An Icy Christmas Engagement (Christmas Matches of Worth #1)

Chapter Three

His aunt Grace’s townhouse had always been a familiar and welcoming sight growing up. Cedric spent a lot of his youth in the beautiful townhouse and it was only when his carriage was pulling up in front that he realised that it had been far too long since he’d last visited.

Because of that, he tried to tuck aside his dour demeanor before heading to the front door. He didn’t want to be here. He’d much rather spend the rest of the night poring over the ledgers so that he could figure out a way to fix it. Cedric knew it would be weighing on his mind all evening otherwise.

But Grace had been asking him to come to dinner for a while now and he was all out of excuses.

The moment he stepped into the foyer, he was assaulted by a flurry of blond hair and petticoats.

“You’re here!” Lily threw her arms around his neck, forcing Cedric to bend uncomfortably. She was rather short and he was quite tall, which made embraces very difficult to maneuver.

“Yes, I am,” Cedric responded with far less excitement than he’d received. He pulled away. “Do you think it wise to throw yourself at others in your state?”

Lily stepped away, eyes sparkling as she rested her hand on her rotund stomach. “Oh, come now, I am still as sprightly as I was before I became with child. This tiny thing won’t hinder me.”

“Perhaps it should,” Cedric murmured but his words went unheard when Lily’s husband, Jacob, came to her side.

Cedric watched Jacob slide his arm around Lily’s waist and pull her into his side. He rested a tender kiss on her temple and Lily flushed furiously despite the fact that they had been married for two years.

Finally, Jacob managed to take his eyes off his wife long enough to acknowledge Cedric. “I have been advising her to take it easy, but she remains obstinate in her ways. Perhaps you might have greater success in persuading her.”

** *

“Doubtful,” Cedric admitted. “She’s never listened to me, even when we were younger.”

“That is because you were always trying to act as if you were older and wiser than me,” Lily protested.

“That is because I am older and wiser than you,” Cedric countered but she only rolled her eyes.

“You may be older in your years but I do recall being the one to hold your hands at nights because you were afraid of the dark.”

“Is Aunt Grace in the drawing room?” Cedric asked, pretending Lily hadn’t spoken at all. He walked past her and ignored the laughter trailing after him. He was used to such teasing, after all. Lily was the type of lady who never recognized danger even if it was standing in front of her with a dark scowl and a threatening aura. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Jacob, her husband and a baron, had enough connections to ensure his protection for his wife and her playful tongue, she might have found herself in serious trouble for her sharp wit and penchant for speaking her mind in mixed company.

Not that Cedric would ever lash out at her. They’d grown up together, even though they were five years apart, and she was the closest thing he had to a sister. He would lay down his life for her if necessary—though he would never admit that out loud. Lily would never let him forget it.

They followed behind him at a much slower pace since Lily was heavily pregnant and Jacob was determined to stay by her side. Cedric entered the drawing room far before they did and had enough time to go over to his aunt, sitting by the window and give her a kiss on the cheek.

Grace studied him as he took a seat across from her. In his youth, Grace’s scrutinous eyes could always put him on edge, making him feel as if she knew every dark secret he possessed. Now, he was far better at hiding how unnerved she could make him.

“You are late,” she stated.

Cedric draped his arm across the spine of the sofa. “I was not aware you had set a time for my arrival. It shan’t happen again. ”

Grace tilted her head to the side, not taking her eyes off him for a second. “Somehow, I doubt that. I’m just happy I did not have to ask Jacob to go to your house and drag you here by force.”

“I don’t think that would have worked,” Jacob said as he entered the drawing room, his arm still draped around his wife. They were a handsome couple, Cedric had to admit, and were bound to produce blond-haired, blue-eyed children that resembled them both.

He tore his eyes away from them, hating the twinge of envy he felt at the sight. He’d put aside the thought of love and marriage a long time ago. There would be no changing that any time soon.

“I’m inclined to agree,” Lily jumped in. “Cedric has only grown stubborn as he gets older.”

“Yes, that’s true.” Grace agreed with a serious nod. “And I would not be happy if your altercation came to blows. He can be rather hot-headed as well.”

