Once the door closed behind him, Rockwell faced Blackstone.
“Do you love Farah?”
Rockwell sunk into the nearest chair and tried to get his emotions under control. “Lucien is not marrying her.”
“Well, someone bloody has to.” He poured Rockwell and himself a drink. “I won’t have my sister ruined. She believes the world is a forgiving place because she thinks Ashley got away relatively unscathed. What she doesn’t see is how society and men in particular treat Ashley and why it’s unlikely she’ll ever find a husband.”
“I have feelings for Farah, but even you must see, I wouldn’t be a good husband.”
Blackstone shrugged. “Throughout life, our priorities change. Look at me. Over the past few years, I’ve consolidated the estates and investments while trying to find my sister a husband. Once Farah is married, I too will then turn to finding a wife to ensure I provide the next heir. That’s my duty.”
“I don’t need to provide an heir. As a second son, I have no duties.” He closed his eyes and let that thought settle over him. “I’m not needed for anything.”
“Farah needs you.” Blackstone’s words sent a jolt through his body. Did she? She’d seemed to manage on her own quite nicely up until the scandal.
“You don’t know your sister very well. She can be a force to reckon with. If she doesn’t want to marry either of us, she won’t. And right now I’m not her favorite person. But she’d never marry Lucien and hurt Courtney.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s ruined and I shall make her—”
“Good luck with that. She didn’t marry Franklin, did she?”
Blackstone was suddenly standing and pacing. “She can’t just disobey me. She has no money, nowhere to go.”
Rockwell inwardly laughed. He’d learned that Farah had plenty of money from the ladies’ investing, but he wasn’t about to tell Blackstone that. The duke might guess what the ladies were up to and he wanted both Fane and Blackstone to lose to the women. Those men needed to be brought down from their high lofty positions.
Blackstone looked incredulously at him. “What about your reputation? If you walk away, Farah tarnishes you as well. Society would never forgive you.”
“Then I’ll be free to sail around the globe.” Rockwell stood to take his leave. “I’ll come back in the morning and I will marry her if she’ll have me. But don’t be surprised if she tosses me out on my ear.” He looked at his friend. “I’m sorry for all of this, but it’s really your fault. If you hadn’t tried to force her to marry Franklin, she would never have ended up in my trunk and on that ship. It’s ironic, really.”
“If she won’t marry you or Lucien, then it will be Franklin. I’ll not see her ruined.”
“Good luck with that edict. Just be careful what you wish for. If you push her too hard, you’ll lose your sister forever. Is that what you want? I know that I’ve never regretted standing by Ashley. She’s still in my life and safe. How do you think Franklin would treat Farah after this?”
The fire died in Blackstone’s eyes. “What a bloody mess. I’ve made this mess.”
“Yes, you have.”
Rockwell turned to leave. “Let’s work together to try to sort this situation out before all our lives are ruined. I’ll see myselfout. Best you go back and ensure the worst of the gossip is contained and you end the ball.”
The evening’s revelations sat heavy in Rockwell’s chest as he made his way home. He prayed he could convince Farah to wed. He was right when he said to Blackstone too many people would be hurt if they didn’t.
But the thought of how to win her trust back made his head spin. He tapped on the roof of the carriage. “Actually, can you take me to Wolfarth House, please?” Perhaps Wolf might have some words of wisdom.
*
Wolf was alreadywaiting up for him in the library. “Tiffany’s gone to bed, which is just as well, as she’s really upset with you.”
He plonked himself into a chair by the fire and accepted the drink his brother handed him. “There is a long line. What have I done wrong according to your wife?”
“As soon as you knew Mrs. Ahearn was at the ball, you should have gone to Blackstone and announced your engagement to Farah, instead of trying to hide the fact she was with you in Ireland. Not well done of you.”
He hung his head. Wolf was right. He didn’t want to face the fact he hadn’t acted that honorably.
“I think you’re using Farah’s reluctance to wed you as an excuse for not having to do your duty.” He hesitated before adding, “And I think this reluctance is because you’re afraid to marry her because you have feelings for her and this realization has you running scared.”
He swallowed back a denial because his brother was right. She’d slipped into his heart with little fanfare. It wasn’t like with Charlotte, where with one look, he’d fallen head over heels inlove. No, his timid mouse had awoken his desire first and then had put his broken heart back together.
His brother continued. “When I offered a marriage of convenience to Tiffany, I did not know how important she’d become to me, and how much I would grow to love her. Love isn’t anything to be afraid of, if it’s the right person. Is Farah the right woman for you?”
