Promise Me Read Free Page A

did Adrian break your engagement?”
    “ What? Where did you hear--”
    “ He did break the engagement, did he not?”
    “ No,” she replied but offered no further explanation.
    “ I realize my brother died more than a year ago, Miss Sheridan, but to me it occurred only this morning, and I have every right to question the last person to see him alive.”
    Leah bit her lip to keep from crying. “I’m sorry, your Grace.” She slipped past him. “But I neglected to properly greet your grandmother.”
    “ Running away again, Miss Sheridan?”
    She halted and turned. “I cannot keep you from tossing poisonous darts in my direction, but do not expect me to stand and applaud when they hit the mark.”
    “ Point taken.” He casually approached. “It was wrong of me to insinuate any misconduct on your part, but it does not escape my thoughts that if Adrian hadn’t ridden after you that afternoon…”
    “ He would still be alive? Yes. Do you honestly believe I’ve forgotten that?”
    He studied her for several seconds. “I’m afraid I don’t know you well enough to answer that question.”
    “ No, I suppose not. It really doesn’t matter though, does it? Adrian is dead, and I cannot change that.” She sighed. “I realize you must think very little of me, your Grace, so I’ll save you the trouble of forced pleasantries. After this evening, we need never speak again.”
    Bitterness flashed in his eyes. “You think to dismiss my questions as quickly as you dismissed my brother’s death?”
    “ Dismissed?” Anger flushed her cheeks. “You know nothing about me, yet you stand there and deliver judgment?”
    His tense expression relaxed. “Again, my apologies, Miss Sheridan. Can we not be civil to one another?”
    “ I believe I’ve been most civil.”
    “ Then perhaps I should have said honest.”
    “ You want honesty?” A dull ache vibrated inside her chest. “Why did your brother feel your shipping business meant more to you than your family?”
    His expression turned emotionless. So did the tone of his voice. “If Adrian had grown tired of managing this estate, he would’ve mentioned it in one of his letters.”
    “ Perhaps he did not wish to disappoint you.”
    “ Adrian owned an equal share of Drake shipping. We agreed I should be the one to handle that venture while he ran the manor and grounds. My brother understood his duties. Obviously you did not.”
    “ Did it ever occur to you that Adrian agreed to run this estate merely because he suspected the tranquil countryside of Kent bored his older brother beyond reason?”
    Uncertainty flared in Chase’s eyes, but it vanished in an instant. “I wasn’t always bored.” A smirk formed at one corner of his well-defined mouth, and again his dark gaze slid over her. “Especially when there’s a good hunt to be found.”
    “ A good hunt or a grand kill?” she snapped. “If you wish to bully me with words--”
    “ Intimidation was never my intention. You were with my brother when he died, and for that I’m grateful, but your avoidance of the subject causes me to suspect you’ve not been completely honest.”
    Her breath caught.
    “ And make no mistake about it, Miss Sheridan, I will discover the truth. No matter how long it takes.” His overpowering presence pinned her to the spot and ensured her silence. “Enjoy your evening.”

C hapter Two
     
    The next morning, Nicolas hurried downstairs and headed to the rear of the manor. At the door to the solarium, he paused.
    The sun shimmering through the glass-paneled roof showered the room with warmth, and the scent of various late-blooming flowers caressed his sense of smell. As a young man, he’d napped here on numerous occasions. Until Adrian discovered that slipping a toad or a harmless snake down the front of his older brother’s shirt proved far more amusing than watching him sleep.
    Amidst the greenery and terracotta vases, he found Grandmother Margaret sitting at a round table, her