Snapping back tothe present, he said, “Don’t make me say it. That you and shewere...caught.”
Oliver blinked.“Caught?”
How could hisbrother be so dense? Allegedly, he ran a blastedearldom.“Bloody hell, man, what do you think I mean?Caught.”
“Wewere caught?”
Counting to ten,Stephen braced his hands on the back of the chair. “You mean therewassomething you could have been caught doing?”
Neck a dull red,Oliver set his jaw. “It is none of your concern.”
Irritation bitat him, and he welcomed it. Anything was better than the ache inhis chest. “Of course it’s my bloody concern. Lydia is like asister to me. Do you think you’re the only one with ties to theTorrences? What were you thinking, Oliver? Couldn’t you have justmarried her first?”
Oliver’s gazejerked to him. “What?”
“Wewouldn’t be in this mess now. I wouldn’t have had to—” The achedeepened as he saw again Sera’s desperate, stricken expression. Heswallowed.
Oliver shook hishead. “I can’t marry her.”
Stephen passedhis hand over his eyes. “Not this again.”
“Iam too old for her.”
“Youknow she is in love with you.”
“Sheis not. Not really.”
Christ above.“Fine. Let us say, for the sake of argument, she is not in lovewith you. What about you?”
Crossing hisarms, Oliver said sullenly, “What about me?”
“Youare hers. You’ve always been hers. You’ve been on hold, waiting forher. Everyone knows it, but for some reason you refuse toacknowledge it. You won’t just bloodyadmitit.” He exhaled.“I am tired of this, brother. I am tired of being your heir. Justmarry Lydia, unite our families officially, and set about thebusiness of disinheriting me. You cannot play with her,Oliver.”
“Iamnotplaying with her.”
“No,I know.” His lips twisted bitterly. “This is deadlyserious.”
“Ilove her,” Oliver said, as if testing out the words.
“Everyone knows that.”
A look of wonderlit his face. “Iloveher.”
It was so easyfor his brother. The woman he loved also loved him in return. Therewas nothing keeping them apart but stubbornness. “Marryher.”
His brothershook his head. “She deserves more.”
“Itdoesn’t matter what you think she deserves. She wantsyou.”
“Sheonly thinks she does. She’s too young to know what shewants.”
Stephen laughedshortly. “She’s known what she’s wanted since she was a girl. Whyare you so convinced she doesn’t know her own mind?”
Bending hishead, Oliver stared down at his desk while Stephen stared at him.This was now beyond ridiculous. There was no longer any reason forhis brother to keep himself from Lydia. She was grown and she haddecided. If he felt the same, he should grasp happiness with bothhands.
Sera’s face, hereyes wet with tears.
Stephen shovedthe image aside. He couldn’t trust her. She was willing to deceiveand harm his family, and he could not… But what else should shethink?Hewas willing to deceive and harm his family. Hisbrother. Oliver. “I don’t want to study the occult,” he saidabruptly.
