His Duty, Her Destiny. Juliet Landon

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СКАЧАТЬ on the shining surface. ‘For all her ways, Nicola certainly knows how to manage a household, but neither Lotti nor I are too happy about the way she keeps open house as Father did. She doesn’t appear to see the dangers, and I can’t even get her to think about finding a mate. I suppose she’s enjoying herself too much the way things are.’

      Fergus cleared his throat, hearing a kind of warning in George’s words. ‘And Daniel?’ he said. ‘And Ramond?’

      ‘Daniel is running the Wiltshire estate for me while I’m in London, and Ramond is studying law at Gray’s Inn. I expect he’ll be a diplomat in a few more years.’

      ‘And Patrick?’

      ‘Ah…Patrick.’ George led the way to the table, taking the bench opposite Fergus and settling himself with the air of a prosperous London merchant about to negotiate a deal. Which was not far from the truth. As the eldest of the Coldyngham family, he was but one year older than Fergus, and whether his inherited haughty Roman nose had helped or not, he had become both noble and successful. With a large house and business here in the city, a lovely wife and two children, George had been his father’s pride, honest, sober, well liked and respected, wealthy and as darkly handsome as Fergus. Indeed, the two had occasionally been taken for brothers during their student days at Cambridge. ‘Young Patrick’s still at Oxford, but heaven knows why,’ he said. ‘I doubt he attends more than one lecture a week, and he’s spending money like water. He won’t come into his inheritance until he’s twenty-one late this year, so until then I’m having to advance it in bite-sized pieces.’

      ‘What kind of debts?’

      ‘Oh…’ George grinned ‘…he’s doing all the things that we did, only more so. But I don’t remember costing my father as much as Patrick does. As for Nicola—well, that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?’ He poured ale into two wooden beakers and passed one to Fergus. ‘I have to tell you, Ferg, that she prefers not to recall the agreement your father and mine made all those years ago, so I thought it was about time we made a decision one way or the other. I don’t really understand the reasons behind this promise of theirs. I suppose there must have been one. Wealth. Connections. Perhaps just friendship. I don’t know. But none of us can expect an old arrangement like that to stand unless you both want it. It’s not legally binding, after all.’ He looked at his friend over the top of his beaker before taking a long swig. ‘Well?’ he said, wiping his mouth and reaching for the ham. ‘Want some of this? Pass your plate.’ Deftly, he carved, trying not to notice Fergus’s lack of response.

      Absently, Fergus held out his plate and watched each pink layer pile up before he remembered to say stop. These were questions he could have answered, but chose not to. ‘Is there anyone else?’ he said. ‘Suitors?’

      ‘Oh, good lord, man, dozens,’ said George. ‘They’re here first thing in the morning till last thing at night. She has…’ he laughed ‘…her own way of getting rid of them. You know Nicola.’

      Yes, he had known how, as a child, she had been well able to deal with the local lads, beating them at most things. ‘What?’ he said.

      George took a bite of food and answered with his mouth full, which he would not have been allowed to do at home. ‘Trials and tests,’ he said, munching. ‘If they don’t come up to scratch, they’re out. Not much change there, Ferg.’

      So that was what the contest had been about earlier. Fergus could not help a flutter of concern that, although he had passed the first test with flying colours, it might have cost him too dearly. ‘But no one in particular?’ he insisted.

      ‘Not that I know of. Why?’ George stopped eating and looked at his friend intently. ‘You really interested, after all this time?’

      ‘I promised my father before he died.’

      To George, this pronouncement lacked conviction. ‘Ferg,’ he said slowly, ‘putting promises aside, for a moment. With your wealth you could get any woman. This agreement…promise…call it what you will, was conditional upon a contract when you both reached the age of consent, and while I’ve done my best to get Nicola to commit herself to my father’s wishes, she’s never been one to have her mind made up for her. You remember what she was like as a little ’un. As stubborn as hell and kicking over the traces even then.’

      ‘Vaguely. I must admit my contact with her over the years hasn’t been good.’

      ‘No, it hasn’t. And she’s grown up. She’s made an impression.’

      ‘Then there is someone else, isn’t there?’

      ‘No one that matters, no.’

      ‘Then I have first call. And I’m calling, George. I intend to honour the agreement. It was my father’s last wish, and I promised him.’ Not for a moment did he expect George to be taken in by that, knowing what he did of Fergus’s resistance to his father’s control. They had not seen eye to eye until recently.

      As he suspected, George was not easily duped. He put down his knife and leaned forward. ‘You’ve seen her, haven’t you?’ he said in a low voice. ‘Why else would you be so insistent, eh?’

      Fergus’s stillness was all the answer he needed.

      There was a silence between them as George, ever the merchant, assessed the balance of trade. ‘I suppose you know,’ he said at last, ‘that you’ll be starting at a disadvantage?’ When Fergus merely looked straight ahead, George felt it his duty to remind him. ‘For one thing you’ve left all this a mite too late. If you’d come when she was fifteen, Ferg, you might have found her easier to deal with. As it is…’

      ‘She’s been courted. Yes, but she’ll have to forget them, won’t she?’

      George leaned back and took a deep breath. ‘I think, my friend, that you are forgetting something. Nicola is not your average young miss with stars in her eyes, waiting for the masterful swain to sweep her off her little feet. Far from it. She’s quite capable of keeping herself on ice until she sees exactly what she wants. And considering how she used to hate your guts when you took us all away from her on your wild goose chases whenever you came to stay, I’d say you have as much chance of winning her as you have of flying. I know she’s a beauty, Ferg, but you’ll have to do more than pull her hair and hide her pet rabbit if you want to get her into your bed. She has a long memory you know.’

      Though his jaw tightened, still Fergus said nothing.

      ‘Did you think it was all cut and dried?’ said George.

      ‘No, I know I have my work cut out for me, but I have to try. I realise I want her, George. Will you help me?’ He dared not trust himself to say more, and for a moment, Fergus thought his old friend was going to refuse, so long was the pause before he replied.

      ‘I shall not see her hurt, Ferg. She may occasionally adopt the lad’s role when it pleases her, but that’s for a reason that’s gradually losing its validity. It doesn’t mean she’s tough or insensitive to pain. She’s not. She’s a woman now, with all a woman’s needs, and she’ll not be easily won over. The decision will be hers, believe me.’

      ‘I do believe you.’

      ‘So, you still think you have a chance?’

      ‘As I said, I have to try. You know my ways, George.’

      George, СКАЧАТЬ