CHAPTER 3

SO THE SPITFIRE THOUGHT to go after her sister and his brother alone? Not bloody likely. He had to make sure he found them before she did. Lest she wanted to create a scandal, despite her protestations, and implicate his brother to demand some sort of reparation. God save all men from scheming women. He frowned. Lady Renier didn't look duplicitous, but then, one could never be sure.

The bang of the front door reverberated through the house, marking the departure of the invading muse. He was about to start rattling orders to coordinate the pursuit of his brother when his study door opened again to admit another invader. This one a good deal more mild-mannered, and yet more menacing. At least to him.

"Ashford! So glad you have returned, my boy," his diminutive grandmother exclaimed, coming towards him with all the spryness of a girl, instead of the octogenarian he knew her to be.

"Grandmama." Ashford stood up and then bent to kiss the Dowager Marchioness of Ashford cheek. "I don't even need to inquire about your health because you look younger and better every day."

"Oh, poppycock! I'm not young. I might die any moment, if you must know. And you haven't visited me for the last five years, you ungrateful whelp."

He tried to cover his smile. Her grandmother was the only person on this earth who could call him ‘whelp' and get away with it.

"As you well know, I've been abroad, Grandmama, but I've written. In any case, it seems you have found a way to drag me back to England," he mentioned, studying her face.

"Oh, this business with Drew?" She waved a dismissive hand, as if his brother's fate was of no import. "I would have done it sooner had I known it would bring you back home. But I needed to find a worthy gel."

"What did you do?" His tone would have given pause to any person except his grandmother, who instead smiled with satisfaction.

"Oh, I simply gave him a nudge in the right direction. I helped him find his ideal bride."

"Drew doesn't need you to play matchmaker for him," he growled.

"Is that so? Well, he wasn't doing a great job of finding a wife, so I had to step in if I ever hoped to see the line secure." Her narrowed eyes focused on him, and a slither of premonition ran down his spine. "As a matter of fact, providing an heir is your duty, not Drew's. And you are not doing so well in that regard either. I believe you are in need of my assistance as well."

"Don't you dare interfere in my affairs." It came out a little sharper than he had intended, so he added, a bit more calm, "You know I don't wish to marry again. One disastrous marriage is more than enough for one lifetime."

His grandmother's gaze softened with sympathy. "I agree. But what about a non-disastrous one?"

"Oh? And do you have any way to ensure this?"

"Of course not. Nobody does. But it starts with selecting the right woman."

"No." The one syllable was definitive, but just to drive the point home, because this was his meddling grandmother, he expounded, "I forbid you to try to matchmake on my behalf. Is that clear?"

"Fine, my boy. I won't. But I wish to see you happy. You should remarry. What about that nice young lady with whom I just crossed paths when I arrived?"

His lips compressed into a displeased line. It was too much to hope that his grandmother had not seen Lady Renier.

"She came here looking for my brother, who has eloped with her sister. Do you know anything about that, Grandmama?"

He got his answer in her grandmother's widening eyes. "They have eloped? I knew the youngsters were in love. Even so, eloping seems unnecessary. Their betrothal was going so well. Just a few days ago, I hosted their betrothal ball."

"And now you see the results of your meddling. If you'll excuse me, I need to make arrangements to pursue them.

His grandmother's frail hand landed on his arm, stopping him in his tracks with no need to exert any force. "And what are you planning to do if you find them, Liam?" she asked softly, using the nickname she had called him since he was a little boy.

"Why, stop the marriage, of course!"

"But you can't. And you mustn't. Drew is in love with this girl. And she loves him, too. I've seen them together. They suit. You should leave them be."

"Be that as it may, I'd rather see for myself. I must ensure my brother is not making the same mistake I did."

"And if he isn't? Would you then consider maybe following in his footsteps and finding yourself a nice woman to marry?"

"Not a chance in hell, Grandmama. If my brother persists on this course, then he can bloody well provide the next heir. Because I certainly won't."

With that, he turned and strode from the study. His conscience poked him with red-hot irons at the way he had spoken to his grandmother. She and his brother were the only two people in the world he loved. But talk of marriage always put him in a foul mood. He would apologize later. Now, the most urgent thing was to find his brother before the fiery Lady Renier did.