happy, and I know that your heart is in the right place. I need to keep a tighter rein on my temper.”
“You didn’t overreact. I pushed too hard. I’m aware that I’ve been somewhat self-absorbed recently. I’m also aware that you came to my debut even though you didn’t want to. I’m sorry that I failed to appreciate the memories it forced you to confront. I still don’t know all the details of your season, but if you ever feel like talking about what happened then, I’d be more than happy to listen. I won’t hold whatever horrible things you believe you’ve done against you.”
Jane was far too kind, and Belinda wanted to discuss her past even less than she wanted to discuss her future, so she replied, “Let’s try to forget about this morning and enjoy the afternoon.” Weaving their arms together, she led Jane toward where Emmeline and the nursemaid were watching Arianna run around in circles.
“Promise you aren’t angry any longer?” Jane asked softly after a couple of steps.
“Promise.” Any residual frustration she harbored would surely dissipate if she ignored it.
Arianna shrieked and then tumbled head over heels in the grass, laughing heartily when she landed on her back. No one in their group could resist laughing with her, not even Belinda.
They didn’t speak about anything of consequence for the remainder of the outing. Belinda tried to pretend everything was fine, but the lingering looks from Jane made her wonder if she was succeeding. When they returned to the townhouse, they followed Arianna into her nursery and found Sebastian waiting for them.
“Papa,” Arianna shouted, launching herself at Sebastian without the slightest bit of decorum. “Park.”
“Park,” he repeated, lifting her off the ground and pointing at the grass stains on her shoulder and the leaves in her hair, before dropping a kiss on her forehead. “It looks as if you brought the park home with you.”
Arianna giggled. “I ran. I fell down.” Her tiny hands flailed around her face.
“I can see.” Laughing himself, Sebastian leaned over and dropped a kiss on Emmeline’s forehead. Arianna clambered out of his arms, ran in a circle, and fell dramatically to her knees.
“Fall down,” she shouted.
