“Need I remind you, then, of how Cass and Julian got together after she pretended to be a nonexistent person named Patience Bunbury?” Lucy returned his look with eyebrows raised. “Or how Jane and Garrett fell in love because we told each of them the other was already in love with them, just like Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing?” She paused and tapped her cheek, searching her mind for more ammunition. “I could go on.”
“Please, don’t.” He held up both hands in surrender. “The fact is, however, we’ve no idea what happened back then with Collin and Miss Stone. What if they never wanted to see each other again? You said yourself that Miss Stone expressed concern about seeing Collin.”
Lucy stepped back and gave another shrug. “There’s only one way to find out what happens when their paths cross.”
Derek leaned back against the wall and hung his head. “Collin’s never going to believe we didn’t do this purposely, you know.”
“He’ll be fine. He’s a grown man, and you said yourself, it’s been years. Besides, he’s welcome to leave if he’s offended by her presence.”
Derek expelled a breath, and his shoulders lifted and relaxed. “Very well. But we must handle this delicately.”
Lucy smoothed her skirts. “Delicately? What do you mean?”
“I mean you need to go inform Miss Stone that Collin is here, and I need to go break the news to Collin. Damn. Damn. Damn.”
Chapter Seven
Collin brought his mount up short to stare across the valley toward the forest that lined Derek’s property. The giant, multi-acre estate was a world away from the tiny cottage where they’d grown up in Brighton. Their father had been a military man, but he hadn’t risen through the ranks. On the contrary, he’d been discharged from the army for drinking too heavily. But that hadn’t stopped him from setting about working with his sons to ensure they became the finest military specimens they could be.
He’d been particularly harsh with Derek, forcing the young boy to make decisions quickly and without mercy. Once, he’d tossed Derek’s prized toy sailboat and his puppy in two different directions into a fast-running stream. Derek had saved the puppy, of course, but their father’s cruelty in making his sons tough knew few bounds.
He’d succeeded, of course. Derek was known as the Duke of Decisive and had been at Wellington’s side, an integral part of the win at Waterloo. For his efforts, Derek had been awarded a dukedom and Huntingdon, the grand estate that Collin now surveyed.
Collin had chosen a slightly different route. He, too, had risen quickly in the ranks of the army, but he’d used his decision-making skills not in battle, but in becoming one of the War Office’s most accomplished spies. He’d been essential in foiling a great many of the emperor’s plots, and had been in extreme danger behind enemy lines more times than he cared to count. He’d used his intelligence and cunning to predict what the French would do next, and was awarded many medals and promoted time and again as a result of his success.
When the wars ended, Derek settled down to marry and become a father. He met Lucy soon after returning from Belgium, and it was obvious to anyone who saw the two of them together that they were a perfectly matched pair.
Collin, however, had rededicated himself to his majesty’s service and continued to take on English missions on both domestic soil and abroad. Marriage hadn’t been in the cards for him, and it wasn’t something he allowed himself to dwell on. He’d come close to marriage only once, and it had been one of the most painful things he’d ever experienced. He had no wish to revisit those old emotions.
That did not, however, keep either his mother or his sister-in-law, Lucy, from attempting to place potential brides in his path. Over the years, Lucy had introduced him to scores of young ladies, and he’d been well aware that she’d hoped he would fall madly in love with one of them. He’d always kept them at arm’s length, however. Perfectly polite, but in no way indicating he would like anything more than an acquaintance with any of them.
At least Lucy introduced him to strangers. He could easily deflect his sister-in-law’s attempts at matchmaking. When he went to visit his mother, however, she would inevitably bring up … Erienne. And if there was one subject Collin would not discuss, could not discuss, it was Erienne Stone.
He’d chosen to come to Derek’s house instead of visiting his mother for a reason. He closed his eyes and breathed in lungfuls of clean, country air. It was probably good for him to get out of the coal-laden air of London awhile.
Mindlessly smoothing his hand over his horse’s mane, he briefly considered Lucy’s former attempts at matchmaking him with Miss Langley. Miss Langley had been a sweet young woman with a lovely disposition, but she, like all the other women Lucy had paraded before him, didn’t have the sky blue eyes or silky blond hair of the young woman who’d haunted his dreams since he was a lad of sixteen.
He shook his head. Hopefully, Lucy wouldn’t attempt to matchmake him with the new governess. No doubt the poor woman had no idea what she was getting herself into by taking a position with the Duchess of Claringdon. The Matchmaker of Claringdon should be Lucy’s title, he thought with a wry smile.
She was a handful, his sister-in-law. She loved to ask Collin why he wasn’t married yet. Why wasn’t he? He’d told himself all these years it was because he was married to his work. It would be unfair, unkind even, to take a wife and leave her at home, day and night, alone, or possibly only with the children while he worked so many long hours.
But there was more to it than that, and he knew it.
The image of Erienne’s face leaped to his memory. He always thought about her when his reflections turned to marriage. She’d been the only woman he’d even contemplated wedding, the only woman he’d ever wanted to marry, and he’d been forced to let her go. He’d tried to push it from his mind over the years, tried to ignore it, but times like this, bloody times like this when he didn’t have his work to distract him, the memories crept back into his mind.
It didn’t matter. Erienne was far from here. She was married to a viscount in Shropsbury, just as she should be. She probably had half a score of children by now. Was she happy? Did she ever think of him? Damn it. Of course not. A married woman wouldn’t think of him, shouldn’t think of him. It was ludicrous to even contemplate it.
The thunder of hooves caught his attention, and he turned to see Derek riding up behind him.
“There you are,” his brother called as he pulled his horse up short next to Collin. “I didn’t realize you’d ridden out this far.”
“What else have I got to do?” Collin replied with a laugh.
“I’ll take you around the entire perimeter sometime if you’d like, but we’d better get back to the house now. Lucy and the children want to see you.”
“Of course.” Collin nodded and gathered the reins in his gloved hand.
They both turned and began a canter back toward the house.
“Seems I forgot to tell Lucy you were coming,” Derek said, his eyes fixed straight ahead on the path.
Collin lifted his brows. “Lucy’s not upset, is she?”
“Only that she didn’t have all week to look forward to your visit.”
“Ah, well, I suppose I’ll just pretend it was a surprise visit, then.”
“Yes, well…” Derek’s voice trailed off.
A sudden, odd tightness gripped Collin’s stomach. “What? What is it?”
“Seems my forgetting to tell Lucy caused a problem elsewhere.” Derek still hadn’t met his gaze, a sure sign of some kind of guilt.
Collin’s brows drew down. “What? How’s that?”
Derek slowed his horse. Collin did the same.
“You know how certain things tend to…happen when Lucy is involved?” Derek asked.
Collin poked out his cheek with his tongue. “She is usually up to something, isn’t she?”
“You could say that,” Derek replied.
“What is it?” Collin asked, apprehension replacing his suspicion. Something was wrong. He could feel it.
At last, Derek met his eyes. “I have something I must tell you, Collin. Something I’m afraid you’re not going to like.”
Chapter Eight