Why Lords Lose Their Hearts (21 page)

“It’s a damnable coil, son,” the duke said wryly. “I don’t mind telling you that I have my doubts about your pursuing someone who is so muddled about what she really wants. Marriage is difficult enough without having your wife distrust you simply because she trusts you.”

When put that way it was rather more complicated than Archer had thought. Even so, he still meant to convince her of his suitability. “I’ll deal with it, Father. For now, what I wish from you is quite simple. I want to keep her here for a bit until I can figure out who is threatening her.”

“Of course, that will be fine,” the duke said with a nod. “You know how your mother loves having guests. Though you may not have come at the most … amenable time considering you wish to marry the young duchess.”

A knot of dread formed in Archer’s stomach. “What is it?”

“Well, it’s nothing too awful,” the duke said with a half grin. “It’s just that your brothers are here.”

Archer’s mouth fell open. “All of them?” he asked in a bewildered tone. “How on earth did that happen? And why wasn’t I invited?”

“Oh, give over,” the duke said. “There were no invitations. Rhys is here because he makes his home here, of course. Benedick has the living so he’s always underfoot. You knew that, too. Frederick was a surprise, I must say. He appeared out of the blue one afternoon saying he’d grown tired of Paris and needed a bit of rustication. Your mama thinks he had his heart broken by some Continental harpy, but I don’t think he’s got a heart to break. Then Cam is here, of course, because he’s in search of another rock for his collection or some such nonsense. He spends most of his days down at the beachhead, though.”

Archer heaved a great sigh. He had thought they’d be here alone with his parents. Not the most entertaining of situations, but far, far better than being here with all of his brothers underfoot. Trying to figure out why they were here. What was going on among them. Thinking it would be a great deal of fun to seduce Perdita away from him.

Dammit.

His father gave him a look of commiseration. “I daresay it won’t be as bad as all that,” he said. “And at the very least they can serve as additional watchdogs for your Perdita. It will take a determined troublemaker to infiltrate six Lisle men in protective mode.”

“I suppose,” Archer said with another sigh.

“Come on, son,” the duke said, rising from his chair. “Go upstairs and change out of your travel filth and have something to eat. You know your mama demands we all be in attendance for tea at three sharp.”

Morosely, Archer followed his father up the stairs to his bedchamber.

*   *   *

Perdita looked avidly around her as she followed the Duchess of Pemberton up the stairs to her bedchamber. Everything was a possible clue to the inner workings of Archer’s mind. Perhaps this painting had been one that he’d liked as a child. Perhaps that rug had cushioned his fall when he’d tripped chasing one of his brothers. It was impossible not to see this house as the one in which he’d grown up. And despite herself, she was fascinated by it.

Not the least of her interest was centered upon the woman at her side. Though Archer seemed to have taken most of his looks from his father, who had the same blond hair—though the duke’s was graying at the temples—and build, it was his mother whose fine features he’d inherited. From the straight line of his nose to his high cheekbones, Archer looked like his mother. Though on Archer the features were masculine, on his mother they were ethereally lovely.

“I’m so pleased that Archer brought you to visit us,” the duchess said as they passed what looked to be a music room. “I don’t think he’s ever brought a lady to visit before.”

That wasn’t all too surprising, Perdita supposed, since Archer didn’t spend a great deal of time pursuing women. At least not that she could recall. Since he’d been at Ormond House he’d been fairly focused on his position. She didn’t recall his name being linked with any ladies.

“I am grateful to you and His Grace for having me,” Perdita said aloud. “We arrived here without notice, so I do understand that I am perhaps throwing your household into a bit of a crisis.”

“Oh, not at all,” the older lady said, stopping before a doorway, and opening the door to reveal a prettily decorated room with rose silk on the walls and lovely rose-patterned bed hangings. “Here we are.”

“What a lovely bedchamber,” Perdita said, stepping in, appreciating the plush Aubusson carpets beneath her feet. “I know I’ll be quite comfortable here.”

“There is a dressing room with a lovely large bathtub through that door. If you wish to have a bath, just ring the bell. Is your maid with you?”

“I’m afraid not,” Perdita said, cringing at what she must be thinking. “We left rather in a hurry.”

