That was it—he’d had enough. And did his little hostage find his brother attractive? Only last night she had been inhisbed, inhisarms. Was a new romance unfolding before his very eyes? He stood abruptly, shoving back his chair. “I am going to smoke,” he announced, trying not to glare at either of them.
“I do hope your tobacco is Virginian,” Virginia said sweetly.
He stiffened. And from the corner of his eyes he saw Sean sputter with laughter and the two of them share a glance. He turned. “It’s not. It’s Cuban. Good night.” He was pleased to see her face fall as he uttered his last words, then, having no intention of leaving them alone, he looked darkly at his brother. “Join me,” he said, and it was a command.
As he strode out, he heard Sean say, “And his lordship doth speak.”
Virginia giggled. “He is so dour tonight.”
“He is always dour,” Sean remarked.
He debated walking back to them and defending himself, but decided to pretend he hadn’t heard their insipid insults. Besides, they’d both drank enough champagne to sink a ship. Still, Sean was far too interested and it was simply not acceptable.
In the study, rebuilt to exactly replicate the study his father had used up until his death, he found a cigar and poured a brandy, then lit up. Exhaling deeply did not ease the tension. And if he brooded further, analyzing the evening in order to decide if the camaraderie he had just witnessed was romantic or not, the pressure would increase. He knew it, as surely as he knew the sky would be clear that morning.
“Captain, sir,” a woman breathed.
His annoyance faded as he turned and faced Fiona.
She smiled at him, clad in a tight white blouse and dark skirts, the blouse showing off the full shape of her bosom and hinting at the large areolas beneath. He carefully looked her over now, for the first time since he had returned home. She was actually pretty, and she had the kind of body most men would die to bed. He vaguely recalled a few torrid nights spent in bed with her, many years ago. And while he didn’t lust after her, she certainly presented a solution to the problem of avoiding Virginia in the long, dark shadowy hours of the night.
“Kitchen’s done and your room’s ready,” she said softly, her gaze on his. “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir, before I go to my bed?”
He made the decision instantly. “Yes. You can go to my room. I’ll be up shortly.”
There was no look of surprise, she only smiled and purred, “Of course, Captain, sir.” She gave him a promising look and strolled out, her wide hips swinging.
He wanted to compare their width to one particular waif’s far too slim ones, but refused to do so. He would satisfy his lust tonight in the way lords of the manor had for centuries—with a willing, comely, insignificant maid.
Sean made a derisive sound, apparently having been standing in the doorway for some time. Devlin ignored it, handing him a cigar and lighting it for him. As Sean puffed, he poured his brother a brandy. He said, “You seem smitten with our little guest.”
Sean exhaled and said, “I am nearly so.”
“Don’t become too attached. She is going to lose her beloved Sweet Briar and blame me for it, I have no doubt.”
“That’s right. She will blame you, and rightly so, I think. But she certainly won’t blame me.”
Devlin sat down on the edge of the desk. Oddly, his father chose that moment to cast a presence in the room. “I am going to find you an heiress,” he warned.
“I don’t need an heiress. You would never stay home to run Askeaton. One day I need a wife who will partner me in all that I do here.”
“You mean, a wife who understands crops, markets and shipping, inside and out?” He became angry.
“Maybe.” Sean came closer. “Look, Dev, I find her intriguing, and unlike you, I am not using her for some terrible end—for some personal retribution. In fact, after getting to know her somewhat tonight, I think you should end your miserable scheme and help her get to Eastleigh. Who knows? She’s charming beyond words. Maybe he’ll be smitten, too, and he’ll save her home.”
Devlin was furious now, furious because if he read Sean right, his younger brother was falling in love with his captive. “No. Nothing changes, and you keep your heart and guard it well. She is not for you—I will not allow it. She is a tool, a tool I am using even as we speak, she is only a tool. Do you understand me?”
Sean was furious, too. “I told you this afternoon—I don’t even know you, so how can I understand you? But I grow tired of your orders! I am not a sailor on your ship! If I choose to admire Miss Hughes, that is my concern, not yours.”
“You go very far.” Devlin stood, and the two men stood eye to eye and nose to nose, the exact same height. “Since when do I order you? I haven’t been at home in six years—I see you perhaps once a year in London! There have been no orders, little brother, until yesterday, and may I remind you that this manor is mine? The land is mine? It is all mine until I die, heirless. Only then does it become yours.”
“Do you threaten to give me the boot?” Sean was incredulous. “You may have bought Askeaton from Adare with your damned prize money, but Askeaton would be nothing but bogs and woods without me! I took this land and made it fertile, I took this land with my own bare hands and made it rich! You’d have nothing here without me, and you damn well know it!”
Devlin inhaled hard, stunned at the intensity of Sean’s anger and his own answering rage. How had they come to this terrible argument? Virginia’s image seared his mind. “Sean.” He clasped his arm and Sean flinched but did not pull away. “I know all that you have done. I agree with you. Without you, this house would be a burned-out hull, the fields would be barren and lifeless, bogs would abound. I know that. I appreciate every day you have spent here in my place, planting our crops and harvesting them, collecting our rents, breeding our livestock. I more than appreciate all you have done. You’re my brother. We should not fight, not like this, not ever.”
Sean nodded, pale now. “And I know how hard you have worked to be able to buy Askeaton, and the house in Greenwich, and all the treasures we now have both here and there. I know you are the lord of this manor, Dev. I don’t want to be lord here. God, I want you to take a wonderful wife and have fine sons to inherit all that you have earned—and all that is your rightful due as Father’s eldest son.”
“I know that, too,” Devlin said, relaxing only slightly. And he looked closely at his brother now.
