“Why?”
“Because I wish to call upon ye verra much,” he said with a low growl, “but I assumed that a shining flower such as yerself would already be spoken for.”
“So you’d not even try to steal me away if I was spoken for?” She couldn’t resist teasing him.
“If I stole ye away, lass, ’twould be to take ye to Gretna Green and make ye my wife.” His unyielding gaze took hold of her and wouldn’t let go. “What say ye to that?”
Heart pounding so hard it made her breathless, she took a step back. “I say it is a bit early to be talking about such things.” She wet her lips and stared up at him, drowning in the fire flashing in his eyes. “I welcome your company, because I like you very much. But we should learn more about one another. Do you not agree?”
“I know what I know.” Baring his teeth, he looked as though he wished to say more, but was biting back the words.
“I vex you,” she whispered.
“Aye,” he agreed with another low growl. “More than ye know.”
“We leave for Town next week,” she said, not really knowing why she said it. “Once again, we will be separated.”
“No, lass.” He closed her hands around the velvet reticule and heldthem there. “I’ve a seat in Parliament this session.” He twitched a shrug. “Or I will after the elections. I will be in London for a while.”
“Will you call on me?” She stole a glance back at her family, then lowered her voice. “I am next on the chopping block, you know. Chance will be doing his best to marry me off so he can get another percentage of his inheritance.”
“What?” His grip tightened around her hands.
“Our parents’ will prevented Chance from inheriting access to the entirety of the Broadmere coffers until all of us sisters were happily married.” She wrinkled her nose and stole another glance back at her family. Lowering her voice even more, she leaned closer. “He had a bit ofmaturingto do. With each marriage, his allowance increases by a portion. Thankfully, he can’t marry us off to just anyone. We have to secure the love match and happiness that our parents wished for us.”
“I will call on ye, Lady Merry.”
“Lass or Merry.”
He seemed more relaxed and at peace, but he still didn’t smile.
“Lass,” he said.
The way he rumbled the word caused a thrilling shiver to tickle down her spine.
“I will call upon ye in London,” he said, “so we might get to know one another better.” A worrisome frown furrowed his brow. “Ye may change yer mind about liking me once ye get to know me.”
“I doubt that very much.” She took the reticule, removed a lacy-edged handkerchief from it, and pressed it into his hand. “Thank you for coming today. You made a lovely celebration even better.”
He closed his fingers around the favor, clutching the bit of linen and lace as if it were the most precious thing in the world. “Ye have made my day better as well, lass.” With a slight tip of his head in his brother’s direction, he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “But dinna tell Malcolm, aye? I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Agreed.”
Offering his arm, he squared his shoulders as if preparing for battle. “I suppose we should rejoin the others now?”
She wished they could stay in the quiet corner and keep to themselves, but she knew that just wouldn’t do. She took his arm and fell in step beside him. “As Shakespeare would say, ‘Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more.’”
“Indeed.”
She gave his arm a reassuring pat as they strolled along. Was that a hint of a smile? She so hoped it was. There was just something about the overly somber man at her side that cried out for help to be happy. And she would provide that help because he needed it. He needed her.
*
It was nowonder Merry believed in love. She was fair drowning in it with this family of hers. Duncan stood at the edge of the room, savoring a fortifying glass of port, as the sisters laughed and teased each other, as if they were still carefree children.
“We can be a bit overwhelming,” their brother, the duke, said as he joined him, then he chuckled. “But I cannot imagine us any other way.”
“Ye are verra blessed, Yer Grace.” The man had no idea how blessed he was. Duncan envied him.