“What?”Owen was awake now and sitting up. His hair, flattened on one side, stood up in spikes on the other. “You cannot do that, Dev. You are theheir.”
“There was a bit of an upset last night,” Devlin said. “A bit of a quarrel. And I am going away.”
“But—” Stephanie stared at him openmouthed for a moment. “But youneverquarrel with anyone, Dev. Owen and I are the only ones who do. And sometimes Pippa. You cannot leave just because of aquarrel.What was itabout?”
“I caused a bit of a scene at the ball,” Devlin said. “No, it was more thana bit.I caused a big scene, which you will no doubt hear about in the coming days. I do not want to talk about it now. But Mama told me I must leave. So I am going. Now, in the next few minutes. I came to say goodbye first.”
Owen was on his feet. “Mamatold you to leave?” he said. “That is a bouncer, Dev. She would never say any such thing. Not in a million years. You cannot go. Papa needs you here.Benneeds you here. Tell him, Ben.”
“I am going too,” Ben said. “I am going with Dev.”
“But youcan’t,” Owen cried, a bit wild-eyed now. “You can’tbothgo. Everyone knows the two of you run the whole estate. Everyone knows Papa could not manage on his own. What are we going todo? And Nick will be leaving in a couple of months.”
“You will manage,” Devlin said. “Papa will find a decent steward, and you and Steph and Pippa will love one another and mind Mama and Papa, and you will all manage. Oh, devil take it.” He looked down suddenly and slapped one palm against the other a few times. He could not collapse now.
“No,” Owen cried. “No, this isnot right.Whatever you said or did, Dev, you need to apologize. You cannot just go. I’ll hate you forever if you do. I’ll never forgive you. And you too, Ben. I thought you were ourbrother.I thought youcared.”
He dashed for the door, barefooted, creased nightshirt flapping about his legs, and yanked the door open. He dodged Ben’s reaching hand and ran out before slamming the door behind him.
Stephanie looked as if she had been turned to stone. Until she inhaled audibly and looked first at Ben and then at Devlin.
“I don’t want you to go,” she said, and her eyes were suddenly huge in her face as they filled with tears. “I don’t want Ben to go, and I don’t wantyouto go. De-e-ev.”
He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly. He kissed the straight part at the top of her head as she wailed and cried the great gulping sobs of a distraught child. He closed his eyes so that he would not see the expression on Ben’s face.
“I don’t want you to g-g-go,” she said again when she finally could. “Don’t go. Please don’t go.”
“I have to,” he said. “I have to go. Steph, I love you. I will carry you here forever.” He pressed a hand to his heart. “And Owen too. Tell him that.”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t want you to go,” she said, her eyes red, her cheeks blotched with color. “I want you to talk toMama. Whatever you did to make her so angry, she will have cooled down by now. And she cannot want you to go forever. Shecannot.Go and tell her you are sorry. Go and tell her you do not want to go away, that you will make amends. Go and tell her we cannot do without you. That I cannot. De-e-ev. Don’t go. Go talk to Mama.”
“Come,” he said. “I’ll take you to Miss Field.”
“No,” she said. “I do not need mygoverness.You are not going to do it, are you? You are not going to talk to Mama. Just go, then.”
He hesitated.
“Go,” she said again. “Go, go, go.”
He turned to the door.
“Ben,”she wailed then. “Ben, I don’t want you to go. Don’t go.”
Devlin left the room as his brother’s arms were closing about her.
Oh, God, Devlin thought. Let this be over. Please let it be over. Let us be gone. But... His mother.Wouldshe have changed her mind this morning?Oughthe to talk to her directly? Apologize? Tell her he wanted to stay?
Butdidhe?Wouldhe if she offered a reprieve? Would he stay here in a house with his father? But ought he at least to say goodbye to her?
A few minutes later he was tapping at the door of her dressing room. It was opened partway a moment after that and his mother’s longtime dresser peered out at him—minus her customary smile.
“Millicent,” he said. “Ask my mother if I may take a few minutes of her time, will you?”
She shut the door without saying a word and left him standing outside, hoping his father would not come out ofhisroom as he waited here. All of two minutes must have passed. They felt more like ten. Finally Millicent half opened the door again and fixed her gaze somewhere in the area of his chin.
“Her ladyship says no, Lord Mountford,” she said, and closed the door quietly again before he could react.
Her ladyship says no.
