Chapter 24
It was a few days after Eva’s argument with Tommy and her discussion with James that Eva discovered the reason behind Melissa’s censorious looks. But by that time, the house was too full and hectic to talk privately.
The guests had all arrived in a cluster earlier in the afternoon.
First her sister Catherine and her silent, wheelchair-bound husband, Douglas, along with his five year-old son, Philip.
Next came Gabriel, Dru, and Samir.
And finally, filling two large coaches, were Baron Ramsay and his ever increasing family.
The only close relatives who wouldn’t be coming were Eva’s uncle Cian and her grandfather, the Duke of Carlisle, both of whom were traveling on the Continent.
While Eva was only marginally acquainted with Lord and Lady Ramsay, she knew their pestersome twin sons, Lucien and Richard, all too well from family visits over the past five or six years.
The boys were two years her junior and had attached themselves to Eva and Gabe like limpets every summer. Eva had been jealous of Gabe’s time and didn’t like sharing her brother’s company during his all-too-short visits. As a result, she’d considered the twins interlopers and treated them dreadfully. Not that they’d ever appeared to notice or mind.
She’d not seen them since last summer and was stunned when they’d hopped out of one of the coaches earlier. Gone were the scruffy, irritating children she remembered, and in their place were two identical, tall, gorgeous young gentleman. The transformation was miraculous.
As for Gabe? Well, this was the first time she’d ever avoided his company. From the brief look she’d had of him when he’d arrived, he was eager to corner and grill her about her marriage to his best friend—not a subject she cared to discuss with anyone these days.
Dinner was a lively affair as everyone—with the exception of Eva, and Catherine’s husband, Salford—noisily reacquainted themselves as if they’d not seen each other in years, rather than just weeks.
Her family knew how busy she’d been with her new venture, so they seemed unconcerned by her unusual silence. As for Baron Salford, well, the man perpetually dwelled in the doldrums, so nobody took notice of his behavior, either.
Eva was not skilled when it came to reading other people’s emotions, but even an impervious lump like herself could see all the looks Mel gave Tommy when she believed nobody else was watching. Eva was disgusted with herself for not noticing before.
For his part, Tommy’s eyes drifted all too often to Eva, although the expression in them was not that of a man in love.
More and more Eva saw hints of concern when he looked at her. Oh, he still wanted her, but she was beginning to doubt whether what he felt for her was love or just a need to possess her. Eva had seen that look before. Although she’d been slighted by men like Visel and his cronies during her Season, she’d had her share of—unwanted—admirers.
There’d been a wealthy, widowed viscount in his forties who’d gazed at Eva with a rapt expression during the few dances she’d been unable to avoid him. He’d examined her the way a collector might look at a painting or the way Eva looked at a perfectly matched pair of grays: with covetousness. There’d been a darker component to his stare that left her uneasy. She now knew that what she’d felt was his physical interest in her. Specifically, his interest in breeding her. The revulsion she’d felt at the time had caused her to be even ruder than usual, and the rejected lord had joined in taunting her the next time she saw him.
Other, less repellant suitors had shown themselves, every last one of them either interested in the money she would bring to the marriage, or her person.
Tommy’s expression, she realized with lamentable tardiness, was not unlike that viscount’s look, although he did not make her recoil at the thought of his touch. But neither did she look forward to her wedding night, or all the nights after.
Later, after dinner, when everyone was absorbed in a deafening game of charades in one of the sitting rooms, Eva slipped away unnoticed, hoping to get some much-needed sleep.
But she spent the night staring at the ceiling, her mind a whirling, endless jumble.
She rose before dawn and headed to the stables, excitement for the day pushing aside her worries about Mel and Tommy.
“Good morning, my lady.” James was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, his grin telling her he was as excited as she to get on with business.
“How is he?” she asked, even though she could guess the answer.
“Fit as a fiddle and as fine as a fivepence.”
Eva snorted.
Eva had chosen Clancy as stud for two reasons: one, she knew Sir Walter would accommodate her in a way that most other stud owners would not and allow her to bring Clancy to her mares, rather than the other way around.
The second, far more important reason was that Clancy’s bloodlines could be traced back to the three royal progenitors of all thoroughbreds. He’d raced three seasons, and though he’d never been a champion, he possessed impressive speed on the flat and a winning track record.
In any event, she was very happy to have Clancy for five days, and had every intention of using him each day, regardless of how much the foolish wedding preparations threatened to interfere.
Mr. Brewster believed three covers, one a day for three days, was as good as you could expect before the mare went past the peak of her breeding cycle. After that you not only risked diminishing returns, but also injury to the stud from an unreceptive mare.
It took four of them to handle Clancy, especially when it came to Eva’s newest mare, Moonspinner, who was a skittish maiden. Although she’d been teased twice daily for a week, she clearly found Clancy a different kettle of fish from sweet old Liberty.
