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Kincaid strode into the library. Gray peered out the window into the garden with a scowl on his face. He stared over his friend’s shoulder to find the source of his displeasure. Walking in the garden were Abigail and Jacqueline with Lord Falcone. Kincaid growled his own displeasure at the sight.
When the two ladies laughed over a comment the lord made, Kincaid muttered, “Bloody bastard.”
Gray jerked to attention and glanced over his shoulder. He nodded before scowling out the window again.
“When did he arrive?” Kincaid growled.
“During luncheon. Then he invited them for a walk in the garden. Now they are laughing gaily at his debonair charm. My father and his interfering ways.” Gray pushed away from the window and slumped into a chair.
Kincaid settled into the opposite seat and drummed his fingers on the arm. His gaze kept glancing back toward the windows. He hoped to catch a glimpse of Jacqueline again, but the trio walked farther into the garden, out of sight.
Gray continued with his rant. “He invited Falcone here for Abigail. That scoundrel isn’t worthy enough for her. Abigail deserves for a gentleman to treasure her, not for the treatment she would suffer from a reprobate like Falcone.”
Kincaid swung his gaze back toward his friend. “Falcone is not meant for Abigail, but for Jacqueline.”
“No. My father was very specific when he told me he invited a gentleman here for my wedding with the very intention of making a match for Abigail. Falcone spoke his apologies when he arrived for his delay, then preceded to congratulate my marriage,” Gray argued.
Kincaid laughed but stopped when his friend snarled. “Sorry. But you are incorrect. Colebourne informed me he invited Lord Falcone here for Jacqueline.”
“Why would my father confide in you?”
Kincaid sat up straighter. “Because I asked him for permission to court Jacqueline. I want to marry her.”
“Then it is true?”
“What is true?” Kincaid asked.
“You are smitten with my cousin. When did this happen?”
Kincaid ran a finger behind his cravat, uncomfortable with the question. But if he wanted his friend’s support, he must confess his improper behavior. Well, confess enough to pacify Gray. “Over the last three years.”
Gray exploded out of his chair. “Three years!”
Kincaid rose and moved behind the chair, hoping the furniture would protect him from Gray’s pounding. “Will my case help if I tell you how much I love her?”
“No,” Gray growled, advancing on Kincaid. “You are no bloody different than Sinclair, Worthington, Ralston, or Forrester. Every single one of you has acted on your selfish urges. Is no lady in this household safe from the rakes of our society?”
“Do not treat our affections for the ladies we love as tawdry affairs. Just because you hold back your feelings for Abigail does not mean I intend to disregard my feelings for Jacqueline.”
Gray leaned over the chair, his fists ready. “Did you ruin her?”
Kincaid took a few steps back. “You ask too personal of a question.”
Gray rounded the chair. “No, I do not believe I do. You have overstepped the bounds of our friendship.”
“I may have, but I do not regret any of it.”
Gray swung out and clipped Kincaid on the chin. Kincaid growled and retaliated, striking Gray across the side of his head. He never intended to fight with him, but he wouldn’t stand down. Kincaid risked everything by admitting his infatuation. As they circled each other, both men growled their frustrations.
“You will leave this property immediately,” Gray demanded.
“Not until I have secured Jacqueline as my bride.”
Gray lunged at him again, knocking them to the floor. They wrestled around, each trying to punch the other. Kincaid’s coat ripped when he tried to block a jab. Before Gray could land another swing, Ralston yanked him off Kincaid.
“Stop fighting, both of you!” Gemma shrieked.
Gray shook Ralston off him and stormed toward the door. Before he reached it, Gemma stopped in front of him, holding her hands out. “You are not leaving this room until you explain yourself,” Gemma ordered.
“Why do you not ask Casanova?” Gray replied with sarcasm.
Gemma laughed. “That is quite a slander toward Lord Kincaid.”
Gray growled. “No, ‘tis quite fitting.”
Gemma smiled at Kincaid. “Does this concern Jacqueline?”
Kincaid nodded. He propped his back against the bookcase and stayed silent. It was one thing to admit his actions to Gray, but informing other members of Jacqueline’s family would only force a marriage. While his greatest desire was to make Jacqueline his wife, he didn’t want their marriage to occur under duress.
Gemma glanced back and forth between Lucas and Kincaid, but they both refused to appease her curiosity. She sighed. This had spiraled out of control since Jacqueline had confessed to them this morning. It went far deeper than any of them could imagine. However, each gentleman refused to discuss the matter in front of her.