If she was curious, the duchess didn’t show it. “Then I will have the housekeeper assign one of the parlormaids to look after you.”

“Thank you so much, Your Grace,” Perdita said sincerely. She was truly appreciative that rather than throwing her out, Archer’s parents had greeted her with open arms. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you and your husband hadn’t been so welcoming.”

The duchess squeezed her hand. “I know that if Archer thinks you are worth knowing, then you must be. He has always been an excellent judge of character. I think that comes of being the youngest. He often had to guess what his brothers were going to get up to before they even started planning it.”

Perdita laughed. “That makes sense. I should like to have met his brothers, too.”

“Oh, then you shall have your wish, my dear, because they are all of them staying here just now.”

Perdita tried to hide her surprise. She’d gotten the impression that Archer chose to bring her here because of its relative seclusion and safety. Still, she couldn’t be sorry that she’d be able to meet the men whom he was closest to in the world.

“Now, my dear,” the duchess said. “I will leave you to refresh yourself and to have a bit of luncheon. We will have tea in the drawing room at three. I do hope you’ll join us.”

Perdita shut the door behind her and went to the bellpull to ring for a bath. If she were going to meet his brothers she’d prefer to make a good impression.

Seventeen

Some hours later, Archer entered the drawing room to see that Frederick and Rhys were already there, talking in hushed tones before the fireplace. The way they broke apart when he called out a greeting let him know they were talking about him.

His mother was seated before the table where the tea would be placed in a few minutes. “Darling,” she said on seeing him, “come sit by me and tell me about your pretty Perdita.”

“Yes, Archie,” Frederick said, batting his eyelashes, “tell us all about your Perdita. Is she really as pretty as all that, for I cannot quite believe that Baby Archie was able to land a beauty.”

“Don’t be an ass, Fred,” Rhys said with his usual bossiness. “Archer is a Lisle, after all, and we never settle.”

“Boys, you are being rude to your brother,” the duchess said to her elder sons. “Don’t make me call your father.”

Behind his mother’s back Frederick made a rude gesture to Archer, who merely raised a brow at him. “What do you wish to know, Mama?” he said, taking a seat beside her on the settee and kissing her cheek. As the baby of the family he’d often served as the butt of his brothers’ jokes, but there were benefits, as well. One was the close relationship he shared with his mother. While some ladies of the ton only saw their children infrequently and rarely visited the nursery, the Duchess of Pemberton had been very much a presence in her sons’ lives. While she did hire nannies and nurses and later tutors, she made it a priority to spend at least a few hours a day up in the nursery with them. And she wasn’t the sort to hand them back to the nanny as soon as things got difficult. As a result, all of her sons held her in great affection. That they were also close to their father made them a bit of an anomaly within the upper ten thousand.

“Well,” she said, as she pulled a thread through her needlepoint screen. “I should very much like to know what your intentions are,” she said, “though I don’t suppose you’ll want to tell me that.”

Archer bit back a sigh of relief. The last thing he wished to speak of while his brothers were present was his intentions.

“But I will settle,” his mother continued, “for hearing how you know one another and what sort of person she is.”

Before he could speak, Cam, Ben, his father, and Perdita entered the room. Archer rose to go to Perdita, who looked relieved to see him. He hadn’t considered that she might feel a bit at sea in his parents’ home. He’d just assumed that because she was used to aristocratic homes she’d manage well enough. But this was no regular country visit.

“Are you well?” he asked in a low voice as he led her to the settee. “Did you find everything to your liking?”

“Of course,” she said with a sweet smile that reminded him that after days of traveling together he’d missed her these past few hours. Which was ridiculous, but true nonetheless. “Your mama was very welcoming toward me. And your father and brothers were perfectly friendly.”

Once he’d seen her situated he turned to greet Ben and Cam, who gave him hearty pounds on the back. “Didn’t think we’d see you back in this neck of the woods again, little brother,” Benedick said with a grin. “And here you’ve come, and not only that but with a lovely lady on your arm. Well done.”

“That’s what we meant to say,” Frederick said from an armchair beside the settee. “Well done.”

“Gentlemen, please,” the duchess said in a scolding tone. “You are making our guest uncomfortable.”

