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“You also seemed rather happy around her all the time. If I was right, you’d probably send her away. To be honest, it was nice to see you happy.” Peter’s words brought Marcus up short. He nearly dropped the drawing from his hands, but Walter snatched it, stopping it from falling to the floor.
“I was happy,” Marcus said quietly, knowing the truth. He turned away from his brothers and found his seat by his study desk, sitting heavily down into it.
“So…I am bound to ask the question,” Peter said, leaning on the back of Laurie’s chair.
“Do not ask the question,” Walter said warningly.
“Why not? We all want to know the answer, don’t we?”
“Peter, be quiet.”
“But I—”
“What question?” Marcus said, quieting them both.
“Well…” Peter paused and held his gaze. “Is it just a friendship that you and Lady Violette shared?”
“It was,” Marcus said with an angry tone.
“Poorly phrased on my part,” Peter said with a small smile. “Do you still want it to be just a friendship?”
The image of that kiss shot through Marcus’ mind again. He could still feel that tingling it had caused and his body longed to experience it another time. Yet he highly doubted Lady Helen could cause such an effect from one of her kisses. That feeling probably belonged to kissing Lady Violette alone.
“I…” Marcus stopped himself, unable to answer.
There was a sound beyond the window, of pebbles moving beneath wheels.
“Ah…he’s early,” Walter said, turning his head to the window.
“Who?” Laurie asked, sitting straight in his chair.
“Who do you think? I’m hardly going to say the King of England, am I?” Walter said, gesturing toward the window with the drawing.
“Don’t rip that,” Marcus said, pointing at the drawing, to which his three brothers stared at him with risen eyebrows. “I mean…never mind. Who is outside?”
“It’s our Father,” Walter said.
At once, the rest of them jumped to their feet and hurried toward the window, peering out. It would have been difficult to miss the Marquess’ emblem on the side of the carriage as it sped along the driveway and came to a stop outside of the front entrance to the house. As it halted and the footman opened the door, the Marquess clambered down, yawning from his long journey. The sight of him made Marcus panic and spin round to face his brothers.
“All of you, not a word of this to Father.”
“How dumb do you think we are?” Walter asked. “He would have all our guts for garters if he found out we’d been housing a young lady in our house unchaperoned for weeks on end.”
“Dressed as a boy,” Laurie added, earning a dark glare from Marcus.
“Why is he back so soon?” Peter said, craning his neck to look out of the window.
“I expect he wants to hear about our visitors and whether Marcus has yet chosen a bride from the Duke’s daughters.” Walter’s words made Marcus start fidgeting, wringing his hands together nervously.
“Wait, you still intend to marry Lady Helen?” Laurie said, his eyes going wide.
“Why shouldn’t he?” Walter asked, gesturing toward Marcus.
“Because he has been living beside a lady for weeks now. He’s more likely to be besotted with that one than Lady Helen, isn’t she?”
“Laurie!” Marcus said, trying his best to get his brothers to be quiet so he could think in peace for a minute.
“What?” Laurie asked innocently.
