Page 32 of Their Brazen Countess
Pushing aside the painful memories, he tried to focus on the letters his secretary had left on his desk for his attention. But there was a knock at his door.
“Enter.”
“Your sister the Countess of Brougham is here to see you, my lord, ” Harris, his butler, announced.
He repressed the sigh that wanted to escape. If Emily was there, it couldn’t mean anything good. She normally only came to see him when she wished to harass him—in that loving way only a sister could—about one thing or another. Usually about his marriage prospects. “Please show her in.”
“Very good, my lord.” Harris bowed and swept out of the room.
A few minutes later, his sister swept in, looking elegant in her apple green walking gown. “Good, you’re home, Arthur.”
“Indeed I am, Em. What can I do for you on this fine summer day?” He settled back into his chair, resigned to enduring whatever she was here for. As if he did not know.
She settled into a chair across from him, her skirts swishing with an authority he couldn’t remember her having before she’d become a countess. “Arthur, I’m here about your promise to me. The one you have not been holding up your end of the deal on.”
Arthur groaned. Out loud. He should never have made her that promise to find a wife—but he’d needed her to marry the Earl of Brougham, for her own reputation.
Her gaze narrowed. “Do not do that. You promised me you’d look for a wife and I have left you alone for a good while. No match making. No hints. No nudges.”
He closed his eyes. How could he tell her? How could he explain it wasn’t his fault? He raised his hands to his head. “Em, I know. And I have tried. I swear it.”
“How Arthur? How have you tried?” Her hazel eyes glinted green as her gaze drilled into him.
“I’ve danced with ladies.” Arthur resisted the urge to cross his arms and pout like a petulant child.
“You have, but that is all you have done. One dance each, with a few eligible ladies. Nothing more. Not one of them warranted a second dance?”
“No.” He met her stare. “Not one.”
“How is that possible? What are you looking for in a wife?”
He sighed. “It’s not as simple as you think.”
Arthur’s gut churned. Should he tell her? Should he reveal his deepest secret? A truth he hadn’t even shared with the person it most concerned?
“Then help me understand. What are you looking for? Perhaps I can help you find it?” His sister looked earnest, not angry.
Silence stretched between them. Long and thick with tension.
He cursed and jumped from his chair to pace. “Em, I need to tell you something. I don’t know how you will feel about this. And I need to ask you to keep what I tell you private.”
He continued to walk back and forth in front of the enormous fireplace. He could feel her gaze on him, nearly a physical touch.
“Whatever it is, Arthur, you can trust me.”
“I know, I do. But it’s still new to me. Something I am wrestling with in some ways.”
Emily rose and came to him, cupped his cheek in her hand. “I love you, Arthur. You could never tell me anything that would change that.”
He laughed worriedly. “Be careful. You never know how much I may test such a vow.”
“It can’t be worse than you discovering I was a jewel thief.” Emily dropped her hands and clutched them in front of her as she stepped back. “Tell me.”
“I met someone. Two someones, to be honest.” He offered her a wry smile.
“And you can’t decide?”
“I had no need to choose. I love them both and I believe they love me. Well, at least one of them I’m fairly certain does. The other is unavailable.”
