Chapter Eight

“N othing is going on,” Gawain responded with a soft growl, twirling Cherish in his arms to the strains of a waltz, marveling how perfectly she fit against him and moved with him.

She regarded him dubiously—for good reason, he supposed.

His denial was partially a lie.

There was something going on between him and Katie, the now widowed Countess of Albin, but he wasn’t sure what it was yet. He certainly did not want to entangle himself with her again, but she was determined to insert herself back in his life, and this had thrown him off his stride.

He wanted her to leave, and would demand it if she did not soon reveal her motives in approaching him after all these years. He did not trust her and did not want her back in his life again.

But he and Katie had so much history between them. How could he dismiss her without a thought? Yet she was nothing as he remembered her. Gone was her youthful embrace of life and the allure of her smile. Seeing her around Cherish with her claws out and filled with malice had surprised him.

Shocked him, actually. Had she always been this way and he had been too young and foolish back then to notice?

“You seem to be doing quite well for yourself tonight, Cherish,” he remarked, guiding her through another spin. “You’ve captured the attention of several young men.”

She shook her head and laughed. “Remarkable, isn’t it? But I cannot take credit for it. I think it is the gown and the fact that I am showing off more of my attributes than usual,” she said, glancing down at her bosom. “Obviously, I did not dress myself.”

“It is evident Fiona had a hand in making you over. She wasn’t going to let you hide away, and I’m glad of it. You look lovely. Dare I say it? You sparkle?”

She stared up at him again, her eyes wide and shimmering. Her expression was sweet and soft, far more alluring than any of Katie’s practiced looks. “Thank you, Your Grace. I’m glad you think so.”

They danced in silence for another turn about the room, but he could see Cherish’s thoughts were elsewhere. “What is on your mind?” he asked.

“Are you still in love with her?”

He tensed. “I am not discussing Lady Albin with you.”

He was still trying to make sense of his old flame’s behavior. Strength and determination were good qualities, or at least he had always thought so. But when driven by jealousy and malice? It sickened him to think he had once been so taken with her.

“I see.” Cherish pursed her lips, and now her lithe, little body was as tense as his.

Botheration.

He was in turmoil because Cherish felt so right, but Katie had also felt right all those years ago. He did not know why he was holding on to that thought when it was abundantly clear he had never truly known his childhood love.

“Cherish, stop thinking about her.” He could tell by the nibbling on her lip and the expression on her face that she was troubled. Why could she not let Katie’s reappearance in his life pass without additional comment?

She grimaced as he led her into another sweeping turn. “Please don’t be angry with me, but I must get this out.”

“Don’t. You have no idea what I am thinking.”

“But isn’t this entirely the point? You are very good at hiding your thoughts, and I am worried they might lead you in the wrong direction. Are you hoping to resume your acquaintance with her? Do you think you can resist her wiles now that you are older and wiser? It is not so. You will be burned by her, just as you were the first time.”

He ought to have been irritated by her meddling, but she appeared to be sincerely worried about him, and he could not find it in himself to growl at her. “Do you think I do not know this?”

“What I think is that you might be too confident because women so easily fall at your feet.”

“Stop, Cherish. Most of them ignored me until I became a duke.”

“I cannot imagine anyone ever ignoring you.”

“Well, perhaps they were attracted to me, but they were never going to marry the third son of a duke. Encourage a dalliance, yes. But there was never a doubt any of them would choose what they thought was the more secure path for marriage.”

“Which is what Lady Albin did. Are you bitter about it?”

“I do not forgive easily, if this is what you mean.”

“You did not strike me as the sort who would. Honesty is very important to you. How hurtful it must have been to lose the one you loved with all your heart.”

“I did not love her with all my heart.” He shrugged. “Perhaps at the time it felt that way, but I got over her long ago.”

“But you kept yourself off the Marriage Mart.”

“Only because I was never interested in marrying for purposes of a business arrangement, and that is the primary purpose of that elegant meat market. However, I did not shun all events. I went to the elegant balls and fashionable soirees. Dinner parties, musicales. The theater. Occasional house parties such as this one,” he added with a wry grin.

