“My dear, let me say again I fully understand if you want to cry off. It’s not every day one’s long lost brother returns to the fold.” Caden fixed her with an assessing eye.
She linked her hands behind her back, and regarded the tips of her boots as they peeked out from the folds of her yellow walking skirt. “Collin has the right of it. If I stay indoors, I’ll be climbing the walls, waiting for him to emerge from his chambers. A day spent out-of-doors while he rests is just the thing.”
“In that case,” Caden said with a jaunty grin, “the markers are in place, the targets spaced properly and staked into the ground, pistols are oiled, bullets laid out—”
“—I’ve brought refreshments.” Randall cut in, patting a canvas bag he wore slung over his shoulder.
“Oh?” she asked.
“Whiskey,” Caden and Randall said in unison.
Kitty laughed. “I see.”
“We have much to toast,” Randall said with a wink at Kitty. “Seriously. With the return of Lord Hastings, not only do you get your brother back from the dead, but your whole world changes for the better.” He paused. “Your brother will take over as your guardian, will he not?”
“Randall, no need to get into the nuts and bolts of the thing just now. It’s enough to celebrate he’s alive at the moment,” Caden said before Kitty could answer.
“Quite right,” Randall agreed. “Please know we are very, very happy for you, my lady.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
The group fell into an easy silence, punctuated by the sound of boots scraping along the stone path.
But Kitty’s mind was far from quiet. Her thoughts spun so fast she felt dizzy.
Lord Randall was right. Everything was different now Collin was back. Garrick’s guardianship would be no more. His say over her life, null and void. Which meant…
She was free. No more looming threat of a lifetime of marriage to Garrick.
She didn’t have to marry Zeke.
She stumbled a little, and Randall caught her by the elbow. “My lady, are you all right?”
She nodded numbly and murmured an apology.
Collin was back, she scolded herself fiercely. She ought to be thrilled, and she was. So why did she feel like she might be sick any moment? Like she’d had too much candy. Like she’d just lost someone dear to her forever.
She concentrated on breathing. On placing one foot in front of the other. On not stumbling again or doing anything equally as foolish— like crying.
Silly little fool. She had her brother back, alive and well. Everything else was secondary.
Besides, now Zeke could keep running toward whatever it was he sought out there in the great unknown, and she wouldn’t have to suffer a lifelong commitment to a man who openly avowed never to love her.
To think, just an hour ago, she’d wrestled with how best to accept his marriage proposal. Thank goodness she hadn’t actually spoken the words. How much worse it would have been to have him rescind his offer.
What was she thinking? Zeke was honorable to his toes. He wouldn’t break things off. Instead, he’d feel honor bound to marry her.
“Hello, brother.” Caden’s voice crashed through her private storm of emotions.
Heading in their direction, Zeke’s long legs closed the distance with ground eating strides. “I hurried down and found the match site very much deserted. I’d begun to think Kitty had changed her mind about the outing.” He maneuvered himself into position beside her.
“Our Kitty’s a trooper,” Caden said.
“Why the devil did you come this way, anyway?” Zeke asked.
“Because I wanted to give you time to take care of Hastings, and because I figured our girl hadn’t taken this route.” Caden craned his head to see past Zeke to Kitty. “I’ll be happy to point out some interesting sights we’ll be passing shortly.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I would appreciate it ever so much.”
