Free The Queen's Librarian by Carole Cummings Page B

times.”
    Many times? Wait, when had Laurie…? You know what? Lucas didn’t want to know. He set a narrow look on Alex, who was nodding in sad agreement until he caught Lucas’s cross look and then he cleared his throat.
    “Not that I’ve sent that sort of letter, of course. To anyone. Ever.”
    Lucas didn’t want to know anything about that, either.
    “ Men ,” Kaelyn said and glared between Alex and Laurie as she patted at Clara’s back. “You’re all alike and none of you can be trusted.” She kept the lethal look trained on them both until Alex and Laurie wilted then dedicated abrupt and urgent interest to the toes of their fashionable footwear. She didn’t even give Lucas a glance.
    See, this kind of thing only confused Lucas. He had no idea if he should be relieved or offended that he apparently hadn’t been included in that. Should he retort, Why do you say that like you don’t think “man” when you look at me? Or should he just keep his mouth shut and pretend he didn’t know that his sisters—and his mother—apparently all thought of him as one of the girls?
    “Lucas.” Clara’s tremulous tone did things in Lucas’s stomach that put this morning’s hangover to shame. She pulled away from Mother and the girls and set a poignant look on Lucas. “Can I talk to you? Please? Alone?”
    “Oh.” Lucas swallowed. Do you really have to? “Um. Of course.”
    Well, this could only end in tears. More of them. And probably Lucas’s. Still, it was Clara, and he owed her. And they both knew it.
    Lucas took Clara’s hand and set it to the crook of his elbow. Mother didn’t want to let go of Clara, but some determined tugging on Lucas’s part and a wavery “Mother, please ” on Clara’s did the job.
    “You are head of this household and Master of Rolling Green, Lucas Tripp,” Mother said imperiously as he led Clara out of the room. “I expect you will do as you ought.”
    Lucas had to wonder exactly what he “ought” but suspected Clara was about to fill him in, so he merely led her down the foyer and into the warmth of the kitchen. Miss Emma was there, of course, apparently already having heard all about it, because she had a frothy cup of hot chocolate waiting for Clara and ushered her out of Lucas’s grasp and into a chair as soon as they crossed the threshold. She didn’t even purse her lips when Bramble followed them in and laid his giant head on Clara’s knee, peering up at her with sad, sympathetic eyes as she petted one of his big floppy ears.
    “Clara,” Lucas started right in, “I really think you’re jumping to—”
    “Lucas.” Clara’s voice was so soft as to barely be heard, but it stopped Lucas immediately. She lifted her gaze slowly from Bramble to Lucas and set a swollen-eyed look on him so full of raw appeal that Lucas had to make a conscious effort not to start blubbering too. “I know you think I blame you for Alex.” She reached out and set a hand over Lucas’s when he flinched a little. “I don’t,” she told him, quietly and sincerely. “I never have, actually.”
    Lucas’s mouth flapped. “But… and the thing with the… and I know you were… because I… the looks and the—”
    “I let you think I was still smarting because you’re so very adorable about it all, and you’ve been spoiling me for three years because of it.” Clara gave Lucas a trembling smile. “But I don’t blame you and I never have. I’ve always been so very pleased with how it turned out. Alex is very good for you—he loves you and he makes you have fun, even when you’re swearing up and down you haven’t the time for it.”
    Lucas kind of sank down into his seat. “…Oh.” Not especially erudite, but he honestly had no idea what to say to that. And now he really might start blubbering.
    “So I don’t want you to do what I’m going to ask you to do,” Clara went on slowly, “because you think you owe me something. You don’t.” She bit her lip, which somehow