Page 84 of The Pleasures of Passion
As the two of them strolled out of the Star and Garter, Niall wondered if he should take another stab at assessing Raines. The mancouldbe in league with Sir Oswald. Raines was, after all, a banker.
“I suppose I’ll see what’s going on at St. George’s,” Niall said. “Care to join me?”
“I’ll walk that way with you, but I’m not going in. Fulkham is supposed to be there tonight.”
Why would the man assume that? Could Raines have caught on to Niall’s association with the baron? Was he feeling Niall out on the subject? “Ah, did he say he would be there?”
“Not exactly. I . . . er . . . heard it from someone close to him.”
What could that mean? Was there someone spying onFulkham? “Oh? Who?”
Instead of answering that, Raines tensed and said, “You seem to know the man relatively well. What do you know of his . . . relationship to Mrs. Vyse?”
That threw Niall off. “She’s his sister-in-law.”
“Iknowthat,” the man said irritably. “But do you think there is something more between them?”
“Something romantic, you mean? I doubt it. I suppose they could have an affair, but they could never marry. He’s her brother-in-law.”
“Theycouldmarry, if no one in the family objects. It’s only the Church that forbids it. And there are ways around that.”
“Even so,hewouldn’t do it. Fulkham’s career is everything to him. He would never risk that to marry his brother’s widow, knowing that the world sees it as incest.”
“Still, he and she are very close.”
“I suppose.” And why did the man care anyway? Then it dawned on him. “Soshe’sthe woman whose family doesn’t know of your interest. The woman you’re courting.”
Raines stared grimly ahead. “It’s not so much courting as . . . God, I don’t know what it is, except that she’s driving me insane. She’s dragging her feet on the subject of marriage, yet she acts as if she cares about me.” He muttered a curse. “Please don’t tell anyone, especially Fulkham.”
So Raines’s avoidance of Fulkham had nothing whatsoever to do with the counterfeiting. He just happened to be a banker who fancied Fulkham’s relation.
Although that raised other questions. “Why don’t you want Fulkham to know?”
“Because she says we must keep it secret, that he won’t approve.” They were nearing the club, so Raines slowed his pace. “But I’m worried that her reason for keeping our . . . association quiet has more to do with her feelings for Fulkham than anything else.”
“I’ve not seen any indication of that, but I don’t know the two of them well. And the only wayyou’regoing to know for certain is to ask her.”
“And risk losing her for good? If she does want him, I can’t bear it. I can’t share her. I know some men do that, but not me.”
“So you’d rather not know the truth?”
“Yes. No.” He grimaced. “Once I know . . . it’s over. I’m not ready for it to be over.” Raines halted just short of the entrance to St. George’s. “I suppose you think I’m acting like a fool.”
“No. I think you’re acting like a man smitten by a woman. Women are devilishly tricky creatures, and sometimes one can’t help but be at a loss as to how to catch them.”
Raines snorted. “Clearly, that doesn’t apply to you. You’ve caught your woman.”
He forced a smile. “I’m not so sure. I won’t be sure until the day we stand at the altar and say our vows.”
A day that he feared might never come. He and Bree still had so many difficulties to get past—the situation with her father, her inability to trust him, his inability to reveal his secrets . . .
“My point is,” Niall went on, “dealing with a woman is hard enough without adding needless speculation about what might not even be a problem. Ask her for the real reason she’s dragging her feet with you. Just be prepared for the consequences if the answer isn’t one you want to hear.”
A pity he couldn’t take his own advice. Because heknewwhy Bree was dragging her feet. He just couldn’t do anything about it without betraying his family’s confidences. And the vow he’d made to his father.
Not that he much cared about that anymore. If Father had broken his promise, Niall could damned well breakhis.
“Thanks for the advice, old chap,” Raines said. “I’d best be going. I daresay the ball that Mrs. Vyse was planning to attend is still going on. And given that her pesky brother-in-law will not be there—”
