Page 9 of A Summer Romance
“You will need to sponge the hem of your new dress,” Lady Meg called after her.“I won’t ask how it happened because I am sure you will spin me some tale.”
Breana thought it best not to answer that, and hurried upstairs to her bedchamber.
There were too many children in Starling Hall for her to have a room to herself, and she shared hers with Christine.Her trunk was only half packed and she still needed to finish it.She had hoped to do so in peace and quiet.
Unfortunately, Christine was there, and Breana wouldn’t have been surprised if she had been going through her things.The other day she had been wearing one of Breana’s bonnets as if it were her own.
Breana glared at her as she closed the door, while Christine hummed to herself innocently.This was never a good sign.
“Where were you?”Christine asked once it was obvious Breana was not going to speak.With a sly smile, she added, “I’ll wager you were at Barton Manor.Mama would not like that.Should I tell her?”
“If you do,” Breana snapped, “I will tell her who pulled up her favourite marigold and thought it was a weed, then fed the evidence to the goat.”
Christine’s eyes widened, and then she laughed.“All right,” she said, “keep your secrets.Make a fool of yourself over Francis Norris if you want to.I couldn’t care less.”
Breana opened her mouth to tell her sister she wouldn’t want Francis if he was covered in custard and put in an apple pie—her favourite pudding—then thought better of it.
“If you want to set your cap at one of that family,” Christine went on, sounding much older than her sixteen years, “then it should be Theodore.”
Breana scoffed, startled, and a little guilty.“Theodore!Why on earth would I want to marry him?”
“Because he is kind and looks after his parents and his brothers, and sometimes has a lovely smile, though I admit not often.I think he doesn’t smile often because he worries so much about keeping everyone happy.”
Breana wanted to tell Christine she was talking nonsense, but it was possible that it might not be.Her heart sank a little, remembering her behaviour in the orchard today, going to meet Francis and lying about it.If Theodore was working so hard to look after his family, then what must he think of Breana’s selfish actions?
Christine watched her with interest.“Ah, you think I’m right, don’t you?Well, if you want to marry Theodore, you’d better hurry up.Otherwise, when I grow upIintend to marry him.”With that, she flounced off, leaving Breana to her thoughts.
When Theo’s eyes had looked into hers, they had been very intent.He had warned her about his brother, and he had been right.Then, when she had almost fallen and he had caught her, it had felt very nice to be held in his arms.Why had she never noticed these things before?Why had she shown him only the careless side of her nature?
She wasn’t going to marry Theo.Of course not.She would probably never marry at all and die a spinster, just as she imagined was Abby’s fate.But she told herself she should be kinder to him next time they met.Perhapsshecould make him smile?Christine was right, he had a nice smile, though he frowned far more often.
She put her hands to her cheeks, feeling them heat in embarrassment.
It was never too late to change his opinion of her.The next time she saw him, she resolved to make him like her better.There was no harm in that, surely?But it would have to wait until she returned from London.
Chapter five
FIVE
Theo took a deep breath and rapped loudly on the library door.There was a grunt and the rustle of a newspaper, which he took as an “Enter.”The room was rank with pipe smoke, and he tried not to breathe too deeply.
“Father, we need to talk,” he said.
His father looked up at him with a frown.“Not now.Can’t you see I am busy?”
This was how every conversation started, and most of the time ended.Theo almost gave up then, but this might be his last chance.He stiffened his spine and pushed back his shoulders, and prepared to do battle.No more could his father bury his head in the sand.
He had tried to win his sire over to his plan, but he continued to avoid the problem.Very well.Theo would insist that he be put fully in charge of the matter instead.
“You need to sign over the Barton Lacey house and the land to me.If I don’t start putting my strategies into action, we will lose everything.Do you understand what I’m saying, Father?We will lose everything.”
His father blinked at him and set the pipe down.“Just had a letter from the bank,” he said grumpily, but there was something guilty about his manner that gave Theo pause.“You’re too late, son.They are foreclosing.”
Theo felt lightheaded and grasped the bureau to steady himself.There were many things he could have said, there were many things he felt like saying, but he held them back and concentrated on the most important matter.
“I need to talk to them immediately.Do I have your permission?”
His father stared at his pipe for a moment, then nodded.“You do, son.”
