Chapter Two: One last attempt

Rhys could not help but to smile as he bounced his nephew on his knee, already two years old and strapping as ever, the very spitting image of his mother with all the height of his father

"You look so wonderful with a child on your knee, brother." His sisters soft hinting voice interrupted his admiration of his nephew

"Do I?" He laughed, "Then I shall simply have to come and visit you more, dear sister."

She huffed in annoyance and it only caused more laughter to escape him. "Rhys, you know that is not what I meant, though my children do love seeing their Uncle I'm sure 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 a serious face

"I see 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 playing with "If I produce no heir your son will inherit the Dukedom"

Grace huffed "He'll already get his father's title and estate, Rhys."

"Suppose you have another son?' He shrugged 'I'll leave it all to that one. Besides, father would be happy with your children carrying on the title, it really doesn't have to be my own son."

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 only wish, I so long," 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, for 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 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 London, Grace only four at the time could not even understand her parents had died, suddenly thrust into not only the role of a Duke he was barely prepared for he also was suddenly responsible for a child when he was scarcely 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 his parents and knew he could do better by her.

Growing up more as her father than her brother, he saw to everything for her, when she was eighteen he arranged 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 could admit to himself that he had been so busy trying to be a good Duke of Thornberg, military advisor to the crown, and brother he had quite forgotten about being happy himself. But he would never utter a word of it to Grace for he knew she would only blame herself.

"There there, sister." 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 and she dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief she pulled out of her sleeve. "Please, promise me you'll at least attend our ball tomorrow night, it will be our last party of the season and so many young ladies will be in attendance, I'm sure one of them will surely catch your eye, brother."

Rhys sighed heavily as he sat across from his sister and stared into her pleading grey eyes, eyes very similar to his own, "I make no promises, sister, for I feel ill talking to any lady younger than my own sister whom I've raised and all the older ladies are either already married or so eager to be married they'll say whatever they think I want to hear, leaving me with no idea of who they truly are." He paused as his sister slumped back in her seat and he felt guilty that she felt it her responsibility to see him married, "I will go" He sighed again as she squealed in excitement and he rushed on to make sure she wasn't getting her hopes up "I am seven 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, no woman in her right mind would turn away an offer from you!"

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

Rhys smiled at seeing his sister so happy, feeling bad for his brother in law as he was sure she'd talk of nothing else tonight when she retired, he had no expectations for tomorrow night, he had no hopes of suddenly 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, he had no expectations.