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T hea didn’t know what had come over the marquess. One moment he’d been lounging about on her furniture, and the next he was running out of the cottage as if there were a fire he was being called on to put out.

Though it was probably best that he’d left. She’d gotten hardly anything done. She found herself looking over at him, his blue eyes flashing side to side as he read. The way his long legs hung over the edge, one booted foot crossed over the other. So at ease. She wanted to walk over and touch him to see how he would respond.

Of course, she would never do such a thing. The man was so frightened of females and marriage he’d fabricated a fake fiancée to avoid even the hint of availability.

Alone in the drawing room she pondered why that was. She knew well enough that men in general wished to delay marriage for as long as possible so they might sow their wild oats. But eventually they turned to their duty and responsibilities and took a wife for no other reason than they needed an heir.

Shay had told her about his friend, the Duke of Granton, and it seemed the shift had already happened. Finn was married with a son and another child on the way. Thea remembered the warmth in Shay’s smile as he’d told her about Willie and his antics. He clearly enjoyed being with the duke’s family.

Why wouldn’t he want a family for himself? She thought of how she might pose the question that he would actually answer. Not that she’d get an answer today since it seemed he had no plans to return.

Now that she thought of it he’d told her he would see her for the ball the next evening so he must not have planned to come to the cottage tomorrow either.

With a sigh, Thea picked up the page she was working on and dipped her quill in the ink. Sheamus Buchanan was a distraction she didn’t need. She would be better served to forget him and just focus on finishing this book so she might move forward with her own plans.

Soon enough she was back to the mystery of who stole the golden feather and had forgotten about the marquess. Well, almost.

*

It took Shay only an hour to realize he could not stay at Cawdor. He would need to return for the ball the next evening but that would give him time to get to Finn’s home, if he left straight away.

A proper friend would have sent word ahead that he was coming, but Shay planned to ride as fast as any messenger could, so there would be little to no warning of his arrival anyway.

A few hours later, he was pulling up his stallion in front of Gealach Castle.

In the foyer, Willie came running to meet him before the butler had even taken his coat. His mother trailed behind the boy.

“Hello there, Lord Haliday,” Shay greeted the little boy who laughed and reached for him. “Your Grace,” he added for Lily who rolled her eyes.

“Finn is seeing to something in the village, but he should return shortly.”

“Eh, I didn’t come for him. You and Willie are better company,” Shay joked.

“Well, then come into the drawing room. I’ll send for some tea and we shall have a lovely chat,” Lily said.

They talked about how much Willie had grown in the few weeks since Shay had seen him. It seemed if Shay stared at the lad long enough he should be able to see him grow.

The tea tray was empty but for a few crumbs when Finn arrived. Tilting his head to the side, Shay knew the man wondered what had brought him all this way for a visit when he’d just been there not long ago, but he was kind enough not to call Shay out in front of his wife.

Lily stood and took Willie into her arms though it seemed like too much weight for such a dainty woman. Shay knew she was more capable than many would think.

“I’m to take Willie for a walk in the garden, if you did come to see us you are welcome to join us, but if not, I imagine my husband will offer you more than tea in his study. If you were to have a need.”

Finn kissed her as she passed and then bent down to ruffle Willie’s white-blond hair. Shay remained. When his family was gone Finn let out a sigh and nodded.

“Very well then. Come tell me what has happened. I heard talk in the village that Lord Flemming is affianced, so I’m sure you have news.”

Shay spent the next hour telling the other man what had been waiting for him when he’d arrived home from his last visit. While he left out the part about Thea being Theodore Stonecliff, he did mention she had means to purchase a home nearby.

“I always knew Percival was a bounder, but to sell his sister’s virtue? Only a desperate man would do such a thing. How can I help?”

“There is nothing to be done. As I said, Thea has a plan to get herself out of this trouble. She doesn’t need me, or you for that matter.”

“Thea?” Finn cocked a brow. “Not Miss Thea or Miss Rockledge? You’re sure this engagement is fake?”

“Very much so.” But what if… He shook his head. “She understands and was kind enough to offer her help.”

Finn barked out a laugh. “I doubt highly the lady offered anything. Do you forget I’ve known you since ye were a lad and I’ve been part of more than a few of your schemes?”

“Fine. I saw an opportunity and took it. But the lady accepted willingly. I didn’t coerce her into it.”

