Page 26

A Conversation About a Brother

E arlier, in another hantour

By the time she was seated, Diana couldn’t see whether Tom had joined Helen in her hantour or not.

“What is it?” Randy asked, leaning forward in an attempt to discover the subject of her curiosity.

“ Who is the more appropriate question,” she replied.

He removed his top hat and raked a hand over his sweat-dampened head. “All right. I’ll play along. Who?”

“Your brother.”

Randy stiffened. “What about him?”

“Is he in love with Lady Helen?”

The carriage suddenly jerked into motion, the Arabian following the line of other hantours as they headed south for the short trip past the Bent Pyramid.

“Not that I’m aware,” he answered carefully. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

Diana winced. “Has he ever made mention of Lady Helen?”

Randy shook his head. “Not directly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He sighed. “He doesn’t seem particularly happy about her being with a babe is all,” he commented. “Now that you bring it up, I do wonder if he wishes some of her attentions were on him instead of Master Bradley.” He paused before he asked, “Why did you ask?”

Moving closer on the bench so their thighs touched, Diana lowered her voice to a whisper, as if she feared the driver might overhear her. “Did you know Tom kissed Lady Helen at Morganfield’s ball? The night before you left London?”

Randy blinked twice. He straightened on the bench and directed his gaze straight ahead.

The town of Dashur and the Nile beyond was already visible on the horizon.

“Damnation,” he muttered. “He never said a word ,” he added, turning to regard her with surprise.

“The cur. He used to tell me everything.”

Diana gripped Randy’s hand in hers. “Have you formed an opinion of Lady Helen?”

He shrugged. “She seems a fine young lady. Good breeding?—”

“Even though she’s part Greek?”

He once again frowned. “Her grandmother was a duchess,” he commented, as if her ancestry didn’t matter.

“Is. She’s still alive,” Diana corrected him.

“Rather gorgeous, too, from what I remember, although I was just a boy when I last saw her,” he added, acknowledging her comment with a nod.

“More than a decade ago. Westhaven was still alive, and they were at a garden party,” he explained, referring to Alexander, Duke of Westhaven. “Did you ever meet him?”

Diana nodded. “Of course. He and my father share the same avocation,” she reminded him.

The hantour halted suddenly, and Omar’s voice sounded from somewhere up ahead.

“To your right, we have the Bent Pyramid. Built in twenty-five-sixty BC, its interior consists of two chambers. The burial chamber includes a sarcophagus, and there is a smaller chamber with three niches where statues once resided.” He appeared in their line of sight when he moved closer to the pyramid.

“Much like what happened to other pyramids, the outer casing limestone was removed by treasure hunters. We go now to Dashur where your ship awaits,” he said.

After a moment, the hantour once again jerked into motion as the driver touched the Arabian’s back with his crop.

“Well, as for Everly, he seems rather clever. He’s a member of the Royal Society,” Randy said, picking up their conversation where they had left off.

“And the son? Alexander?” she prompted.

“Have you ever seen him?” he countered.

She lifted a shoulder. “Once or twice.”

“And you didn’t swoon from paying witness to his excessive handsomeness?”

Diana blinked before she broke out into a fit of giggles. “Oh, dear, I did not,” she claimed. “But it sounds as if you did?” she teased.

He made a sound of protest. “I met him at school. Trust me when I say that with his looks, he could have gotten away with behaving as an arse, but he never did.” Dipping his head, he said, “I will admit I am relieved he is happily wed. I shouldn’t want you considering a tumble with him.”

Diana scoffed in disbelief. “Randall Forster,” she scolded, although she was grinning in delight. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “So... Lady Helen passes all the tests for consideration as a potential wife?” she asked.

It was Randy’s turn to blink. “Of course.” He suddenly stiffened. “You’re thinking Lady Helen and Tom. Together?” There was a bit of disbelief in the query, although no indication he found fault with the idea.

“Married, yes,” she acknowledged.

Randy settled back into the squabs and let out a chuckle. “He doesn’t stand a chance, does he?” he asked rhetorically.

Diana’s good mood sobered. “Actually, he hasn’t shown Helen the slightest bit of interest this entire trip,” she said on a sigh.

“Actually...” Here Randy stopped and chewed his bottom lip. “I think he has, but I’ve been misinterpreting his attentions.” His gaze seemed set on something in his mind’s eye.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve seen him watching her,” he admitted. “When she’s been holding the baby. I know he wants children. Eventually. We’ve talked about how many we might have,” he said, lifting a shoulder.

Diana’s eyes widened, but she decided now was not the time to learn on how many he wanted. “And?” she prompted.

“Well, now I think he’s merely jealous of Bradley, which has me wondering who the father is. Did he stay behind in London, or is she widowed? Or...” His face displayed a grimace. “Did someone ruin her?”

Diana covered her mouth with a hand, glad to learn she wasn’t the only one who didn’t know the truth about the babe. “Lord Everly is Bradley’s father,” she stated.

Randy sat up straight and stared at his wife for several seconds before she added, “Bradley is Helen’s little brother. Everly’s spare heir.”

“That dog ,” Randy said in awe.

Wincing, Diana waited for him to clarify.

“He’s old enough to be that boy’s grandfather, which is part of why I thought he was Lady Helen’s son.”

“So you thought that, too?” Diana asked in a quiet voice. “Now I don’t feel so foolish. She’s such a good mother to him.”

“Exactly. Which means she would make an excellent mother for her own babes,” Randy murmured.

The hantour turned as they approached the river, and Diana glanced out to see that theirs was one of the last to arrive at the dock. She wasn’t surprised to see The Dendera already moored and Captain Mahmood stepping off the ship to greet his passengers.

“Don’t tell him,” Diana stated.

“What?”

“Don’t tell Tom about the babe being Helen’s brother.”

Randy frowned. “Why ever not? He’s probably as confused as we were.”

“Yes, and let’s leave it like that,” she said at the same time the hantour came to a halt.

Randy didn’t make a move to exit the equipage, his attention still on his wife. “What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?” he asked.

Diana arched a brow. “If he does have feelings for her, then the babe shouldn’t make a difference.”

He considered the comment a moment. “True,” he finally said. “Unless he believes the father is alive and back in London. Or... or that she was ruined and left with child,” he said, his eyes filled with concern.

“Which would have had to have happened before Tom kissed her at the Morganfield’s ball.”

Randy gave the comment some thought before he said, “Huh.” When he noticed the driver glancing back at them, he realized they needed to depart the hantour. He fished a coin from his pocket and handed it to the man.

“ Shukran ,” Diana said, following Randy out of the carriage.

The driver waved.

When they were free of the hantour and on their way to the ship, Diana entwined her arm with Randy’s. She glanced up at him. “So... will you say anything to Tom?”

Randy briefly chewed his lower lip. “Not directly,” he replied. He chuckled when he saw her crestfallen expression. “But fear not, I believe I have some skills when it comes to matchmaking,” he claimed.

Diana blinked but allowed a grin. “Should I be worried for your brother?”

“I’m more worried for Lady Helen,” he said in a quiet voice. “Are you sure you want her stuck with my brother?”

“Shouldn’t I?” she asked in alarm.

He shook his head. “He deserves a good wife as much as anyone,” he replied. “But if he can’t abide her attentions toward a babe, I’m not sure he deserves her.”

Diana slapped his arm as she laughed. “Some day I’m going tell him what you said.”

“Some day I’m going to tell her what I said,” he replied.