“Ah, God. Are we talking Finn’s Folly here? You’ve seen her, spoken with her? What good will come from that? Besides, the cunning bitch would lie—”
“She wouldn’t, not to me. And don’t call her anything disparaging. I won’t have it.”
He rolled his eyes. “If she didn’t betray you, then who did?”
“She believes it might have been her maid. She was the only other person who knew we planned to run off together.”
“The maid.” He scoffed. “Toffs always blame the workers.”
It was an odd thing that they both had such a low opinion of the aristocracy when two of their siblings had married into it and Finn had once fallen for a girl of it. “Maybe I was just careless.”
“Not you, brother.”
“I was younger then, Aiden. Not as cautious.”
“You’ve always been cautious.”
Finn wasn’t in the mood to argue. Taking a sip of whisky, he tried to recall how he’d been back then, how in his excitement to see Vivi, he’d often thrown caution to the wind. But Aiden was correct. He’d never been that reckless. He was no longer quite certain he could say the same of his brother. He took a slow swallow of the whisky, waited as it burned its way down. “So how long do you have to give our bastard of a sire sixty percent?”
“Into infinity.”
“Christ, Aiden.”
He laughed. “Do you know I’ve actually considered hiring some dealers who are skilled with sleight of hand, who could ensure the house loses? To lose everything, to deny him anything more?”
“But you love this place.”
“I do, that.”
“Perhaps we could transfer your debt to him over to me.”
“You’re not giving him a penny. Avoid him, Finn. He’ll find a way to make you pay what you don’t owe. He’s good at that.”
He nodded. “Life’s not fair. Our mum’s husband appeared to be a good man, and he died young. The earl is a scapegrace of the first order and still draws in breath.”
“I’ll get even with him eventually. Don’t concern yourself over it. Simply leave it to me. Are you gonna marry the girl now?”
Shaking his head, Finn took another swallow, welcomed the burn, waited for the haze it might bring. “She feels responsible for what happened to me. She says we’ve both changed too much, aren’t who we once were. She’s right about that. I loved the girl she was. I’m not sure how I feel about the woman she’s become. She’s different. There’s a hardness to her, and yet a generosity. I can’t figure her out. I don’t understand why she’s chosen this path.”
“Yousoundlike a man smitten.”
“Intrigued, more like. You’d have to see her again, Aiden, to know what I’m talking about.”
“I have no desire to come within a hundred miles of her.”
“Yes, well, that desire’s been dashed. She’s living at a Sisters of Mercy foundling home not so far from here.”
“She can’t be happy there.”
“Oddly, she seems at peace there.”
“Smitten,” Aiden grumbled disgustedly.
“I’m not.” He wasn’t, but couldn’t deny there had been something comforting about sitting at the wooden table in the warm kitchen, holding hands, talking with her. He’d once imagined them together in a house, her preparing his meals. It had never occurred to him that a lady of the nobility might know nothing at all about how food was prepared. How young and innocent he’d been. If they’d married, they’d have no doubt starved to death. What had he been thinking to believe she’d have been content to live in the squalor he’d had to offer her?
But he’d believed he’d have been content, that together they’d have found happiness. Knowing now she’d not betrayed him, he couldn’t help but mourn the loss of what they might have had. He wondered if any portion of the girl she’d been remained. If, together, they could again find what they’d lost.
Chapter 13
