His eyes flew open, and his fanciful moment ended abruptly. He looked over to see Case leaning casually against the doorframe. “You can wipe the smirk off your face,” he growled. But he couldn’t contain a broad smile at seeing his brother for the first time in a year.
“But it’s not every day I have the privilege of seeing my brother preening in front of a mirror like a nervous debutante.” He quickly dodged the shirt Justin threw at his head.
“All done,” the tailor announced as he stepped back, coat in hand. “I’ll send it over the moment I complete it.”
“Thank you,” Justin said. He waved him off and walked toward Case. “What a way to spend the afternoon.” His face ached from the scowl he had worn the entire time the tailor had poked and prodded him.
Case chuckled. “You could have always borrowed something of mine.”
“Now you tell me.”
They walked out of the parlor, and Justin threw an arm around Case. “It’s good to see you, little brother.”
Case responded by slapping him on the back. “When did you get back anyway? I didn’t expect you until next summer, but then I saw Lord Darvington at White’s, and he said I had just missed you.”
They entered Justin’s study where he poured them drinks, and they sat down by the fire. “I sailed in yesterday.”
“And when were you planning to inform me of your return?”
“I thought I would see you at White’s.”
“No matter, it’s damn good to have you home,” Case said warmly.
“So what have you been doing with yourself?” Justin asked. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask about the countess but he held off. He didn’t want to darken the first moments of their reunion with what could only be an unpleasant topic.
“Oh, you know me,” Case said lazily. “Just living it up and resting on the laurels of my brother, the duke.”
Justin laughed. “In other words, your investments have been lucrative as usual. You are no doubt wealthier than I am. When are you going to let me in on your secret?”
“Well, I have to do something to make me more marriage worthy,” he said, tongue in cheek. “I’m not a duke after all.”
Justin rolled his eyes. “With your good looks and sizeable fortune, there are scores of women willing to forego marrying into a title.”
“Don’t rush me to the altar yet, big brother. I’ve plenty of time before succumbing to the doldrums associated with marriage.”
Justin laughed at the comical look on Case’s face.
“Are you attending the Trents’ bash tonight?” Case asked.
He nodded. “I am.” He hoped to see just what all the gossip was about firsthand. Was Case planning to attend with the countess? “Areyougoing tonight?”
“Yes, I’ll be there, should prove to be quite a crush.”
Justin raised his eyebrow. “I had no idea you had grown so fond of city life.”
Case chuckled. “I can’t rusticate in the country forever. Unlike you, I like to get out on occasion.”
Justin sat back, studying his brother. He couldn’t sit on his hands and bite his tongue another moment. “Case, what is your relationship with the Countess of Penroth?”
Case sat back in his chair and arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Offhand, I would say that’s none of your business.”
“So it’s like that,” Justin said grimly.
“Like what?” Case asked, casually inspecting his fingernails. “Justin, why the hell are you asking me about Jillian? I thought we were past the stage where you monitored my actions.”
“Does it not bother you that she is creating such a scandal and is directly involving you?”
“If it did then it wouldn’t be likely that I would be ‘involved’ with her, as you put it.”