“Still, you were not open to courting another. Are you sure it was not because you remained in love with Lady Albin? I understand completely how difficult it is to get over someone you care about. Aren’t I the same? Stupidly trying to hold on to my childhood memories of Northam Hall and hardly protesting as I was slowly turned into little more than a servant? I was stuck being true to my heart when I ought to have been more mercenary and looked out for myself. Is it not terrible? I was stuck on a thing , not even a person.”

He could not help casting her an affectionate smile. “This is what I like best about you, that soft and sentimental heart of yours.”

“It is awful,” she said with a shake of her head. “I shall condemn myself to a life of misery under Lord Northam’s tight fist if I do not change my ways. I don’t think it was easy for you to move on, either. It isn’t easy for me, and I came to this party not in love with anyone.”

“And now?”

“I have not even been kissed yet. How am I to know what I should or should not be feeling? But I think when I fall in love it shall be once and always. How does one move on from this?”

“Do not look to me for an answer. Apparently, you believe I have done a terrible job of it. But I have moved on, and so shall you.”

She regarded him with a tender expression that wrapped around his heart. “Your Grace, I know you believe you are in full control of your feelings. You certainly hide them far better than I have ever done. But I do not think you have quite moved on from Lady Albin.”

“Is that so? If you are able to see through me so well, then tell me what else I am thinking.”

“I am not very good at reading people when it comes to matters of love because I have no experience with it. But your outward calm does not fool me. I know you are in turmoil. Please do not make any rash decisions. You must think things through before renewing your acquaintance with Lady Albin. You have come a long way since your days as a third son and are now one of the elite, sought-after Silver Dukes. But this does not mean your heart is impenetrable.”

They took another spin in time to the music. “Oh, I’ve done a fairly good job of building up those thick walls.”

“You may think she is safe because you do not have to marry her. Is this not the appeal of widows such as Lady Albin? But you cannot carry on a liaison with someone like her.”

He liked Cherish and always enjoyed listening to hear her thoughts, but not about this. “I am not a little boy who needs to be warned to protect his manhood.”

She emitted a shaky breath. “She will eat your soul.”

He laughed.

“I am serious. Everyone thinks you have ice in place of a heart, but you don’t. You have a wonderfully caring heart that will not behave according to your will. Hearts never do what you want them to do. I just don’t want yours to betray you.”

“And yours, Cherish?”

She groaned. “My heart is completely misbehaving, and I am in agony over it.”

He twirled her off to the side near the glass doors leading onto the terrace. With one more spin they were on the terrace, and he stopped dancing upon reaching a torch-lit corner. He drew her behind one of the pillars but continued to hold her close, slowing their dance so that they were hardly moving in time to the music. “Why are you in agony?”

“To toss your words back at you, it is none of your business.”

“Has someone hurt you? One of those new suitors?”

Pain shot into her eyes. “No.”

“Blast it, Cherish. You are a terrible liar.”

“I know.”

“Has someone insulted you? Tell me who and I shall have a word with him.” He continued to hold her, their shadows barely visible in the dim light. The night sky was clouded over so that one could not make out the stars or moon.

Cherish looked quite pretty by the light of the lone torch.

“I am not so inept as to require your assistance,” she insisted. “No one has said or done anything unkind to me, other than your paramour.”

“Don’t call her that.”

“Then what is she to you?”

He released Cherish, no longer maintaining the pretense of dancing with her, and walked over to the balustrade. “I don’t know what she is. I don’t know who she really is or whether I ever want to see her again. There, are you satisfied?”

“No, but I am truly sorry you are so turned upside down by her.”

“I’m not turned upside down.”

She shook her head and regarded him with irritating patience. “Now who is lying?”

Perhaps Cherish was right and he was merely deluding himself. As much as he did not trust Katie, he suspected they could easily fall back into an intimate relationship. Since she was a widowed countess with means of her own, she would suffer little if the gossips found out about their renewed acquaintance. He could bed her without the need to marry her.

Was this not what Katie was offering? An open invitation into her bed with no strings attached?

Even Cherish, as untried and innocent as she was, could see where it was certain to lead.

On the one hand, renewing a casual acquaintance with Katie would allow him to remain free to do as he wished with his life. He could continue to be the Silver Duke everyone desired but no woman could ever catch.

Pursuing Cherish, on the other hand, meant surrendering completely. She would require a vow of commitment. Marriage. Faithfulness. Till death do us part.

