Heiress for Hire (Duke's Heiress #1) - Madeline Hunter Page 0,15

out the library window and watched the carriages line up. Everyone stepping down wore their finest clothes. Even the children had been turned out suitably for a visit to a duke’s home. Servants lowered trunks from the back and tops of the coaches, all full of yet more garments with which to bedazzle one another.

“Tell me this won’t be hell.” Nicholas stepped in beside him and gazed out. “Good heavens, that is Dolores. I haven’t seen her in a year.”

Dolores, a middle-aged, raven-haired woman of impressive height, was directing the servants working at her coach. Her voice could not be heard, but her mouth kept moving and her finger kept pointing and the servants kept grimacing.

“She would never let Agnes have all the fun,” Chase said. The two women were sisters, the only female siblings among the men who populated their generation. Chase assumed that both had learned to be forceful in order to be seen or heard among six brothers.

“There is Kevin,” Nicholas said. “I thought he was abroad.”

“Not any longer, it appears.”

Kevin strode up the drive, looking too much like a brooding poet with his refined features, deep-set eyes, and shock of dark hair. He acknowledged none of the cousins or aunts while he passed their carriages, nor did they call out to him. Chase assumed he had left his own carriage back in line and chose to walk rather than wait.

“There will be hell to pay with him,” Nicholas muttered.

Kevin had not been in the country when Uncle Frederick died. He had not been present when the will was read. His resentment would be fresh. Worse, he had more cause than most to complain.

“The will was surprising in many ways,” Nicholas said. “Where Kevin was concerned, however, it bordered on cruel.”

Chase could not disagree. Much as he loved his uncle, there had indeed been a few consequences of that testament that appeared vindictive without cause.

“I suppose I should go greet them.”

“Go to your apartment instead. Let them settle in. See them in the drawing room before dinner. Arrive last, and greet them as the duke, not as Cousin Nicky.”

Nicholas laughed. “Sage advice.”

“Do nothing to lose the upper hand or you will never get it back. We will have pandemonium then.”

“I will inform them this evening that there will be no discussion about the estate until tomorrow afternoon. I have told the solicitor to be here at three o’clock.”

Nicholas turned to make good his escape, but just then Kevin entered the library. To Chase’s surprise, he beamed a smile and strode forward, the frown now gone.

Younger than Chase by four years, Kevin had always been a favored younger cousin mostly due to his vivid personality and unusual interests. Of their generation, he possessed the most likelihood of eventually displaying the eccentricity that marked his own father and Uncle Frederick, mostly because he had always trod his own path.

“It is good that you are back,” Nicholas said. “You can help Chase keep them from killing me.”

Kevin glanced out the window. “Having just come from the solicitor’s chambers, I expect they want to kill someone and Uncle is no longer available.”

Nicholas paused over that, but let it pass. “I did write and warn you.”

“I didn’t receive your letter before I left. I arrived two days ago, and my father informed me of the worst of it straight off. I would have seen Sanders yesterday, but my father wanted help repairing one of his automatons.” He rolled his eyes at the mention of his father’s ongoing obsession.

“An interesting one?”

“They are all interesting if you find worthless mechanical devices of no use to humanity interesting.”

“Is he coming today?” Nicholas asked. “Did you leave him back on the lane?”

“He told me that none of his brothers were coming up to town, and he would not be oppressed just because he is always in London. They expected nothing from Uncle Frederick, so they have no complaints.”

Chase gave Kevin a deeper consideration. For all the good cheer he displayed, shadows veiled his normally bright eyes on this allusion to the will. “Why don’t you settle in. We’ll talk later.”

“I suppose I should see what chamber the housekeeper has allotted me. I could return to my father’s house at night, of course, but he can be a trial and I want to keep an eye on all of them.” He sent a sharp glance out the window.

Nicholas clamped a firm grip on Kevin’s shoulder. “Let us go find Mrs. Wiggins, so I can make sure she