More Than Charming by Jomarie Degioia Read Free Book Online Page A

to mention she was his dear friend’s little sister. He’d lose Paul as a friend, as well.
    “I fell in love with your mother at first glance, James.”
    James faced him. “Mother was beautiful, inside and out.”
    “Everyone told me she was wrong for me, that I should marry much higher than a baronet’s daughter,” the earl said. “And I almost allowed them to persuade me to let her go.”
    “I never heard of this. Mother might be gone these past ten years, but even as a boy, I was aware of the affection between you.”
    “Ah, she was wonderful. So sweet and kind,” the earl said, his eyes shining. “And beautiful. Lord, I’d never seen such beauty.”
    James smiled. His mother was all of those things and more—always full of laughter and hugs and kisses for her only child.
    “She was a strong woman, your mother,” his father went on. “She refused to let the hateful comments affect her, you know. She always kept her grace about her.”
    James started. His father could have been describing Catherine.
    “I trusted my heart, son. And I never regretted it.”
    James stood and began to pace. “I’m not at all certain that what I feel is akin to what you and Mother shared.”
    The earl shrugged his shoulders. “You never know for certain.” He winked. “That’s where the trust comes in.”
    James nodded and let his mind work. Whatever he felt for Catherine, he’d never puzzle it through by avoiding her. When he looked back at his father, he saw the man had dozed off, a common occurrence in the late afternoons. A smile was on the older man’s face. No doubt he was wrapped comfortably in his memories. James pulled a blanket over his father, tucked it into place, and took himself upstairs to his chamber.
    He crossed to the small writing desk in the corner of the room and picked up the letter still sitting atop as it had for the past two days. It was the invitation to Leed Manor, and James had met its arrival with a mixture of impatience and dread. He knew his course of action now.
    He sat down and opened the drawer, withdrew a sheet of paper, and penned his response in the affirmative. He sealed the missive and went downstairs to see it delivered without delay.
     
    *     *     *
     
    Catherine strolled through the courtyard at Leed Manor, her brother’s magnificent estate. The home had been built nearly three centuries earlier and had always resembled a medieval fortress. Michelle had performed a wondrous transformation on the house, warming the spaces inside and softening the edges outside. The courtyard where Catherine strolled was enclosed by high stone walls, but alive with color. Surprising, given that Yorkshire was in the north and it was the middle of September. Catherine sat on one of the stone benches placed about the garden and sighed.
    She’d come to Leed Manor a few days earlier, preceding the guests Paul and Michelle had invited. She knew Lord Roberts would be included in the party, for Paul was very fond of him. Happily, Chester and Constance had responded and would attend. With Geoffrey and Becca sure to come, it promised to be a very pleasant time indeed.
    Would Lord Roberts attend? Or had her shameful behavior destroyed the friendship they’d shared for so many years? She recalled his demeanor when last she saw him at Paul’s townhouse. His eyes had held a coldness she hadn’t seen before, and his voice possessed a clipped quality that pierced her heart. She sighed again and took herself back into the house.
     
    *     *     *
     
    At teatime the family and guests sat in the great hall, a cavernous space made to seem less so by the strategic placement of furniture and decorations. A huge fireplace dominated the space designated as the parlor, and Catherine sat across from it on a rose-colored settee. Though the room was full of warmth and animated conversation, James kept his place at the entry.
    He watched as Catherine took a bite of a lemon tart. She apparently