“Vincent, I—” Teresa tried to speak, but he interrupted her sharply.
“You have done quite enough, Teresa. You will stay here, you will not cause a fuss and, so help me, you will do exactly as you are told.” With that, he marched off, and Teresa felt her mother’s hand close tightly around the back of her collar: a warning that the older woman would not hesitate to hold her daughter back too, if it came to that.
CHAPTER FIVE
“You have a fine estate,” Cyrus said, hearing the door of the study open. He did not need to turn to know it was Vincent, the Earl of Grayling.
Instead, Cyrus continued to gaze out at the sprawling lawns, decorated with immaculate statues, glittering ponds, and spouting fountains. He spied a pear orchard in the distance, and the outer edge of a walled garden off to his left, with ample forest bordering the estate for hunting and shooting. It was certainly grander than Darnley Castle. Cheerier, too.
Teresa will be loath to depart such a place. Still, it cannot be helped now.
“Thatis the first thing you say to me, after what you have done?” Vincent replied in a haughty tone that bristled down the back of Cyrus’ neck, irritating him.
Cyrus still did not turn. “It would have been unseemly to begin with the matter of your sister. I see a lack of courtesy is a familial trait.”
“I beg your pardon?” Vincent hissed.
At last, Cyrus turned to look at the gentleman. “No need to beg. I have come of my own volition to sweep away the mess your sister has made.” He paused, his eyes hardening. “And I suggest you adjust your tone, unless you want to be the reason she is thrown to the lions.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?” Vincent’s eyes blazed with anger, as he closed the study door and took a few tentative steps forward.
Ah… that ridiculous mask.It took Cyrus a moment to realize what he had said, and how it might be interpreted.
“A poor choice of phrasing,” he said, offering no apology. “Once you have found your manners, let us start afresh.”
Considering Vincent’s impressive fortune, his renowned manor, and his talent for business, there were very few gentlemen in society who would not immediately try to ingratiate themselves. Anthony and Silas had warned Cyrus ahead of time that Vincent was accustomed to a certain level of… respect, even from those who outranked him, but if anyone—especially Vincent—thought that Cyrus would bow and scrape, they would be sorely disappointed.
“Mymanners?” Vincent choked, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
Cyrus nodded. “Indeed. I greeted you politely with a compliment about your residence, you decided to behave petulantly. I do not tolerate insults.” He leaned back against the windowsill, casually checking his fob watch. “Shall we begin again?”
His future brother-in-law had gone rather pale, aside from two livid spots of red on each cheek, his breathing harsh as if he had just run around the grounds twice. But whether he would explode or calm himself remained to be seen, and Cyrus was prepared for either eventuality.
When a few minutes had gone by and Vincent had said nothing, Cyrus took a breath and continued. “Very well. I am here to propose to your sister, Lady Teresa.”
“And why should I accept such a proposal?” Vincent replied with a curled lip, though he could not quite look Cyrus in the eye, a reaction that was all too familiar.
It is as if they fear that scars are contagious, or the misfortunes that caused them…
“Need I answer that?” Cyrus said gruffly.
Vincent sniffed. “Actually, yes, I think you do. Why should I accept a proposal from the man who has just ruined my sister?Why should I permit you into my family, when you are a thief of virtue?”
Cyrus had never been calledthatbefore, but he made a mental note to tell Anthony about it later. His friend would find it terribly amusing, and though he was no jester, Cyrus occasionally liked to surprise his friends by making them laugh.
Maintaining his composure, he levelled a cold gaze at Vincent. “It was never my intention to ruin her. I will not embarrass the girl further by detailing the events, nor does it matter much, considering it would change nothing. All you need to accept is that I am here to make things right, though I had no duty to do so.” He paused. “And all Lady Teresa needs to do is agree to the marriage.”
He mentioned nothing of Anthony’s theories about schemes and plots, for the more he had thought about it, the more certain he had become that it was never Teresa’s intention to be embroiled in a scandal with him. He had absolutely no notion why she had done what she did, but deceit and subterfuge were at the bottom of his list of possible reasons, right where her name had been.
“You are in no position to make demands,” Vincent retorted, shifting awkwardly, crossing and uncrossing as arms as if he did not know what to do with them.
Cyrus had unnerved the man. Yet, there was no satisfaction in it. With a face like his, combined with his height and his stature, it was not difficult to put other men on edge.
“I would not call a logical resolution a demand,” he said bluntly. “Nor are you in any position to refuse. Only your sister?—”
The study door opened, and the woman herself came stumbling in, like she had leaned too heavily upon it while eavesdropping and it had decided to punish her by swinging wide. She stopped short of losing her balance, straightening quickly, raising her wild-eyed gaze to her brother first.
“You cannot have this conversation without me!” she urged, breathing raggedly. “No one can make a decision about my future but me.”
