Jasper blinked. "Abigail's brother?"
"Of course," Charlotte giggled, glancing around as if expecting a hidden audience. "He was going to speak to you about seeking my hand. We've been... involved."
Jasper stared at her, stunned. "Charlotte... Philip is engaged. To Lady Sophia Marlow. Their banns have been read. The wedding is a month away."
Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. "That's all a matter of duty. He told me himself — while I was in London. He regrets that engagement entirely. It was a match pressed upon him by Sophia's father, and he—" she paused for dramatic effect, "—has been planning to dissolve it."
Jasper set his fork down slowly. "When exactly did this supposed romance begin?"
"I stayed with Eliza Huntingdon and her family, you remember. While in London Philip and I met a few times — quite by accident at first." She pressed a hand to her chest. "He was at a family estate not far from Sophia's. Oh, Jasper, it was all sosecretandsweet. He said he couldn't breathe around Sophia, but with me... he felt free."
Charlotte's eyes fluttered, her tone drifting into a dream-like recounting. "And then, once he spoke of marriage — well, it felt only right... one evening... when the moon was full and the air thick with lilac..." She trailed off, a coy smile tugging at her lips.
Jasper's heart dropped into his stomach. "You didn't—"
"He loves me," Charlotte said simply. Her hand moved to cradle her lower abdomen. "I thought it best not to tell you until I was sure, but... my courses haven't come. It's been over a month."
The silence that followed was heavy. Jasper's chair scraped the floor as he stood abruptly.
"I see," he said, voice tightly restrained. "Excuse me."
***
Later that afternoon, Jasper found himself in the familiar comfort of Nathaniel Browning's study at Lyndhurst Manor. The Duke of Everly poured a measure of brandy and handed it to him; his brow knit in concern.
"I appreciate you coming directly to me," the duke said. "But I must admit, I find myself... at a loss. Philip hasn't said a word about Charlotte, and as of this morning, Sophia and her father were still speaking fondly of wedding menus and floral garlands."
"She claims it was done in secret," Jasper muttered, barely touching the glass in his hand. "That Philip intended to call off the engagement and... compromised her in the meantime."
Nathaniel's expression hardened. "That would be a serious matter. One I cannot imagine Philip engaging in without consequence."
"Nor can I," Jasper said quietly. "But I had to bring it to you. She's implying she's with child."
Nathaniel didn't respond, merely reached for the bell pull and summoned a footman. "Send for Lord Philip at once."
Philip Browning entered the study a few minutes later, still dressed from his ride, breeches faintly dusted at the knees.
"Father? Jasper?" He glanced between them, brow furrowing. "Is something the matter?"
Jasper exhaled. "Charlotte has made a claim. She says you met with her in London. That you professed your love, planned to end your engagement to Lady Sophia... that you were intimate — and that the two of you intended to marry. She now believes she's with child."
Philip stared at him, then let out a short, incredulous laugh. "You're serious? That's what she's saying?"
"She told me directly," Jasper said heavily.
Philip stepped back, pacing a tight line before the hearth. "I never touched your sister. Beyond the barest pleasantries, I hardly spoke to her. This is complete nonsense."
"She claims it happened while she was in London," Nathaniel added cautiously. "You were staying at Bromwell House then — that's near Sophia's family estate, isn't it?"
"It is. And I spent nearly every day with Sophia — we rode, dined with her father, attended functions together, and began planning our wedding and engagement party. I hadn't seen Charlotte since the end of the Season — not until yesterday at the party."
He turned to Jasper. "You remember how she was this Season. She tried to be subtle, but she kept throwing herself in my path.Asked me to dance at nearly every ball. You even jested about it once."
Jasper's brow furrowed. He had said something.
"I remember," he said quietly.
"She was relentless," Philip went on, his voice tight. "Once I began courting Sophia, she would glare at her anytime we were at the same event. She's been jealous — of Sophia, of Abigail, of anyone whose future looks brighter than hers. If she's claiming I compromised her, she's either desperate, delusional, or both."
