Who Wants to Marry a Duke - Sabrina Jeffries Page 0,12
when her stepmother had shown up on cue to “catch” them.
“You think she would prefer some other fellow over a wealthy duke?” Grey asked. “So why didn’t this other fellow offer for her? Since she has never married, she is obviously bad at baiting traps for men.”
Now fully in a temper, Thorn marched up to his half brother. “Whose side are you on?”
Grey crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re taking sides now, are we? Over my choice of chemist?”
“She is not a true—” Thorn stifled a sigh. “Look here, just because she carries a box of chemicals in her reticule doesn’t mean anything.”
“How do you know what’s in her reticule? For a man who is barely her acquaintance, you seem oddly aware of her habits and surprisingly sure of her character.” Grey looked smug. “Admit it, you’re being irrational. You don’t like her merely because she once had the audacity to turn you down.”
“So did Bea,” Thorn shot back, “the first time you proposed to her.”
As Thorn had known it would, that sally wiped the humor right off Grey’s face. “Who told you that?”
“Her brother.” Thorn smirked at Grey. “Who is now my brother-in-law. Trust me, I’ve heard all your dirty secrets.”
“From Wolfe? I doubt that. He’s more tight-lipped than I am.” Grey crossed his arms over his chest. “And obviously, Beatrice accepted me the second time, so perhaps you should offer for Miss Norley again.”
“Not on your life.” Thorn fought a grimace. Why was Miss Norley’s refusal still such a sore subject? It had happened years ago.
“Then offer for another woman. You’re getting a bit long in the tooth to be a bachelor.”
“Don’t be absurd,” Thorn said, though he’d thought nearly the same thing earlier. “I’m only thirty. Just because you fell into Bea’s arms like a trout into a fisherman’s net doesn’t mean I should give up my carefree bachelor life too young. Besides, there are plenty of women to be had without a man needing to marry one.”
“Ah, now I understand,” Grey said lazily. “You haven’t offered for any other woman because Miss Norley saw right through your easy charm and rattled you.”
“She was impressed enough by my ‘easy charm’ to let me kiss her years ago.”
“Oho!” Grey grinned at him. “You never told me that part, you devil, you. She must have found something wanting in your kisses, indeed.”
Thorn gritted his teeth. “She seemed rather enthusiastic at the time.”
“Are you saying she’s a trollop?”
“Of course not. But once you pair her with her stepmother, who forced my hand to make sure I offered for Miss Norley, you’ll realize that the two of them—”
“Who said anything about her stepmother?” Grey lifted an eyebrow. “Miss Norley made it quite clear she did not want Lady Norley to come along. The baroness doesn’t approve of her stepdaughter’s experiments.”
“So why did Lady Norley agree to let her go with you?”
“Because she doesn’t know why we invited Miss Norley. We told her that the young woman is coming to the estate to serve as Beatrice’s female companion during her confinement. I think Lady Norley was more than happy to allow her stepdaughter a chance to mingle with a duke and duchess. None of us saw any point in mentioning Miss Norley’s real purpose.”
“You don’t know what her real purpose is,” Thorn growled.
“Neither do you.” Grey straightened his shoulders. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but if anything, Miss Norley’s rejection of you makes me trust her even more. She has a spine, something sorely lacking in most society women, and she’s unimpressed by your title and wealth. So consider me forewarned, but I remain firm in my decision to have her do these tests.”
Grey’s refusal to see what seemed obvious to Thorn pricked his pride. “Very well. Then I’ll go with all of you to Carymont.”
“I haven’t invited you.”
“I daresay I can get your wife to do so.”
“You probably could, you silver-tongued arse. She won’t want to cause trouble in the family.” Grey mused a moment. “All right then. Join us. I suppose that could be useful. Once we have the results of the test, you and I can think through the next part of our strategy—finding out who administered the arsenic.”
Thorn drained his glass. “Assuming she finds any. And that her results are reliable.”
Grey headed for the door, then paused to look back at Thorn. “I warn you. If you so much as attempt to ruin my plans with unfounded accusations against Miss Norley, I will send you packing