The stable boy nodded and went back to his task. It would not take long for both horses to be readied. Kingston was not certain if he should bring up his concerns now or wait until they were away from Easton Abbey. They would start out their ride with brutal efficiency but then they would slow the mounts to give them a breather. That might be the better time to tell Easton about his concerns.
“How does Lady Jaclyn fare?” Easton asked.
“Has your lady wife not kept you informed?” Amberwood arched a brow.
“She has…” He tilted his head to the side and studied him. “It is you I am concerned about. You seem preoccupied with Lady Jaclyn. Is that why you are so eager to ride? Has she taken a turn for the worse?”
He shook his head. “No. At least not to my knowledge. But I am apprehensive about something…” He shook his head. “But it is something we can discuss later. We should ride now.” The stable boy had their horses ready and was just waiting for them to come retrieve their mounts. He gestured toward the horses. “Shall we?”
Easton gave a small smile, understanding the unspoken tension in his friend’s words. "Indeed, let us go. The day calls for it."
As they both mounted their horses, the stable door creaked open, and the horses’ hooves clattered against the stable yard as they made their way down the path toward the open fields. The morning was cool, the wind just enough to ruffle their coats and stir the grass beneath their horses' hooves. They rode in silence for a while, each man lost in his own thoughts, the weight of the past few days hanging between them. The horses galloped over the fields at their master’s request. It sent an exhilaration through Kingston that he realized he needed desperately. Finally, Kingston broke the quiet, his voice low but steady. “Foxmoore brought something to my attention earlier. It has been weighing on my mind,” he began, his eyes scanning the horizon. “It’s likely that Oakley has been informed of Jaclyn’s... incident.” He turned toward Easton. “With Finley in residence, Foxmoore seemed certain of it, and I find myself inclined to agree.”
Easton nodded, his own thoughts clouded with concern. “It would be strange if he hadn’t been, given how close Finley and Oakley are. It is possible, if not certain, that word has already reached him. We should be prepared for his arrival.” He sighed. “Charlotte will not be pleased with this development. It will add undue anxiety on Jaclyn while she recovers.”
“In that I must agree. She has been ill for days now,” he said. Kingston had been keeping a close eye on her condition and prayed she did not succumb to it. “She is finally on the mend. She does not need her brother arriving and causing a setback.”
“I pray that it will not come to that,” Easton said. “But we have to be prepared for any possibility. When we return, I will instruct the servants to prepare a chamber for him. I will ensure he is not anywhere near yours or Jaclyn’s. It is the best I can do under the circumstances.” He blew out a breath. “But I fear he will do what he always does. Cause difficulties when there should be none.”
Kingston sighed, his shoulders tense as he nudged his horse forward slightly. "It would be just like Oakley to make matters worse. The man doesn’t understand that my only concern has always been his sister’s well-being." He ran his hand through his hair. “Even that night at Vauxhall I had only been trying to help her. He had abandoned her in that crowd, and I feared she would be harmed in some fashion. My only intention was to deliver her back to her brother’s side.”
Easton’s gaze turned sharp, his eyes hard with understanding. "Your concern is not lost on me, Kingston. But we both know Oakley’s nature. He’ll likely make demands, insist that Jaclyn be under his control, all for the sake of propriety. We cannot allow him to make her situation worse.”
Kingston grimaced at the thought of Oakley’s interference. "Indeed. And for all his bluster, Oakley’s presence here would do nothing but distress Jaclyn further. It would only bring her pain."
Kingston really did not like the earl. He had never truly liked Jaclyn and that had not changed after the disastrous duel. He had done his best to avoid Oakley ever since then. He had not known that Lady Jaclyn was at Havenwood. He probably would still have accompanied Easton to his home, but he would have been prepared for the possibility of seeing her again. Though that might not have helped. She was so bloody beautiful he could not help but be drawn to her. Sometimes he believed it was inevitable they would cross paths. That something was ensuring they would be together. Fate or some higher power… he could not be certain, but he believed it to his soul that they were being pulled in the same direction.
