An Honorable Wish (A Lady's Wish 2) by Eileen Richards Page A

Anne quite yet, but I want something in exchange for my silence.”
    Dash it all , thought Juliet. “What would you like me to do?”
    “You must keep Mr. McDonald occupied. You cannot let him have the opportunity to propose. Am I clear?”
    “Sophia, if he proposes, just tell him no.”
    A strange look crossed Sophia’s face. “I can’t.”
    “I don’t understand. Do you have feelings for him?”
    “Of course not,” Sophia said a touch too quickly. “Just do as I ask or I’ll give Anne the books, understood?”
    Juliet hated the look of triumph on her sister’s face. “Perfectly.”
     
    Tony walked past the library to the breakfast room. McDonald was such an idiot. He’d almost given away the entire game. Tony had seen the puzzled look in Jules’s eyes. The woman was smart. Too smart.
    “This doesn’t look like the library,” McDonald said, circling the large table.
    Tony closed the door. “Keep your voice down. I don’t want the servants to hear.” He couldn’t risk gossip getting out. “What in blazes were you thinking?”
    “You haven’t told anyone about your good fortune?” Ian crossed his arms, a smug look on his face. “I should have known you wouldn’t have the bollocks to tell them.”
    “Once the situation is remedied, I’ll tell them,” Tony said.
    “Chelsworth finally responded to your letter. Seems his stupid honor is worth more than the estate. He doesn’t want to renegotiate the terms of the debt.”
    Tony cursed. “What am I going to do now?”
    “Chelsworth should be at the estate by now.”
    Tony did not have much time before word reached Nathaniel’s ears. “What are the rumors in Town?”
    “Surprisingly, there aren’t many. The man is known to play deeper than his pockets allow. No one was surprised when he finally gambled away his land.”
    “I’ll have to call on him. Insist he deal with the issue. Will you be here to help me?”
    “I was hoping you’d already had this discussion with Chelsworth, or at least mentioned it to Nathaniel. I should be in Scotland.”
    “Hard to do that when Chelsworth wasn’t around.” Tony should have been planning his move to the estate and buying the right sheep for the land; instead, he was trying to keep things quiet. The very last thing he needed was for Nathaniel to find out. Tony wanted to show his brother he was capable of cleaning up his own mess.
    “What are your intentions toward Miss Juliet?” McDonald asked. “I noticed how you were looking at her. I hope they are honorable.”
    Tony glared at him. “I could call you out for that statement.”
    McDonald laughed. “You should have seen your face when she smiled at me.”
    “Perhaps I should ask you your intentions.”
    “Hold on; I’m just a friend. I just happened to catch the look in your eye when she walked in. She is not one you can trifle with.”
    “I have no intention of doing so. And if you’ll be staying longer, you’ll have the opportunity to spend some time with Miss Townsend yourself.”
    McDonald tensed but said nothing.
    Tony chuckled. “We are a pair, you and I.”
    “All I want is to give Miss Townsend the opportunity to get to know me,” McDonald said. “Unfortunately, she is avoiding me. Perhaps you could help?”
    “Of course.”
    It would give Tony the opportunity to keep Juliet from guessing why he was in Beetham, as well as the chance to better understand his own feelings.

Chapter Six
    J uliet tried to focus on the book in her hand, but anger still simmered.
    Tony had told her to stay home. Stay home instead of going to help Penelope. Stay home like a good little girl. Penelope was her friend, not Tony’s.
    Worse than just sitting at home was waiting for Simon Bartleby to call. Nathaniel had announced with an overabundance of happiness that she could expect a special call from him.
    She prayed he’d catch some sort of disease that would keep him quarantined for ten years. She didn’t care if his brother was the Prince of