The Importance of Being Wicked (Millworth Manor) (21 page)

Miranda nodded.

“My family has leased the manor until the building at Fairborough is completed.”

“Then the two of you obviously know one another, don’t you?” Diana looked at Win. “Unless you spend most of your time in London?”

“I do try to get to Millworth whenever possible,” Win said in a casual manner.

Miranda shrugged. “And our paths have crossed there.”

“You have undoubtedly seen the construction for yourself then, haven’t you?” Sebastian asked.

“Once or twice,” Miranda said with a weak smile.

“I suspect, as rebuilding is already under way, that you have an architectural firm engaged,” Adrian said. “Otherwise, I would strongly recommend the services of Garret and Tempest, Miranda’s late husband’s firm.”

“Garret and Tempest?” Win forced an innocent note to his voice. “I’m not sure I’ve heard of them.”

“The firm has an excellent reputation.” Adrian smiled at his youngest sister. “In spite of the loss of Lord Garret, it’s my understanding that the business is continuing to do well.”

“Imagine that.” One did wonder what it would take to awaken the Miranda he knew. “I believe we did make inquiries, but . . .” He shrugged. “Their office is managed by a woman you know, a Miss West.”

“She is most efficient,” Miranda said firmly. “You may not be aware of this, but I hired the woman.”

“Miranda now owns the firm,” Adrian added.

“But Miranda has nothing to do with the day-to-day functioning of it,” Portia pointed out. “That would be most inappropriate. I can’t imagine what people might say.”

“Nonsense, Portia,” Veronica said. “There are any number of businesses run by women.”

“Oh, certainly milliners and dress shops and the like.” Portia shrugged. “But not professions and certainly not something where you would have to mingle with men in the construction trades.” She shivered. “I can’t imagine a lady doing any such thing.”

“Nor can I.” Win met Miranda’s gaze over the table. “Can you, Lady Garret?”

“I suppose . . .” Her words were measured. “That one does what one must.”

“What an interesting answer,” Evelyn murmured.

“Do you really think a woman could do that sort of thing?” Win studied her. “Run a professional business, that is? Manage a site of construction? And do so as well as a man?”

Portia rolled her gaze toward the ceiling. “Now that is a ridiculous idea.”

“I would imagine a woman could do anything she set her mind to.” Miranda cast him a pleasant smile, but her green eyes flashed.

“Absolutely.” Bianca nodded. “Indeed, I don’t see why a woman couldn’t be every bit as successful as a man in a professional enterprise.”

“Still,” Win said slowly, “it’s been my experience, in doing any kind of business that one needs to trust whomever one is doing business with. There is a level of honesty that must be achieved in any business dealing. Don’t you agree, Lady Garret?”

“I suspect honesty is relative,” Miranda said in an offhand manner. “I would think if the service provided is as expected, one can’t ask for more than that.”

“Honesty is not a gray area,” Hugh said firmly. “In the law it is very much a matter of black and white.” He paused. “Unless, of course, one is dealing with pigs.”

Laughter again washed through the gathering and the topic changed to discussion of a charity event Diana was involved in. Miranda cast Win a last scathing look, then turned her attention to the others.

Beside him, Veronica leaned close and spoke softly out of the side of her mouth. “Winfield Elliott, whatever are you up to?”

“Nothing,” he said quietly. “Nothing at all.”

“I see. So apparently honesty is not something you aspire to?”

“If I said it was none of your concern, would you leave it be?”

“Goodness, Winfield. That’s not at all in my nature.” She laughed softly. “You might be interested to know Miranda, Bianca and I attended a lecture recently and we ran into one of your previous fiancées.”

“Oh?” He resisted the urge to wince. “Which one?”

“Lady Eustice. Miranda was quite interested in what had transpired between the two of you.”

“No one knows what transpired between the two of us,” he said firmly.

“Nonsense. That sort of thing never stays completely private.” She glanced at Miranda. “Nor will this.”

“Nor will what?” he said cautiously.

