Page 86 of As the Devil Dares

The very last thing— Christ! “It’s Mariah Winslow,” he bit out, reaching the end of his patience and scrubbing his hand over his face in frustration. “She’s the woman I planned on seeing tonight, all right?”

His two brothers stared at him, stunned and wide-eyed. And for once, speechless.

Then Quinton blinked. “The Hellion?”

“Oh good Lord,” he muttered and tossed back the rest of his whiskey in a single gulp.

Sebastian and Quinn exchanged bewildered looks. Then Seb asked deliberately, as if he hadn’t heard correctly, “The woman Mother has been sponsoring this season? The same woman whose father wants to give you a partnership in his business?”

“Yes.” He pushed himself out of the chair to refill his glass but snatched up the bottle instead. A bottle’s worth of whiskey wasn’t such a bad idea, given how this day was going.

“Nodcock.” Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you and she—”

“Yes, damn it!” And damn the whole situation for having to admit this to his brothers. Although one look at his face would reveal everything about his feelings toward Mariah, as well as the torment of knowing how much she most likely hated him.

“Nodcock.”

He glared at Sebastian. “You are not helping.”

“But I thought…” Puzzled, Quinn frowned at Robert. “Does Mother know you’re planning on proposing to her?”

“No.” He refilled his glass and took a large swallow of whiskey. But even it didn’t dull the pain in his chest as he admitted, facing the horrible truth, “Because I’m not.”

“Nodcock,” both brothers said at the same time.

The glare Robert gave them was murderous. “Damnation, I can’t propose!”

Unable to remain still a moment longer, he began to pace, dragging his fingers through his hair. But the room wasn’t big enough to exorcise the frustrations, anger, and anguish from inside him. St James’s Palace wouldn’t have been big enough for that.

“Why not?” Sebastian challenged.

“Marriage isn’t an option.” Not anymore. He’d lost Mariah and was now on the verge of losing the partnership. The most he could hope for was that Mariah wouldn’t spend the rest of her life hating him.

“Seems like a fine one to me,” Quinn muttered, taking back his glass.

Robert glared at his younger brother. “Says the man with the doting wife.”

Quinn lifted the empty glass in a toast and grinned. “And a baby due in the fall.”

Robert stopped in mid-stride at the news. A baby? “You’re going to be a father?” His chest panged with something close to covetous longing as he offered quietly, “Congratulations.”

He was happy for Quinton, of course, but he also couldn’t help the fierce sting of envy. Or the unbidden image of Mariah, full with child and glowing happily. With his child.

But that future would never be his now.

Pacing once more, he snatched up his glass and took a gasping drink. With each turn of the room, and many swallows of whiskey, he told them what had happened between him and Mariah. And why.

Marriage must have mellowed his brothers, because they listened without interrupting, and when he finished, instead of laughing at him as they would have done in the past, both looked at him with solemn empathy. His shoulders slumped. For once, it was a relief to confide in them.

Sebastian studied the glowing tip of his cigar and asked quietly, “Does she know you’re in love with her?”

“No,” he admitted, rubbing his hand at the hard knot at his nape. “She doesn’t know.”

“You should start by telling her that, I think,” Quinn pressed sagely. “I’ve found that it smooths over quite a bit of female anger.”

Knowing Mariah, though, it might just cause her to kill him. Robert asked wryly, “When did you become so wise?”

“The moment I told Belle that I loved her.” Quinn’s grin faded into a solemn expression. “So what’s stopping you from doing the same?”