Even kissing Cherish was dangerous.

He knew how to kiss a woman, and expected he could steal Cherish’s heart with just one kiss because she believed so wholly and completely in the enchantment of romance. She also believed in abiding love. Unbreakable, enduring love.

He could sweep her away with such feelings.

And yet she might do the same to him, because her innocence and this sincere belief in love’s existence was incredibly appealing to him. She spoke from her heart, and therein lay pure truth.

More than that, she had magic in her heart. Perhaps this was what he had always been waiting to find, that one person who could make him feel the magic.

And here she was before him.

Cherish.

The orchestra now played the last strains of their waltz. Gawain knew she would now be claimed for the next dance. He was about to offer his arm to escort her back inside when Reggie spotted them. “Ah, there you are,” he said to Cherish, sounding annoyingly gleeful. “Our turn to dance.”

She smiled in obvious relief and walked off with him.

Gawain was left standing alone on the terrace.

It did not take long for Katie to approach him. “You are wasting your time with her,” she said quite matter-of-factly. “She is the demanding sort and will expect a proposal of marriage out of you if you so much as kiss her.”

Had he not been thinking this very thing? But he resented Katie’s mention of it.

He arched an eyebrow. “And what have you to offer me?”

He knew he sounded surly and perhaps insulting, but what did she expect after decades of lies and not a single apology from her?

“I can offer you your heart’s desire, Bromleigh. Anything you want. I am free now to give you all of myself.” She drew close and held her perfumed body against him. Hers was a heavy scent, cloying and sweetly stale.

He eased away. “Out of curiosity, Katie, why did you marry Albin?”

“He was rich, titled, and doted on me. He was also my father’s age, so I knew he was likely to pass on before I got too old to enjoy myself.”

Gawain snorted. “That’s touching.”

“I loved you, not him. What do you want me to say? I saw the opportunity and took it for us.”

“Us? I never asked this of you.”

She sniffed. “No, you wanted me to be the wife of a soldier. How were we to live off your meager wages?”

“My father was the Duke of Bromleigh. He would have taken you in and looked after you. You could have made a comfortable life for yourself at Bromleigh Hall or in London if that was your preference. My father would not have stinted on your allowance. Nor would my brothers, had they survived to assume the title.”

“A comfortable life? To be your proper and meek wife, left to sit about embroidering handkerchiefs for you while awaiting your return? To be dependent upon the largesse of your family and forced to behave as they saw fit? Never to rule a home of my own? No, this was never something I desired. Why should I be at their mercy if they disapproved of my friends or my style of life? And what if you had died in battle? What would have become of me then? You were third in line to succeed your father. What was the wife of a third son ever going to inherit?”

He said nothing, merely eyed her coldly.

She tipped her chin up in defiance. “Did you expect our love to provide all the nourishment I needed? You ought to appreciate the sacrifices I made for us.”

“ Us again? You keep dragging me into this decision completely of your own making. That’s rich.”

“But it is true.”

“No, it was never true, and I don’t appreciate your so-called sacrifice.”

“Because you are still angry at the thought of losing me. You were never a good loser.”

“That hasn’t changed. Did it never occur to you to reach out to me and explain? I know I was away from England much of the time, but there were years when you could have contacted me. Do you think I remain so besotted that I will once again fall for your lies?”

“Our hearts are bound to each other, Bromleigh. Why won’t you admit it?”

“Yours was never bound to mine. Why have you come back, Katie? Is it because I am now a duke?”

“Will you pretend it is not an attractive quality? Every girl here is hoping to marry the Duke of Bromleigh.” She moved closer to him again. “Marry me or don’t. I do not care. Give us a chance, why don’t you? I know we can rekindle the love we once had.”

“No.”

She sighed. “I am in Brighton until the end of August. I know you are here for another few days. Think about us. If you are not ready to come to me here in Brighton, then come to me in London. I’ll be waiting for you.”

He watched her walk away. She moved like a cat.

And just like a cat, she was now circling Cherish as though ready to spring upon an unwary mouse. He did not like that Katie had her eyes on Cherish.

Gawain rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. How much clearer did he have to be with Katie? Was an outright refusal not enough? There would be no rekindling of their relation. She was no longer the woman he wanted.

