“I don’t know,” he said, because right then he didn’t. How many miles he’d traveled for this day to happen, he couldn’t begin to add up in his head. The brother he’d thought never to see again was there, in front of him.
“Hug him, then.”
The words came from the woman at his brother’s side.
“No.” Ash stepped back. “He doesn’t need to do that, and I have no right to ask it of him.”
“Rubbish to that,” the woman, Somerset, his sister-in-law, said. She then closed the gap between them and put her arms around his waist. “Hello, brother.”
How could those two simple words have tears threatening to choke him? They burned as he willed them back. “No.”
“Yes.” She held him tight. “I am so pleased you finally made your way to us.”
“Why is the bride hugging a man we don’t know?”
Ash heard the voice and then others. Only when she’d released him did he look at the people now standing at his brother’s back.
“Gus, do you want to introduce us?” The man who spoke was tall and broad-shouldered. He had black hair that was liberally peppered with gray and the greenest eyes Ash had ever seen. They were narrowed and focused on him.
“This is my brother, Ash,” Gus said. He saw the wariness in his brother’s eyes and knew it was warranted.
“Well now, that’s excellent timing.” The man stepped forward when Somerset stepped back. “Welcome, Ash. I’m Devonshire, Lord Sinclair.”
Ash took the hand the man held out to him because he didn’t know what else to do. His brother was before him. A stranger now.
“Hello, Ash.” Another stepped forward. “I am your cousin James.”
“Duke.” He bowed, as one of his tutors had taught him to do, to the Duke of Raven, his cousin.
“Just James.” He held out his hand and Ash shook it.
“We try to keep him well-balanced and humble, and ‘Duke’ tends to go to his head.” Another approached him and held out his hand. “I am Cambridge Sinclair.”
His brother stood flanked by men, all there as a show of support. Ash knew what was before him. They were there for Gus and would step in if he created trouble. Once he had been the man at his brother’s side, but not now. If the long-lost black sheep of the Charlton family was here with anything but respect in mind, he would be made to leave.
He acknowledged it and respected it. He was pleased Gus had men like this, powerful men, at his back.
“There are plenty more people for you to meet, but also plenty of time. Come along now, we’ll head up to the castle for the wedding celebrations.” James put a hand on his shoulder, but Ash didn’t move.
“I came to speak to my brother. I will not be staying long.”
“As this is a special day for my sister and her new husband,” Lord Sinclair said, his voice steady, eyes locked on Ash, “we will do nothing to make it anything less than that. Therefore, what you need to say to your brother can wait until tomorrow. One more day will not matter, considering how long you have traveled to see him.”
“Plus, it is cold enough to freeze my—”
“Yes, thank you, Warwick,” Lord Sinclair said. “We get the point.”
Gus looked at him, and Ash searched for the man he’d once known. He was bigger now, and there was that wariness that had once not been there.
You deserve it.
“Will you join us in the castle?” Gus asked.
Ash shook his head. The distance between them was as wide as the water he’d traveled to reach his brother.
“I have no wish to interrupt your celebrations. We will go to the village and return tomorrow,” Ash said.
“You will not leave.” Ash heard the determination behind the duke’s words. “You are family, and Gus is your brother. Whatever lay between you will be dealt with tomorrow. For today you will join in the celebrations.”
