However, this little incident proved Ailis could not stay beyond tomorrow. His mother’s friends would destroy her if they ever found her here.
Fortunately, his brother had come ahead to give him warning. And Edward, despite his annoying smirks and leers, could be trusted to keep quiet about Ailis.
“Where are you taking me?” he asked. “Not to the castle dungeon, I hope.”
“Shut up,” Jonas grumbled. “I’m putting you in the West Room.”
“As far away from the lovely Miss Temple as possible,” Edward remarked, casting him a knowing grin. “I have never seen you behave so possessively over a woman. What are your intentions toward her?”
“I have none. Nor should you.”
“Why not? What is wrong with her?”
Jonas gaped at his brother. “There is nothing wrong with her. Can you not see she is a lady in every way? You are not to trifle with her affections.”
“I would never be so disrespectful,” Edward said, then held back further remarks as a footman entered the room carrying his travel pouches. “Thank you, Williams. I’ll unpack them myself.”
“Very good, my lord,” Williams said, and then bowed and walked out.
“You already know the names of my staff?” Jonas was surprised his brother had bothered to make the effort.
“Of course—why would I not take interest in them, since I stand to inherit this place if you refuse to get about the business of marrying and siring an heir? You really have been most neglectful. Mother carps about it all the time.”
“And that stupid betting book has set her on the warpath,” Jonas grumbled.
“Oh, yes,” Edward said, laughing. “Prepare for the siege. Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war. This is all-out war your Silver Duke friends have unleashed on you. But you mustn’t blame them. They do this because they wish to see you happily settled.”
“And they’ve told you this?”
Edward nodded. “Mother and I had the pleasure of dining with Bromleigh, Lynton, Camborne, and their charming wives shortly before departing London. I’ve never seen more blissfully enraptured men in all my life.”
“Oh, Lord. This is going to be worse than I ever imagined, isn’t it?”
Edward winced. “Afraid so.”
Well, if any good had come from those stupid bets, it was that Edward had proven smarter than Jonas had ever given him credit for. Obviously, his brother had been paying attention in his literature classes if he knew the lines spoken by Marc Antony in Shakespeare’sJulius Caesar.
Havoc, indeed. Just what Jonas wanted at Christmastide.
“Competition will be fierce for your affections. Possibly, blood will be shed. Hopefully not yours,” Edward teased. “The young ladies our mother has brought along are quite determined.”
“How delightful.” But this meant Ailis would be eaten alive if caught here, even if she did not consider herself in the competition.
Jonas’s mother would not partake in Ailis’s downfall, of course. She was meddlesome but never heartless or manipulative.
However, winning a duke was a high-stakes game to be played by thesetondiamonds and their families. Cheating was not out of the question.
Once Edward had unpacked and quickly washed up from his trek in the snow, he turned to Jonas. “Here, take this letter. But do not open it until I give you the nod.”
Jonas frowned. “What is it?”
“I’ll let you know when the time is right.”
“That’s it? You won’t give me any hint?”
Edward grinned at him. “No, you’ll just have to be patient. Promise me you won’t open it until I say you may.”
Jonas shrugged and stuffed it in his breast pocket. “All right. You have my word.”
