A chorus of responses rose from the remainder of the Winters. The resounding consensus wasno. They had not. None of them.
The heavy weight of dread settled in Demon’s gut. “None of you?”
The Winters collectively shook their heads, a sea of solemn countenances.
“Hell,” he muttered to himself. Then louder, for the room to hear, “I sent a note round to him, but I never received a response. That was nothing out of the ordinary, however. Gav often ignores me and later appears.”
“I am certain he will arrive at any moment now,” said his half sister Christabella, a duchess in her own right and the more hopeful and sweet-natured of all Demon’s siblings.
“Of course he will,” drawled their half sister Grace, Lady Aylesford with a roll of her eyes.
“He has a bout in the next three weeks,” Gen said. “He is bound to turn up.”
“Jeremiah Jones,” growled their half brother Dom, his lip curled in disgust. “A bad halfpenny, that match. I’ve warned him, but the stubborn arse refuses to listen.”
“Aye. I warned him as well,” offered their half brother Devil, a tall, hulking beast who ordinarily towered over them. Today, he was seated on a particularly feminine-looking settee, which rendered him on the same level as all the rest of their siblings.
“As did I,” chimed in Blade, another bastard Winter brother, this one fair-haired and silver-tongued. At least, he had been the latter until he had recently fallen in love and gotten himself leg-shackled to a lady.
What was it about Winters marrying into the quality? Polite society likely sneered at them all, thinking they had all married to improve their social standing. However, they had, each one of them, fallen in love along the way, regardless of the manners in which their marriages had unfolded.
All of them except Demon and Gavin, that was.
But Demon was about to rectify that, and he was going to wed a goddamn duchess.
Gav, however…
Gav remained a mystery, just like his whereabouts.
“He is one quarter hour late,” Dev pointed out. “It does not seem as if he will be arriving.”
“Perhaps something is amiss,” suggested their half sister Pru.
“It would certainly seem so,” agreed Bea, the smallest and youngest of the legitimate Winter siblings.
“Regardless of wherever he is, I would have it be known that I think he will decimate any opponent,” offered their half sister Eugie, Countess of Hertford.
“Of course he will,” Gen agreed. “Jones is a formidable fighter, but Gav is a champion.”
Silence reigned.
Demon looked to the door, then back to the waiting faces of his siblings.Damn it, something did not feel right about Gav’s absence.
“I will go to his rooms after this meeting,” he announced, knowing he would not feel at ease unless he did, and also knowing Gen would be the first to volunteer herself, despite the potential danger she may face.
Gav delighted in taking rooms in the seamiest parts of the rookeries. He claimed it kept him at the ready and helped him to hone his skills as a bareknuckle boxer. Instinct, timing, always being aware, training his body and his mind into an expert weapon. That was what Gav did.
“I’ll come with you,” Gen volunteered, her voice tinged with concern.
“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” Dom and Devil snapped at their sister simultaneously, sparing Demon the task.
“I ain’t going to say a word,” Blade offered, grinning. “You cannot tell Gen Winter what to do.”
“Yes,” Gen agreed. “Though I am no longer Gen Winter.”
“Hell.” Blade flashed her a shamefaced grin. “Lady Sundenbury.”
“I am going to proceed with the reason for this meeting, if it suits my sisters and brothers, Gav notwithstanding since he is not present.”
