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He waited for Eleanor and Sebastian to go their separate ways, but Lord Fairfax offered his arm again, and Eleanor took it. Gabriel would have gone after them if they hadn’t headed straight for him.

Gabriel allowed himself to look to the side at Lady Fresca, who was not engaged in conversation with someone else.

When he looked back at Eleanor, she had a smile on her face, and that didn’t change when she caught his eye.

“Your Grace,” Sebastian said politely.

“Lord Fairfax,” Gabriel responded curtly. He turned to Eleanor and added with a little more warmth, “Lady Eleanor.”

Eleanor’s smile tightened a little as she replied. “Your Grace.”

“I was telling Eleanor about some of our hijinks at Eton,” Sebastian told him.

“You got into some trouble,” Eleanor said, her smile widening again.

“You must tell her about Lord Feathersworth,” Sebastian urged.

“Please,” Eleanor added.

Gabriel looked from Sebastian to Eleanor. Gabriel wanted to see Eleanor smile more, and it seemed that stories about Eton did just that. However, he would tell the stories now, and he would ensure her smiles were broader than previously.

Gabriel glanced at his uncle and then looked behind and around to ensure no one was around—not that he cared who heard, but some people wouldn’t appreciate the story.

“When Sebastian and I were far younger and a lot more stupid, we shared a dorm at Eton,” Gabriel started.

Sebastian and Eleanor listened intently, but their looks of attention were very different. Eleanor had eyes only for Gabriel, while Sebastian paid a lot of attention to Gabriel, but occasionally glanced toward Eleanor as if he needed to see her reaction to the telling.

“Early one morning, I found myself walking the grounds, long before the groundskeepers were awake and tending to their duties. I remember the dew-covered grass and the thin mist hanging over the school and the surrounding area. I happened to bump into Sebastian that morning, who was also up early.”

“Late,” Sebastian corrected. “I might have been on my way home.”

Gabriel chuckled. “No, I distinctly remember you were up early because you could not sleep that night.”

“Yes, you might be right about that,” Sebastian relented. He smiled and then looked to the side with a slight grimace.

Gabriel looked at Eleanor to see that she hung on his every word, focusing only on him and not seeing Sebastian’s reaction to the correction.

“We got to talking, and we walked together for a time,” Gabriel said. “When we came to the pond, we stopped and sat on the bench overlooking the water for a while. I have no idea how we got onto the topic.”

Gabriel glanced at Sebastian knowingly.

“I believe I was bragging about how I could track and catch any game the moors had to offer,” Sebastian said. “You claimed to be better.”

“And that morning, I proved that I was right,” Gabriel explained. “Lord Fairfax dared me to catch a swan.”

“Believing that he would be unable to do so,” Sebastian added.

Eleanor brought a hand up to her smile. “That’s dangerous. I’ve heard that they can break the bones in your arm with a swipe of their wings and bite you with their beaks.”

“We were very young and very stupid,” Gabriel explained. “However, it took me fewer than a handful of minutes to have an adult swan in my arms.”

“He was devilishly quick,” Sebastian admitted, shaking his head. “I hate to admit it, but I was completely impressed.”

Gabriel smiled and took a moment to allow the compliment to sink in. “And so, we adopted Lord Feathersworth.” Gabriel folded his arms across his chest.

“You adopted him?” Eleanor asked in shock.

“He lived on our dorm floor for two months without anyone noticing.” Gabriel chuckled again. “In the end, the clean-up became too much.”