Fiona went to her room and, removing her dressing gown, slid between the covers, shivering for a few minutes until the bed began to grow warm from her heat. Or was it his lingering heat?
What a blissful interlude that had been. Totally unexpected.
Totally?
After their kiss last night, a small part of her hoped it would happen again, but she hadn’t expected the combustion that had flared between them. She’d dreamed it perhaps…
Now, she must accept that it would never happen again. Not after she took his house. They would go their separate ways, and she would hold on to tonight as a cherished memory.
Except they wouldn’t go their separate ways. How could she when she owned his beloved Horethorne? They would be linked together, through the estate, forever.
She forced herself to think of the assembly the following evening, or more accurately, tonight, given the lateness of the hour. Since working so hard to be able to attend, she should be filled with anticipation. Instead, her emotions were bittersweet. It was likely to be her first and last Phoenix Club ball.
She would just have to ensure it was memorable.
What a wretched night of sleep.
Tobias yearned to lay his head down on his desk, but he needed to go to Westminster before coming home to dress for the assembly. Before he could stand, Carrin came into his study. The butler looked…harassed.
“My lord, the dowager countess has arrived. Did I, ah, somehow miss the fact that she was coming to town?”
Jumping to his feet, Tobias smoothed his hair back with his hands. “If you did, I did as well. I suspect this is an intentional surprise.” His grandmother had done this to his father at least twice that Tobias knew of.
Carrin sagged with relief. “Very good, sir. She’s waiting for you in the drawing room.”
“I’d best not keep her waiting.” Tobias hurried past the butler, then stopped and swung back around. “Where are we to put her? The best rooms are all occupied by our guests.”
“It’s probably easiest to move Mrs. Tucket to a smaller chamber upstairs,” Carrin suggested.
“Yes, do that at once. With my apologies to Mrs. Tucket. Hopefully, she will understand.” Tobias felt bad she would have to climb an additional flight of stairs with her mobility issues. Perhaps there was another option. He’d think on it.
Carrin nodded in response, and Tobias turned on his heel to dash up to the drawing room. His grandmother was a diminutive woman with an immense personality. Or at least she was intensely intimidating. Perhaps those were not the same thing.
Affixing a smile on his face, he swept into the drawing room to find her seated near the hearth. “Welcome, Grandmother. I wish I’d known you were coming. I would have ensured we had a room prepared.”
“They’re taking care of it now, although I was told my usual chamber is currently occupied by your ward.” Her slender upper lip gently curled.
Though she was seventy-five, she looked more than a decade younger—she still had some dark hair mixed in with the gray, and the lines that etched her face were few and gentle, most of them occurring around her mouth, likely owing to the way she pursed her lips. Which she was doing presently.
“Shall I have her removed to another chamber?” In his mind, he was already shuffling her to Miss Lancaster’s room and transferring Miss Lancaster to Mrs. Tucket’s room.
The dowager waved her hand. “Don’t bother. I don’t think I’ll be here more than a week.” That was a relatively short stay since the journey took two days each way, and that assumed decent traveling weather.
Tobias sat near her. “I’m quite surprised to see you here.”
“As you were supposed to be. I kept waiting for an invitation to your wedding, but when one did not arrive, I decided to come see what the devil is going on.”
A horrible sinking feeling settled in Tobias’s gut. “Why did you think I was getting married?”
“Because your father’s last letter to me said you would be doing so at the start of the Season.”
“Is that all he said?” Tobias wondered if she knew about his father’s marriage requirement.
Her still-dark brows arched. “Yes, why?”
“No reason. I’m pleased to see you, Grandmother.” And shocked. She rarely came to town, and he was flattered she’d want to come check on him. Even if it was strange.
She hadn’t even come to London when her son had become gravely ill. But it had been December, the absolute worst time to travel. Instead of visiting, she’d sent a letter every day, and in return, his father had his secretary draft a response every three days. Because he was a jackass like that.
“How are things with your ward? Is she amenable? Attractive? Betrothed yet?”
“Not really, yes, and no.” His honesty about Fiona surprised him. “Marriage is not high on her list of priorities.”
“What balderdash. Isn’t she nearly on the shelf?”
“She’ll be twenty-two next week.”
“Then yes, she’s almost past the point of marriageability.”
“Why? How is it that I am twenty-eight, and no one says I’m ineligible for marriage?”
His grandmother stared at him, her blue-gray eyes the color of frost. “You can’t really be that obtuse. You’re an earl. And a wealthy one at that.”
“What I mean is, why is she—or any other young lady—suddenly unmarriageable? It’s not as if they’ve done something to lower their worth.” He hated the way that sounded, once again equating them with a product.
“Haven’t they? If they haven’t found a husband in the first year or perhaps two of being out, there must be a deficit. I suppose your ward can be excused.” Her lip curled again. “Because she hasn’t had a Season yet.”
“She’s attracted at least one suitor,” Tobias noted. That did not include him, because he wasn’t a suitor. He was merely the man who’d taken advantage of her.
“Then there is absolutely no reason for her to be unwed,” the dowager said firmly. “Give her an ultimatum.”
Tobias bit
