Page 49 of Love Wasn’t Built in a Day

Damian shrugged. “I bumped into Lady Cecilia outside Madame Auguste’s. She was waiting for her sister, but no. Other than that, I have not.”

“Did you speak to her?” Gideon asked, suddenly wary.

Damian set the bottle down, rummaging in the picnic basket he’d had made up for them. “Only a few words, good day, how do you do, the usual pretty nonsense.”

“And that’s all?” Gideon asked suspiciously.

Damian looked up, a frown between his eyebrows. “What does that mean?”

Gideon shook his head. He didn’t want to argue with his brother, not today when they were in accord for the first time in… in he couldn’t remember how long. “Nothing. I was just curious. I’ve yet to see you interact with a female without flirting with her, that’s all. But it’s none of my business.”

“I don’t flirt with respectable females,” Damian muttered, thrusting a packet at Gideon who took it, opening the waxed paper to find a stack of sandwiches.

“You flirted with the dowager appallingly,” Gideon said with a laugh.

Damian relaxed a degree at this observation. “Very well, I don’t flirt with marriageable, respectable females. Only if they are married, or old enough and sensible enough to know I’m not in earnest.”

“Fair enough.” Gideon lounged back on the blanket, propped on one elbow. It was wonderfully peaceful, with no sound but the lapping of the waves on the shore, the cries of the seagulls overhead, and a playful breeze that ruffled his hair.

They sat in companionable silence, munching on the delicious roast beef sandwiches provided by the hotel and enjoying an unusual moment of amity.

Having polished off the ale and the sandwiches, Gideon closed his eyes and must have fallen asleep for a time, for the next thing he knew, Damian was standing over him.

“Wake up, old man. You’re not in your dotage yet. Are you coming back in for another swim?”

Gideon blinked up at him, shielding his eyes from the sun with his arm. He felt pleasantly sleepy and relaxed, but Damian had such a boyish glint in his eyes that he had not the heart to deny him. It was so rare to see Damian anything other than immaculate and sophisticated that he had forgotten this side of him. He’d been full of mischief as a child and ripe for adventure, as well as being Gideon’s staunchest protector. Somehow, somewhere, they had drifted apart, too many differences and disagreements as adults lay between them now, but for the first time, Gideon wondered if perhaps all was not lost.

“All right,” he said reluctantly, smothering a yawn.

“Surely, you’re not timid, Deon? Last one in buys a bottle of the best brandy.” So saying, Damian dropped his towel and ran towards the sea, as naked at the day he was born.

“Dammit, Damian, that’s not fair,” Gideon bellowed, scrambling to his feet and casting his towel down as he set off in hot pursuit.

Whilst Damian had always bested Gideon in a fight, Gideon was faster. He caught his brother with ease and the two of them plunged into the waves side by side.

They came up, spluttering and laughing, shaking water from their hair like dogs.

“Christ, it’s cold again. You’d think you’d get used to it,” Damian said, laughing. “Come along, let’s swim before the North Sea freezes our ballocks off.”

He set out, swimming strongly, parallel with the shore. Gideon followed, calling out to him.

“All right, but not too far. We don’t want to scandalise the town, remember.”

Damian hesitated, treading water. “All right then, if you fear for your modesty. We’ll go the other way. It’s bound to be deserted past those rocks.”

Gideon nodded, agreeing it was the safer choice. “How about a wager, as neither of us must buy that bottle of brandy.”

“Go on,” Damian said, his eyes alight with the desire for a challenge.

“The first one to climb to the top of those rocks wins, loser buys the brandy.”

“You’re on,” Damian said with a grin.

“All right, on the count of three. One, two… Damian, you utter bastard!”

Gideon plunged forward after his brother, the two of them swimming as hard and fast as they could. They had always been competitive, that was half the trouble.

The sea was rather rougher as they reached the rocks, which were both slippery and sharp in places. Gideon cursed as he tried to get a handhold, seeing Damian’s bare arse flash past him as he clambered up.