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He ran a hand over his face. ‘You might not believe me if I told you. I can hardly believe it myself.’ He pulled the hand away again suddenly. ‘But what are you doing here, Miss Harper?’
‘I live here.’
His face turned even paler than a ghost’s. ‘You mean that your father bought the house?’
‘No.’ She blinked. He was talking as if he knew nothing about the events of the past nine months. ‘My father’s dead. He died three months ago. Your brother inherited the hall.’
‘Lance?’ One of his hands shot out and clutched her arm. ‘He’s alive?’
‘Of course.’ It was her turn to be shocked again. ‘Surely you knew that?’
‘I heard that he was shot. I thought...’
‘He’s not dead. He was shot, but he survived.’
‘Thank you.’ He bent his head with a muffled-sounding sob. ‘You don’t know what it means to me to hear that.’
‘I think maybe I do. I’ve watched him mourn you as well.’ Gently she removed his hand from her arm and moved away. ‘Wait here while I go and wake him.’
‘Wake him?’ Arthur regarded her curiously. ‘You mean that you and my brother...’
‘We were married two months ago.’ She couldn’t help bursting into a smile at the words.
‘But...you and Lance?’ He looked incredulous. ‘Forgive me, miss, that is, Mrs Amberton, but I’d hoped to find my brother alive. I never expected to find him married as well.’
‘It was a surprise for everyone, us included, but between my father’s will and your father’s hopes for the estate...’
His expression shifted from incredulity to horror. ‘You mean that their agreement still stood? I thought that it was only made in relation to me?’
‘I believe it was supposed to be just you, but my father’s will only mentioned the heir to the Amberton estate and your brother...’
She stopped talking as Arthur began pacing up and down the hallway, dragging his hands through his hair as he went. ‘I had no idea. Believe me, I never imagined the two of you would have to go through with the marriage.’
‘You weren’t to know what would happen.’
‘No, but I knew that your father was sick a year ago and unlikely to recover.’ He looked shamefaced. ‘I confess that was part of the reason I left. But I also knew what he thought of my brother, and even if he hadn’t, I would never have expected Lance to go through with it. I thought that with me gone, that would have been an end to the whole business.’ He stopped pacing for a moment. ‘I’ve been so selfish. I’m sorry.’
‘There’s no need. I’m happy.’
‘With Lance?’ He sounded stunned and she laughed.
‘Very. So you can stop being sorry for that at least.’
‘Violet?’
The sound of Lance’s voice calling out from the landing above made
them both start in surprise. She looked up to find him already leaning over the banister, candle in hand, though in the near-darkness she supposed it was impossible for him to see who she was speaking to. All he’d be able to tell was that it was a man. Ridiculously enough, she almost felt guilty.
‘Lance?’ She moved quickly across to the staircase. ‘You’d better come down.’
‘Who is it?’
‘Come and see.’ She repressed a smile, part of her tempted to tell him straight away to break the tension, but it wasn’t her place to tell.
‘Lance?’ Arthur moved out of the shadows as he reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘It’s good to see you again, Little Brother.’
There was a heavy silence as Lance halted abruptly, standing so still that for a few moments it looked as if he’d stopped breathing. Then both brothers moved at the same time, flinging their arms around each other in a fierce, bearlike embrace.