“Barrett, will you be a dear and stay until they settle their disagreement? I am retiring to our bedchamber for a spell.”
Ralston went to Gemma’s side, concern written all over his face. “Are you unwell?”
Gemma stood on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss across his cheek. “No, my love. Only tired and needing my afternoon lay in.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Make sure they settle their differences before you leave. Jacqueline’s happiness depends upon it.”
Ralston nodded, pulling his wife into a hug before releasing her. “I will try.”
Gemma offered him her sweetest smile before she left. Ralston turned and narrowed his gaze at the two gentlemen. It would appear he must rescue Kincaid from destruction once again. He knew how the viscount suffered from loving a Holbrooke lady and the obstacles he had to overcome before he could win Jacqueline’s hand. Kincaid needed the approval of Colebourne, Gray, and the lady herself.
Ralston extended a hand to help Kincaid to his feet, then gestured for both gentlemen to sit. Once everyone had settled, he waited patiently for either of them to speak.
When no one was forthcoming, Ralston tried to make peace. He quirked a brow at Kincaid. “I take it Gray has learned of your secret affair with Jacqueline?”
Gray growled. “You knew! Does everyone in this household know?”
Ralston brushed an imaginary piece of lint off his trousers. “I cannot speak to the depth of your family’s knowledge of how much they know. Worth only knows Kincaid holds feelings for Jacqueline, and the Worthington ladies are clueless about their affection. As for the newcomer, Lord Falcone, I am sure he is unaware. Which leaves us with Colebourne and the Forresters’ knowledge. From what I experienced myself under your father’s matchmaking attempt, he knows everything, and since Lady Forrester is his co-conspirator, then she is aware, too.”
“How could you?” Gray asked Kincaid.
“I never intended to dishonor Jacqueline.”
“What are your intentions with her?”
“I have asked her repeatedly to become my bride. And she has denied each offer. However, I gave her an ultimatum. She has until after the fox hunt to accept my proposal or I will admit our affair to Colebourne.”
Ralston laughed. “Do you believe that will redeem yourself with Colebourne or Jacqueline? You are clearly an amateur.”
Kincaid snarled. “So we progressed from joining forces in business to having you insult me.”
Ralston gestured for Kincaid to calm down. “I only state that you attempt to handle this in the wrong manner.”
“You aim to help him?” Gray asked in disbelief.
“Yes. And if you were his friend, you would, too. Your father chose Kincaid for Jacqueline’s groom.”
“Impossible.”
“Why do you not believe Ralston?” Kincaid asked. “And have you always held such a low opinion of me?”
Gray shook his head. “No. You’ve proven your loyalty as a friend, even though you have betrayed me by seducing my cousin. But I understand how my father operates, and he would want Jacqueline settled with someone of Falcone’s caliber, not with a dissolute viscount who could not provide Jacqueline the luxury she is accustomed to.”
“For one, you judge your cousin harshly. She isn’t a pampered princess, and while my lack of wealth is meager, it will not remain so. Yes, we will struggle until my business venture is stable, but I will provide for her. Our relationship is more than the status of my wealth,” Kincaid argued.
“I understand your value. But my father will want Jacqueline to have the same lifestyle as her sisters and cousin, one befitting the Holbrooke name. You, my friend, cannot provide those conditions.”
Kincaid raked his hands through his hair. “I am well aware of my downfalls.”
Ralston cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, I think you are forgetting the primary objective. Colebourne wants Kincaid for Jacqueline. His ploy is to make Kincaid prove himself. When he set about inviting us to his house party, he only did so with the intention of each gentleman marrying one of his wards. Since you are the last gentleman standing, and Jacqueline is the final lady, then it only stands to reason he wishes for you to wed each other. Like all the other matches, he entertains himself by watching your courtship and throwing out obstacles to prove how much you love one another. Listen to my opinion, these are his intentions.”
“Jacqueline is not the only unwed lady in this household. Abigail remains unwed, and my father threatened to invite his choice for Abigail to my wedding. He did not state who he was. And Falcone mentioned his regret at missing my wedding when he arrived. I believe he intends Falcone for Abigail, and I will do everything in my power to stop that union from happening.”
Ralston shook his head. “Falcone is nothing but a ploy in your father’s matchmaking mischief. Gray, when will you see what your father and everyone else in this family wish for?”
Gray refused to answer Ralston’s question because it was impossible. While he wished for a future with Abigail, they would suffer from the consequences of their union. He refused to subject Abigail to the hardship of the ton’s slander. They were a vindictive lot and would make Abigail’s life miserable with their vicious tongues. He’d watched their reactions over the season when she started arriving at the entertainments with the rest of the family.
