Logan thought of Emilia Ferguson, with her sweet blue eyes and her kind, quiet ways. Emilia wasn’t the remarkable beauty Lady Juliana was, but she was a pretty, dark-haired lass, and she was devoted to Fitz. If he abandoned her now she’d never recover from the blow, and Fitz happened to be as madly in love with Emilia as she was with him. It made a marriage between them a joyous occasion for everyone.
Everyone, that is, but Lady Juliana Bernard.
“You’re betrothed to a lady you’re in love with,” Logan bit out, his voice harsh. “Emilia’s a worthy lass, and she loves you. Will you break her heart, Fitz?”
“What would you have me do? Abandon Lina to a disastrous marriage? What of Grace? Her father was my best friend, Logan. I’ve known Grace since she was born, and I won’t turn my back on her now. No,” he snapped, when Logan tried to interrupt. “Lina and Grace need me more than Emilia does. Emilia will…” Fitz drew a deep breath. “I’ll find a way to make Emilia understand.”
Logan let out an incredulous laugh. “Understand? You don’t know much about women, brother, if you think Emilia will understand it when you throw her over for some English lady who’s turned up out of nowhere.”
“Youarebrothers, then. I knew you must be.” Lady Juliana turned to Fitz, her lower lip trembling. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me? We’ve always told each other everything. To find out now, like this…”
Fitz shot Logan a furious glare, but his face softened when he turned to Lady Juliana. “I’m so sorry, Lina. I would have told you, but I didn’t know it myself until recently. You remember when we were children, how cold my mother always was toward me? You haven’t forgotten that?”
“No, I haven’t. How could I?” Lady Juliana’s mouth twisted with sadness. “You used to run away from home and come to Graystone Court just to escape her. You were just a young boy, but even so I recall your telling me once that your mother didn’t love you. You could never understand why.”
Fitz hesitated, then crossed the room to take Lady Juliana’s hands in his. “I understand it now. She didn’t love me, Lina, because I’m not her son.”
The color fled Lady Juliana’s cheeks. “Not her son?”
“No. I’m the son of theDuke of Blackmore’s younger sister Sarah, and her husband, Gordon Kinross. As the Duke’s eldest nephew, Iamthe legitimate heir to the Blackmore Dukedom, but I’m not his son, Lina.”
“Dear God.” She raised her palm to her forehead, her hand shaking. “He never told you the truth?”
“No. My mother…that is, the duchess told me after his death. Once he died, there was no longer any reason for her to carry the secret. She’s always resented me, and when she saw her chance to be rid of me, she took it.” Fitz stared down at their joined hands. “She said there was no reason for me to stay now the duke was dead, and sent me off here to find my ‘real family.’ My ‘real family,’ Lina. Those were her exact words.”
“Oh, Fitzwilliam.” Lady Juliana pressed her palm to his cheek. “How could she be so cruel?”
Fitz shrugged, but his mouth was tight. “It explains a good deal about her behavior toward me, doesn’t it? She never wanted me, but the duke was desperate for an heir, and I was his last hope. The duchess lost a child early in their marriage, and it left her barren.”
Lady Juliana remained quiet, waiting for him to go on.
Fitz swallowed. “Our mother, Lady Sarah, died giving birth to Logan and me. The duke came to Castle Kinross to see his sister buried, and while he was here he convinced my father it was best for everyone if the eldest son came to live with him in England, where he could see to it I understood my responsibilities as his future heir. So, he brought me home to Surrey with him, and raised me as his son while my brother remained in Scotland with our father.” Fitz’s gaze met Logan’s then. “Some good came of finding out the truth, I suppose. I gained a brother.”
“And Clan Kinross gained a new laird.” Logan heard the bitterness in his voice, and cursed himself. No matter how hard he tried to bury his resentment, the same anger rose in his chest every time he thought of it. He tried not to blame Fitz for it, but the clan had been happy and prospering before he came here, and now all was thrown into uncertainty. Fitz’s arrival put them all at risk.
“I left for Scotland soon after I found out. I never meant to abandon you, Lina.” Fitz gave Lady Juliana a pleading look. “I always intended to come back to England, but once I got here…”
“Once you got here, you felt as if you’d come home.”
Her voice was soft, for Fitz’s ears only, but Logan heard her. He jerked his gaze to her, and was astonished to see she was gently caressing Fitz’s cheek.
Logan watched the tender scene unfold, and something shifted in his chest. No one could look at them and deny Lady Juliana cared very much for Fitz. What’s more, she understood him in a way only someone who’s known you your entire life can understand you.
Logan knew it wasn’t right, what he’d done to her. He’d known it all along, but tossing a few letters into the fire was far different than seeing the damage he’d caused with his own eyes.
Fitz was holding Lady Juliana’s wrists in his hands, his forehead resting on hers. He was murmuring something to her, too low for Logan to hear. Lady Juliana was shaking her head, and Logan drew closer to hear Fitz’s murmured words.
Emilia…back to Surrey with you…take care of Grace…
Logan grabbed his brother by the arm and wrenched him away from Lady Juliana. “You’re not going to abandon Emilia and leave her here alone in misery!”
Fitz tore his arm free and pushed Logan away from him. “Do you think Iwantto leave Emilia? You’ve left me no choice. Don’t forget,brother, this is all your doing. Once this business is sorted, I’ll come back to Emilia. I’ll explain it all to her, make her understand.”
Logan looked his brother in the eyes and slowly shook his head. “No, Fitz. Emilia isn’t going to understand. You’re going to break her heart if you do this.”
Lady Juliana studied Fitz for a long moment, taking in every detail of his shifting expression, then she turned that same piercing gaze on Logan. Without a word, she returned to her seat by the fire.
“Lina?” Fitz followed her across the room, pausing beside her chair. “I can’t…you must know I can’t let you—”