If anything, he was furiously kicking himself for being so dense about her for all these years. He’d held on to a dream of perfection that never existed and had only himself to blame for remaining so deluded. So many years lost by refusing to move on to seek his own happiness elsewhere. Well, he had not completely shut himself off. He would have married if someone special had come along. But no one ever had until now.

Cherish.

Yes, she was lovely in every way and could make him happy.

But he also had to think of Reggie. The lad needed a wife he could trust with his heart and with his life. A wife who thought of others rather than only of herself. If Cherish ever vowed to love Reggie, he could count on her to remain true to her word. If Reggie were ever to go into the army, she was the sort of girl who would wait faithfully for his return. Unlike Katie, she would not demand a fine home for herself or require an extravagant style of life.

Cherish was… Blast, she was perfect for him .

So what was he doing? Why was he trying to foist her on Reggie?

“Bah,” he muttered, returning inside to watch Cherish and soak her in, because he could not seem to get his fill of the girl.

She danced almost every dance and had no shortage of admirers. Yet there was nothing haughty in her demeanor. If anything, she seemed uncomfortable by the compliments tossed at her.

However, she did enjoy dancing, and her smile was sheer radiance as she hopped and twirled in time to the music.

Gawain did not dance again, for the jaunty reels were more suited to the younger crowd, to Reggie and his friends, who were already in their cups and hopping about like frogs in a pond. Instead, he performed his duties to Fiona by wandering through the room and engaging her guests in conversation.

It was two o’clock in the morning by the time the dancing ended, and perhaps three o’clock by the time the last stragglers made their way to their bedchambers.

Gawain had not seen much of Katie after their discussion on the terrace, so he assumed she had climbed back in her coach and returned to Brighton.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

He found her waiting for him in his bed.

Naked.

Bollocks. What was she scheming now?

“Katie, what are you doing? Put your clothes back on.”

By the hard look in her eyes, Gawain knew she was not done with him yet. “Is this any way to greet the woman you once loved?”

“ Once being the significant word in that sentence. Did you take nothing away from our earlier conversation? I told you, we are through. Our time has come and gone. In the past. Never to be resurrected. Done.”

She sat up and positioned herself in what she thought was an enticing pose. “Come to me, Bromleigh.”

He handed her the thin chemise she had tossed off and that was now dangling on the footboard. It was so sheer, he doubted it would hide anything of her body. She refused to put it on, but even if she had, it probably would not have done much good. Her bosom would have spilled out of it, for the material was so flimsy, little would be left to his imagination.

Not that he needed any imagination, since Katie was showing him everything. “Get dressed,” he growled when she licked her lips in sultry promise and began to spread her legs. “I’ll help you tie your laces.”

She refused to budge. “You cannot send me home now. It is too late and much too dangerous for a lone carriage to be on the road at this hour.”

He sighed. “Stay here, then.”

“Now you are coming to your senses. Get out of your clothes and I shall have you com—”

“Gad, be quiet, Katie. I am not staying in here with you.” He gathered some of his belongings and strode to the door.

“Bromleigh, where are you going?”

“To sleep in my nephew’s room. He has two beds, and I shall manage quite well sleeping in the spare.”

She scrambled off his bed. “You cannot be serious. Don’t be a fool. Share yours with me.”

Gawain knew this would be the most foolish thing he could ever do. “Goodnight, Lady Albin.”

He shut the door behind him and strode down the hall to Reggie’s bedchamber. His nephew’s eyes widened as he opened his door to allow him in. “Uncle?”

Gawain strode past the lad and tossed his change of clothes onto one of the chairs. “Don’t ask,” he said, beginning to undress. “I am sleeping here tonight.”

“Why?”

He said nothing as he stripped down to his trousers and then settled atop the mattress with a heavy sigh.

“Truly, Uncle. Talk to me. What is going on?”

“Lady Albin is sleeping in my chamber. I’ll advise Fiona to send her packing in the morning.”

Reggie chortled. “Ah, the Silver Duke has woman troubles. I thought something like this might happen. I’m glad you did not take her up on her offer. Bloody hell. You didn’t take her up on it, did you? I mean, why leave afterward if the damage has already been done? Even if it was just a quick tumble. You know what I mean?”

