August chuckled. “You should’ve seen her expression when she sealed it. Like she was being asked to cross a battlefield with no allies.”
Theo folded the letter precisely and slipped it into his pocket. “She was meant to hate me,” he murmured. “She found me questioning a man here, and that… frightened her.”
“It would frighten any woman.” August nodded. “She told me.”
“She still wishes to marry me.” Theo sounded as though he could not believe it, and perhaps, he truly could not. He was certain he would never see her again.
“And yet,” August said, “you look like you’ve just been shot.”
Theo took a long sip from his glass, the whiskey burning down his throat.
“Why her?” August asked after a moment.
“That’s my secret to keep.”
August raised a brow, smile slow and knowing. “You’re enamored with her. Admit it, man. The mighty Duke of Stone has fallen. It’s practically poetic.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Theo said. “Come. I need to remind you how poor your aim is.”
They moved to the billiard room. Theo racked the balls with methodical precision while August chalked a cue and eyed the table like a man preparing for battle.
“You look like hell,” Theo said as he handed him the first shot.
“And you look like a man who hasn’t slept since last week,” August returned. “Managing an estate with no profits and trying to keep creditors happy is no small feat.”
Theo leaned forward, assessed the balls, and delivered a shot. “You’re wasting your talent on appeasing men who don’t deserve your deference. You should put your faith in something faster.”
“Like a horse?”
“Like Hades,” Theo replied. “He runs in two weeks at Epsom. He is the fastest creature I’ve ever seen.”
August grinned. “Hades. You named your horse after the god of the underworld?”
“It suits him. He devours every other beast on the field.”
“Sounds charming,” August muttered. “And brutal.”
“He’ll win. Put something on him. You need the coin.”
August lined up a shot and missed. “I’d rather not gamble on luck I no longer own.”
Theo poured them both another glass. “The offer stands.”
August took it, raising his glass in mock salute. “You’ve done enough already. Agreeing to marry April is a great service to our family.”
Theo bristled at the phrasing. A great service.
He masked it with a clean shot that sank two balls in quick succession.
“She deserves more than that,” he said softly.
August’s brow rose. “Then perhaps she chose better than we thought.”
They played on in silence for a few minutes, only the soft crack of the balls breaking the stillness.
Then Theo stopped. He leaned on his cue, eyes fixed on the corner of the table.
“Michael Linwood.”
