She returned downstairs to find him standing at the fireplace, looking down into the empty hearth. Nothing in his stance reminded her of his son. It wasn’t because Elverton wasn’t as fit, that the years had brought a roundness to his shoulders and belly. It was simply that he was not in possession of the magnetic presence that encompassed his by-blow. Aiden quite simply commanded the room, took control of it the moment he strode into it. His father might yield power through his position, but Aiden yielded it through his very existence. He didn’t need a title to mark his place in the world. He’d accomplished it all through his own merit. He was what the earl would never be: his own man.

Strip away Elverton’s title and he would be nothing more than a wisp of smoke with no substance. Aiden was all substance, caring and loyal, and real. Honest. He didn’t put on airs. She’d always known precisely where she stood with him.

As Elverton turned and gave her a small smile that caused the hair on her arms to rise, she realized she could not say the same of the earl. She didn’t trust the upturn of his lips or the glint in his eyes. She settled into a plush chair near the tea service that had already been brought in and began pouring the dark brew into the delicate china cup that sported small pink roses. The earl dropped onto the nearby settee, which put a comfortable distance between them. She finished preparing his tea, handed it off to him, saw to her own brew, took a sip, and settled back.

The silence stretching out between them wasn’t nearly as comfortable or natural as that between her and Aiden. “I’m fairly certain you didn’t come here for my tea.”

Setting aside his cup, he leaned forward. “I wondered if you’d given our previous conversation any thought.”

Another sip of her tea, a placement of the cup on the saucer so it made not a sound. “Indeed. I’ve given all the condolences I’ve received great thought. They bring me a good deal of comfort in these trying times.”

Something like impatience flashed in his eyes. “I was referring to other matters we discussed.”

“I don’t recall much of a discussion.”

He shifted his backside over the brocade cushion. “You are a young woman with needs. Many needs from what I understand. I have heard Lushing left you a rather modest trust. It will not see you acquiring all you deserve.”