But as Archer had suspected, Perdita could more than hold her own. “I beg you will not reprimand them, Your Grace,” she said, accepting a cup of tea from her hostess. “For I am quite familiar with this sort of thing, having several male cousins and indeed a brother-in-law of my own.”

“You are very sweet to excuse them, my dear,” the duchess said, “but my sons know very well that they are being rude.”

“Sorry, Mama. Your Grace,” Ben said with a slight bow. When Frederick said nothing, the duchess glared at him until he turned red. “Very well, Mama. I apologize, Your Grace. Though honestly, Mama, you are very rough on a fellow’s amour propre.”

“Frederick,” the duke said with a sigh, “will you never be suitable for polite company?”

“I assure you, sir, I am quite suitable for some polite company,” his son replied, biting into a macaroon. “Just not here.”

Changing the subject, Archer said, “What brings you to England, Fred? I thought you would never return from the Continent.”

“It began to pall,” his brother said with a shrug. “And I thought a bit of country air might do me some good.”

Rhys scowled at Frederick, but didn’t say anything to refute his brother’s story. Instead he crossed his booted feet and leaned back in his chair. “Archer, why don’t you tell us what it is that made you flee London with the notorious dowager Duchess of Ormond? For the life of me, I cannot think of a reason that does not place you in a scandalous position.”

Archer’s back stiffened and he put his teacup down. “I should watch my words if I were you, Rhys,” he said in a deadly calm voice. “For you are insulting the lady.”

“Indeed, Rhys,” the duke said with a scowl that mirrored his firstborn’s. “I have accepted the widowed duchess as a guest in our home, therefore you can have nothing to say on the matter.”

“I think it very much is my business when our family’s reputation is at stake, Father,” the marquess said, rising from his chair. “This lady has been accused of murdering her husband. As well as carrying on an affair with Archer. Is it really appropriate for him to bring his mistress to stay for an extended visit?”

Archer stood, and the entire room went still. “Watch yourself, Rhys. I am not above calling you out for your slurs.”

“Oh, I beg you, please,” Perdita said, standing, as well. “Do not fight on my account. I will simply remove to the nearest inn.”

Turning to the duke and the duchess, she said, “I apologize for bringing strife into your household. I thank you for your hospitality.”

“You will do no such thing,” the duke said. “Rhys, Archer, I will see you both in my study.” When neither man broke the stare that connected them, the duke added, “Now.” He left the room, and after a moment, so too did Archer and Rhys.

*   *   *

Perdita had never been so horrified in her entire life. Not only had her presence caused a fight between Archer and his brother, but he’d threatened to call the other man out on her behalf. This was the second time in a week that he’d defended her honor. And honestly, she wasn’t quite so sure she was worth it.

When their brothers and father left the room, the remaining Lisles, along with the duchess, put themselves to great pains to make her feel better.

“Rhys always has been a stiff-rumped beast … er, fellow,” Frederick said with a genuinely apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for my teasing earlier. It’s a great failing of mine. Also, I think it goes for all of us that we’re all madly jealous of Archie at the moment. Who knew he had it in him?”

“Not I,” Ben said dryly. “Though I always knew he could be persuasive with the ladies. Recall the Kimball twins.”

All brothers sighed at the name.

“Your Grace,” Cam said, his eyes the same color blue as Archer’s though with his mother’s dark hair, “the Kimball twins are the daughters of a local squire, and when we were in our teens—I believe at that point Rhys and Ben were off at university—they were the prettiest girls in the county. As their parents were friendly with ours, they were frequent visitors here. And we all harbored, hm, let us say, feelings for them.”

“I didn’t know about that,” their mother said with surprise. “I thought you hated them.”

“That is the way young men show their affection, Mama,” Benedick said with a grin. “Did you not know? That and pulling at their hair.”

“They did have lovely hair, didn’t they?” Frederick asked in a dreamy voice. “And wonderful, large—”

“Eyes,” Cam said with a glare at his brother. Who only laughed and gave Perdita a saucy wink. “In any event, we were all besotted with the twins and we wanted desperately for them to put at least two of us out of our misery. At the time, Archer was twelve, I think?”