LITMIR.BIZ

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a pretty domed grotto that offered a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside.

      Soaking in the welcome warmth of the afternoon sun, Leonida slowly felt her tense muscles relax.

      The past few days had been stressful, to say the least.

      Lord, she had known that Stefan must employ a small battalion of servants, but she had not realized that it was impossible to step from her rooms without tripping over a half dozen of them. Chambermaids, under maids, footmen, pages, a housekeeper, a butler…

      Even the one occasion she had attempted to slip toward the Duchess’s chamber in the middle of the night, she had nearly been caught by a uniformed servant who seemed to have no other task than keeping an eye on the candles burning along the corridor.

      She might as well have been attempting to steal the Crown Jewels.

      To make matters worse, there was no escaping the time she was forced to spend in Stefan’s company.

      Oh, he was unfailingly polite, even charming. What else could he be when Brianna was always near? But Leonida was acutely aware of his brooding gaze that held a terrifying mixture of distrust and blatant sexual need.

      Unaware that her feet had faltered to a halt, Leonida gave a sudden jerk as Brianna touched her arm.

      “Well?”

      Turning her head, Leonida regarded her companion’s expectant expression, belatedly realizing that Brianna assumed her bemused manner was due to their beautiful surroundings.

      “It is as stunning as you promised,” Leonida said, happy to be distracted from her worrisome thoughts. “It reminds me of home.”

      Brianna smiled, her hair shimmering like fire in the sunlight. If Leonida had been an envious sort of person, she would have hated the slender woman with her tilted green eyes and perfect features. Even simply attired in a morning gown of twilled French silk, she seemed to glow with feminine beauty. Leonida, on the other hand, knew she was pretty enough in her rose-and-ivory striped walking dress with satin flowers along the hem, but she would never possess Brianna’s dramatic appeal.

      Thankfully, Leonida had never been petty and she found herself enchanted with Brianna’s artless charm.

      “Yes, the Duchess was most insistent that it resemble the garden she had known when she was a girl in St. Petersburg, ” Brianna explained. “She loved Meadowland, but she never forgot her devotion to Russia. No doubt that is why Edmond felt compelled to offer his services to the Emperor when he came of age.”

      “The current Duke does not seem to possess his brother’s sense of dedication to Russia.”

      “No, Stefan is very much an Englishman, as he should be,” Brianna readily agreed. “His duty is to his estates and to the British Crown. He has a great number of people who depend upon him.”

      “So I have noticed,” Leonida said dryly, recalling the unwelcome servants who filled the house.

      “He is a very fine duke. Just like his father.”

      Leonida pretended an interest in a nearby rose bloom. She suspected that Brianna was aware of far more than she allowed others to believe.

      “Did you know the previous Duke well?”

      “Yes.” With a faint sigh, Brianna moved to settle on a nearby bench. “I was in London when he and the Duchess died, but I spent a great deal of my childhood here. My own parents…well, let us just say they were unsuited to wed and even more unsuited to have a child. My only solace was coming to Meadowland where I was welcomed as one of the family.” She glanced toward the sprawling mansion. “This was a place of great joy and great love.”

      Leonida nodded. She had easily been able to sense the happiness that seemed to have seeped into the very stone of Meadowland, as if just waiting for an opportunity to fill the air once again.

      “Did you know then that you would wed Edmond?”

      “Good heavens, no.” Brianna’s chuckle filled the rosescented air. “He terrified me. I was much closer to Stefan.”

      Leonida felt a ridiculous pang. Not that she believed that Brianna was anything but devoted to Lord Summerville, but there was no denying that she held a special place in Stefan’s heart.

      “I see.”

      “He was like a brother to me,” Brianna said, an odd hint of amusement in her voice. “Now he is truly my brother. I could not be more delighted.”

      Leonida stroked the velvet petal, considering Stefan and Edmond.

      “I cannot claim your acquaintance with the brothers but I must admit that I find the Duke far more…” She searched for the proper word. “Intimidating than your husband.”

      “You are very perceptive.”

      Leonida turned to meet Brianna’s startled gaze. “Why do you say that?”

      “Most people are fooled by Stefan’s quiet manner and dislike for the foolishness of society, but beneath his calm composure is a formidable intelligence and a ruthless will.” She deliberately paused. “I would not desire to cross him.”

      Leonida could not halt her shiver. “No.”

      “On the other hand, he is intensely loyal and would do anything in his power to protect those he loves.”

      Leonida returned her attention to the roses, unable to dismiss her insatiable fascination with the Duke of Huntley.

      “It is odd that he has not yet wed.”

      “You must recall that Stefan and Edmond were raised by parents who were utterly devoted to one another. Neither could be satisfied with anything less in their marriage.”

      Leonida’s heart sank at Brianna’s words. Stupid. Of course, a gentleman such as Stefan would choose a woman he could love without reservation. A woman of beauty and grace and charm. A woman of unshakable morals whom he could always trust.

      She hastily quashed the dangerous thoughts. The next Duchess of Huntley was none of her concern.

      None.

      “Edmond certainly found such devotion,” she murmured.

      “Yes, well, it might not be so simple for Stefan.” Brianna laughed wryly. “Not that Edmond’s and my courtship was without its difficulties, but Stefan is consumed with his duties as Duke. I think he always fears that he will somehow fail his father. A ludicrous notion, but…”

      “But he feels the weight of his responsibilities?” Leonida finished for her companion.

      “Too much. He never gives himself the opportunity to meet a woman who can win his heart. I worry for him.”

      Leonida shrugged. “He is still young.”

      “And extraordinarily attractive,” Brianna pointed out, as if Leonida was not already painfully aware of Stefan’s lethal allure. “It is grossly unfair that two men should possess such beauty. I always feel remarkably dowdy in their presence.”

      Leonida snorted. “I know precisely how you feel.”

      “Yes, perhaps you do.”

      Leonida stiffened at Brianna’s soft words, sensing that the woman was far too aware of her potent awareness of Stefan.

      Squaring her shoulders, she sternly reminded herself that she had a purpose in coming to Meadowland, and it was not to fantasize about the Duke of Huntley.

      “Were you close to the Duchess?” she asked with artful innocence.

      “She was always very kind to me.”

      “As she was to my mother. They were great friends. In fact, she told me that she was so lonely that she wrote endless letters to the Duchess after she left Russia to travel to England.” She covertly glanced toward Brianna, watching her expression. “Did you ever happen across

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