The Heiress of Winterwood (24 page)

Amelia followed his gaze to a tall, brown-haired man. “Yes, to be sure.” She noticed right away that both Mr. Riley and William Sterling had already indulged in too much wine. Their laughter interrupted the conversations around them. She looked over at Jane, whose irritated gaze was fixed on the captain’s brother. Amelia glanced back to the captain. If anything, he looked more agitated than Jane.

Amelia winced as Mr. Riley pounded his fist on the table and spilled the remainder of his wine. Silence fell over the room, and a servant hurried to blot up the wine. Graham’s stormy eyes narrowed on his brother. She could feel his frustration just as clearly as she could smell the mild scent of sandalwood that always seemed to accompany him. She glanced over at Jane, who was glaring at William Sterling.

It was going to be a long evening.

At the conclusion of dinner, the women retreated to the parlor for tea and coffee, and the men remained in the dining room for port and brandy. But Graham worked his way over to William, grabbed his brother by the arm, and pushed him from the dining room, out the front door, and into the night.

The night had grown markedly colder since they first arrived. Frigid air gusted down from the home’s pitched roof, and spattered flurries of snow played in the night wind. Graham tapped the door closed with the heel of his boot before speaking. “What are you doing? You’re making a mockery of yourself.”

“What?” William looked at him through glassy eyes. “I was just trying to amuse myself a bit. Deadly dull evening, I’m afraid.”

“Then you need not stay.”

Graham turned to rejoin the men, but William grabbed him by the arm. “Did you speak with her about the money?”

Graham jerked his arm free. “This is neither the time nor the place to speak of this. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“This cannot wait.”

“Why?”

William licked his lips, glancing about as if to ensure nobody was within earshot. His clumsy words slid into one another,
making him difficult to understand. “I’m in trouble, brother. Do not make me recount details. Let’s just say my creditors are growing impatient. If you don’t want to give me the money outright, so be it. A loan, then. I will pay you back.”

“Even if I had the money to give, I could hardly get it tonight.”

“You had Carrington purchase the west fields back from Littleton, did you not? How did you get that money?”

“I did ask Mr. Carrington to oversee the purchase—anonymously, of course—but I used my own funds, not Miss Barrett’s.”

A sneer distorted William’s face, and the effect of drinking wobbled him from side to side. “Convenient for you to be absent all these years, marry a wealthy woman, and return to whatever it is you do without a thought to the family you came from.”

Graham should ignore him. His brother’s words, if he were in another state, would take on a different meaning. Graham made no attempt to hide the contempt in his voice. “But you forget one important detail. The debt’s not mine. It’s yours.”

“But what if it had been yours?” A challenge weighed in William’s voice. “What if you’d been the one saddled here? You’ve been free to live your life; I have been bound to this. So I have made a few bad decisions. Am I to pay for them the rest of my life?”

“You make no sense, William. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

William grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from turning. “I owe a great deal of money. You have more than enough. Am I to understand that you will turn your back on your own flesh and blood?”

Flesh and blood indeed.
That was where their relationship began, and that was where it ended. If anything,
pity
described his attitude toward William. His brother was so like his father. Same light eyes. Same light hair. And same bad habits.

Graham shook off his brother’s hand. “Go home, Will. You’re foxed. We’ll talk in the morning.”

William grabbed him again. “We’ll talk now.”

Graham whirled around to face William. “Even if I did have the money, and even if I were willing to give it to you, there is nothing I could do about it tonight. This is an engagement dinner.
My
engagement dinner. Believe it or not, I have concerns other than the mess you’ve made for yourself.”

William pointed an unsteady finger at him. “Talk down to me if you will. What kind of man—what sort of
honorable
man—uses a woman, his late wife’s friend, to further his own interests?”

“I’m not using Miss Barrett for her money.”

“You’re using her to ease your conscience, as a means to find suitable care for your Lucy. Explain it to me—how is that different? How—”

“And what if I am?” At the mention of Lucy’s name, something snapped in Graham. He had to force his fists to remain at his sides. “What if I am using her? What business is it of yours? I can hardly return to the sea without finding suitable care, and you have been no help whatsoever. But then again, I’ve managed to survive the past eighteen years without answering to anyone in this family, and I do not intend to start now.”

William threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, I forgot. You’re the mighty Captain Sterling, hero of the seas. But the fact is, you are no better than I. We’re cut from the same cloth, are we not? My offense regards money. Your offense regards taking advantage of women. Neither of us is quite as we seem.”

Graham hissed through clenched teeth. “You are making an idiot out of yourself. Go home.”

William stepped close. Heat radiated from his intoxicated body. Graham refused to waver or step away. He stared hard at his brother, and he could swear he was staring straight into his father’s eyes.

