Project Duchess. Sabrina Jeffries

faint smile crossed his lips. “True.”

      Something about that smile irked him. “You’re not interested in her, are you? Romantically, I mean.”

      “What? No! Don’t be an arse. She’s my cousin!”

      “Cousins marry in our circles all the time.”

      His brother went on the defensive. “Are you interested in Vanessa ‘romantically’?”

      Vanessa? Grey scowled at his brother. “She’s Miss Pryde to you, and no, I’m not. She’s like a sister to me.”

      “I feel the same about Bea. We see her as part of the family. That’s why Mother is determined to bring her out herself. Even if Bea is a bit . . . shall we say . . . long in the tooth.”

      “How old is she?”

      “Twenty-six.”

      “She looks younger.” Still, Grey didn’t mind her being closer to his age than he’d initially thought, a reaction he refused to examine too closely.

      “Nonetheless,” Sheridan said, “she’s firmly on the shelf.”

      “What a ridiculous notion. As if a woman were a knickknack to be put away.”

      Sheridan gaped at him. “I’m surprised you feel that way.”

      “Don’t you?”

      “Of course, but . . . I just thought . . . that is . . .”

      “You believe all the nonsense they publish about me in the gossip rags.” He hadn’t meant to say the resentful words, but he couldn’t help it. “You should know me better by now. You’re my brother, for God’s sake.”

      “A fact which you often conveniently forget.”

      Grey dragged in a heavy breath. “I don’t forget it. I just . . .” No, he wouldn’t go into that. It wasn’t Sheridan’s fault that Uncle Eustace had been a greedy bastard. “So Mother means to bring Miss Wolfe out. You know she can’t do it while they’re in mourning.”

      “Of course not. But that’s one reason she wants to work on preparing her now. They have all this time at the estate when they can’t do anything social.” Pain flashed over Sheridan’s face. “And Mother needs something to keep her mind off losing Father.”

      “What she needs is time alone to grieve.”

      Sheridan grimaced. “I’ve told her that, but you know Mother. She does better when she has something to occupy her time. And she might need a whole year to prepare Bea, who hasn’t the slightest idea of how to act in social situations. She’s a bit of a hoyden, you know. She roams the estate with the hunting dogs and helps Joshua with his accounts, but she rarely attends the local assemblies. Not that it’s her fault. She gets invited, but there’s no one to take her, and of course, she can’t go alone.”

      “Why doesn’t her damned brother take her?”

      “You’ll have to ask her. But the upshot of it is she barely knows how to dance, has no idea about the many rules of high society, and would rather train a retriever to fetch than embroider a scarf. Mother has her work cut out for her.”

      “Miss Wolfe seems to have handled the funeral arrangements well enough.”

      Sheridan snorted. “That’s because she’s already attended five other funerals in her lifetime, three of which she had a hand in managing. She does know funerals, our Bea.”

      Poor woman. That sounded dreadful. “No wonder she and Mother get along so well.” Grey mused a moment. “So I assume Mother intends for her to be presented at court.”

      “Probably. You’d know better than I what’s involved in bringing a woman out. I gather Bea has to go through a round of social events. Since Gwyn hasn’t had a come-out in England either, Mother plans for them to have their debuts together.”

      “Makes sense.” Grey cocked his head. “How does Gwyn feel about sharing hers with someone not actually related to her?”

      “She’s relieved to have the company, believe it or not. She’d never admit it, but she’s nervous about going into English society. Things weren’t the same in Prussia.”

      “I can only imagine. And I mean that literally, since I was never old enough in Berlin to go into society.” When Sheridan shot him an odd look, he pressed on. “How does Wolfe feel about his sister being championed by our mother?”

      “I don’t know. He’s slippery as an eel, that one. He’s never around when I go to call on him. Bea keeps saying she’ll bring him over, but then that always falls through for some reason.” Sheridan drained his glass, then set it on the desk. “That’s why I need your help.”

      Grey tensed. “To do what?”

      “Find out what Joshua’s been up to, where he goes all the time.” Sheridan thrust out his jaw. “Get the evidence I need to prove—or disprove—he was involved in the two deaths. See if you can uncover the truth.”

      God help him. “Are you asking me to spy on the major?”

      “Pretty much.”

      “Why me?”

      Sheridan shrugged. “He doesn’t know you, for one thing.”

      “But it wouldn’t take long for him to find out who I am. The minute I start sniffing around, asking questions of people, word will get back to him, and he’ll make it his business to learn my identity. If you’re trying to keep this secret from him, that’s not how to do it.”

      “So what the devil do you suggest? Between helping with Mother’s ‘project’ and trying to get the estate affairs in order, I barely have time to breathe, much less spy on Joshua.”

      “Ah, but you’d be better at the spying than I,” Grey said, “since you could disguise it as getting comfortable with the running of your estate. And the owner asking questions in town about his employees won’t seem nearly as odd as some relation of yours doing it.” He set down his empty glass. “I can help you with the estate. I can help Mother with preparing Miss Wolfe and Gwyn for a debut. As you said, I know what such things entail. So I’d be better at it, since I’ve actually been to a few coming-out events. I was very much present at Vanessa’s, for example.”

      “So you’re the one responsible for your cousin’s impudent manner and sharp tongue, are you?” Sheridan asked.

      “Are you responsible for Gwyn’s?”

      Sheridan glared at him.

      “That’s what I thought,” Grey said calmly. “The point is I don’t mind working with you on estate finances and management, and I don’t mind giving the young ladies pointers on societal expectations. I don’t even mind finding out what I can from Miss Wolfe for you, while helping her prepare for her debut. But I won’t spy on her brother. You’ll have to tackle that yourself.”

      Sheridan set his shoulders. “I don’t think it’s a good idea that you help prepare Bea for her debut. You have a reputation with young women, and she’s in a vulnerable situation.”

      “My reputation is precisely why I should be the one to caution the ladies. I know what men in society expect. And how they should be thwarted. Whereas you—”

      “—have barely been to a ball, I know.” Sheridan blew out an exasperated breath. “You do have a point.”

      “Anyway, I’m not giving you a choice. If you want my help, it’s going to be in an area where I have expertise.”

      Honestly, involvement in such a project might make this visit with his family more bearable. Mother wasn’t the only one needing something to keep her mind off Maurice’s passing.

      “So, are we agreed on the division of labor?” Grey asked.

      A