didn’t know you owned land in my neck of the woods.’
‘I don’t. Apparently it’s a parcel of land Stephen won off a landowner up in Newcastle—who is now no longer with us.’
‘I see. It sounds interesting. As you know, my own family have been making a profit from coal for decades in those parts. What will you do? Sell it? My father might be happy to make you an offer.’
Lucas shook his head. ‘I won’t sell it, not if there’s coal to be got—at least not until I’ve made some enquiries. I’ll contact a mining engineer to have it checked out.’ His lips curved in an ironic smile. ‘You never know, Henry, it might put me back on the road to recovery.’
‘I sincerely hope so, Lucas. You always did find making money easy. I have no doubt at all that you will soon be over this present crisis and back on your feet. I wish you luck, and if you do go up there then my home is at your disposal. In the meantime, are you able to carry on?’
‘Not for long—but at the moment my prime concern is finding a new nursemaid for Sophie and Abigail before I leave for Laurel Court.’
‘Which is when?’
‘As soon as possible. I haven’t been to the old place since before Stephen died. Eventually I intend moving there permanently, but first I must go and inspect the place. Lord knows what condition it’s in, although any repairs that need doing will have to wait until I’m solvent.’
‘I would have thought you’d have no problem getting a nursemaid.’
‘So did I, but it’s proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be. I’ve seen several, but none that was suitable—although, perhaps there was one.’
‘Then ask her to come again and see how she gets on with the children.’
‘Oh, she gets on with them—and they adore her.’
‘Then what’s the problem? Who is she?’
‘Mrs Brody.’
Henry almost choked on his brandy. Uttering a sound of disbelief, he stared at him. ‘The Mrs Brody?’ he asked, astounded when Lucas nodded. ‘You’re jesting, Lucas. You have to be. Tell me the truth.’
‘On the contrary, Henry, I am in earnest.’ He went on to tell Henry about the American widow’s visit.
‘But—I thought the two of you were at daggers drawn?’
Lucas shook his head. ‘We were, but her application could be of benefit to both of us.’ He smiled wryly. ‘You might say she could be the answer to all my prayers.’
‘But she is an extremely wealthy woman in her own right. Why the devil would a woman like her want to become a hired help?’
Lucas shrugged. ‘She has her reasons.’
‘And will you take her on?’
‘I haven’t decided. I confess that after giving her application a great deal of thought—and needing someone to replace Miss Lacy within the week—I am sorely tempted, if not desperate.’
Suddenly his gaze lighted on the card Mrs Brody had put down on his desk. Picking it up, he looked at it for a long hard moment. Her face came to mind. She was certainly attractive enough. Indeed, from the moment he had set eyes on her his baser instincts had been stirred. In fact, he couldn’t understand why she could evoke a combustible combination of fury and the desire to know her better in him within minutes of meeting her. Slowly and methodically he began reviewing the American widow’s serious proposition, making two lists in his mind—one for accepting her offer and one against. The former won.
* * *
By the time Lucas reached the Seagrove residence and was shown inside, frustration and suspense had twisted every muscle of his body into knots. His voice, demanding to see Mrs Brody, echoed through the house from the hallway, his presence like a strong wind blowing through the quiet rooms, bringing everything that was masculine and loud into the unruffled and well-ordered running of the house.
Eve came out of the drawing room to see who the visitor was, and in a flash her tranquillity was swept away. She could feel the very air move forcefully and snap with a restless intensity that Lucas Stainton seemed to discharge. Clad in an immaculately fitting dark-green coat that deepened his swarthy complexion and turned his eyes to the colour of light blue steel, he looked lethally handsome and incredibly alluring.
‘Lord Stainton!’
‘I would like a word with you, Mrs Brody.’
Lucas strode across the hall and walked straight past her into the drawing room, skirting the hovering servant as if she were not there. ‘Leave us.’
His command was peremptory and the servant stepped back in shock. She glanced at Eve, seeking permission to leave, but Eve was not looking at her. Her eyes were fixed on her visitor. When the drawing-room door closed, shaking her head, the usually slow-moving servant slipped away at a faster pace.
‘We have to talk,’ Lucas said without preamble, striding into the centre of the room where he turned and looked at Eve. ‘There are things we have to discuss.’
Eve raised her brows. His arrival indicated that her proposition had pricked his interest, providing her with the opportunity to chip away at his defences. Her spirits were lifted a little. ‘We do?’
‘Whatever I thought of your audacity to come to my house and offer yourself to look after my children, I should have had the courtesy to listen to you.’
‘Yes, you should. It was most ungentlemanly of you to order me out of the house the way you did.’
A wry smile added to his hard features. ‘According to your blistering tirade, I haven’t done anything to give you the impression that I am a gentleman.’
Eve stared at him, her anger forgotten. ‘No, you have not. Are you apologising?’
He looked puzzled for a moment, then he nodded. ‘Of course.’
‘Then I apologise for slapping you. It was most undignified of me and I should have known better.’
‘Do you regret it?’
Eve lifted her brows, eyeing him with an impenitent smile. ‘No. You deserved it.’
‘You’re right,’ he admitted, ‘but don’t push your luck.’
A sudden smile dawned across his face and Eve’s heart skipped a beat. Lord Stainton had a smile that could melt an iceberg—when he chose to use it.
‘When you had left, I was afraid I might have been too harsh and it was unforgivable of me to ask you to leave so abruptly.’
For a moment Eve was too stunned to speak. ‘And now? Are you willing to listen to me and consider seriously my application?’ she managed to say in response.
‘Yes, I am, but I am a cautious man and there are many aspects to consider.’
She shot a glance at him beneath her lashes, and because he seemed to be genuinely interested and approachable for the first time, she continued haltingly, ‘Before…we go any further, I… would like you to know that I don’t usually go around knocking on gentlemen’s doors. Yours was the first and will definitely be the last.’
He grinned, his features relaxing. ‘I’m relieved to hear it.’
Lucas folded his arms casually across his chest. She was standing with her back to the door, surveying him with a steady gaze. For a moment he was taken aback by the sheer magnetism of her presence. She was dressed in a riding habit of midnight blue velvet, her hair arranged in glossy twists and curls about her well-shaped head that made it look like a beacon of light, and in that room of gentle shades she was a vibrant reminder that life went on.
Hers was a dangerous kind of beauty, for she had the power to touch upon a man’s vulnerability with