They’d just finished having Liberty jump her, wearing a shield to keep him from actually servicing her, when Gabriel joined them.
Eva raised her eyebrows. “My, you’re up early.”
He grinned, his white teeth flashing in his tanned, handsome face. “I wanted to get a look at your operation. Besides, Mother said you only had four working for you, so I thought you might appreciate an extra hand.”
“Especially an experienced one.”
Gabe had helped with the breeding of his father’s horses in Oran and knew what he was about when it came to cattle. He quickly stripped off his coat and rolled up his sleeves as James brought in Clancy.
“Good morning, James. I’m here to offer an extra set of hands,” Gabe said.
“It’s good to have you, sir. Want to take charge of the assist?” James offered with a cocky smile.
Gabriel laughed. “No, I’ll leave that in younger hands.”
By assist James meant the person responsible for adjusting Clancy’s breeding organ if the stud required assistance entering the mare. Eva wondered with amusement if she should tell Tommy that she’d assisted today.
Gabe caught her eye and gestured toward Scott, who looked nervous about holding the twitch and had gripped poor Moonspinner’s lip rather awkwardly.
“Let Mr. Marlington take that, Scott, and watch how he uses it—he’s got a light touch.”
Scott nodded, clearly eager to pass the burden.
Not only would Eva never want to have horses injure each other during a covering, but she really did not want to abuse Sir Walter’s trust in her, so she’d taken extra precautions with each of the mares and Clancy.
Moonspinner’s back feet were bagged in thick felt booties on the off chance she kicked back at Clancy. James had strapped a thick blanket to her neck, back, and withers, in case Clancy became overly amorous.
Horse breeding, as Eva knew from years of loitering around the stables—and particularly after the last few busy days—could sometimes be a violent event. The actual time the stud spent servicing the mare was brief and generally trouble-free. It was the few seconds before and after the mount that were the most critical, and everyone worked in silence.
Luckily, Clancy was skilled at his job and finished with a minimum of thrashing and, remarkably, after he’d dismounted, there were no visible signs on either horse that hundreds of pounds of living flesh had just come together.
Eva didn’t realize she’d broken a sweat—she’d been holding Moonspinner’s front leg—until Gabriel tossed her a clean cloth.
“Thank you,” she said, wiping her brow. “It was good to have you here,” she added, meaning it.
“She’s a lovely mare,” Gabriel said, stroking the quivering flesh of the mare’s arched neck. “You chose well, Evil.”
She grinned at him as the lads led both horses off.
“Are you done here—at least for the time being?” Gabe asked. “Did you eat breakfast?”
“No, I had to get down here.”
“Of course you did.” He snatched off her hat and ruffled her hair. “Perhaps we might go find a bite to eat.”
Eva grabbed back her hat. “Just let me record Moonspinner’s information and I’ll go with you.” She hesitated and looked down at herself. She was wearing her usual outfit—buckskins, boots, and coat—and most of her family members were accustomed to it by now. But there were guests. “Unless you think I should go clean up first?”
Gabriel laughed. “Who is this woman and what has she done with my sister?”
She smacked his shoulder as they walked to the small office.
Eva pulled off her gloves—which she’d actually remembered this morning—and entered the information with comments and observations about both horses and the manner and duration of the covering. With any luck, Clancy had done the trick and Moonspinner would produce her first foal in eleven months.
When she’d finished, they left the stables side by side.
“So, what did you think?” Eva asked, even though she didn’t want to seem as if she needed his approval.
“I’m impressed, but not surprised. I believe you have an aptitude for horses in general. I think you will do well.” Coming from Gabe, whose father had owned thousands of horses, that was a compliment, indeed.
“You might want to tell that to Tommy,” she said. He frowned and Eva flicked a dismissive hand. “Forget I said that. Instead, why don’t you tell me what it is you’ve come to say to me? And whose message are you delivering?”
Gabe smiled. “That obvious, am I?”
“You wouldn’t be awake and about this early without a reason. I just don’t know what your reason’s name is.”
He sighed. “Nobody said anything, but I can see how it is between you and Tommy.”
Eva groaned.
“What?” he asked, opening the door for her before following her into the cool dimness of the castle. “Are you two fighting?”
“Not exactly.”
He took her by the arm and stopped her, turning her toward him. “What were you thinking, accepting him, Eva?”
She jerked her arm away. “Lord, Gabe, don’t beat around the bush.”
“I won’t, because it seems everyone else is. Have you all gone mad? Even Mother has nothing to say on the matter.”
She began walking. “There is nothing to say.”
“You don’t love him.”
She cut him a sneering look. “Look who is suddenly the expert on love.”
“Don’t try to start a fight—I won’t be distracted.”
This time it was Eva who stopped, shoved Gabe into an alcove and whispered, “I’ve discovered something dreadful.”