“Hot-headed?” Jacob mused. “That doesn’t scare me. I am quite the accomplished boxer, you know.”

“Yes, dear, but you have not seen Cedric when he gets angry,” Lily told him. “He is more akin to a bear than man.”

“So you have no faith in my abilities, then?”

“I am just warning you, my dear.”

Cedric sighed heavily. “I came here to have dinner, not to listen to you all talk about me as if I am not present.”

“But it’s amusing, is it not?” Grace’s lips twitched, a surefire sign that she was enjoying herself at Cedric’s expense.

“Amusing to you, perhaps. But I would much rather spend my evening filling my stomach than debate who will win in a row between Jacob and I.” Cedric stood and began making his way to the door. “It is not much of a debate, however, since I would clearly be the victor.”

“I vehemently disagree!” Jacob protested, right on Cedric’s heels.

“Why don’t we test in the gardens after dinner?” Lily asked excitedly as she hurried after them .

“There will be no fighting tonight,” Grace drawled from behind. “Such things should be done during the day where I could gather my friends in time.”

“Tomorrow then?” Jacob asked hopefully. “Cedric, I hope you’re free.”

Cedric’s only response was a noncommittal groan.

***

Grace’s cook did serve fish, which meant that Cedric was forced to gorge himself on the appetizers and pick around the offending white meat until the dessert course was served. Grace did her due diligence, of course, and made sure to scold him about his pickiness, which Cedric only ignored. She’d been doing it for as long as he could remember and he had no intention of changing any time soon.

Besides, there were more important things on his mind. Like his potential saboteur and how he was going to fix the mess his steward made. It was all he could think about as conversation swirled around the grand dining room. Lily and Jacob seemed to be engrossed in a debate that Grace was having quite a bit of fun in playing the trickster’s advocate. Cedric only pretended to listen.

“Cedric?” Grace called at last. He looked up from the peas he was idly arranging into a straight line to see her frowning at him. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes, cousin,” Lily jumped in, her voice tinged with concern. “You have been rather quiet since we began. Quieter than usual.”

“Are you thinking about our boxing match on the morrow?” Jacob asked in what was clearly meant to be a jest, but fell flat. He coughed, embarrassed when no one laughed.

Cedric returned his eyes to the line of peas, considering if he should tell them about what bothered him.

“You might as well unburden yourself,” Grace said, clearly sensing the direction of his thoughts. “We may be able to help put your mind at ease.”

“Unlikely,” he grunted. “I’ve spent all afternoon trying to right the issue myself and have had no luck. ”

“Mother, he thinks he’s smarter than us,” Lily sighed dramatically.

“Yes, I believe you are right,” Grace agreed without a moment’s hesitation, but her eyes remained on Cedric. “Tell us what it is about. Perhaps we may be able to help you see something that you did not notice before.”

He doubted that, but he conceded nonetheless. Talking about it certainly beat stewing over it in his head.

“My ledgers are a mess and none of the numbers makes sense. Only after I took a look at them, I found out that my steward has disappeared, leaving me to figure out the mess he’d caused all by himself.”

Grace hummed in thought. “And I take it this is unusual behaviour for your steward.”

“He is usually very meticulous, which is why I felt confident enough to leave my affairs in his hands while I handled the country estate. But it appears he has sought to ruin my business.”

“Why would he do that?” Jacob asked with a frown.

Cedric shrugged and finally pushed his plate away. The sight and smell of the fish was already beginning to bother him. “I suspect he was attempting to sabotage me. What I cannot understand is why.”

“Perhaps he ran off with your money,” Lily suggested. “And schemed to mislead you from his trail with the damaged ledgers whilst he made his hasty departure.”

“If that was his plan then he is a bigger fool than I thought, because I shall hunt him to the ends of the earth if I have to. But I have a feeling he is not the mastermind behind this.”

“Then who is?” Grace asked.

Cedric simply shrugged. He didn’t really know, even if his fingers were itching to point at someone in particular.

“I do not know, but I intend to find out.” After a moment’s deliberation, he added, “Harrison believes I should befriend Mr. Ambrose Sinclair at his upcoming dinner party, since he has much influence in the industry and may be able to provide some insight on who is behind this.”

