hanging dashingly off one shoulder. The embroidery and the gold buttons on his uniform were gorgeous. He stared out upon the room with a careless supremacy that was simply breathtaking.
“Lawrence did it,” Harry said.
“He looks like a lord of the universe,” Tracy said in a choked voice.
“He w as,” Harry replied. “He was born an Oliver, which meant he had a knowledge in his bones and blood and brain of his own superiority over 99 percent of the rest of the world.” He turned to look at her. “That’s what it was like to be an aristocrat in Britain during the last century, Miss Collins.”
“You sound as if you wished it was still that way, my lord.”
“It would be nice.”
“He looks like you,” Tracy said in a low voice.
“Yes. I know.”
With the faces of the two men in front of her, Tracy could see that the resemblance between them was as uncanny as she had first thought. Charles’s hair was a brighter gold, his nose was more aquiline, and his eyes were not quite as dark a brown. But the two men could certainly have been twins.
“Was he married?”
He gave a short laugh. “He was the Earl of Silverbridge. Of course he was married. He had two sons, the eldest of whom succeeded to the earldom after he died.”
Tracy had several other questions she longed to ask: Was his marriage happy? Did he have a young cousin he employed as governess for his children? But she could hardly expect the present Lord Silverbridge to know the answers to those questions, and he would be exceedingly startled by her asking them.
They were standing side by side facing the picture, and even though Tracy’s eyes were focused on the man in the portrait it was the man beside her whose physical presence she felt with an almost frightening intensity. She had a sudden, wild desire to throw herself into his arms, to feel the length of his body pressed against hers, to feel his mouth cover ing her own…
She closed her hands into tight fists, pressing her nails into her flesh.
“It’s almost time for the news,” he said. “We’d better be getting upstairs.”
Tracy agreed, so shaken by her reaction to him that she didn’t notice the sudden hoarseness that had come into his voice.
9
M eg and Jon were indeed in the morning room, and Tracy went to sit beside Jon on one of the sofas. Harry turned on the television and a BBC report of a meeting of the European Union that was taking place in Brussels came on. Ebony appeared out of nowhere, jumped on his lap, and he began to pet her as he watched the show.
Tracy could feel the tenseness in Jon’s body as he sat beside her. She glanced at him once out of the side of her eyes and his facial expression was as rigid as the rest of him. He really doesn’t like Lord Silverbridge at all, she thought.
When the program was over, Meg said, “Before I forget to tell you, Harry, Tony called. He’s coming down tomorrow, and he’s going to stay for a while.”
Harry stopped petting Ebony. “What about his job?”
“He says they don’t keep him on a schedule,” Meg said airily. “He can do pretty much what he wants to do.”
Ebony meowed loudly, and her owner went back to stroking her. “I must apologize, Mr. Melbourne, but I am afraid that you will have to share your bathroom with my younger brother while he is here.”
“That is perfectly fine,” Jon replied, but the stilted tone of his voice did not match his accommodating words.
The earl appeared to notice Jon’s chilliness and actually made an effort to bridge it. “Would you care for a nightcap, Mr. Melbourne, Miss Collins?” he asked. “I can offer you sherry, brandy, or whiskey.”
“I’m afraid that alcohol gives me a headache,” Tracy said, “but please do go ahead without me.”
“Mr. Melbourne?”
Jon glanced at Tracy, to see if she was going to leave. When it became apparent that she was not, he replied, “ Thank you. Sherry would be nice.”
Meg said, “I’ll
“Lawrence did it,” Harry said.
“He looks like a lord of the universe,” Tracy said in a choked voice.
“He w as,” Harry replied. “He was born an Oliver, which meant he had a knowledge in his bones and blood and brain of his own superiority over 99 percent of the rest of the world.” He turned to look at her. “That’s what it was like to be an aristocrat in Britain during the last century, Miss Collins.”
“You sound as if you wished it was still that way, my lord.”
“It would be nice.”
“He looks like you,” Tracy said in a low voice.
“Yes. I know.”
With the faces of the two men in front of her, Tracy could see that the resemblance between them was as uncanny as she had first thought. Charles’s hair was a brighter gold, his nose was more aquiline, and his eyes were not quite as dark a brown. But the two men could certainly have been twins.
“Was he married?”
He gave a short laugh. “He was the Earl of Silverbridge. Of course he was married. He had two sons, the eldest of whom succeeded to the earldom after he died.”
Tracy had several other questions she longed to ask: Was his marriage happy? Did he have a young cousin he employed as governess for his children? But she could hardly expect the present Lord Silverbridge to know the answers to those questions, and he would be exceedingly startled by her asking them.
They were standing side by side facing the picture, and even though Tracy’s eyes were focused on the man in the portrait it was the man beside her whose physical presence she felt with an almost frightening intensity. She had a sudden, wild desire to throw herself into his arms, to feel the length of his body pressed against hers, to feel his mouth cover ing her own…
She closed her hands into tight fists, pressing her nails into her flesh.
“It’s almost time for the news,” he said. “We’d better be getting upstairs.”
Tracy agreed, so shaken by her reaction to him that she didn’t notice the sudden hoarseness that had come into his voice.
9
M eg and Jon were indeed in the morning room, and Tracy went to sit beside Jon on one of the sofas. Harry turned on the television and a BBC report of a meeting of the European Union that was taking place in Brussels came on. Ebony appeared out of nowhere, jumped on his lap, and he began to pet her as he watched the show.
Tracy could feel the tenseness in Jon’s body as he sat beside her. She glanced at him once out of the side of her eyes and his facial expression was as rigid as the rest of him. He really doesn’t like Lord Silverbridge at all, she thought.
When the program was over, Meg said, “Before I forget to tell you, Harry, Tony called. He’s coming down tomorrow, and he’s going to stay for a while.”
Harry stopped petting Ebony. “What about his job?”
“He says they don’t keep him on a schedule,” Meg said airily. “He can do pretty much what he wants to do.”
Ebony meowed loudly, and her owner went back to stroking her. “I must apologize, Mr. Melbourne, but I am afraid that you will have to share your bathroom with my younger brother while he is here.”
“That is perfectly fine,” Jon replied, but the stilted tone of his voice did not match his accommodating words.
The earl appeared to notice Jon’s chilliness and actually made an effort to bridge it. “Would you care for a nightcap, Mr. Melbourne, Miss Collins?” he asked. “I can offer you sherry, brandy, or whiskey.”
“I’m afraid that alcohol gives me a headache,” Tracy said, “but please do go ahead without me.”
“Mr. Melbourne?”
Jon glanced at Tracy, to see if she was going to leave. When it became apparent that she was not, he replied, “ Thank you. Sherry would be nice.”
Meg said, “I’ll
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