“Of course,” Max said as he touched Marigold’s elbow. Theo watched as his friend grazed a kiss along her temple and he saw Marigold’s reciprocating smile. The happiness that passed between the two of them was unmistakable.
Setting his own feelings aside, he thought of Sarah again. How could Sarah not see that what she felt for Stallworth was nothing like this?
Then again, Theo hadn’t realized the woman he’d fallen in love with five years ago didn’t love him back either. Sometimes, it was difficult to understand, and it took outside help to make a person see.
Sarah needed that help, there was no doubt.
But he couldn’t be the person who aided her.
And he had to tell Max that very fact.
But as they walked down the hall, Max slapped him on the back. “Thank you for being at my father’s funeral. And for keeping an eye on Sarah. I owe you.”
The words were out before he could stop them. “Nonsense. You know it is I who is forever in your debt.”
Max patted him again, one big slap directly between the shoulder blades as they entered Max’s study. “A boon I hope to take advantage of for just a bit longer.”
Theo’s shoulders hunched. This didn’t sound like the words of a man about to relieve his friend of his duty. “Do you?”
“You know Sarah,” Max let out a sigh. “She’s fun and charming and…”
“Beautiful,” Theo offered as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Max stopped, raising his brows. “Precisely. I wasn’t sure you’d noticed.” Max crossed the room and sat down in his chair behind his desk. “But she doesn’t have my sense. We’ve babied her, I think. Whatever the reason, she’s too prone to trouble.”
“I can vouch for that,” he muttered, leaning against the mantel as he stared into a crackling fire.
Max chuckled. “Normally, I’d keep an eye on her myself but with my mother planning the social event of the year and my bride a shy woman who’d prefer a quiet affair…”
Resignation weighed down Theo’s stomach. “Your hands are full.”
“Yes.”
“And you need me to keep an eye on Sarah.” Dread had lowered his tone. Even he could hear it.
“Exactly.”
Theo shook his head. He had to do this for Max. But he hated the idea. Because Sarah was headed for disaster, a mistake he understood too well. And because it was...well, her. This was Sarah they were talking about. And for all that she angered him, she also made him wish to hold her, keep her safe, and possibly kiss her senseless.
In short, the girl was trouble.
3
Sarah eyed her reflection critically in the mirror above the mantel in the drawing room. “Silly fool,” she muttered under her breath as she tucked a stray curl into a pin. “Need an army to keep me out of trouble, do I?” She blew out a long exhale as she dropped her hands to her side. “Hmph. I’ll show him who needs help and then he’ll—”
“Pardon me?” Marigold said softly behind her.
Sarah whipped around, the skirts of her sapphire blue gown whirling with the movement. “Nothing. Sorry. I was, er…”
“Talking to herself,” Max finished as he strode into the room behind Marigold, their mother following close behind him. Max turned his attention to Marigold, who looked lovelier than ever in pale green silk. “Sarah has always made a habit of talking to herself.”
Sarah’s mother laughed. “And she got herself into a fair bit of trouble for it, too.”
Marigold’s brows hitched up in a look of quizzical amusement as she turned to Sarah, who merely shrugged in return. “I discovered the hard way that some words were not meant to be repeated in public, even if one was merely talking to oneself.”
Max laughed, coming over to drape an arm around Sarah’s shoulders as he aimed his next comment to Marigold. “I suppose I ought to mention that she also had a penchant for eavesdropping. The diatribe she was mumbling to herself at the dinner table over the quality of the meal were the very same words our father had used while reaming out a solicitor.”
“Oh dear,” Marigold said with a sympathetic wince.
Sarah smiled, as she always did when talk turned to her youthful antics. If one day those stories could fall into oblivion, she would definitely not complain. But as they were the family’s go-to form of amusement, she had a feeling she would be hearing about her childish mishaps until the day she died.
“What was she muttering about this time?” Max asked Marigold, laughter already in his voice as he talked about her as though she was not there.
The smile Marigold flashed Sarah was filled with understanding. “Nothing, darling. Sarah was just admiring my dress.”
“You do look lovely,” Sarah said, her heart swelling with gratitude that she would soon have a sister who did not treat her as a child.
I am not a child—
Then stop acting like one.
She winced as his words, his voice echoing in her skull. They’d been haunting her for months now. But today, seeing him again, it had brought back all those bitter feelings. And a few hurt ones too. No woman could deny that the Earl of Everly was all man. And the fact that he considered her so immature...
She was not a child. What would it take to make him see that? She eyed her brother and her mother. What would it take to make all of them see that she wasn’t some silly little girl anymore, but a grown woman?
“Thank you, Sarah,” Marigold said. “My mother chose it.” She glanced toward the door. “She should be down shortly. She can hardly wait for the excitement to begin.”
Which made one of them. Marigold didn’t say it but that was what she meant. Poor dear hated to be the center of attention, but her mother adored the spotlight.
“You look lovely as well, dear,” her mother said as she moved forward to take Sarah’s hands. “I would not be surprised if you have a suitor of your own soon enough.”
Sarah’s answering smile faltered slightly. I have a suitor, she wished to say. She kept her mouth clamped shut, but oh how she wished she could shout it to the rooftops. Her mother dropped her hands, already moving on to the newest arrival. The ultimate snob himself.
She hadn’t seen Everly again yesterday, having retired early after the exhausting afternoon of preparations and planning. And the entirety of today had been spent helping the new arrivals get situated in their rooms and ensure the houseguests had everything they should need.
Tonight’s soiree would be a welcoming fete, the first of many to celebrate the happy couple, with a lavish wedding breakfast on the final day, ending just in time to then celebrate Christmas Eve with one last hoorah.
“My lady,” Everly said as he gave the marchioness an exaggerated bow that had Sarah rolling her eyes.
“Lady Sarah,” he said as he made his way over to where she stood. “Pleasure as always.”
She smirked. So he had not told her brother about the scene he’d witnessed the day before then. She’d thought not. Her brother would have lectured her already if he thought she’d behaved improperly. But the fact that he was pretending as though they had not yet seen one another was confirmation.