Chapter Two: For loves sake

Rhys couldn't help the smile that cracked across his normally stoic face as he bounced his nephew on his knee, already two years old and strapping, the spitting image of his mother with olive skin and grey eyes and all the obscene height of his father with the serious gaze he possessed showing his intelligence inherited from both parents. 

"You look simply wonderful with a child on your knee, brother." Grace's soft hinting voice interrupted the studied admiration of his nephew. "Do I?" He questioned, his face slipping back to his stoic mask and betraying none of the humor he felt at her obvious push toward his own marriage and family. "Then I shall endeavor to come and visit you more often, dear sister."

She huffed in annoyance, and it only caused more laughter to rumble in his chest belying his face. "Rhys, you know that is not what I meant, though my children do love seeing their uncle I'm quite convinced they would love it all the more if he brought a cousin with him." She held her newly born daughter in her arms as she looked at him with an equally serious face, their features so alike.

"I find no reason for your insistence to see me married" Rhys shook his head as he set his nephew down to play with the wooden blocks his elder sister was already occupied with "If I produce no heir your son may inherit the Dukedom and a vast amount of wealth."

Grace huffed again, like he was vexing her as greatly as if he were one of her children "He will already have his father's title and estate, Rhys."

"Suppose you have another son?' He stood with a shrug of his broad shoulders not wishing to discuss this again with her. 'I'll leave it all to that one. Father would be happy with your children carrying on the title, it need not be my own son." he walked across the room hoping against hope that would be the end of the conversation.

Grace set baby Amelia in her nurse's arms as the other children were also escorted from the room by their governess to be readied for bed, she stood and made her way over to him and gently touched his arm as he stood staring out of the window at her husband's Capital estate "I only want you to be as happy as I am Rhys, you gave up so much to raise me after mother and father passed, you became not only the Duke but also my guardian" her voice quivered as she continued "I so long for you to," she suddenly threw her arms around his middle as she cried "I hope you did not waste your youth caring for me instead of truly finding your own happiness, without you I would be no one and certainly not in a love match and the mother of three beautiful children at only five and twenty."

Rhys held her as she sobbed and he admitted to himself his own throat felt tight with emotion at the memory of his parents, he was but sixteen when their coach crashed coming back from a trip to the Capital. Grace was only two at the time and could not truly understand her parents had died. Suddenly he was thrust into not only the role of a Duke he was barely prepared for he also was responsible for a child when he scarcely felt like an adult himself. He was advised by many of his Father's solicitors and staff to let Grace be raised by the governess and then sent to finishing school but when he looked at her, he saw the only family he had left and knew he could do better by her. His parents would have wanted them to stay together and Grace to be raised on their estate.

Growing up more as her father than her brother, he saw to everything for her and when she was eighteen, he readily agreed for her marriage with her long-standing childhood friend, Lord Baxter, he knew she was thankful that he listened and watched her love for her friend grow and his love for her grow as well. She was thankful to not have to stand through seasons and worry about who her future husband might be. He would admit to himself that he had been so busy trying to be the best Duke of Thornberg, loyal military commander and advisor to the crown, and an attentive brother he had quite forgotten about being happy himself. But he could never utter a word of his discontent about his current life to Grace for he knew she would only blame herself.

"Cease crying, Grace." He soothed her "You know that I have had more than enough time even just these years of you being married to find a wife, you have nothing to feel so guilty of. If I had to do it all again with the same outcome nothing would bring me more joy."

She sniffled and nodded slowly as he handed her back into her seat, she dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief she pulled out of her sleeve. "Please, at least promise me you'll attend our humble ball tomorrow night, it will be our last party of the season, a few young ladies will be in attendance and I'm certain one of them will surely catch your eye, brother."

Rhys sighed heavily as he sat across from his sister and stared into her pleading, watery, grey eyes, eyes so strikingly similar to his own, "I make no promises, Grace, I feel ill speaking with any lady who has barely left the apron strings of her mother and all the older ladies are either already married or so eager to be married they'll say whatever they think I wish to hear to secure my hand in marriage, leaving me with little to no idea of who they truly are." He paused as his sister slumped back in her seat and he felt a stab of guilt that she felt it was her responsibility to see him married, "I will go" He sighed again as she smiled in excitement, sitting up straight with suddenly not a tear in sight and he rushed on to make certain she knew why he would not find someone "I am nine and thirty, Grace. Not exactly the strapping young man these ladies are looking for."

She seemed to think nothing of that as she scoffed and waved her hand as if to wave away his concerns "You are a Duke, brother, a wealthy one at that, a decorated war hero and a close adviser to the King, no woman in her right mind would turn away an offer from you!" She laughed lightly.

She was suddenly up and talking on and on about how she was sure he would find the woman he hadn't known he'd been searching for and fall in love on the dance floor.

Rhys smiled down at his boots seeing his sister so happy and ruefully smiled at her tearful manipulation of his guilt, feeling bad for his brother in-law as he was sure she'd talk of nothing else tonight when she retired. Though he had no expectations for tomorrow night, he had no hopes of being enchanted by the right lady and no inclination towards thinking of marriage, he would go to appease his sister and then after tomorrow night she could have no objections to his retiring for the season and heading back to his estate.

It was the least he could do to ease her worries about his unattached status, he reminded himself though, he had no expectations for loves sake.