His eyes widened. “Good Lord, what, Eva?”
She swallowed and bought herself a few more seconds while she made sure she wanted to say the words out loud. “I think Mel may be developing a, er, tendre for Tommy.”
Gabriel’s face shifted into an expression of disbelief, and then he laughed.
“What is wrong with you?” Eva demanded. “That’s not funny. It’s—it’s, well, I don’t know quite what it is, but if it is true, it certainly isn’t good.”
“Mel has been wild over Tommy for years, Eva. Trust you to only notice it now.”
It was her turn to stare wide-eyed. “You’re jesting.”
“Ask anyone.”
“Does Tommy know?”
“Lord, I don’t know. I should think he does—he’s not oblivious, like some people.” Eva smacked him. “Besides, it’s not as if Mel has taken pains to hide her infatuation—well, other than from you.”
Eva ignored the dig. “How did I not see this?”
He cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Fine, never mind, I know. I’m Evablivious.” Yet another word Gabe had invented for her. “I never really believed it until this moment,” she said, “but it’s true—I really am oblivious.”
He chuckled and grabbed her in a huge hug that lifted her off her feet. “You are, but we love you anyway.”
“Put me down, you savage,” she muttered. “I’ve always believed Mel and I were close. Why didn’t she say anything to me?”
He lowered her feet to the ground but did not release her, resting his hands on her shoulders and staring down at her.
“I daresay she didn’t want to embarrass herself, Eva.”
“I don’t understand—how?”
“Well, Tommy made his admiration for you obvious—disgustingly so, in my opinion, as did every other single male under fifty who wandered within your radius—while Mel is—” He chewed the inside of his cheek.
“Mel is what? Why can none of you ever finish a thought without prodding?”
Gabe ignored her question. “Mel possesses neither your beauty nor your rather magnetic personality.”
“I’ll give you beauty, because I can’t avoid it in the mirror—but magnetic personality? Ha! You were with me all Season. The only thing I seem to magnetically attract is taunting and abuse.”
He shook his head. “You are, indeed, oblivious. But that is a topic for another day—or eon. Right now I want to know more about your discovery of Mel’s feelings for Tommy. Is that the reason for your distant behavior toward him?”
“Well, that’s part of it,” she said, not completely untruthfully. “How can I marry a man my own sister is in love with?”
Gabriel grimaced with distaste. “When you put it that way . . .”
“What other way is there?”
“I don’t know. You should talk to Mother about such things—you know she revels in opportunities to spout wisdom.”
She punched his arm. “Show more respect.”
“Ow.” He rubbed his arm, his eyes speculative. “I know what you mean about Mel, but, Eva, you can’t make Tommy fall out of love with you and into love with her. People simply love whom they love; there is nothing you can do to change it.”
She wanted to tell him she understood that all too well. Instead, she said, “I realize that, Gabe. But I also don’t have to marry the man my sister has been mad about for what—five?—” Gabe nodded and she groaned. “Ugh, five years of unrequited love? How horrid. If I were Mel, I would have stabbed me while I slept years ago.”
Gabe laughed. “Well, I suppose we should all be grateful you’ve never fallen in unrequited love. I’ll advise everyone to lock their doors, just in case.”
Eva forced herself to laugh, rather than throwing her arms around him and wailing out the truth.
“If it makes you feel any better, Eva, Tommy has felt the same way about you for almost as long. So although you might be dashing one person’s hopes, you’re fulfilling another’s.”
She cut him a dark look. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because I didn’t want to.” He dodged Eva’s fist this time. “Honestly? I wasn’t quite sure of his feelings for you until you were out of the schoolroom—likely because he knew I would hurt him if he showed any overt intention of taking you as his child bride.” He opened the door to the breakfast room and Eva stopped in the open doorway to stare at the assemblage.
“Look who I brought to join us two-legged creatures,” Gabriel announced to a smattering of laughter.
Eva glanced at her father, who was looking at her apparel—scuffed top boots, scarred leather breeches, and dusty coats—with a pained expression.
Her stepmother laid her hand over the marquess’s and he sighed and turned back to his plate. Mia grinned and winked, and Eva mouthed the words, thank you.
When Eva risked a look at Tommy, she saw he seemed just as displeased as her father.
She also saw that Mel sat beside him, immaculately coiffed and dressed, her adoring gaze riveted on the man who was aiming his own—censorious—gaze at Eva.
Eva stumbled and Gabe had to steady her. “All right, Evil?” he whispered, his expression worried.
Eva couldn’t answer. All she could do was look at the other two sides of this ridiculous triangle she was in. Lord, what a bloody farce. How was it that she, who had always avoided romantic or emotional imbroglios, now seemed to be enmeshed in one?
That hardly matters now, does it?
No, she realized quite suddenly—it didn’t. What mattered was that she figure out a way to extricate herself. And soon.