William finally spoke, his brandy-laced breath hot against Graham’s cheek. “I saw the way you looked at her. Don’t think I did not see it, that everyone in attendance did not notice. But you
are a fool if you think she will ever return the regard, for it is your daughter she wants, not you. You see, we all have an angle, even the charming Miss Barrett.”

“I’m warning you, William. Step back.”

But his brother was not willing to let it go. “She is not what she seems either. You are not the only man to sample her charms.”

Now Graham leaned in at the odd statement. “Make yourself clear.”

“I’ve held her in my arms myself. Oh, does that surprise you, brother?”

“You’re a lying drunk.” Graham snatched his brother’s coat by the collar.

“No need to become so angry.” William’s eyes were now nothing more than slits over his sloppy grin. “It was one kiss. One little, passionate kiss. And she did not mind, I assure you, not one bit. Seems you’re not the only Sterling worth having.”

Graham released William’s collar with a bit of a shove. The older Sterling stumbled backward, fell to a knee, and struggled to stand. A slack laugh slid from William before he waved a finger in the air. “You will regret not helping me in my time of need, brother.”

They stared at one another, William swaying slightly, Graham frozen to the ground. Then William broke eye contact and stomped down the path in the darkness.

Graham watched him, doubting the foxed fool could find his way home in his current state. But then again, he didn’t really care.

He looked up at the black night. Only a few stars twinkled through the thickening clouds. Strange how the sky looked the same from the middle of the country as it did on the sea. Same sky. Same man. Different trials.

He turned to a trickle of light spilling onto the path. Strange, he thought he’d closed the door. He looked up and caught a glimpse of Amelia’s retreating form.

A
melia had not intended to eavesdrop. When she saw Graham and his brother go outside, she should have kept herself planted firmly next to Jane. She shook her head, regretting her indiscretion. But her punishment for curiosity was steep, for now she knew the truth.

She’d been mistaken when she thought she’d seen a glimmer of affection in Captain Sterling’s eyes when they were alone in the Hammonds’ hall. The captain was marrying her for Lucy’s care. Nothing more. And why should that sting? That had been the plan all along, had it not? A marriage of convenience. But she cringed to realize the captain now knew of the incident between her and his brother. She should have told him before. What must he think of her?

Amelia nodded to Mrs. Mill’s account of her daughter’s baby and managed to ask perfectly timed questions without paying real attention. She praised the beauty of Mrs. Bell’s silver dress and admired the detailed tambour work on Mrs. Dyer’s reticule.
She smiled. Laughed. Performed all of the tasks required to win their approval. After all that Jane had done to protect her, how could she let on that the evening was anything other than perfect?

On the other side of the drawing room, Captain Sterling, Mr. Carrington, Mr. Hammond, and a handful of other men clustered around a game of whist. Their laughter rose above the ladies’ chatter and the fireplace’s merry crackle.

Amelia shrank back against her chair and stole a glance at Graham. Again. His sable hair curled over the high collar of his black tailcoat. His military posture and bronzed skin set him apart from the rest of the men in the room.

Without warning, he turned and looked in her direction. A corner of his mouth tugged upward. She jerked her head down.

The conversation between William and Graham played once more in her mind. What were the west fields, and why were they talking about Edward? And why had they been talking about her inheritance? Why was William challenging Graham on matters of character and loyalty? And heaven help her, William did remember their kiss. And now the captain knew of it too.

She’d be a fool not to acknowledge the obvious. She had let her mind go somewhere it shouldn’t, and now her heart would pay the price.

Amelia wanted to believe the romantic love stories she and Helena had devoured. She wanted to share a love like that of Jane and Mr. Hammond. But perhaps Aunt Augusta had been right. Love didn’t come to a girl whose only asset was her fortune.

A pat on her hand drew her attention.

Amelia glanced down at Mrs. Dyer’s hand resting on her own. With great reluctance she met the woman’s eyes. A knowing grin creased the older woman’s puffy face. “You’re staring, my dear.”

The women giggled like schoolgirls. Mrs. Mill held up her hands to quiet the group. “Now, ladies, who among you could
blame young Miss Barrett for not being able to take her eyes off of the dashing Captain Sterling?”

Fresh snickers circled the group.

Let them believe it. Let them all believe this is a match made of love. Keep what little dignity you have intact.

Snow clouds obscured the moonlight, and trees blocked the flickering light from the torches in front of the vicarage as the carriage rumbled down the path to Winterwood. The journey would be a short one and the hour was late, so if Graham was to make his apology, he needed to do it quickly. He needed to speak with Miss Barrett alone. He was uncertain of how long she’d been present for his discussion with William, but her distant expression made it clear she hadn’t liked what she had heard.

He chided himself for not keeping command of his words. They could have been easily misconstrued. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was taking advantage of her kindness.