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Authors: Candace Camp
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back to the Morecombes’ house before he even realized where he was walking. The lights no longer burned on the outside of the graceful white building, so the party must have ended after the drama in the library. There remained, however, a warm glow through the windows of the front room. Myles hesitated for a moment, then trotted up the steps to the front door and tapped on it lightly.
A surprised footman opened the door. “Sir!” He recovered quickly and added, “Lord and Lady Morecombe are in the anteroom, sir.”
Gabriel lounged in the comfortable chair by the window, his wife sitting on his lap, her legs draped over thearm of the chair. They were deep in conversation and looked up in surprise when Myles walked in the room.
“Myles!” The couple smiled with no apparent embarrassment at being caught in such a pose, and Thea jumped up, coming toward him with outstretched hands. “What a dreadful thing! We heard what happened. Is Lady Genevieve all right?”
“It has not weakened her spine,” Myles replied, taking Thea’s hand and making his bow. “Nor sweetened her tongue.”
“I am so sorry that it happened here. I had meant it to be a party to honor them.” She sighed. “And then to have that odious man—”
“Which odious man, love?” her husband asked Thea as she took a seat on the stool beside his chair. “Langdon or her fiancé?”
“Either. Both. They deserve whatever Alec does to them . . . though it will create a worse scandal, of course.”
“My wife is a bloodthirsty wench.” Gabriel grinned. “No one touches her or hers, and apparently Lady Genevieve has somehow become one of her flock.”
“She is Damaris’s sister-in-law,” Thea said simply. “Anyway, I liked Lady Genevieve when we talked at the wedding. It just takes her a bit to warm up to one. I think she is rather shy.”
“Shy?” Gabriel repeated sardonically.
“Yes. Oh, don’t look at me that way. You don’t know what it’s like—either one of you.” Thea turned to include Myles in her accusation. “You’re handsome and charmingand everyone wants to be with you. You don’t understand how lonely one can feel.”
Gabriel picked up Thea’s hand and kissed it, and they smiled at each other in a way that dismissed the rest of the world. Gabriel pulled his gaze away from Thea and turned back to Myles. “Sit down, Myles, sit down.” Gabriel gestured toward the chair across from him. “Care for a brandy?”
“No. I’m fine. That’s not why I came.”
Myles’s friends looked at him, waiting, he knew, for an explanation of exactly why he had come. Myles could not help but wonder the same thing himself.
“I asked Genevieve to marry me,” he blurted out.
For a long moment the two continued to stare at him in silence. Then Gabriel stood up, saying, “Well, I’m going to have a drink.” He crossed to the cabinet and filled two glasses, carrying them back and handing one to Myles without asking.
“You and Genevieve are going to be married?” Thea asked. “That’s—”
“Mad,” her husband stuck in.
“Unexpected,” Thea corrected, shooting her husband a stern look. “But we are very happy for you.”
“She turned me down,” Myles continued.
“The devil!” Gabriel and Thea gaped at him. Gabriel’s face turned wary. “Is this one of your jests?”
“No, I assure you. I asked her to marry me, and she jumped to her feet, looking as though I’d tossed a dead squirrel in her lap, and declared that I was a fool and shewouldn’t marry me. Then she ran out of the room.” Myles paused and stared down at his drink, bemused. “She’d rather be ruined, apparently.”
“Myles, I’m sure that’s not true,” Thea protested. “She had a difficult evening, you must remember.”
Gabriel chuckled. “You clearly don’t know Genevieve. She is always that way. Well, the sharp words are just like her. I can’t say I’ve ever seen her be that . . . dramatic.”
“It is an effect I seem
A surprised footman opened the door. “Sir!” He recovered quickly and added, “Lord and Lady Morecombe are in the anteroom, sir.”
Gabriel lounged in the comfortable chair by the window, his wife sitting on his lap, her legs draped over thearm of the chair. They were deep in conversation and looked up in surprise when Myles walked in the room.
“Myles!” The couple smiled with no apparent embarrassment at being caught in such a pose, and Thea jumped up, coming toward him with outstretched hands. “What a dreadful thing! We heard what happened. Is Lady Genevieve all right?”
“It has not weakened her spine,” Myles replied, taking Thea’s hand and making his bow. “Nor sweetened her tongue.”
“I am so sorry that it happened here. I had meant it to be a party to honor them.” She sighed. “And then to have that odious man—”
“Which odious man, love?” her husband asked Thea as she took a seat on the stool beside his chair. “Langdon or her fiancé?”
“Either. Both. They deserve whatever Alec does to them . . . though it will create a worse scandal, of course.”
“My wife is a bloodthirsty wench.” Gabriel grinned. “No one touches her or hers, and apparently Lady Genevieve has somehow become one of her flock.”
“She is Damaris’s sister-in-law,” Thea said simply. “Anyway, I liked Lady Genevieve when we talked at the wedding. It just takes her a bit to warm up to one. I think she is rather shy.”
“Shy?” Gabriel repeated sardonically.
“Yes. Oh, don’t look at me that way. You don’t know what it’s like—either one of you.” Thea turned to include Myles in her accusation. “You’re handsome and charmingand everyone wants to be with you. You don’t understand how lonely one can feel.”
Gabriel picked up Thea’s hand and kissed it, and they smiled at each other in a way that dismissed the rest of the world. Gabriel pulled his gaze away from Thea and turned back to Myles. “Sit down, Myles, sit down.” Gabriel gestured toward the chair across from him. “Care for a brandy?”
“No. I’m fine. That’s not why I came.”
Myles’s friends looked at him, waiting, he knew, for an explanation of exactly why he had come. Myles could not help but wonder the same thing himself.
“I asked Genevieve to marry me,” he blurted out.
For a long moment the two continued to stare at him in silence. Then Gabriel stood up, saying, “Well, I’m going to have a drink.” He crossed to the cabinet and filled two glasses, carrying them back and handing one to Myles without asking.
“You and Genevieve are going to be married?” Thea asked. “That’s—”
“Mad,” her husband stuck in.
“Unexpected,” Thea corrected, shooting her husband a stern look. “But we are very happy for you.”
“She turned me down,” Myles continued.
“The devil!” Gabriel and Thea gaped at him. Gabriel’s face turned wary. “Is this one of your jests?”
“No, I assure you. I asked her to marry me, and she jumped to her feet, looking as though I’d tossed a dead squirrel in her lap, and declared that I was a fool and shewouldn’t marry me. Then she ran out of the room.” Myles paused and stared down at his drink, bemused. “She’d rather be ruined, apparently.”
“Myles, I’m sure that’s not true,” Thea protested. “She had a difficult evening, you must remember.”
Gabriel chuckled. “You clearly don’t know Genevieve. She is always that way. Well, the sharp words are just like her. I can’t say I’ve ever seen her be that . . . dramatic.”
“It is an effect I seem
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