Page 39 of Entwined By Error (Madcaps of Mayfair #1)

He laughed, more out of relief than humor as he swept her into his arms. “We shall discuss the foolishness of this later. For now, we must leave this awful place before the tide takes us out to sea.” He tied a bowline knot with the rope looping it under her arms. “This will be quite uncomfortable, darling.”

Her voice trembled. “I am ready.”

Before he released her, he brushed a fervent kiss upon her lips. “Do you know how deeply I adore you?”

“You descended into the depths for me. If that is not declaration enough, then I am undone.”

“I love you, Myra.”

“And I love you.”

“Touching as this is,” came Southwood’s impatient cry, “I suggest you postpone it until the sea ceases its encroachment.”

Daniel yelled back up to Southwood and the others, and watched as they slowly pulled her up, his wife dangling above him as water continued to pour down on him, filling the bottom section of the hole and then rushing back out as it escaped through a tunnel in the rock wall.

When Myra made it to the top, the rope was thrown down once more and Daniel tied it around his waist as he was also pulled to safety.

* * *

Daniel didn’t speak as he entered the study. He walked directly to the sideboard, poured a glass of port, and then swallowed it in one gulp. He slammed the glass down, refilled it and drank again. “Did you retrieve your precious money?”

“Not money. At least not until I sell the items.”

“Then what, pray tell, was more important than Myra’s life?”

“Has the bonesetter left?” Southwood stepped up to the sideboard and pulled the decanter toward him.

Daniel instantly placed his hand over the spout. “We had an agreement.”

“After what we went through this night, you cannot be so unfeeling as to deny me one glass.”

“We did not go through anything.” Daniel pulled the decanter away from his brother. “I nearly lost my wife due to your selfishness. I shall never forgive you for what you have done this night.”

“Come now, Daniel.” Southwood smiled his grin as practiced as ever. But his charm had never impressed Daniel. “Mistakes are inevitable. I daresay, I am only human.”

“Yes, but must you be such an idiot of one?”

“Show me a man who is rumored to have never made a mistake, and I shall prove it a falsehood.”

Daniel closed his eyes as he gathered his composure. “I do not ask for perfection, Southwood.”

“Then what do you want from me, Daniel?”

“Less than what your creditors want, yet more than what you are willing to give.”

“This time without the sarcasm.” Southwood leaned against the sideboard, his attention focused on the port. “What do you want from me?”

Daniel drank the last of his port and pushed the glass away. “Is it too much to ask for a brother whose affections are not outpaced by horses or lost at the bottom of a glass of brandy?”

Southwood threw his hands in the air. “I have never been the perfect brother. Perfect son. Perfect lordling. I am defined by my future inheritance, and that is all anyone sees when they look at me.”

The muscle at his jaw twitched, a telltale sign of the temper he struggled to master. Few men could nettle him so swiftly as Southwood. “You give yourself too much credit. No one in our family looks at you for the title you will one day hold.”

“Our father does.”

“No, Southwood,” Daniel said impatiently, “he does not.”

“Even you…I have a name, Daniel. You once called me Thomas, but when my errors defined me, you changed, always referring to me as Southwood. It is as though my title is a punishment.”

Daniel turned on him, his voice rising in anger. “Perhaps it is because I do not know you anymore. The Thomas I once knew would never have sent my wife into the caves. Never.”

“I have changed. No one can stay young and innocent.”

“Perhaps you have changed too much for the help I have offered.” He didn’t want to give up on his brother, but if he had learned anything that night, it was that he had to protect Myra.

It was the hardest decision of his life, but he had made it the moment he’d seen Myra at the bottom of the hole, injured and helpless, her life nearly lost to the incoming tide.

Daniel straightened his shoulders knowing the only way to do what had to be done was to divorce himself from any compassion or the desire to see his brother well. His family was all that mattered, and the man standing before him—the man he no longer recognized—could not be considered family.

“You are no longer welcome here, Southwood. I expect you to leave by morning and take your troubles with you. Inform the men staying at the coaching inn that they can follow you out of Cambria; I do not want them knocking on my door any longer.”

Southwood put a hand over his heart, his confusion clear as he fought for words. When he finally spoke, he was hesitant. “I cannot fault you for this decision, but consider all we mean to each other.”

“My brother is lost. I do not recognize the man you have become.”

“Please, Daniel,” Southwood reached out. “Must I fall to my knees and beg for your forgiveness?”

“It would be in vain.”

Southwood walked away, his head down in shame. With one last look at his brother, he stopped before crossing the threshold. “You will convey my apologies to Mrs. Northcott and wish her a speedy recovery?”

He would do nothing of the sort. Myra would never hear of Southwood again, not if he could help it. “You shall find my tolerance expires at sunrise. I will send word to the stables to have your horse tacked and ready for your departure.”

As Southwood left the study, Daniel finally allowed the tension in his body to release.

He placed a hand over his heart as he slid to the ground, his legs refusing to hold him aloft any longer.

A sob wrenched from his throat as he realized all he could have lost, and all he had lost that night.

He hated the way he’d spoken to his brother, hated the position he’d been forced into, and yet, he would say every word once more if it meant Myra would be safe.

Unless Southwood realized his flaws and made serious efforts to change, there could no longer be a relationship. Southwood needed to make a course correction; if not, he could no longer remain a part of Daniel’s life.