"Which is why we must keep him at bay," Easton agreed, bringing Kingston out of his own thoughts, his voice quiet but resolute. "I have no intention of allowing Oakley to come here and undermine Jaclyn’s health. I am aware of what Oakley’s concern wrought on his sister in the past. Our main concern now must be her well-being. Even if it means having her brother in residence for the time being." He pulled on his reins to still his horse. “Once she is well enough, she will return to Havenwood, and he will no longer have a reason to remain at Easton Abbey.”
“That is true.” Kingston nodded, a flicker of determination flashing in his eyes. "Her health is paramount, and if that means keeping Oakley near, then so be it. We can’t let him undo everything we’ve worked for. Allowing him some leeway will also give us the opportunity to limit his interactions with her. It will give him a sense of control.”
Easton flicked the reins on his horse, and they continued their ride, the silence between them heavy with unspoken thoughts. The threat of Oakley’s arrival loomed large, and both men knew that what came next would test their resolve. For now, they had only their goal. Jaclyn’s safety was paramount, and they would do whatever it took to ensure her peace.
After a moment, Kingston spoke again, his voice low but firm. "I will not let Oakley’s temper make matters worse, Easton. Not this time." He met the marquess’s gaze with a quiet promise, and Easton, though equally concerned, gave a firm nod in return.
"Neither will I," he said, his tone a quiet echo of Kingston's resolve. Together, they would stand against whatever came next. And whatever it took, they would protect Jaclyn from any further harm.
As they continued to ride through the quiet expanse of the estate, the weight of their conversation lingered in the cool morning air. Easton led the way, his horse moving steadily as they passed the outskirts of the property. The grounds seemed vast, endless almost, but Kingston could not shake the feeling that the challenges ahead were just as expansive. Oakley’s arrival would change everything, and it was clear Easton understood the gravity of the situation from the tone of his voice.
“We should return to the house,” Easton said. “There is much we need to prepare for. Someone should also inform Jaclyn of what we suspect.”
Kingston nodded. “I don’t want him anywhere near her.” He wished he could ban him from seeing his sister. “That man doesn’t deserve the privilege of being her brother—not after everything he’s put her through.” He cared for her more than he should, more than he wanted to. But it was becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore what was brewing inside of him.
The way Oakley had treated his sister, with such callousness, had always infuriated him. He had refused to listen to reason at Vauxhall and his sister had paid the price of his misguided belief. Jaclyn deserved so much more than that. She deserved someone who valued her, someone who recognized her worth. He was not certain he could be that for her, but Oakley sure as hell hadn’t been.
They rode on in silence, the rhythmic clopping of hooves against the dirt path the only sound filling the air. Both men were lost in their thoughts, but it was Easton who spoke first. “Do you think Jaclyn will ever forgive him?” Easton asked quietly, the weight of the question heavy in his voice. “He is the reason she was sent away to Havenwood. Charlotte told me everything Jaclyn went through.”
Kingston’s jaw tightened. “I do not know. I don’t think I would be that generous, but he’s not my brother.”
Easton gave a somber nod in response. “You and I are of like minds. He hurt you too, and that is not something I can forgive.”
Kingston’s thoughts wandered to Jaclyn again, and he could feel a familiar ache in his chest. He wanted to be the one to protect her—he would never let Oakley tear away the quiet happiness she deserved. After another long pause, Kingston shook his head and muttered with determination, “Don’t let that rule you while he is in your home. Do try not to murder the man. That would be in bad taste as his host.”
Easton gave a soft laugh, a rare thing for him given the gravity of the situation. “I think I can refrain from doing that. For you, I will endeavor to try.”
Kingston’s lips twitched into a brief smile. “Glad I can be of assistance.”
They turned their mounts to return to the stables. They had much to accomplish before Oakley arrived. Kingston also wanted to check on Jaclyn again while he could do so without Oakley’s presence hovering over him. Soon that would not be so easily done, and he had to reassure himself that she would be all right. If she had died… He shook that thought away. She had survived and in this instance what if did not matter. Only the truth did. Even if he wasn’t ready to completely face what it had brought forth inside of him.
