Page 42 of A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
“Absolutely nothing, unless you take into consideration it’s the place you love most in the world and have poured your life into for the last decade. And you’re choosing it to be the place where you marry when you could do it quite literally anywhere once you cross the border.”
“Thank you for that, Murdoch,” Evan said through gritted teeth.
“And you’re willing to wage a war with Father, and let’s not overlookmarrying, which you swore never to do after Charlotte,” Adalyn chimed in unhelpfully.
“Are you all quite done?” Evan asked, unclenching his jaw. “I need to marry for thedistillery, and I need to go to the Braeburn before I make Father aware of the will. I must take certain precautions. We all know how vindictive and reckless he can be when he doesn’t get his way.” That reminder swiftly wiped away the mocking smiles directed at him. These people knew what the Duke of Annan was capable of.
“Things won’t be easy for her in Edinburgh. She won’t be welcome in many parlors,” Evan said, directing the conversation to what had been weighing on his mind for the last two days.
“She’s likely very aware of that,” Murdoch supplied in the same eerily calm manner he always approached the bigotry of their home city.
“She likely won’t want to be in many of them,” Beatrice noted, and Evan was fairly certain his sister was right. Still, he didn’t want that for her. He rarely mixed in society these days: he was focused on his business, and businesspeople were who he consorted with, but maybe Luz Alana expected more. Then again, perhaps after they each had what they wanted, she’d want nothing to do with him or his ilk. He couldn’t blame her if that was the case.
“We will help,” Beatrice assured him.
A brisk knock on the door broke the taut silence in the parlor.
“My lord, a Miss Heith-Benzan is here to see you.” Evan’s head snapped up at attention.
The reaction to that news was immediate and absolute. His whole body thrummed with awareness that went as deep as muscle and bone. He was too excited, too eager. He felt...frenzied. He had the baby sleeping on him and suddenly had no clue what to do with his arms, his legs.
Evan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He heard a sound of gratified knowledge from behind him, and then Beatrice’s voice broke through the pandemonium that was his mind.
“Oh yes, this is clearly devoid of all emotion.”
Thirteen
Luz thought she’d entered the Parisian home of the Earl of Darnick prepared for almost anything. One thing she did not anticipate was being confronted with the sight of Evan Sinclair, holding a sleeping child in his arms, in a room full of his family and very long small dogs.
“My apologies,” Evan told her as he walked over to the pregnant woman in the room and handed her the baby. Luz had not met his older sister, but she could see the resemblance instantly. The sable hair and those piratical eyebrows. “I’ve been ambushed by my relations, who seem to perennially disregard any and all rules on when to call at people’s homes.”
She clutched to her leather binder for dear life as she searched for something to say. Then people started coming forward, and she understood why Evan had utilized the wordambushed.
“It is such a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Luz Alana. I am Beatrice, his older sister.” The woman brought Luz in for a one-armed hug and bussed her cheek while she held on to the child with the other.
“Lady Beatrice,” Luz said awkwardly, and Evan’s sister waved her hand around as if Luz had just committed a sin.
“Please call me Beatrice or Bea.” She grinned as she dealt with the wiggling child in her arms before giving up and setting her on the floor. The baby propelled away with astonishing speed and sat up to play with the pack of small sausage dogs.
“Evan told me you have younger sister,” Beatrice said with what appeared to be genuine interest.
He’d been talking about her to his family, then. It was moot to try to control the warm glow in her belly. When she glanced at Evan—whose cheeks were now an intense pink—he only rubbed a hand over his face.
“Yes. Clarita,” Luz responded a bit unsteadily.
“Fiona,” Beatrice said, pointing at the baby who was now chasing the dogs around, “is my youngest, for now.” She patted her belly with a smile. “Katherine and Colin are eleven and will be thrilled to have a new cousin.”
“Don’t monopolize her, Bea,” said the other woman in the room, who Luz recognized from the soirée.
“I’m Adalyn. I saw you the other night but was not able to say hello properly.”
“Very nice to meet you, Adalyn.” Luz obliged and moved to press her cheek to Adalyn’s. The moment their faces met, one of the small dogs rushed up, tilted its conical head up at them and started barking madly. “Éclair! Stop harassing our guest,” Adalyn moaned, adding to the cacophony, while Luz hid a smile behind her hand.
“She is notourguest,” growled Evan, who seemed to have finally had enough. “She ismyguest, and if you could all please remove yourselves from my parlor I would be much obliged.” He turned to Luz then, and he looked so handsome and utterly harried that her heart skipped a beat. “My apologies for my family and their absolute lack of manners.”
“How is saying hello contrary to observing manners?” Beatrice inquired unrepentantly.
She liked this woman.