“Whatever is going on between you and Miranda. The others may not see it, but then no one expects to see what they are not looking for.” Her voice hardened. “I do hope this is not another dalliance on your part. I have not been a member of this family for very long, but I can tell you Miranda is the most vulnerable, even fragile, among them.”

“She’s nothing like that.” He stared at her. “The woman sitting across the table from me at this very moment might well appear vulnerable and fragile, but that is not the woman I have come to know.” Bloody hell, were these people all mad? Without thinking, he raised his voice. “The woman I have come to know is the most determined, outspoken, maddening creature I have ever met. In addition, she has perhaps the most intelligent and creative mind I have ever come across in any woman, or man for that matter. She is both resourceful and resilient. Indeed, this is a woman who could well do anything she set her mind to and could probably do as well or better than any man, which, I might add, was not an easy conclusion for me to reach or accept. Aside from everything else, she is truly lovely and there is nothing in the world as wonderful as hearing her laugh. Miranda Garret is the most remarkable woman I have ever met and I am eternally grateful for the day she stalked into my life in the ugliest shoes I have ever seen.”

Veronica’s eyes widened and it was only then he realized all talk at the table had ceased and stunned silence hung in the air. His gaze snapped to Miranda. She stared at him as if in shock and for a long moment no one said a word.

At last Bianca cleared her throat. “I do hope we have dessert.”

“If you will excuse me.” Miranda quickly rose to her feet and left the room.

“I’d go after her if I were you.” A smug smile curved Veronica’s lips.

“Of course.” He got to his feet and glanced around the table. “This has been quite an enjoyable evening. Lady Waterston, my compliments to your cook and thank you so much for having me. Perhaps we can do it again another time.” He nodded and hurried after Miranda.

“Bianca,” her mother said behind him, “explain this if you will.”

“Oh, but I won’t, or rather, I can’t,” Bianca said. “In truth, I am as shocked as the rest of you. Shocked, I tell you. Whoever would have imagined Lord Stillwell and Miranda? Why I had no . . .”

He fairly flew down the steps to the ground floor and caught up with her in the front entry. “My apologies, Miranda, I never thought—”

“Did you mean what you said in there?”

He nodded. “I did.”

“Do you really think all those things about me?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And that last part?”

“I won’t apologize for that.” He shook his head. “The shoes are ugly.”

“Not that.” Her gaze searched his. “The rest of it.”

“Yes.” He stepped closer to her and stared into her eyes and for the life of him he could not determine their color. “The luckiest day of my life is the day my house burned because it brought you into my life.”

“You’re mad, aren’t you?”

“Probably.”

“Mad enough to kiss me?”

He narrowed his eyes. “If I kiss you here, mere steps away from where your family is still reeling from the revelations at dinner, will you accuse me of attempting to seduce you?”

“Of course not.” She grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him close. “But I shall hope.”

Without another word, his lips crushed hers. She tasted of wine and promises and forever. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tighter against him and he could not get enough of her. The faint scent of spring that she wore wafted around him and circled his heart and crept into his soul. And he was lost and it was wonderful.

“Ahem.”

He groaned against her lips. Would there ever be a time when he could kiss her without interruption? Reluctantly he released her, gratified to note she was just as reluctant to release him.

“Lord Stillwell.” Adrian stood at the top of the stairs flanked by Hugh on one side, Sebastian on the other and James a step behind. “A word, if you please.”

“No.” Miranda stared up at her brothers.

James choked.

“No?” Confusion crossed Hugh’s face. “Did she say no?”

“I think that is exactly what she said.” Sebastian stared.

“Miranda,” Adrian began in his best I-am-the-earl voice. Win recognized it immediately as he had a similar voice. He did so enjoy using it. “This is none of your concern.”

“No, Adrian, this is none of
your
concern.”

“You are my sister, my youngest sister, and everything that affects you concerns me.”

“Don’t be absurd.”

Win grinned. Now this was the Miranda he knew.