* * *

Later that night, long after Myra had fallen asleep, Daniel lay next to her, watching as her chest rose and fell with every breath. Her eyes fluttered as she slept, and every once in a while, she would frown or pout, making him wonder if her dreams had taken her back to that dark hole.

He watched as she rolled to her side, ready to adjust her injured ankle as necessary. But as she moved, her eyes opened. “Daniel?”

“I am here, love,” he whispered. She reached out, her hand searching for his. He scooted closer, taking her hand and kissing her palm. “Sleep, now. I shall stay here and protect you.”

As she curled against him, she whispered, “I was so frightened. The worst fears plagued my every thought. But out of everything I knew I would miss, the one thought that still haunts me and makes me ache inside is never being with you again, never speaking to you or feeling the warmth of your embrace.”

“There will be no more caves. No more satchels, no more unwanted guests, and I shall never leave you.” He thought about it for a moment and then chuckled. “I suppose I cannot keep the promise about unwanted guests. We are bound to have a few more in our future.”

She kissed his neck as she folded more closely into him. “I have no doubt the vicar and his wife will visit again. We cannot avoid them.”

Daniel laughed. “No, I suppose we have no control over who lives in the neighborhood.”

“Daniel,” Myra murmured through a yawn, her eyelashes tickling his neck. “Do not be angry with Lord Southwood.”

Daniel glanced down at her, tension instantly flowing into his shoulders and down his arms. She was tucked so trustingly beside him, fitting as snugly as a soft blanket, yet her request was more than he could bear.

Taking a moment to calm his nerves, he waited until the words were soft instead of terse. “Whyever not?”

She gave a sleepy sigh, placing her hand on his stomach and pushing away all the strain of seconds before. “Because you are stronger than him…and far more handsome besides.”

Daniel gave a soft laugh as he twisted her hair around his fingers. “Love, no one is as handsome as me. But I am honored you finally noticed.” When she snorted into his chest, he grinned. “Truly, darling, what good is strength and excellent breeding if I cannot make you laugh?”

“Hmmm.” Myra squeezed him in a gentle embrace. “I did not realize my husband was so humorous.”

“It is time you understood as much.”

“Daniel…” She went up on her elbows, her hand slowly caressing his face. “Forgive your brother.”

Daniel closed his eyes as he shook his head. That was the last thing he wanted to do, at least tonight. “Why?”

“The anger will consume you, and before long, I shall not recognize my husband.”

It went against everything he had decided only an hour earlier to agree to her request, but he knew it was worth an attempt. “For you, and only you, I shall endeavor to forgive.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, I wish for you to sleep.”

“As do I.” She settled her head against his chest once more. “Thank you for being so soft.”

“Soft?” Daniel grinned as he pulled the blankets back up around her shoulders. “You meant to say strong and muscular, I believe.”

“Whatever you say, husband.”

* * *

The sun was still slumbering when Daniel slipped out of bed.

He dressed and made his way down to the hall, past the maids as they dusted tables and vases, and opened the drapes for the moment the light would spill through to bring life to the sleepy hallways.

As he descended the stairs, he heard Southwood’s voice echoing in the hallway.

“Please ensure Mr. Northcott reads the letter. I do not wish for it to be thrown into the grate.”

“I promise, my lord.”

Daniel stepped forward, his jaw set as he gazed upon his brother. “I shall take it now, Melbourne.”

The butler held out the letter, and Daniel turned it over and broke the seal. He silently read every word and, then peered up at his brother. “What is the meaning of this?”

“You are right, Daniel. I am not fit to be our father’s heir.”

“I do not believe I said those words.”

Southwood placed a hand Daniel’s arm. “You did not have to. It was apparent in the scolding I received last night. My actions have done harm to the whole of our family.”

Tucking the letter into his inside pocket, Daniel pointed toward the parlor. Once they were behind a closed door, he sat in a chair opposite his brother. “Recognizing your faults is a start.”

“Hardly enough to receive forgiveness.”

Daniel chuckled as he shook his head. “I do not think you want forgiveness. It is a badge of honor for you to be considered a rogue.”

Southwood’s lips twitched as he pulled on his lapels. “Perhaps you are right.”

“Is it not exhausting?”

“Terribly so. Especially when I must pass on a bit of fun to hide from men who wish me dead.”

Daniel pulled the letter out of his pocket. “What is the meaning of this?”

“When our father passes from this life, I will need a wise manager to keep me from bankrupting the earldom. You are the only person I trust.”

“I ordered you out of my home; how can you still believe in me?”

Southwood stood. He placed his hat on his head, moved it around until it was tilted with a foppish flare, and then flashed his most wicked smile.

“Because your loyalty has never faltered. Now, I have it on good authority that I must away before sunrise; elsewise, I shall find myself tossed out on my backside.”

“Southwood…” Daniel followed his brother out into the hall. What could he say to encourage his brother? What more was there to say? “Try not to be waylaid by a highwayman, or scandal.”

Southwood’s smile melted away. He was visibly altered, his face contorting as he held back tears. Clearing his throat, he sniffed and then dipped his head. “I am sorry, Daniel.”

“Are you?”

“I shall find a way to make amends for what I did. One day, I will be worthy of your forgiveness.”

Daniel lingered in the doorway as his brother rode away.

He patted the outside of his frock coat.

The letter his brother had written giving him access to the earldom’s accounts once the title became official would be filed away until the day it came due; he only hoped that on that day, his brother would prove himself capable of handling the estate without bringing ruin to their father’s legacy.