Page 97 of The Art of Sinning

“I did ask Miss Moreton to wait a few days before packing her son off,” Bonnaud mused aloud. “So if his lordship wishes to delay a night, it won’t hurt anything.”

Yet again, Jeremy was grateful that Zoe had married Bonnaud. The man had an uncanny ability to sense when his interference was welcome.

“All right.” Blakeborough glanced anxiously at his sister. “Yvette? Do you mind if we delay our visit to Miss Moreton for a day?”

Jeremy held his breath when she hesitated. Then she said softly, “No, it’s fine.”

But he noticed the convulsive movement of her throat, the furtive glance she shot him. Had she guessed why he wished to remain?

All the better if she had. Because he wasn’t going to let her throw away her future out of some misplaced idea of what a marriage should be.

“So this is where you’ve all gone off to,” came a voice from the doorway.

Jeremy groaned. His sister wasn’t going to like any of this. “Yes, but we’re done now.” He walked over to her. “Bonnaud had some personal news to convey to his lordship, which is one of the reasons he chose to accompany you here.”

“So now that he’s conveyed it, he and you and I can go to London.” Her expression challenged him to gainsay her.

Thunderation. He glanced over at his companions. “Would you mind giving me a moment alone with my sister?”

Mumbling their acquiescence, they all left the room.

He shut the door. When he faced Amanda, she wore her most mulish expression. “How long will it take you to be ready?” she asked.

“I’m not going with you today.”

“Then when?”

“Tomorrow.” When she bristled, he added, “I have a commissioned portrait to complete, so I’m staying here until then to make sure it’s done. You can go back with Bonnaud and tell Mother that I will be there in the morning. I’ll squire the two of you about as much as you like for the duration of your stay, but I need to finish here first.”

“And then you’ll return to America with us?”

He dragged in a shaky breath. “No.”

“The hell you won’t.”

He forced a smile to his lips. “When did you start cussing, sis?”

His teasing didn’t pacify her one bit. “A long time ago. Not that you would realize it, since you’ve barely paid us any heed for the past twelve years.”

Thunderation. “You know why.”

Her stance softened. “Yes. I suppose I do. But now that Papa’s dead, you need not stay away just to punish him.”

“I wasn’t... That’s not why...” But he supposed thathadbeen part of it. Punishing Father for his lies, for what he’d brought about at the end. Except that even after Father’s death, Jeremy had still found it impossible to breathe every time he thought about returning to Montague.

Amanda didn’t understand that. Montague was everything to her. She couldn’t grasp why he just wanted to forget. And now she was here, insisting on his dwelling on the past.

“If it wasn’t Papa keeping you away,” she asked, “then why not come home?”

The plaintive note in her voice was almost too much to bear. He leaned back against the door. “You don’t need me to. You run everything quite well without me, you and Mother.”

“Blast it, Jeremy, it will take both owners to get loans, to expand, to make the necessary improvements to the mills that Papa was never willing to approve.”

Old duties tugged at him. He ignored them. “I’ll sell you my half. That’s the best I can do.”

She huffed out a breath. “But Mama has to allow it, and she won’t.”

“I’mnotgoing back, damn it! I’m staying in England.”With Yvette, assuming she will have me.“Mother will just have to accept it.”