Heart of the Diamond Read Free Page B

easy.
    Blake conjured up the list of details he had stored away in his mind regarding Billington's oldest daughter—tidbits of information provided by Bartholomew. Headstrong, daring, witty, and mischievous.
    Considering her volatile personality, he had no reason to be surprised at her behavior this evening. A girl who would slip vodka into her stepmother's afternoon tea would dare a great deal.
    Tonight she had come in search of Theodore Bartholomew and wound up his instead. There had to be some justice in that.
    A soft tapping on the door intruded into his reverie. “Enter.”
    Chester hesitated in the doorway. “I noticed the light under the door. You have not yet retired, my lord?”
    “Sleep eludes me.” Blake smiled slightly. “Too much excitement, I suppose.”
    “I must offer my apologies, sir. The duke was quite agitated and I was concerned he might discharge his weapon. I acted wrongly in bringing him to you.”
    Blake waved his hand impatiently. “Chester, you have my permission to do whatever necessary to calm any irate fathers waving guns.”
    “The Duke of Billington is normally a reasonable man. It must have been his worry over Lady Nicki that had him so out of sorts.”
    “Odd,” Blake arched a brow. “On the one other occasion I chanced to encounter Billington, he was equally disgruntled. I must bring out the worst in him—wouldn't you say, Chester?”
    The butler's mouth tightened as though he had just bitten into a particularly sour lemon. “I am certain I would not know, my lord.”
    “At any rate, we shall be seeing a good deal of the duke and his daughter.” Catching sight of a shiny object on the faded carpet, Blake bent to retrieve a lady's hairpin. “I have gotten myself engaged, Chester. The Langley girl certainly is attractive.”
    “Congratulations, sir. Lady Nicki was ever a pretty thing and she does have an appealing enthusiasm for life.”
    “Is that what you call it? I was inclined to find her reckless and somewhat foolhardy, but then I have not had the pleasure of her acquaintance for as long as you have. How long have you known Lady Nicole, Chester?”
    In the light of the dip Chester held, his austere features seemed to soften. “Lady Nicki's mother, bless her soul, brought the girl to Rosewood from the time she was a babe. If I may be so presumptuous, my lord, Lady Nicki has an aversion to being referred to as Lady Nicole. When she was but four years old, I thought it unseemly to use the abbreviated version of her name, but the little thing held her breath until she turned blue. It was then the duchess assured me that everyone was to call her Nicki, including the servants.”
    “Interesting. So Lady Nicole came to Rosewood with her mother?”
    Chester continued. “Until she was seven or so. When the young miss was but four or five years, she took it in her head to follow Master Teddy about. Most lads of ten would have sent her packing, but not Master Teddy. He treated Lady Nicki like a sister. When he went to school at Oxford, she was devastated.”
    At the mention of the university, Blake clenched the cool metal hairpin in his hand. “She must have been twelve or thirteen by that time.”
    “Why, yes, I believe she was thirteen. Ah . . . when the young master came home from school, those were joyous times. Wherever the pair of them were, trouble soon appeared. So full of life, those two.”
    Blake scowled, unclenched his fist and turned to place the hairpin on the polished surface of the bureau. “I believe you called it enthusiasm. I should think Lady Nicole well beyond the age of such foolishness. As my wife, she must learn to carry on in a dignified and decorous manner. This sneaking into second-story windows will stop.”
    “As you say, my lord. Forgive my prattling. It must be the lateness of the hour. If you have no further need of my services, I shall retire.”
    “Off to bed with you, Chester. We shall both need our strength for the days ahead.”
    “Of