The Rake's Wicked Proposal

Francis eyed her with dislike. ‘Then we are agreed we have both made a fortunate escape?’

‘The only thing I am agreed on, sir, is that you are a despicable worm—’

‘What on earth is all this commotion about?’ A perplexed Duke of Carlyne appeared in the hallway. ‘I could hear your raised voices behind the closed door of my study.’ He looked at them both reprovingly.

Grace instantly felt uncomfortable at having caused such a scene here in the hallway, where not only her uncle had been disturbed by it but the servants might have overheard too.

But before Grace could make her apologies to her uncle, Francis Wynter spoke to him instead. ‘Only one raised voice, I am afraid, George. I believe Grace—Miss Hetherington—to be…indisposed,’ he said, after receiving a glaring look from Grace. ‘No doubt a tiff of some kind with St Claire is to blame for her uncharacteristic shrewishness.’

Grace stared at him incredulously. This man—this excuse for a man—thought to turn the blame for this exchange on to her? Perhaps the inappropriateness of the place of their exchange was her fault, but its content most certainly was not.

‘On the contrary, sir. I can assure you that, unlike some gentlemen of my acquaintance, Lord St Claire was everything that is amiable this morning,’ Grace assured him with saccharine sweetness.

Francis Wynter’s mouth tightened at the obvious implication of her cutting remark. ‘Amiable is not a word I would ever associate with St Claire!’

‘But then, you do not know Lucian as…as well as I do.’ Grace eyed him challengingly, knowing by the tightening of his pompously pursed mouth that he would dearly have liked to add something equally cutting.

A glance at his listening older brother obviously deterred him from doing so. He bowed stiffly. ‘Then I can only wish you joy of each other.’

Grace shot him another look of narrow-eyed dislike before turning to give her uncle a wan smile. ‘I believe I have a headache, Uncle George. If you will both excuse me…’

‘Of course, my dear. Of course.’ The Duke looked relieved to have whatever unpleasantness had taken place between his brother and his ward over and done with.

Except that Grace doubted it was over and done with…

She had never met a man such as Francis Wynter before. Her father had been everything that is amiable—an easy-going man who had cherished both his wife and his daughter. The Duke of Carlyne was equally kindhearted, and still deeply in love with her Aunt Margaret. Even Lucian St Claire—well, Grace had no doubt that Lucian had a fondness for his brothers and sister, at least, that was affectionate as well as forbearing.

Francis Wynter seemed to be a man who loved only himself and his own interests.

Such a man had deserved to feel the edge of her tongue, Grace decided stubbornly as she slowly made her way up the staircase…

Chapter Nine

‘Your aunt was not sure you would be awake when she gave me permission to come up to see you…’ Lady Arabella beamed her satisfaction as she stood in the doorway to Grace’s bedchamber.

Grace reclined on a chaise in front of the window that looked down into the square, which allowed her, in between reading the novel she had quickly hidden in the folds of her robe when Arabella knocked on the door, to glance outside occasionally and see the arrival of her aunt’s afternoon callers.

Lady Arabella looked cheerfully beautiful in a pretty gown of buttercup-yellow that suited her blonde colouring and cream complexion to perfection. ‘I must say you do not look stricken down by a headache.’ She eyed Grace’s elegant appearance in the fitted cobalt-blue velvet robe Grace had donned this morning on reaching her bedchamber, in an effort to convince her aunt of her indisposition when the Duchess later came to visit her.

Guilty colour washed over Grace’s cheeks at the truth behind Arabella’s teasing remark. Grace was not stricken down by a headache, but had continued the ruse in an effort to avoid spending any more time today in the company of Arabella’s brother! Not that Lucian St Claire and Lady Arabella had been the only visitors this afternoon; Grace had also seen several other young gentleman from yesterday evening come to call.