Page 13 of The Bastard's Iberian Bride
“I am right here, Bakeley.”
“Sorry, my dear.”
His manners, the few times they’d met, had always been a tad condescending, but never as atrocious as this. Possibly he was deeply affected by his father’s imminent death, stuffing down his grief to the point of appearing unfeeling and callous. But she doubted it.
There was no accounting for the ways of these English lords.
“Here.” He passed her a glass of brandy and gave one to his brother. “You’ll be needing something stronger today.”
She sniffed the glass. Their man of all work, Mama’s former compatriot, Jock, had let her share his ill-gotten brandy, and she’d quite liked it.
She could not be totally out of charity with Bakeley if he was including her in something stronger than tea. She took a sip and let the warm liquid roll through her.
“Father is Paulette’s principle guardian. Or was, since she has reached her majority.”
Yet she was still not in control of her life. “Now he’s the principle trustee of my inheritance, at least until I reach the age of five-and-twenty.”Or if I marry an approved suitor, which I will not do. She took a hardier sip.
“I believe he will dispense with that duty much sooner,” Bakeley said. “By dying.”
The thought sent a little flurry through her. She didn’t know the other two trustees—only their names. Her inheritance had been less than modest, the allowance granted her enough to keep Mabel. Enough for a genteel life in the country in one of Lord Shaldon’s genteel cottages.
It would never be enough for a life of adventure and travel, which she would dearly love to experience, or a husband, which, truth be told, she would gladly do without.
And it would never be enough to search out the treasure Jock said her father had left her, not without Shaldon’s help.
Unless, perhaps, Shaldon’s will really did include her. What had Bakeley meant about a bequest? Would it be vulgar to ask directly, while the Earl lay dying so nearby?
“Out with it, Bakeley,” the big man said. “Say what you want to say and be done.”
She sent him a grateful nod, and he raised an eyebrow, making her heart tumble.
He’d read her mind, blast it. Jock had told her a good spy was inscrutable. Her mother certainly had been, spending the last years of her life as a humble country widow, reserved and distant, even to her own daughter.
She must try harder to squash her passion and impatience.
Servants bustled in with refreshments and then quietly left.
“Paulette, shall I fix you a plate?” Bakeley asked. “Will you take tea also?”
Her hands twitched and she gripped the glass. Bakeley’s solicitousness was an annoying stall. “I’d much rather you refill my brandy glass.”
“I’ll do it.” Mr. Gibson moved close and loomed over her, the shadow he cast making her skin tingle. When he lifted her glass away without touching her, she caught her breath, and with it that whiff of horses, and leather, and him.
Drat the man.
“Won’t you sit down, miss?” He pointed at the sofa and went to the brandy bottle.
She settled herself onto a straight-backed chair at a round table.
“You’d best take a chair also, Bink.” Bakeley put down the plate he’d loaded up with meats and cheese for her. “For what you are about to hear, you will want to be seated.”
Bink’s skinprickled and he cast a hard look at Bakeley. His brother’s jaw had gone firm and he wasn’t smirking now.
“Bad news, then? I believe I’ll remain standing.” He topped off the lady’s glass and his own.
“Yes, well.” Bakeley grabbed the bottle, poured another drink, downed it, and frowned at the glass. “Our father left you hanging twenty years ago, but he left us all hanging, Bink. Now at the end, he’s taking anactivehand. You’ve no idea the favor Bonaparte did for us. Gave Shaldon something to manage—someone to manage—besides us.” He began to pace and stopped in front of Bink. “And there are only four of us, dear brother. No other by-blows lurking about.”
Bakeley was in an uncharacteristic lather. Whatever the bad news, this show went some ways in making up for it. “Your mother managed to leash him then, even from far away?”