“I did not touch her.”

“Good.”

“What business is it of yours whether I did or not?” Gawain glanced over at his nephew, who was gawking at him.

“Because you are my uncle and a man I admire. You ought to be setting the proper example for me.”

“Reggie, you are giving me a headache.”

“Hardly, it is that woman who is making your head pound. You seem to believe I am a young fool and always dismiss me.”

“I’m sorry if I do.” He groaned. “At the moment, you are a lot more clever than your fool of an uncle. I don’t know how to shake her off.”

Reggie stretched out in his own bed and propped himself up on one elbow. “She won’t leave until she is good and ready. So you’ll just have to make her ready.”

“And how am I to do that?” What was wrong with him? Since when did he take advice from that young whelp?

“You ought to declare yourself in love with another woman.”

Gawain laughed. “Oh, really?”

“Yes, really. And I know just the one.”

“I am not going to pretend to be in love with any of those peahens Fiona invited here. They are for you and your friends.”

“What about Lady Cherish?”

Gawain sat up. “Cherish?”

“Yes,” Reggie said with a nod. “She is beautiful, kind. Intelligent. Charming. I saw how the two of you danced together. You are a perfect fit. And may I add, she knows how to make you smile. Oh, not that insincere smile you cast everyone. You have a soft one just for her. Lady Albin would believe you if you claimed to be in love with Cherish.”

Gawain’s teeth were clenched and he was now gnashing them. “Not her.”

“Why ever not? She is perfect.”

Yes, she was perfect. Which was why he intended her for his nephew. “Shut up, Reggie. Go to sleep.”

“I can’t. My head is still in a spin.” His nephew had his eyes open and his hands casually propped behind his head, determined to hold a conversation. “Didn’t Cherish look pretty tonight?”

Gawain sank back atop his mattress. “Yes, Reggie.”

Lord, yes.

“Let’s be serious now, Uncle. Is Cherish the reason why you would not spend the night with Lady Albin? You like her, don’t you?”

Gawain rolled over to blow out the candle and fell heavily back onto the spare bed. “Stop asking questions.”

“Why won’t you admit you like Cherish?”

Gawain emitted a snore.

“Fine, don’t answer me. I know you like her. So do I. If you won’t court her, then perhaps I will. Actually, there is no perhaps about it. If you do not want her, then I am going to court her. What have you to say about that?”

“Not a thing, Reggie. Go to sleep.”

Reggie sighed. “Fine, but this is not over. If you do not want that gem of a girl, then I shall have her. Goodnight, Uncle Gawain.”

*

Gawain awoke early the next morning after a troubled sleep that was all of his own making. His nephew had finally noticed Cherish and was ready to pursue her with the objective of marriage.

Why did this make him feel so wretched?

He quietly washed and dressed, then headed downstairs in the hope of finding himself alone in the breakfast room. After yesterday’s activities, he expected everyone to sleep in late and was not pleased to find Katie waiting for him. Well, she knew his habits.

“Good morning, Lady Albin.” He kept to formality as he went to the sideboard to fill his plate with kippers and eggs. What a nuisance to find her here. Was she going to follow him everywhere he went?

“Bromleigh, enough of your games. We need to talk.”

“Not a chance.” He intended to grab a quick bite then go for his usual morning ride. The sun was shining and it promised to be another fine day.

Indeed, it would have been perfect if not for the presence of his former love.

“I know you are still angry with me for what you think I did. But it is time you forgave me. I shall forgive you, too.”

He glanced over at her. “What have I done that requires it?”

“You were beastly to me yesterday. It is time you realized your mistake and came back to me.”

He sighed and took a seat across the table from her, motioning for a footman to bring him a cup of coffee. “Why are you here, Katie? What do you really want from me?”

She took a sip of her tea and then daintily set down the cup. “Is it not enough to simply want you?”

He laughed. “Yes, for some women. But never for you. Does Fiona know you are still here?” Someone must have helped her into her clothes and styled her hair this morning.

She arched a perfectly formed eyebrow. “I have no idea. One of Lady Shoreham’s valets summoned the housekeeper when he found me in your bed. The poor man was quite shocked.”

“Don’t tell me—he found you naked.”

She grinned. “Oops.”

“I’m glad one of us finds humor in the situation.”

