“I tried that. It didn’t work.”
Gabe sipped his drink and thought about the woman sleeping under his roof. The woman he’d kissed… twice. He liked to fix problems, and yet she would not let him fix hers.
“Then perhaps I shall speak with her, as she likes me, and I do not intimidate people,” Michael said.
“I’m not sure it is possible to intimidate Dimity Brown, and I do not deliberately intimidate people.”
“It’s possible, and you do,” Michael drawled.
“There are a great many idiots out there walking the streets,” Gabe defended himself. “I merely point that out occasionally.”
“Forcefully.” Michael laughed.
“We need to help her.”
“Yes, she was a great friend to Abby and deserves that from us. Our sister would also expect that much from her brothers.”
“She could live here and work for us,” Gabe suggested.
“You know that she would never accept that, Gabe.”
“I know.” She had fierce pride.
“But right now, Miss Brown is the least of your problems.” Michael got to his feet.
“And why is that?”
His brother produced a piece of paper from his pocket. Gabe recognized the writing.
“We have been summoned.”
Chapter Six
“Ifail to see why this could not wait till morning. It’s well past midnight,” Zach muttered. “And why must we wear these ridiculous capes?” he added as they walked down the narrow path they had walked many times before. “Who in their right mind would want to wear something like this?”
Gabe had asked his butler and two footmen to watch over Dimity to ensure she did not leave his house. He then organized for his carriage to pick up Dimity’s neighbor in the morning. After that was done, he and his brothers left for their rendezvous.
“May I remind you that this is tradition,” Michael drawled.
“Tradition can go hang itself.” Zach pulled his hood up and over his face. “However, I do enjoy being able to make faces at you lot without you realizing it.”
“I look at you and wonder how it is you can be so ruthless in the line of duty when you constantly whine like a four-year-old,” Nathan said.
“You are serving your monarchy, something members of our family have done for many years,” Gabe said, adjusting his own cloak. “Shut up, all of you.”
“There is that,” Michael added, ignoring the rest of what Gabe had said.
“We did not set this course, however. Our ancestors did,” Nathan said.
“I know that,” Zach muttered. “There was a plot to overthrow the throne or some such thing, years ago, and the Queen decided she needed a task force of sorts. Our ancestor was an idiot for putting his hand up.”
“I doubt there was much choice in the matter,” Michael said. “What is vexing is the lords who died without heirs, hence making us now part of Alexius.”
“Vexing? Really?” Nathan asked.
“It makes me sound educated.”
“You are educated,” Gabe said. “And I gave you a choice. There is also a greater need for more men today than 100 years ago. Our population has grown, and the danger to our King comes from many quarters.”
