Lost to the Night (The Brotherhood Series, Book 1) by Adele Clee Page A

window, he crossed the grass and peered inside to find Miss Bromwell, Mr. Sutherby, and his sister, seated around the fire.
    A smoky haze hung heavily in the room, and Alexander plastered his back to the wall when Mr. Sutherby darted over to the window and yanked up the sash.
    “I’ll have to get a boy to climb the chimney,” he said giving a small cough before sucking in the fresh air. “You’d have thought the agent would have had them cleaned out.”
    Recalling Sutherby’s mass of golden hair, Alexander imagined shoving the gentleman up there in the hope the soot choked him.
    “I’ll go and find some water,” Miss Bromwell said. He identified her assertive tone easily. “It’s best we put the fire out before the whole stack goes up.”
    When she left the room, Charlotte Sutherby came to stand near the window and said with some impatience, “Well, have you asked her?”
    Mr. Sutherby sighed. “No. I’ve not had a chance. When I asked to speak to her alone, she made an excuse about needing to settle her aunt. I get the sense she’s avoiding me.”
    “Perhaps she’s ill. She hardly ate a thing at dinner. It can’t be anything else as she seemed quite taken with you when we were in London.”
    “What if we made a mistake in coming here?”
    “You needed to place a little distance between you. It wouldn’t do to make it too easy. Besides, a well-kept house such as this speaks volumes when one is considering marriage.”
    Alexander suppressed a snort. If that were true, there wasn’t a woman in all of Christendom who’d consent to marry him.
    “We’ll discuss it later,” Miss Sutherby continued as the door opened and Miss Bromwell returned. “What a gem you are, Evelyn, you’ve found Thomas. Throw the whole bucket on the fire, Thomas, before we’re smothered in a thick blanket of smoke.”
    Alexander heard the flames crackle and sizzle in protest.
    “Let us vacate this room,” Mr. Sutherby said. “We could retire to the library, and you could read to us, Charlotte.”
    “Shall I light the fire in the library, sir?”
    “No, no. Best not light a thing until they’ve all been swept out. And I suggest you leave this window open for an hour or two.”
    “Forgive me,” Miss Bromwell interjected and he could hear the nervous hitch in her voice. He should have insisted they stay at Stony Cross. He should never have let her leave with Sutherby. “I think I’ll retire for the evening. It’s been a long day, and I still feel exhausted after the accident.”
    “Surely you’re not going to leave me alone to listen to Charlotte’s ramblings?”
    “Ramblings! I’ve been told I have just the right tone to recite poetry,” Miss Sutherby said. “But perhaps we should all retire. There’ll be plenty of time for conversation tomorrow. Indeed, we could take Evelyn riding and pack a picnic. You do ride, Miss Bromwell?”
    “I do. Although —”
    “Excellent. Do you hear that, Nicholas? We shall all ride out together tomorrow.”
    When Miss Bromwell left the room, Alexander expected the Sutherbys to follow, but they hung back. They’d moved from the window, and so he strained to listen to the rest of their conversation.
    “Must I do everything for you?” Miss Sutherby snapped. “Thanks to my intervention, you will have a few hours alone with Miss Bromwell. I shall feign a twisted ankle, making it impossible for me to accompany you on your picnic. It should be plenty of time to secure her hand.”
    “What if she refuses?”
    “Then you must persuade her. It’s not as though she’s had a better offer. And you are deliciously handsome.”
    “You’re biased. Perhaps the earl has shown an interest in her. You saw the way she looked at him. They’ve obviously met before as she was far too comfortable in his presence. She didn’t even flinch at his rudeness.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. Miss Bromwell is a darling, and the Earl of Hale is an ogre. The two do not go together.”
    Alexander could