Page 6

As dark and glowering as a building storm, the duke bore down on Grace as if ready to break her in two. “I assume you are Gray?”

To protect Connor’s well-intentioned lie, Grace pulled her cap lower over her eyes and did her best to adopt the accent and mannerisms of one of the stable lads back at their townhouse in London.

“I helped the children’s pup, if that be what you be asking.

The wee one will be all right. Just a bit of a cut on his foreleg.

Used some balm to take care of it.” She tucked her hands behind her back.

A stable lad would not have her long, feminine fingers, nor would his hands be clean and lack calluses.

“Where did you find them?” The man’s dark eyes flashed with suspicion and the line of his square jaw hardened.

“Find them?” She tried to keep her head tilted so he couldn’t see her face, making a show of shuffling her feet and glancing away.

“Yes. It is not a difficult question,” he said with a low growl that reminded her of an animal caught in a snare. “Where did you come upon them?”

Grace tossed a nod and a vague flick of her hand at the land behind them. “Just over there a ways. Not far from here.”

“So you admit to trespassing on my property?”

She bit her tongue to keep from giving this ridiculous man the comeuppance he deserved. “I heard them crying. Would you have me ignore a child what might be hurt?” Drat! She had forgotten to maintain the accent.

“Do you know who I am?”

Grace really didn’t care who he was because her family was his equal—in her opinion, even better. But she couldn’t let him know that or her buckskins would be in the dustbin, and Connor would be in even more trouble for lying.

She shrugged. “Can’t say that I do.”

“I am the Duke of Wolfebourne, owner of the land on which you are trespassing.”

“But brother…” Connor said, but the duke silenced him with a glance.

Even though she would rather spit on his well-polished boots, Grace gave the surly man an elaborate bow. “Pleased to meet you, Your Grace.”

“It is customary for servants to remove their hats when in the presence of their betters.”

Well, fine. Dustbin or not. She had enjoyed enough of this insolent fool. Presence of their betters. Indeed. No one deserved to be talked down to in such a way, no matter their station in life.

Grace whipped off her hat and let her long blonde braid fall down her back as she charged forward. “It is also customary for a gentleman to treat his siblings with the love and care they deserve, Your Grace!”

Unable to control herself now that she had unleashed her demons, she thumped him in the center of his broad chest, a thrilling surge of victory rushing through her as he backed up a step.

“Did you ever think they might like for you to embrace them in relief that you found them unharmed? Did you think to check on their poor little dog? Show your concern for him, for their sake? Did you ever think to help them down from the horse and praise them for watching over their animals rather than deserting them out of fear that you might be angry if they were late for tea?”

His disbelief and shock silenced him, granting her the satisfaction she sought and goading her onward.

“No. Of course you did not, because you are a high and mighty duke who can’t be bothered to care about his own brother and sister.

” She went to Pegasus, helped the children down, then handed Galileo to Sissy.

“It was a pleasure meeting you both,” she told them.

After vaulting up into the saddle, she glared down at the duke still standing with his mouth ajar.

“It was not a pleasure meeting you, Your Grace.” She rounded the horse and headed toward home at a proud, steady trot meant to display that she never ran away from anything.

“Wait!” Wolfebourne’s bellow echoed across the land like thunder.

Grace snorted. The fool had found his tongue. She reined in Pegasus and deigned to spare him a look. “What?”

“Who the devil are you?”

“I am Lady Grace Abarough, sister to the fifth Duke of Broadmere.” She pointed at him.

“And do not dare scold Connor for telling you my name was Gray. He and I had an agreement, and he was doing his best to abide by it. At least your brother has a sense of honor. I can’t imagine where he learned it from, since you appear to have none. ”

“A sense of honor?” Wolfebourne charged toward her, his long-legged stride rapidly closing the distance between them. “You speak of honor, and yet you lie and pretend to be something you are not?”

He had a point, but she wasn’t about to give it to him. “I speak of the honor of loyalty, love, and caring. Of chivalry and courage. Things Connor and Sissy know all about, but apparently your education sorely fell short when it came to such attributes.”

“I will be speaking to your brother, my lady.”

The duke’s face had gone quite red with his fury, but Grace had to admit he wore the color well.

It made her decide that if he had been a better-hearted man, she would indeed describe him as handsome.

“I had no doubt that you would, Your Grace. After all, you have no honor and appear to be the spiteful, petty sort incapable of handling his own arguments. A pity you are so weak that you can’t even deal directly with a woman—you have to strike back through another man! ”

His ever-deepening shock made her laugh. She couldn’t help it.

With a sweeping salute of her cap, she tipped her head to him again. “Good day to you, Your Grace. Happy tattling to my brother!”