While many gentlemen sought her hand for dances, pretending an interest in the duke’s ward, the whispered words in the clubs spoke otherwise. None of them had an interest in her for marriage other than to warm their beds. There were many instances Kincaid had dragged him away from unleashing his fury on his peers. Now he learned his friend carried on with his cousin in the same manner.
Kincaid watched Gray struggle with his emotions. He knew his friend’s reasons for not pursuing a relationship with Abigail Cason. Gray thought he protected Abigail from the harsh treatment of the ton, instead of seeing how his family and friends would protect them if he took a chance on the lady. However, from what Jacqueline had told him, Abigail was just as stubborn as Gray. Kincaid also knew he’d angered his friend by seducing Jacqueline and leading her down a path of scandal. But he would never regret his actions.
“What advice do you offer on how I should proceed with Colebourne and Jacqueline?” Kincaid asked Ralston.
“With the lady, I would suggest you tell her you have reconsidered telling Colebourne about your affair, that you understand her reluctance, and seduce her until her answer is yes,” Ralston suggested.
“You are discussing my cousin,” Lucas growled.
Ralston nodded. “My apologies.”
“And Colebourne?”
“Ahh, he is a little trickier. Colebourne is a sneaky devil. You will need to instigate yourself near him whenever you can and turn his game around on him.”
Gray bristled. “Now you are talking about my father.”
Ralston smirked. “My apologies again.”
Gray blew out a breath. “Fine, I will help you.”
Kincaid raised a questioning brow. “You will?”
“Yes, against my better judgment.” He rose and offered his hand to Kincaid. “In truth, I cannot ask for a better husband for my cousin. You both deserve happiness.”
Kincaid shook Gray’s hand. “Thank you.”
Gray walked over to the window again and stared outside. While he offered his help, he still was wary of Falcone’s arrival. Ralston argued Falcone was only a decoy, but his father wouldn’t have invited the gentleman here without a reason. His father always had a purpose when he invited guests into his home. He didn’t open his estate up to just anyone. Only to those close family and friends. If the occasional visitor arrived, it was because the Duke of Colebourne needed the individual for his own reasons. And his father kept those reasons to himself.
Gray narrowed his gaze when he noticed Abigail walking alone with Lord Falcone in the garden. Where had Jacqueline disappeared to? “Excuse me, gentlemen. There is a matter I must attend to.” He rushed out of the library.
“I wonder where he is off to,” Kincaid mused.
Ralston tilted his head out the window. “Probably on his way to stick his foot in his mouth.”
Kincaid looked out the window to see Abigail unchaperoned with Lord Falcone. He saw the reason for Gray’s swift departure and felt sympathy for him. He understood Gray’s tormented emotions, for he’d had the same reaction whenever Jacqueline danced with another gentleman during the season. No matter how innocent it appeared, jealousy consumed him.
“Now that Gray has left, shall you explain what Colebourne holds over you?” Ralston asked.
Kincaid tilted his head in question. “Whatever do you mean?”
Ralston smiled with patience. “I mean, what has Colebourne used against you over the past few years for you to jump to his bidding whenever he requested it of you? I only ask because at one time I stood in your very shoes.”
“He helped me escape from a scandal that would have ruined my family’s name. Since then, I have accomplished his tasks and bided my time until I fulfilled my end of the bargain. When he issued me the invitation to his house party in the spring, he informed me of his terms. I was to marry his ward, and it would end our agreement. Only making Jacqueline my bride would be of no hardship.”
“May I ask who the scandal revolved around?”
Kincaid sighed. “None other than Lord Falcone’s sister.”
Ralston’s eyes widened. “The Duke of Gostwicke’s wife? That sister?”
Kincaid nodded.
Ralston laughed. “Oh, Colebourne is cleverer than I thought.”
“Yes, he is. With Falcone’s arrival, the duke has forced me in a corner to admit to the indiscretion of my past, thereby throwing another obstacle in my plan of convincing Jacqueline to believe in our love.”
“Sometimes the truth is a powerful blessing for a couple. It strengthens their bond.”
Kincaid regarded Ralston with skepticism. “And you have shared your past indiscretions with Lady Gemma?”
Ralston nodded. “Every worst act imaginable I might have been a part of.”
Kincaid rose from the chair. “Thank you for your advice. Now if you will excuse me, I have a lady I need to seduce.”
Ralston laughed. “Best of luck, my friend.”
Kincaid needed more than luck. He needed a miracle.