“Mr. Sinclair?” Lily wrinkled her nose, rubbing her hand over her stomach. “I do not like that man. ”

“Have you met him?” Jacob asked her, sounding both surprised and alarmed.

“In passing. He was invited to my friend’s dinner party and he made it quite clear that he wishes to involve himself with refined gentlemen. Had he not been so loud and obnoxious, perhaps it would have been easier for him to do so.” She gave Cedric a pitying look. “Do not be surprised if the intention behind his invitation was only to secure himself at your side.”

“Perhaps that is not such a bad thing.”

All eyes turned to Grace. She calmly continued her eating as if nothing were amiss.

“But Mother, you do not like him either,” Lily breathed, clearly taken aback.

“That is true,” Grace agreed with a nod. “He is quite…tiresome. But, as Cedric said, he is quite influential in the shipping industry. Seeking to find out what he knows may lead you in the right direction. Even if it comes at the cost of courting his daughter.”

“Absolutely not,” Cedirc protested without hesitation. “I would much rather dwell in darkness.”

Jacob scowled at that. “Quite graphic, don’t you think?”

Cedric paid him no mind and neither did Grace. “Need I remind you that it is your duty as earl to continue the line?” she asked Cedric. “You must produce an heir and yet you seem to have no intention of marrying at all.”

“Oh, Mother, he is only eight-and-twenty,” Lily chimed in before Cedric could respond. “Many gentlemen hardly consider marriage until they are well past thirty.”

“It would be quite fine if I knew that he intended to do so eventually,” Grace said, before reaching for her untouched glass of wine. She took a dainty sip then continued, “But I know Cedric has put the thought out of his mind entirely.”

“And you think courting Mr. Sinclair’s daughter is what is going to make me change my mind about marriage?” Cedric countered with a raise of his brow.

“Perhaps. It is worth a try.”

He tried not to sigh. He’d expected this line of conversation after all. It was partially why he hadn’t wanted to come for dinner in the first place, wanting to avoid it at all cost. Talking about marriage wasn’t going to help his situation at all.

Ignoring the very thought of it was no boon either, he knew. Grace was only saying exactly what her brother—Cedric’s father—would have said. The stalwart and diligent late earl would not have let Cedric wait this long before telling him to get serious about marriage. Cedric carried that thought with him every day of his life, even as the gaping wound Isabella had caused him continued to fester.

“Marriage is the last thing for me to consider right now,” he said at last. “Not when it seems my business may be under attack.”

“Convey that sentiment to Mr. Sinclair when he endeavours to unite you two,” Grace drawled. “The affluent and esteemed Earl of Colenhurst is precisely the sort of son-in-law he envisages.”

Lily sighed, interjecting, “I believe what you ought to take from all this is that it might be quite prudent to cultivate a friendship with him and his daughter, as such a connection may afford you valuable insights. After all, one needn't commit to a betrothal to obtain the information you seek.”

The very idea grated on his nerves, but he knew they were right. Mr. Sinclair may not be a morally upstanding business man but he was a wealthy and powerful one. Seeking that connection would only benefit Cedric in the long run.

He didn’t need to admit that they were right out loud, though. He simply sighed, looking over his shoulder as he asked, “When will the dessert come out? I am famished.”

“Eat your fish,” Grace scolded easily, “and perhaps you won’t be.”

“I intend to let Lily have it.” Cedric pushed his plate towards his cousin. “She is eating for two, after all, and it is clear that the baby enjoys it.”

Lily flushed, lips thinning and her shoulders bracing backwards as she prepared to argue. But Cedric didn’t miss the look of longing she gave his fish before looking back at her clean plate. He grinned.

“Oh, very well,” she conceded at last. “But only because the baby is famished, not I. ”

The others laughed and the conversation turned to all the types of food Lily—or in her words, the baby—had been craving as of late. Cedric tried to remain present but his mind kept wandering back to his study and the array of ledgers strewn across his desk, waiting for him to return. Poring over the numbers again and again was bound to be a tedious but welcomed feat.

Certainly far more welcoming than the dreaded dinner party he would have to attend. He was not looking forward to that.