“I am not showing interest in anyone, and she is the daughter of an earl, as I explained before, therefore if I was interested, I shouldn’t be.” Daniel realized how those words sounded, so he quickly clarified. “Not that I am interested. I merely met her at the flower show, then assisted her when a man tried to hurt her.”
“And he saved her from drowning that night at Vauxhall Gardens.”
“That’s enough, Oliver.”
“I don’t think it’s anywhere near enough,” Mary added.
“You can be quiet too.”
“Don’t speak to our sister like that,” Oliver said, smiling.
“I did not save Lady Abigail. She can swim so she saved herself.”
“But is there something between you and this Lady Abigail?” his father asked.
“No, there is not.”
“Oliver married a duke’s daughter, Daniel; surely you would not let her title stop you from pursuing true love. She would be lucky to have a man such as you,” his mother said with the total impartiality of a parent.
“This discussion is over.”
“But what did the brothers say to you, Oliver, when they called?” Mary asked.
“That will do, Oliver.” Daniel glared at his brother; of course, he ignored the look.
“They said they acknowledged that you had saved their sister’s life… twice, but they would not allow you to converse with her again, as she is promised to another.”
Not by a twitch did he allow anyone to see his reaction to that piece of news. You never showed weakness to a sibling, or they exploited it ruthlessly. Instead he picked up his tea and sipped, trying to ease the dryness in his throat and calm his thoughts.
Abby is betrothed.
Why had she allowed him to kiss her? Was she in fact playing some kind of game with him like he’d accused her of when he found out her identity? How could he have been so wrong about her?
Abby is betrothed.
Rage that another would hold her, kiss her, and see her sweet face in the mornings burned in his gut. He hated that she’d reduced him to this. Hated that he couldn’t control his emotions for a woman when he’d fought hard to control everything else in his life.
“I wish her well,” he managed in a credible drawl. “And now I need to go and see if Alan is coping without me. I have left him alone for far too long. If I do not return, Kate will be sitting at my desk issuing instructions, and God help my clients then.”
His family laughed, believing he was indeed untouched by what Oliver had told him.
“I shall accompany you.” Oliver regained his feet, and there was little Daniel could do about that. It seemed he’d have to continue the façade that he was not bothered by the news Abby was betrothed a while longer.
He kissed his family and thanked them for his care, and then he was out on the street with the early morning sun settling around him. His large brother loomed at his side. He had a few pounds on Daniel, but they were of the same height now.
“Gabriel, the eldest—”
“I know who he is.”
“Said it was a longstanding commitment and that it was in his sister’s best interests that you kept your distance from her.”
“I have no intentions of seeking Lady Abigail out, Oliver.”
“But you do care about her?”
“No.”
“I saw you that night in the water, Daniel. Saw the way you held her, your fear for her. You feel something.”
They walked down the street, shoulders touching, passing people, and none knew that inside he was burning with resentment.
Control, he reminded himself.
“You saw nothing. We were all panicked.”
“Why is showing emotion a weakness for you?” Oliver stepped around a large pile of horse excrement. Daniel thought seriously about pushing him into it to end the conversation.
“It’s not. Now, this conversation is at an end.”
“I am your eldest sibling. I am entitled to discuss this with you, especially after those four turned up on my doorstep.”
“You should have sent them to mine.”
“You believe I would?”
“I don’t need you protecting me anymore, brother.”
“And yet I always will, as you will me and the others. Talk to me, Daniel.”
He felt it explode inside him suddenly. The fruitlessness of the emotion he felt for Abby. The frustration that his brother would not let the matter drop. Suddenly, it was as if a red mist had filled his head and he could do nothing to rein in the emotion that wanted to pour from his lips.