Page 6 of A Lady by Chance

“No one came here with me today, my lady,” Sir Stirling drawled in his smooth, deep voice. “Though I did bring your father the agreement of Lieutenant Patrick Chalmers to marry you.”

“An army man?” Jessica’s head spun, which forced her to settle back against the bed pillows. “I will accept him—because he will never be at home.”

“A navy man,” Sir Stirling corrected her. “And I regret to disappoint you,” he continued, not sounding sorry at all, “he will be ever at home. His estate of Baldain House, in the heart of the town and faces the River Ness.”

“Baldain House?” Chastity looked at her father and Doctor Belch. “That house has been deserted these last years—after the late owner, Mr. Chalmers, choked to death on a bit of mutton at a gaming establishment.” She shifted her attention to Sir Stirling. He didn’t flinch. “Is this Lieutenant Patrick Chalmers of Baldain House his son?”

“So he is, my lady.”

“Then he shall not marry my sister.” Chastity’s chin came up. “Blood is blood. If he is anything like his father—”

“He is nothing like his father.” Sir Stirling straightened from the doorjamb, his polished boots gleaming like two black mirrors in the morning sunlight that streamed through the room’s tall windows. “He takes after his grandfather and enjoys an impeccable reputation. His character is beyond reproach, his manners refined, and as he served for many years in military and diplomatic assignments overseas, he desires nothing more now than a quiet life here in Inverness.”

“Then he and Jessica may not suit,” Lucy declared. “She is anything but quiet.”

“As I have been telling you.” Jessica swatted Doctor Belch’s hand when he tried to replace the now-dripping ice bag on her forehead. “Will you stop that, please? It’s cold and wet, and I need to see that man over there so long as he insists on lurking about. I do not trust him.” She gave Sir Stirling a mutinous glare. “I will not marry your friend.” She sent a scowl to her father, as well.

Now, Jessica…” Her father stepped closer to the bed, took the ice bag from Doctor Belch and placed it on her head, keeping a hand there so she couldn’t dislodge it. “Sir Stirling never said Chalmers is his friend. We had an arrangement, if you recall.” Jessica noted the steel in her father’s eyes.

“Aye, he is a friend.” Sir Stirling appeared pleased by the admission. “I know him well, so can commend him highly.”

Olivia shook her head. “Forgive me, sir, but I am not convinced. I appreciate that you have arranged wonderful marriages for myself and Lucy. But Jessica walks her own path. A man as you have described will not be happy with her.”

Sir Stirling’s air of confidence did not fade.

“I agree.” Chastity joined Olivia and Lucy. “You will have to find a different candidate.”

Sir Stirling’s eyes shifted to the duke. “Your father shares my opinion. We agreed to a wedding in three days.”

Chastity’s eyes shifted to him and Jessica was sure her sister’s gaze caught on the man’s shoulders before her eyes locked with his. “That is much too soon,” Chastity said. “Just look at my sister. She cannot marry with a swollen and discolored face.”

“Ah, well…” Sir Stirling rubbed his chin, considering. “We can postpone the marriage for a week, but no more. Just until the worst of the bruising lessens.”

“It won’t matter.” Lucy smiled. “She will get herself into some other pickle before then.”

“What were you doing on the library ladder?” the duke asked. “Have I not warned all of you to stay off them? There are servants who are skilled in climbing ladders to retrieve volumes on the higher shelves.”

“I can climb a ladder well enough,” Jessica said—though she couldn’t prove that at the moment, and didn’t want to explain why she’d fallen. “I couldn’t ask for help,” she said in an attempt to change the subject. “I did not want anyone to know what I was researching.”

“Researching?” He folded his arms, waiting.

“Of course.” Jessica met his stare. “A few scraggly barnacle geese have been congregating at the pond behind the stables. They are clearly hungry. There is an old book on caring for wild birds on the top shelf. It is a journal, really, written by your great-aunt Maisie, who cared for birds all over Inverness. She—”

“I know who my great-auntie was.” The duke sighed. “She was said to be out with the faeries.”

“She wasn’t addled and neither am I.” Jessica narrowed her eyes. “I wanted to be sure the barnacle geese can eat the wild bird food we scatter.”

“We?” Chastity looked amused. “You are the only one who collects kitchen fat, bacon rinds, and stale bread and cake for birds.”

“You were warned not to do so after your collection bin drew water rats and foxes,” Olivia reminded her. “Foxes got some of our chickens, if you recall.”

“So, Lady Jessica, you have a heart for those in need?” Sir Stirling tugged on his cuff, speaking without looking at her.

Jessica eyed him suspiciously. “That is a trick question.”

He laughed.

“Marry her off to a stray cat and she’ll be happy,” Lucy teased.