Beyond Seduction by STEPHANIE LAURENS

Author:STEPHANIE LAURENS
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

He returned to the forecourt to find Harry waiting to speak with him.

“If you have a moment, there’s, ah…something I’d like to discuss.”

“Of course.” Gervase waved to the ramparts and they headed that way.

Reaching the steps, they went up, and strolled along, faces to the wind, much as he had earlier with Madeline. Harry remained silent, clearly nervous. More used to interrogating than waiting for confidences, Gervase was wondering if there was something he should say to ease the lad’s way when Harry slowed, halted, and turned to look out to sea.

Halting a pace away, Gervase studied his profile, then looked out over the waves, too.

“It’s…about Madeline.” Harry drew in a tight breath and rushed on, “You see, we’ve—Edmond, Ben and me—well, we’ve noticed you seem quite taken with her and we wondered…well, she’s our sister and there’s no one else who might ask, so as I’m her brother…” Harry hauled in a huge breath and swung to face him. “We thought I should ask—”

“What my intentions are.” Gervase nodded, serious and quite sober. He kept his gaze on the sea, giving Harry time to recover his equilibrium. “Indeed. That’s entirely appropriate.”

He hesitated, then forced himself to go on; he might have skirted the edges of his dilemma in warning off his sisters, but given the right Harry had claimed, a right he unquestionably possessed, age or no, then he had to answer with the truth—which meant he had to articulate a problem he’d been doing his best to ignore. “The crux of the matter is I am interested in offering for Madeline’s hand, but she has yet to agree even to consider such an offer.” He paused, then went on, “As you’re aware, she is, quite literally, her own master—and I use that term advisedly. When I first…drew close to her, she noticed, of course. Through our subsequent discussions it was made abundantly plain that she absolutely refuses to credit any vision of herself as my countess.”

“But…why?”

Gervase turned to see Harry blinking at him.

“I mean, there’s no reason she couldn’t be your countess, is there?” Harry frowned. “I know we’re not that old or experienced, but it seemed as if everyone else”—with a gesture he encompassed the surrounding neighborhood—“sees her in that light, or near to it, already.”

“Indeed. There’s no impediment whatever—other than in your sister’s mind. I fully intend to change her mind, but you’ve no doubt had experience of how easy that is to accomplish, especially when she believes she’s right.”

“Ah.” Harry’s expression blanked.

“Just so. However, I am endeavoring, and”—Gervase started to stroll once more—“am determined to prevail. That, however, is going to take time and…a certain degree of persuasion.”

He was silent for a full minute, searching for words with which to convey what he knew he must. “So now you and your brothers know of my intentions, my sisters know, Sybil knows—”

“I think Muriel knows, too,” Harry said.

Gervase inclined his head. “All those who need to know, know or have guessed. The only relevant person who doesn’t know my intentions is…Madeline herself.

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