“You didn’t have to tell him,” Devon muttered.
Kathleen smiled at him as she seated herself. “But my lord, Mr. Winterborne will be part of the family soon.”
Devon rubbed the upper half of his face with one hand, as if the statement had caused an instant migraine.
“The same circumstances may soon apply to Helen,” Rhys said, deliberately provoking him further. “She could also be with child.”
“We don’t know that yet,” Helen said, reaching out to arrange the blanket over his chest. “If it turns out to be the case, the plan must change, of course. But I would rather wait until we find out for certain.”
Rhys stared at her, making no effort to conceal the desire smoldering beneath his stillness. “I can’t wait for you,” he said.
“But you will,” Devon said coolly. “That’s the condition of my consent. You’ve treated Helen like a pawn in a chess game and manipulated the situation to your advantage. Now you’ll bloody well have to wait until June, because that’s how long it will take before I’ll be able to look at you without wanting to throttle you. In the meantime, I’ve had enough of Ravenels running amok in London. Now that our affairs are in order, I’m taking the family back to Hampshire.” He glanced at Kathleen with an arched brow, and she nodded in agreement.
At the same time, a distant wail came from the farthest threshold of the double library. “Noooo!”
Kathleen glanced quizzically toward the sound. “Pandora,” she called out, “do not eavesdrop, if you please.”
“It’s not Pandora,” came the disgruntled reply, “it’s Cassandra.”
“It is not,” another young voice said indignantly. “I’m Cassandra, and Pandora is trying to land me in trouble!”
“You’re both in trouble,” Devon called back. “Go upstairs.”
“We don’t want to leave London,” one of them said, while the other added, “The country is so drear-itating.”
Devon glanced at Kathleen, and in the next moment they both struggled to hold back grins.
“When am I going to see Helen?” Rhys demanded.
Devon seemed to relish his former friend’s suppressed wrath. “If I have my way, not until the day of the wedding.”
Rhys returned his attention to Helen. “Cariad, I want you to—”
“Please don’t ask that of me,” Helen begged. “A June wedding is what we had planned before. You’ve lost nothing. We’re betrothed again, and this way, we’ll have my family on our side.”
She saw the struggle on his face: fury, pride, need.
“Please,” she asked gently. “Say you’ll wait for me.”
Chapter 11
AFTER THEY HAD SENT Mr. Winterborne home in his carriage, with his arm secured in a sling and rubber ice bags packed around his shoulder, the Ravenels had dinner and retired early for the evening. Kathleen had been pleased and not at all surprised that Devon, despite his lingering resentment, had made certain that his friend was well taken care of before he departed. Although Mr. Winterborne had angered and disappointed him, there was no doubt that Devon would forgive him.
Kathleen watched appreciatively as he shed his dressing-robe to join her in bed. Her husband, who loved riding, pugilism, and sports of all kinds, was an athletic and superbly fit man.
Settling on his back, Devon stretched with a pleasured sigh.
Kathleen propped herself up on an elbow and drew her fingertips idly through the dark hair on his chest. “Do you think it might be a bit severe,” she asked, “not to let them see each other for the next five months?”
“There’s no chance in hell that Winterborne will stay away from her that long.”
Kathleen smiled, tracing the sturdy edge of his collarbone. “Why did you forbid him, then?”
“The bastard tramples through life like a conquering army—if I didn’t force him to retreat now and then, he’d have nothing but contempt for me. Besides, I’d still like to kill him for what he did to Helen.” Devon sighed shortly. “I knew we shouldn’t have left the girls alone, even for a day. To think I was worried about the twins, when Helen was the one who went out seeking a scandal.”
“She wasn’t seeking scandal,” Kathleen countered reasonably. “She went to . . . well, to reclaim her fiancé. And one must view the situation in balance; it’s not fair to blame him entirely.”
His brows lifted. “Why are you taking Winterborne’s side, when you’ve been against the match from the beginning?”
“Because of Helen,” she admitted. “I knew she would do anything for the good of the family, even marry a man she didn’t love. I also knew that Mr. Winterborne intimidated her. But that’s changed. I believe she truly wants him now. She’s no longer afraid of him. The way she stood her ground with him this evening altered my opinion of the match entirely. If this is what she wants, I will support her.”
“I can’t overlook Winterborne’s actions,” Devon grumbled. “Out of regard for me, if for no other reason, he shouldn’t have taken the innocence of a young woman under my protection. It’s a matter of respect.”
Kathleen hoisted herself more fully over him, staring down into his blue eyes. “This,” she mocked gently, “from a man who seduced me in nearly every room, stairwell and hay-nook of Eversby Priory. Where was your regard for innocence then?”
His frown disappeared. “That was different.”