Johanna Lindsay - The Heir

"Pretty eyes, eh? I didna notice."

"Likely because all you look at are breasts and faces and so don't take in any of the finer details a girl might possess, let alone if she had a lick of intelligence."

Archie smiled over the sour tone. "Nae, I just havena met the lass yet tae get close enough tae see her eyes. It mun be her credentials yer objecting tae then." "No, as it happens, her great-grandfather Richard was a duke, her grandfather an earl. Her own father would have held that title as well, if he had survived his father, but he didn't. She doesn't need a title to be quite suitable in that regard, in fact, far surpasses most of the chits in attendance. What does concern me is she comes with two cantankerous old-maid aunts—"

Archie's chuckle interrupted. "That's yer problem, no' mine, I'm pleased tae be saying. I'll be going home after the wedding."

"Thank God for that," Neville said with undisguised relief. "But she also comes with a forty-year-old scandal that I'm told is making the rounds again."

Archibald was no longer amused, sat forward to demand, "What sort o' scandal?"

"Not one that I ever gave much credence to, since I happen to have known Richard Lambert personally, knew how clumsy he was with weapons. He bloody near shot my foot off once when we were hunting together, so it was entirely possible that he shot himself by accident, rather than deliberately as the story goes. His wife, now, was a silly twit who I have little doubt did kill herself when the scandal broke that he had. She wouldn't have had the courage to dispute it, nor the courage to face the ridicule over it."

"Tha' hardly seems the stuff o' scandal tae me," Archie scoffed.

"I would agree, if that were all of it, but there was a daughter who did the same, and her son and daughter-in-law—Sabrina's own parents— who did likewise. Are you getting the point yet, Archibald? When our main concern is another heir who will continue both our lines, do we really want to take the chance that there might be any truth to this girl's sad history?"

"Does Duncan know all this?"

"You think he confides in me? I have no idea if he's aware of it, though he may have heard the gossip. Would it make a difference to him?"

Archibald frowned thoughtfully. "Likely it wouldna, and definitely no' if ye bring it up tae him."

Neville's lips tightened at the implication. "Haven't we been over this before? I know you would like to think that the boy would be stubborn and go against his own common sense just to spite me, but I give him more credit than that. However, on this marriage business, he'll more likely to listen to you, so find out if he knows, and if he doesn't, apprise him and make clear that this chit simply won't do."

Archie actually nodded in agreement for once, though he did add hopefully, " Tis likely nae more than ye said, that she amuses him."

"As I also said, there would then be no problem, but the very fact that Lady Ophelia Reid is back under my roof this morning—"

Archie cut in, "The devil she is—"

Neville cut back in, “Because she happens to be a guest of the Lamberts at the moment, and they were invited by Duncan despite that fact. This either means he was smitten by her beauty after all—which should delight you —and has decided to forgive her insults and marry her anyway, or he's serious about the Lambert girl. Take your pick, Archibald. I'm pleased with neither." "And I am?" Archie snorted. " 'Tis more likely he's going tae be surprised himself when he sees who the Lambert women hae brought wi' them. I'm guessing he didna ken who their guest was when he invited them. And that right there will get rid o' the lot o' them."

Neville actually chuckled now. "Wishful thinking doesn't get you very far, you know. Sabrina Lambert would have told him last night. She may have this unfortunate scandal attached to her family, but she's not an empty-headed twit who wouldn't realize the ramifications of bringing Duncan's ex-fiancée to a gathering arranged for the express purpose of him picking a bride."

"Och," Archie said in disgust to that as he rose to leave the room. "I'll be finding him now and finding oout for m'self what's what. Speculating wi' ye, Neville, just gives me a bluidy headache."

Duncan had avoided going downstairs this morning, after the decision he'd made last night. He had slept on it, or rather, tossed and turned on it for a while before sending a second message to the coachman that canceled the earlier one he'd sent, and added any guests on the Lambert premises to the man's list of pickups. He'd then gone promptly to sleep. But this morning the decision was not sitting well with him at all, was turning his disposition quite sour.

Letting Ophelia Reid back into this house was a big mistake, no matter the reason. It would be an unspoken "forgive and forget" message in her mind that wasn't at all what had been in his mind.

He could have figured out ways to visit with Sabrina every other day or so over the next couple of weeks of the party, without being unduly missed, and if he was missed, well, too bad. No one had told him that he had to be in attendance at Summers Glade twenty-four hours of every day. So why hadn't he done that instead?

But he knew very well why. Having Sabrina at the party meant she'd be there for up to sixteen hours each day, be available if he wanted to talk, be handy if he needed cheering, be able to advise him about this major decision in his life he was expected to make within the next couple of weeks, and just be there with her calming effect. He was willing to pay for that with any misconceptions it might cause with Ophelia, which he could correct easily enough. But he had overlooked how it might appear to others, after he had ended their engagement, for her to be there again.

That was brought home to him directly when Archie tracked him down in his room to demand to know if he'd changed his mind about Ophelia. That was easily answered, but then he wanted to know what his intentions were toward Sabrina, and that was much more complicated. Not that he had any intentions, it was just that the relationship he was enjoying with her was one that Archie wasn't likely to believe, and didn't.

"A friend?" Archie snorted. "Men make friends o' other men, they dinna make friends o' lassies." "Why?"

"Because sex gets in the bluidy way, tha's why. And if ye tell me ye havena once thought aboot it where this wee lass is concerned, I'll call ye a liar."

Duncan didn't take offense, he was amused instead. "So call me one. Fact is, I've been tae busy laughing with the lass tae think o' aught else."

Archie, of course, snorted again. But then Duncan had known he wouldn't understand. It was such a simple concept, yet Archie couldn't see past the "natural order of things" between men and women.

He still tried to explain. "Consider this, if you will. You have a verra good friend who lives near you, perhaps e'en your best friend. You're having a party. You'd be wanting your friend there tae share what promises tae be a good time wi' you, aye?"

Archie joined in the speculation. "But m'friend is otherwise committed."

"Aye, but 'tis a minor commitment that can be got around by bringing it tae the party as well. And you know verra well you'd arrange it just that way."

"No' if the other 'commitment' was a viper-tongued lass who could well spoil the whole bluidy party, and I ken tha' verra well."

Duncan sighed. Now, that he couldn't dispute, since it was a distinct possibility. But then he grinned. At least Archie had got the point.

"Dinna worry aboot Ophelia until there is cause tae worry. And dinna worry that my intentions toward Sabrina are other than friendship. Talk tae her yourself t'day, and you'll see why she's nice tae be around. She has a way o' making you forget your troubles."