Who Brings Forth the Wind (Kensington Chronicles) by Lori Wick Page A

much as
    she might regret it, she decided to see it through.
    "When I first came to London, we talked of it. I asked her
    why she wasn't married to you, and she said it was because
    you'd never asked."
    Stacy watched Roddy's eyes slide shut and felt as if her
    insides were being torn in two. She was not easily given to
    tears, but this was almost enough to make her sob.
    Roddy's gaze turned beyond the carriage then, and Stacy
    left him to his thoughts. She knewLucinda would be returning
    soon and wondered if she should apologize. As it was, Roddy
    quietly thanked her just before Lucinda emerged from the
    shop.
    Stacy, feeling very much that Roddy and Lucinda needed a
    few moments alone, slowed her pace and let them move
    ahead. A lovely bloom caught her attention as the path wound
    its way back to the carriage, and Stacy stopped to take in its
    fragrance. When she looked up, Tanner stood some ten feet
    away.
    His look was rather stern, but Stacy couldn't mask the
    softening of her eyes at just seeing him again. He scared her a
    little, and she knew he was not the man for her, but her heart
    turned over every time she thought of him.
    "Stacy," Roddy's voice suddenly called to her from beyond
    the shrubs.
    "I'm coming, Roddy," Stacy answered immediately before
    looking back at Tanner and a woman beyond him. Even at a
    distance and standing in profile, the woman looked lovely.
    Stacy met Tanner's eyes as she spoke. "I'm glad you found
    someone to go on that stroll with you, Lord Richardson." Stacy
    dropped her eyes then and moved away. Tanner did not try to
    follow.
    The Royal Botanic Gardens were riotous with color during
    midsummer. The day was a bit warm for a long stroll, but
    they walked leisurely along until Roddy proclaimed that he
    would die if they didn't stop for tea.
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    "I will not allow you to see her." Lucinda's tone was calm,
    but her insides were trembling. "She doesn't want to see you."
    "I would like to hear that from Stacy," Tanner challenged,
    much as he had been doing for the last half hour.
    "There is no need," Lucinda insisted. "As I've said before,
    she cannot see you."
    "Why?" Growing perilously close to the end of his patience,
    Tanner fired the single word at her.
    "I'll tell you why, because I know you're not here to ask for
    her hand in marriage, and I will not allow you to play games
    with my niece's life.
    "If in fact I have misread your intent, please correct me,
    but unless your intentions toward Stacy are honorable, you
    will not socialize with her."
    Tanner stood silent, his anger at a boiling point just beneath
    the surface. After a moment, Lucinda's brows raised and
    her shoulders lifted in a shrug. Her voice was void of accusation
    when she spoke.
    "Your silence has answered my question, your Grace."
    Tanner continued to stand quiet. He grudgingly admired
    Lady Warbrook for the way she stood up to him, but he did not
    care to be thwarted. He wanted Anastasia Daniels, and Lucinda
    had made it very clear that the only way he could have
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    her was in marriage. He'd been married once, and he was not
    going to fall into that trap again.
    If he and Stacy were to form a relationship that was
    mutually beneficial to both of them, fine. They didn't need the
    confines of marriage to do it. Lucinda had said his intentions
    were not honorable, but to him they were. Tanner had never
    had a mistress before, but he knew when he finally made
    Stacy his own, he would treat her like a queen. He would be
    faithful to her, and she would know no humiliation at his
    hands. He was one of the wealthiest men in England and well
    able to care for her in any style she desired.
    And when it was time to end their relationship, not that he
    believed there would be a need for many years, there would
    be no messy scenes. He would tell her goodbye and give her
    enough money to do anything she pleased for the rest of her
    life. There was simply no need to marry.
    Lucinda watched as Tanner leaned down and picked up
    the