“I assume Lady Shoreham has been told by now, since this is her house. Why are you so put out? I am a countess. She is not about to refuse me if I choose to remain.”

Gawain held back a chuckle, for Fiona would toss the King of England out on his regal derriere if she were of a mind to do so.

He wanted Katie out of here. It was bad enough these footmen were listening in and now knew she had spent the night in his bedchamber. Naked. Hopefully, they also understood he had not remained with her.

Odd how her perfect hair and perfect smile, and every other detail of her perfect self, now irked him rather than tempted him.

He finished his breakfast, took a last sip of his coffee, and then rose. “I’m off.”

Her eyes widened. “Where are you going?”

“Morning ride.”

“I’ll go with you. Give me a moment to change into my riding habit. Have the groom saddle a horse for me, as well.”

“You came prepared, didn’t you?”

“I always do.”

“I prefer to ride alone.” He strode out, his only concern being for Cherish, who had no idea of these goings-on and would take the brunt of Katie’s anger if she wasn’t warned. Even Reggie, as dense as that lad could sometimes be, had noticed his uncle’s attraction to Cherish.

Gawain, of course, would always deny it. But it had to show, for what he felt was no mere passing fancy.

Was it possible he was in love with Cherish?

“Bah,” he muttered, heading upstairs to knock at Cherish’s door and talk to her before he rode off.

He heard the soft pad of her bare feet as she scurried to answer the door, and then sucked in a breath at the sight of her. She looked adorably sleepy, her cheeks pink and her hair in a long, loose tumble over her shoulders.

Her big brandy eyes widened upon her finding him at the door. “Your Grace, what is the matter?”

Her nightgown and robe were of plain white cotton. No sultry silks for her. Yet she looked incredibly alluring.

“Cherish, you are going to hear a rumor that Lady Albin spent the night in my bedchamber.”

Her eyes grew even wider, and she appeared shocked, as he knew she would be. But there was no other way to put it but to be direct. “Did she?”

Blast.

Her look more resembled hurt than shock. Perhaps he should have said nothing and just let her hear the gossip. But how would that have been any better? “Yes, she did. But I spent the night in Reggie’s chamber. I want you to know that I was not in there with her.”

“Why is it important for me to know this? You are unmarried and free to do as you please. Is this not what you Silver Dukes do? Take any woman you desire into your bed and then move on? No attachments. No responsibilities. No thought to the lady once you are done with her.”

“Why are you making me out to be an ogre? I have never forced any woman into my bed or ever given false hope. I certainly did not invite Lady Albin into my bedchamber.”

“How did she get in there then?” she asked, her small hand gripping the door so tightly, her knuckles turned white.

“Our doors are not locked. I suppose she assumed I would welcome her traipsing in, which I did not. Since she would not leave, I did.”

“And slept in Reggie’s room? Now that you have told me, what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Trust me.”

Those warm eyes of hers, which so clearly expressed her displeasure a moment ago, now softened. “I do trust you, Your Grace. I’m sorry if I sounded surly. I am not always at my best in the morning, and your statement startled me.”

“You, surly? You are a sweetheart, Cherish.” He ached to kiss her, for her lips also had that rosy tinge of morning on them, and he could think of nothing nicer than sinking his mouth onto hers. “Well, I just wanted you to know the truth. Especially after our discussion last night. Yes, she was in my bedchamber, and I doubt I will be able to dislodge her. But I left and will remain in Reggie’s room until she proceeds on her merry way.”

She cast him a soft smile. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

He sighed. “Call me Gawain. There’s no need for formality between us.”

“My goodness, you are very friendly this morning.”

Not nearly as friendly as he would like to be, but he would talk to her about this later. He had a lot to think through before he said anything more to her. However, since he was a clot and unable to resist her, he leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

He strode out of the house and went to the stable to saddle his mount, for he was eager to ride off before Katie followed him. For this reason, he attended to the saddle himself rather than wait for a groom’s assistance.

The air was cool as he rode off on Odin. His horse enjoyed these morning runs as much as he did. A light mist still hovered over the waves that could be seen rolling to shore in the distance, but there was none on the land, since the sun had already burned through it save for a lingering tendril here and there.

