Two evenings later

“A toast,” the Great said. “To you, Mr. Sherbrooke.” And he raised his glass.

“Hear, hear

.”

“To Mr. Straithmore!” P.C. called out.

There were some smiles. Grayson sipped his wine. He felt better than he had when he’d finished the third chapter of his new novel, a gnarly tale of twin sisters, both evil to the bone, but perhaps one could be saved. This time he’d actually done something that mattered, something real, something not between the pages of one of his novels. He’d helped to bring a man lost for nearly twenty-five years home again. He couldn’t wait to meet Charles Houston. He saw Miranda was smiling at him.

“And to my heir, Major Charles Houston.”

“Hear, hear.”

Miranda set down her glass. “I have drunk so many toasts God will surely punish me for being a tippler. Now, I want all of you to listen. I have an announcement. I am going to give Barnaby speech lessons.”

Stark silence.

She said, more forcefully this time, “Listen to me, all Barnaby needs is a little polish.”

The Great cocked his head. “Our stable boy? Miranda, he’s a bastard, brought to us by Vicar Harkness when he found the babe on the steps of the church. We feed him and clothe him and he tends the horses nicely. Why do you wish to make him into a young gentleman?”

“Barnaby’s smart, sir, very smart,” P.C. said, sitting forward. “He was the one who took me to Mr. Straithmore. He deserves a chance.” She added after a moment, “He needs a lot of polish, Mama.”

The Great slowly grinned. “Perhaps I shall tell Bickle that Barnaby is my spare heir—might keep the bugger from grinning all the time.” He rubbed his hands together. “Imagine, I now have my heir. Imagine.”

Miranda leaned toward Grayson. “You never said what you thought about my educating Barnaby.”

“So P.C. can marry him when they grow up?”

She rolled her eyes. “P.C. is very smart. I think she said that to push me into doing something, but the fact is, Barnaby deserves it. He’s very bright, very good-hearted.”

Grayson frowned. “You know, I swear he looks familiar to me. Perhaps when he speaks the Queen’s English, I’ll figure it out.”

When they were in the drawing room later, drinking tea, Suggs appeared in the dining room doorway. He was trembling with excitement. “My lord, Major Houston and his mother are here to see you.”

* * * * *

It was nearly midnight when Grayson rode away from Wolffe Hall. There was a full moon overhead, and a stiff breeze from the sea stirred against his cheek, but his cloak was warm. As Albert cantered back to his warm stable at Belhaven, Grayson wondered idly if the Wolffes would mind having this amazing adventure written into a novel. Perhaps Alphonse could communicate with the hero, Thomas Straithmore, or Thomas could find old journals from the sixteenth century that Alphonse had penned, but still it wouldn’t be enough, and enraged, Alphonse would suck him into the abyss. And what was the abyss?

Or possibly the truth: Alphonse would send a funnel into Thomas with only one word, heir, and trust it was enough so Thomas would figure it out.

The truth, Grayson thought, as he looked between Albert’s ears, was stranger in this instance than in any fiction he’d ever written. He also realized he’d quite enjoyed himself. And there was Miranda, beautiful bright Miranda, and who knew what would happen?

Dear Reader:

I hope you enjoyed my first novella in the Grayson Sherbrooke series, The Strange Visitation at Wolffe Hall.

Grayson’s next adventure plunges him into a tangle of unhappy spirits at Vere Castle, in Scotland, the home of his Aunt Sinjun and Uncle Colin, the Countess and Earl of Ashburnham. If you don’t remember Sinjun and Colin, pull The Heiress Bride off your bookshelf and familiarize yourself with all the players again.

Do you remember the resident ghost, Pearlin’ Jane? She deals very well with Sinjun, but Grayson? Ah, there is Big Trouble at Vere Castle.

An excerpt from

Wizard’s Daughter

From WIZARD’S DAUGHTER by Catherine Coulter, copyright (c) 2008 by Catherine Coulter. Used by permission of Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Tags: Catherine Coulter Sherbrooke Brides Historical
Source: readsnovelonline.net