“The fact that she is staying on your property and could be sent away at any moment is not coercion.” He lifted his brow in that very ducal way of his. Why had Shay come here?

“It’s not. I would never put her in harm’s way. If anything, I would prefer she would move up to the castle so I could keep better watch over her.” And he could read at his leisure on a settee that actually fit his body. Perhaps when he returned he would have Mr. Murray see to it that the settee from his study was moved to the drawing room at dower cottage.

No. He should stay clear of the dower cottage altogether.

“If I cannot help in any way, might I wonder as to why you have returned so soon after your previous stay. Lily and William enjoy your visits immensely but there must be a reason for the frequency.”

“You didn’t say you enjoy my visits, Finn.”

“When you are in residence, my luscious wife restricts our bed sport to our actual bed rather than more adventurous prospects, so while I enjoy your visits on occasion, you were just here.”

Shay chuckled. “I’m sorry I’m an inconvenience.”

“Yes, well, tell me why you’re back and I’ll decide if I mind the inconvenience or not.”

“Worry not, old boy, I will leave in the morning. I only needed a place to go for the day.”

“Has the woman run you from your own home?”

Finn wouldn’t know how close to right he was.

“She muddles my head. She’s smart and funny. Beautiful. But she doesn’t see me as a conquest or want to trap me into marriage. Which means I am able to sit with her alone and talk about things I wouldn’t talk about with another woman for fear they would see it as a bond or whatever it is women see in men they wish to marry.”

“In most cases they see money or a brilliant smile. Lily saw a handsome face and a charming—”

“Know I will ask Lily when she returns,” Shay interrupted and Finn huffed.

“This lass seems to have her own blunt—though you didn’t say how she came about that,” the duke hinted.

“Nor will I. It’s not for me to say, but it isn’t dishonorable, despite being maybe a bit unconventional.”

“I’m intrigued, but for the sake of a speedy visit, I’ll move on.” He stood and went to the window smiling when he must have caught a glimpse of his family. When he waved, Shay knew he’d been correct.

“Have you never been a friend with a woman before?”

“No. Have you?”

Finn nodded. “Only once. But now she’s my wife.”

“That is not helping at all. I cannot marry.”

“Says every rake in all of England. Yet we all eventually submit and do it. Some of us are even glad for it.”

Shay knew Finn counted himself in with that small group. The ranks of men who married and found a love match. In very rare instances the reverse happened as well. Some found love and married. But Shay couldn’t allow either.

“I’ll never marry. I can’t.”

“Why is that?” Again with the ducal brow.

“I can’t say.”

“Seems a lot you can’t do. What can you do then?”

“I can avoid her.”

“Yes. Good plan. Except it doesn’t work. It only makes you want to be with her more. But give it a go, I’m sure it will be different for you. Being the only man who ever thought he would never marry.”

“Careful, Duke. I fear you may have reached the height of smugness.”

Finn smiled. “Nay, I’m sure I could be even more smug without any danger to myself or those close to me.”

Letting that comment slide, Shay broached the other reason he’d never call Thea Rockledge his wife.

“The woman doesn’t wish to marry either, so you see it would not just be one person bending to arrive at the match you seem to be hoping for, but two people who would have to change their opinion in complete juxtaposition.”

“My, that does seem impossible.”

“Did you actually just roll your eyes? Right in front of me?”

“How can I not? You show up here the very picture of a man who is falling for a woman, and expect me to tell you how to keep that from happening. What do you see here that would make you think I would ever dissuade a man from falling in love and having a family?” He waved his arms around the room, but Shay knew what he meant.

“You are saying I should have ridden east to Reese instead of coming here.”

“I think if you truly wanted someone to tell you this was an awful idea you would have ridden east. But you didn’t. You’re the only one who can answer why.”

As Shay lay in one of the guest rooms at Gealach Castle that night, looking up at the canopy, he tried to convince himself that he’d ridden west simply because Finn was a quarter of an hour closer than Reese. Or that he didn’t want to reside in a castle that was perched on the side of a cliff and could fall into the ocean at any moment, which was true and something he and Reese argued over frequently. Or it could simply be that he wanted to play with Willie. But he feared he knew the real reason he’d come here. To a home filled with love and happiness.

And that truth terrified him.