The countryside was quite pretty around Shoreham Manor, consisting mostly of gently rolling hills, green meadows dotted with red and yellow flowers that grew in wild abundance, stone fences that proved easy for his horse to jump, tree-lined country lanes, and meandering streams that flowed into the English Channel.

It was not long before he left Fiona’s stretch of property and crossed onto the Northam estate. He was curious to see where Cherish was born and raised. She spoke of her home with love, but what was there for her to love about it now that she was confined to what amounted to indentured servitude because of her uncle’s callousness?

He rode through an apple orchard, and then up a neatly maintained drive toward a big white house that was beginning to show signs of neglect. Whatever Cherish had poured of herself into this house would soon be lost because of her uncle’s stinting nature.

Men such as Northam would never understand the devotion and effort it took to maintain one’s properties. He was the sort to spend his generous inheritance indulgently on himself and then blame others when his well ran dry.

It bothered Gawain that the oaf could not spare even a shilling for Cherish’s needs.

He dismounted and strode to the front door.

An elderly man, no doubt the head butler, opened it in response to his knock and immediately came forward to greet him. “Are you lost, sir?” he asked politely.

Gawain shook his head. “No, I am the Duke of Bromleigh. Your neighbor, Lady Shoreham, is my cousin.”

“Ah, of course. Then you must be acquainted with our mistress, Lady Cherish. She is spending the week with Lady Shoreham.”

Gawain smiled. “Yes, I am.”

The butler’s eyes immediately brightened. “A lovely girl, isn’t she, Your Grace?”

“Yes, quite lovely. I did not mean to disturb anyone. Lady Cherish mentioned her uncle and his family were away, so I thought I would ride by and see if all was in order.”

The old man, who now introduced himself as Potter, nodded. “The house is not quite as fit as it was under Lady Cherish’s charge, but we are managing. I do hope she is having a pleasant time at the house party.”

“She is the belle of the ball,” Gawain said, truly meaning it. He had noticed glimmers of her radiance from the very first day, but it had taken until last night for her beautiful inner glow to shine through.

“I’m so glad, Your Grace. She is a lovely girl. We are all quite fond of her.”

“It is easy to see why. She has charmed us all.” He was not about to impose further, but changed his mind and decided to accept the invitation when Potter asked him in and gave him a quick tour of the house.

“You will notice Lady Cherish’s touch throughout the home,” the man said, pointing out feminine trappings here and there. However, they were not overdone. The house had an elegant look to it and was clearly decorated with a light, feminine hand.

“I’m surprised Lord Northam’s wife hasn’t made any changes,” Gawain remarked.

Potter shook his head. “Oh, sir. Those are coming. Hideous redecorations, if you ask me. Poor Lady Cherish. It is as though they are purposely undoing everything beautiful she designed. Well, forgive me if I speak out of turn. Lady Cherish is well aware of my thoughts.”

“Has she spoken to Lord and Lady Northam about their plans?”

“Yes, Your Grace. But she is helpless to stop them. Her father is no longer earl, and the new earl has no interest in what she says or thinks. It is very hard on her.”

“I see.” Gawain had now observed all he needed and bade Potter a good day. He rode back to Shoreham Manor at a lazy lope, since it was still fairly early and most guests would only now be waking.

As he rode his horse back to the stable, he noticed Reggie leading a docile mare out of a nearby stall. Lord Fellstone and Lord Durham were following closely behind him with their own mounts, while Cherish, Fiona, and Lady Margaret, along with a few other early-rising guests, were gathered by the nearby meadow. Gawain realized they were there to cheer Cherish on as she attempted to overcome her fear of horses.

He was not needed, but had no intention of missing this moment. In truth, he wanted to be the one she turned to for assistance and support.

But it was too late to offer now. Reggie was proud as anything to help her.

Lord Fellstone also appeared interested, judging by the avid way he was eyeing her. The wretched fellow had claimed two dances from Cherish last night. Fiona had also partnered Fellstone with Cherish for supper, seating him to the left of her while Reggie had been seated on her right.

And here Fellstone was again today. Did the man have nothing better to do than fuss over Cherish?

A dismaying thought crossed Gawain’s mind. Even more dismaying because he, with his Silver Duke high-handedness, had brought this upon himself.

Now that he had competition from these younger men, would Cherish want him?