Engaging the Enemy (The Wild Randalls 1)

“The aspect is very pretty, Your Grace.”

When Mercy turned to face him and captured his gaze, he couldn’t look away. She licked her lips and the desire to lean across the cold fare to share a kiss gripped him. He wrenched his gaze from her and watched the boy’s antics instead.

Mercy shifted restlessly and then surprised him by moving to sit closer against his side. “Edwin loves it here, too.”

“I can see that.”

She sighed and leaned against his shoulder briefly. Leopold missed the contact as soon as she was gone. “It’s not fair to him, I think. Not having other children his age to play with. Allen’s boys do their best, but he needs other children about him that are closer in age. Jacob and David always do what he says. He’ll never learn good manners if he can boss everyone around and get away with it.”

No, he wouldn’t learn good manners that way at all. But, as a duke, such behavior would be considered normal. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about Lady Venables, if I may. She is a widow, yes and childless?”

Mercy resettled against him. “Yes. She had a boy once. But he passed away from a terrible illness, the same one that took her husband a few years ago. We both lost our husbands.”

“I’m sorry. That must have been a terrible time for both of you.” Leopold glanced at Mercy. “I noticed that Lady Venables has not come to call on you of late. Have you heard from her? Is she well?”

To his shock, Mercy set her head on his shoulder. “I haven’t heard a word.” She sighed. “I should have mentioned that we had a disagreement on her last visit. But I’m still somewhat in shock about it all and the things she said to me.”

“Oh.”

“It seems my sister has taken a dislike to your presence at Romsey. She feels you could be a threat to my son.”

Leopold took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not a threat to him. I would not hurt one hair on that boy’s head.” He climbed to his feet and began to pace. He did not want to come between the sisters. “I’ll leave at dawn tomorrow.”

“Oh, no, you won’t.” Mercy commanded. “Sit down before I injure my neck scowling up at you. I need family here with Edwin. Now, more than ever.”

Why now? Was it just because he’d returned?

Puzzled, Leopold sat and Mercy resumed her relaxed pose against his side. “The truth is I’ve let my sister’s grief go on for too long. She sees scandal in almost everything I do, and long before your arrival, I might add. I let her odd behavior pass because she’d lost her child and husband, but I will not stand for it any longer. She even accused me of other scandalous behavior. She went too far.”

Leopold glanced at Mercy’s sad face and realized there was more to the conversation than she’d let on. Although it wasn’t his place to question her, he wanted to know what troubled her so badly. Perhaps he could help smooth things over with Lady Venables and reassure her he had no designs on the title. He twitched his shoulder under her head. “What else did she say?”

When she closed her eyes, his heart skipped a beat. “The truth. She saw how badly I am enamored with you, and chided me for behaving with such carelessness.”

Mouth agape, stunned beyond words, Leopold struggled to decide how to respond. A certain way to smooth things over between them was for him to leave.

As he opened his mouth to offer to depart again, Mercy’s finger sealed his lips. “Don’t you dare mention leaving again. We still need to find where the duke sent Oliver, Rosemary, and Tobias yet.”

“You remembered their names.”

Mercy lifted her head from his shoulder. “Of course, I do. They should be with you, and here with us. They’re part of our family, too. I want to meet them.”

Just then, Edwin headed for their tree at a run. Mercy used his shoulder as support to climb to her feet then skimmed her fingertips across the back of his neck. Shivers danced down his spine from the brief contact, but then she moved away to scoop her son up in a possessive hug before leading him back to the picnic blanket to begin their feast.

As Leopold watched and then joined in the conversation about his favorite food, he realized that he was content for the first time in years. Despite the friction with Lady Venables, perhaps he could belong at Romsey one day.

“I have cousins,” Edwin piped up in a sudden change of conversation.

“That you do, my darling. And they are coming soon, I promise.” Mercy ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled. “Edwin has Willow, Maisie, and Poppy—his uncle, Lord Grayling’s children are coming to visit with us this winter. And he has another aunt, Lady Cameron, but Patience wasn’t so lucky in her marriage to have had children.”

Leopold sorted through the information. “You never mentioned spouses.”

Mercy’s hands fluttered. “For all our wealth and position in society we are a family of noble widows. Not one of us has retained their spouse or remarried.”

“Not even Lord Grayling? I would have thought he’d marry again for the title’s sake. He’ll want a son to inherit.”

Mercy’s face scrunched up, but she didn’t comment. She watched her son finish his beef pie and then waved him back to his games. When he was out of earshot, a rueful smile twisted her lips. “Constantine has no time for women, except those temporarily engaged to warm his bed. But I feel for those dear sweet little girls and try to persuade him to visit more often. Unfortunately, Constantine will not stay long, and he won’t consent to the girls residing here with us. I wish he would. Edwin loves them so.”

“Is his estate close?”