“I am twenty-eight years of age and more than capable of making my own decisions. I have been married and widowed. I have my own finances. And I . . .” She glanced at Win and he nodded. “I not only own Garret and Tempest, I run it. I am not merely the youngest Hadley-Attwater,
I
am a woman of business.”

The men at the top of the steps stared in stunned silence. Apparently, this was the night for it. Win wondered if dinner with the Hadley-Attwater family was always this interesting. He wouldn’t be at all surprised.

Her brows drew together and she looked at him. “Did you know that? That I run the firm, that is?”

“I have never been as stupid as you have thought I was.”

“I never—well, perhaps I did . . .” She had the good grace to blush at that. He liked it.

“Miranda,” Adrian said. “You barely know this man.”

“On the contrary, I know him quite well. I know he is stubborn and can be stiff and stodgy on occasion. I know he is suspicious of progress. I know he has very firm ideas about the place of women in this world.”

“Oh, I do sound delightful,” Win said under his breath.

“I know as well that he values tradition and heritage. He treats his parents with affection and his servants with respect. He makes me laugh more than I can ever remember laughing in my entire life. He is kind to children and small animals, even his aunt’s dog, who is not at all a pleasant beast. He is intelligent and not unattractive. And when he kisses me—”

One of the other men groaned.

“He makes my toes curl and my heart skip a beat.”

Win flashed her brothers a smug smile. “Add to that my title and fortune, and I am quite a catch.”

“A catch is not what I would call you,” Adrian said sharply. “Are you aware of his reputation with women? Do you know he has had three fiancées? Three?”

“I can’t imagine there is anyone alive who is not aware of that, but might I point out, dear brother, that while you may not have the trail of fiancées he does, your reputation was no better than his. Why, we had begun to think no decent woman would have you before you met Evelyn.”

Adrian sputtered.

“As for Sebastian—”

“No, no that’s quite all right,” Sebastian said quickly. “I am well aware of my past reputation.”

“I never had an especially scandalous reputation,” Hugh said in a lofty manner.

“No, Hugh dear, you were too busy studying, although I do recall a few incidents.”

Hugh’s brow furrowed in thought; then he winced.

“See here, Miranda,” Adrian began.

“And didn’t you have this same discussion with Diana about James before they married?”

“I don’t recall,” Adrian muttered.

“I do.” James shuddered. “Diana nearly killed you.” He took a cautious step back. “However, it does strike me that this discussion would be best confined to blood relations so perhaps I should—”

“Oh no, James,” Miranda said sharply. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re a part of this and it’s not over, as there are a few more things I wish to say. And I would appreciate it if the four of you would come down to this level so that I don’t feel like I’m talking to the gods on Mt. Olympus!”

The men exchanged glances, then reluctantly descended the stairs.

“You’re absolutely right,” Adrian declared in an obvious effort to regain control. “It’s not over.”

“She’s yelling at us, you know,” Sebastian said in an aside to Win when they reached the ground floor. “Bianca yells, Portia yells, Diana yells. Miranda never yells.”

Win chuckled. “You’d be surprised.”

“What have you done to her?”

“The real question, old man, is what has she done to me?”

Sebastian shook his head.

“Now then.” Miranda’s gaze shifted from one brother to the next. “I am going to leave with Lord Stillwell in a few minutes. He will escort me home. Tomorrow I am going to accompany him back to Millworth so that I may resume my work at Fairborough. I am not managing construction—I have a very capable gentleman who does that. But I am in something of an advisory capacity in regards to the plans and blueprints as well as a liaison between the office, the architect and the construction site.”

Win stared. So she wasn’t going to confess everything? Wasn’t that interesting?

“And, of course, I report on the progress to Lord Stillwell and his family. Now, is there anything else?”

“Miranda.” Adrian glared. “As head of this family, I absolutely forbid you to leave with this man.”

“I give you my word she’ll be perfectly safe. I promise not to sell her to a harem,” Win said solemnly.

Hugh snorted back a laugh.

“Don’t be a twit, Adrian. You have nothing to say about it. If I wish to leave with him, if I wish to embark on a torrid, scandalous affair—”