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“I hope you do not mind me interrupting,” he said hopefully, looking up at Drake.

“Of course not,” Drake said, stepping back to allow Northumberland to enter. It was untrue, but there was no other polite response possible. “We were just discussing Sebastian’s marital prospects.”

Shooting a glare at Drake did absolutely nothing. If the other man even noticed, he did not indicate it.

Northumberland ambled in, smiling broadly. “I presumed this house party was to assist you in narrowing your choices. Is it going well?”

“Well enough,” Sebastian replied, trying not to sound too harsh in his tone but still indicate that he was not interested in discussing the details. Thankfully, even Gregory had withdrawn upon Northumberland’s entrance, going stony-faced. He was not going to be open about Sebastian’s unusual decision in front of this duke.

Zachary was by the window again, staring out, not even looking at Northumberland as he came in. Monkey Sinclair had looped around to his other shoulder, so the little creature could peek out and stare suspiciously at Northumberland, his tail looped around Zachary’s neck.

“Good, good,” Northumberland said, nodding. He was clearly nervous and feeling out of place, and although that made Sebastian feel a bit guilty, he also did not know how to change the situation. Northumberland was out of place. He was not one of the original Tragic Dukes; he was the heir of one. He had not lost his father to the hunting lodge fire. He had not gone through that with them.

And his very presence was a reminder that they’d lost Sinclair far too early.

It was really due to Sinclair’s death that they were all searching for brides now. They’d assumed they had more time, but at Sinclair’s funeral, they’d all agreed they needed to move faster. Life could be cruel and short. There were no guarantees.

Northumberland moved to a position where he could look at all of them, clearly nervous and preparing to say something. He rubbed his hands together in front of him, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders as he looked around the room. Everyone except Zachary looked back at him.

“I, ah, was hoping to find the time to talk to you all while we’re here,” Northumberland said, dropping his hands to his side, then immediately lifting them to tug on the bottom of his jacket. He left them there, tightly holding onto the fabric as he jerked his chin upward. “I, ah, have already approached the Marquess of Newbury, but I wanted to speak with all of you as well.”

The Marquess of Newbury was Lady Isabella’s father. Sebastian’s stomach turned over. He knew exactly what was coming, and he wanted to shout at Northumberland to stop him, yet he could not. It was not his place.

Northumberland cleared his throat again, the sound grating through the room.

“Lady Isabella was meant to be the Duchess of Northumberland.” Northumberland’s expression turned sorrowful, and he glanced over at Zachary, who was now glaring out the window in front of him, before looking away. “She should have married my cousin and been his duchess. But, despite the tragic circumstances, it is still possible for her to attain part of the future she deserves.”

He took a deep breath.

The room was still. Frozen in place, really. Zachary’s eyes had closed. There was a massive lump in Sebastian’s throat, one he could not speak past. Even though Lady Isabella had told him Northumberland’s intentions, they had not felt very real until this moment.

It had been a bit of conversation. A possibility. She had not said that Northumberland had already approached her father. Perhaps she did not know. Now he wanted to speak with them. The other dukes.

“I wanted you all to be the first, outside of her family, to know that I mean to ask Lady Isabella for her hand in marriage and to take her rightful place as the Duchess of Northumberland. As my duchess.” The man braced himself as he said the words, knowing how painful they would be and knowing they must be said, anyway.

Sebastian blinked—a very long, slow blink—and felt the hint of moisture clinging to his lashes as he opened them again.

The entire room was tensely quiet.

Then there was movement in the corner as Zachary turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, head down, Monkey Sinclair silently clinging to him as if the pet knew there was nothing he could do to comfort human Sinclair’s closest friend. Northumberland watched him go with sorrow, then looked tentatively around at the rest of them.

“Yes, well. Whether or not Lady Isabella accepts is up to her, of course,” Nathanial said, running his hand through his hair. “Thank you for keeping us informed of your plans. It is not easy to hear, but it is better it came from you than gossip around the ton.”

Northumberland nodded slowly. “That is what I thought. What I hoped.” He glanced at the door. “Do you think… Grafton.”

“He will just need some time.” Drake clapped Northumberland on the shoulder. “None of this is easy for any of us. All we can do is take one step forward at a time and do our best to do the right thing.”

One step forward at a time. It was good advice, on many fronts. Sebastian supposed he should take a step forward in accepting Northumberland. The man would never be Sinclair, but as Sinclair’s heir, he was doing a good job. The duchy was thriving. Lady Isabella would be taken care of. Those were the things Sinclair would have wanted, if he’d known he was going to die in such an untimely manner. The right thing Sebastian could do would be to support that.

Thankfully, he did not have to make the move now while he was still raw. The supper gong rang, interrupting whatever discussion might have been possible. At least he’d had some inkling of what might be coming, thanks to his discussion with Lady Isabella. The others clearly had not. Drake was handling it the best and Zachary clearly the worst, but Gregory and Christian both appeared shaken, Matthew was still frowning, and Nathanial looked poleaxed.

“We’d best get to supper, or my wife will be very upset with us,” Gregory said with an awkward smile. He was trying, but he was having trouble hiding his discomfort.

“Yes, because ensuring my sister is not upset with you is among the highest of my priorities,” Sebastian jested, making Gregory sincerely laugh and breaking the tension in the room as everyone else chuckled in amusement. The relief on Northumberland’s face was clear, and he shot Sebastian a grateful look before he turned to walk beside Drake out into the hallway.

Trying to feel as though he was not betraying Sinclair’s memory, Sebastian followed. At least at dinner, he would be able to distract himself with something much more pleasant… He doubted his sister had seated Mei beside him, but she would be there.

And tonight, he would meet her in the back sitting room again.