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B y late afternoon the next day, Nic was ready to strangle his cousin.

Again! Where could that blasted man be? Where on earth could he have been all day and night?

Of course, Frederick had done this before, which really hadn’t bothered him, yet because he now wanted to leave this place, he wished his cousin would come home immediately.

Nic had paced the length of the entire house at least a hundred times, but that only made him more impatient. Now he feared that when his cousin finally did walk through the front door, Nic would feel the need to wrap his hands around his cousin’s throat and squeeze.

The sound of a carriage pulling up to the front of the house jarred him out of his harmful thoughts. If he succeeded in choking his cousin—a man of God—Nic would certainly not be going to heaven.

He hurried to the window that overlooked the front yard and peered out.

There were actually two coaches that had stopped in front of the house.

As the door to the first vehicle opened and a head poked out, his breath caught in his throat.

What in the devil was he doing here? Within minutes, several more familiar people had exited the conveyances.

His heart flipped with excitement and he rushed to the door, throwing it open. His best friend, Trey Worthington, and his lovely wife, Judith, led the promenade of Worthingtons from up the drive. Trevor and Louisa came next, followed by Tristan and Diana.

Stepping out on the porch, Nic folded his arms across his chest. When Trey’s attention landed on Nic, the man stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened. Behind him, his brothers did the same, and even had the same dumbfounded expressions. Gasps escaped all of them, sounding like a choir.

“I say, my good man,” Trey began in a teasing voice, “but I fear the world has indeed come to an end.” He glanced up at the sky.

“In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see pigs flying, either.

” When he met Nic’s gaze, Trey grinned. “But I admit, I find myself intrigued to discover why my wayward friend is dressed like a clergyman and is sporting a beard.”

“I must add my interest, as well.” Trevor nodded.

Tristan chuckled. “Actually, nothing that Hawthorne does surprises me anymore.”

Nic laughed, suddenly feeling lighthearted again. “Actually, I’m not Hawthorne, here. I’m Mr. Woodland, the good clergyman of this parish.”

Trey arched a dark eyebrow. “Oh, now I am intrigued…and slightly worried at the same time.” He glanced at his wife. “My dear, we didn’t come soon enough, I fear. Hawthorne is a lost cause.”

Nic gestured his hand toward the house. “Please come in and I shall settle your worries.”

Trey walked up to Nic and threw his arms around him, giving him a bear hug. “It’s been too long, my friend.”

Nic pulled away and nodded. “Indeed, it has.” He took Judith in a small hug and placed a kiss on her cheek.

She, out of all the Worthington wives, he felt comfortable enough to do this.

They had become close while she was falling in love with Trey.

“My lady, you are practically glowing. I swear you grow more beautiful every time I see you.”

She rolled her eyes. “And you, my lord, grow bolder with your flirtation every time I see you.”

“Only for you.” He winked.

Once they walked in, Trevor stopped in front of Nic and hugged him. “I must admit, I have missed seeing you as well.” He shrugged. “Your personality rather grows on a person, you know.”

Chuckling, Nic nodded. “I’ve been told that many times, Your Grace.” He took Louisa’s hand and kissed her knuckles. He really hadn’t gotten to know Louisa that well, but she made his friend very happy, and that was good enough for Nic. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“And you as well, Lord Hawthorne.” Louisa displayed a caring smile.

When Tristan walked up to Nic, the two men embraced as if they hadn’t seen each other for years…but in reality, it had been about six months. “It’s good to see you, my friend,” Nic said.

Tristan’s gaze swept over Nic. “I sincerely hope you are keeping out of trouble.”

Diana bumped her arm against Tristan. “Come now, my dear husband. You know Hawthorne better than that. He’s always in trouble.” A twinkle lit her eyes when she grinned at Nic.

He laughed and nodded. “Listen to your wife, Worthington. She knows what she’s talking about.” He took Diana’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “It’s good to see you again.” Seeing Diana made him think of Tabitha, and once again, heaviness grew in his heart.

Once everyone was inside and seated, Nic stood against the hearth. “I still can’t believe you all came to see me.”

The brothers exchanged glances before Trey cleared his throat and looked at Nic. “The letter you had sent me was what encouraged us to come and visit.”

Confused, Nic tilted his head. “My letter?”

“Yes, about Tabitha.” Trey nodded.

“I’m aware what I wrote in the letter, but I’m not sure why my questions had all three Worthington brothers—and their wives—coming to see me.”

Trevor chuckled. “Well, when our wives discovered we were planning this trip, they convinced us they needed an outing as well.”

“That makes sense,” Nic said, “but I find I’m still confused as to why you just couldn’t reply in a letter. Why did all three of you have to come see me? Not that I’m complaining, of course, it’s just that…I’m confused.”

“Obviously you’re very confused,” Trey answered as he motioned his hand toward Nic’s attire. “Look at the way you’re dressed. Now, I’m wondering why we didn’t come sooner. I fear, my good man, you have absolutely lost your mind this time. There is no way you could be a clergyman.”

Shaking his head, Nic flipped his hand in the air.

“Long story short, my cousin—the clergyman—convinced me to help him catch a thief. Part of his plan was for me to play the clergyman role so that Frederick could sneak around after dark and spy on people.” He shrugged.

“So that’s the reason for the facial hair, and for this ridiculous outfit. ”

“Thank heavens you had a reason.” Tristan nodded. “I wouldn’t have ever believed you had given up your title as an accomplished rogue.”

“For the right woman, I would.” Nic practically whispered his answer, but he could see the others had heard. All three brothers wore shocked expressions—again, and their wives…well, they were women, so naturally, they appeared very pleased to hear him say that.

“So tell me, Hawthorne,” Tristan said. “Why do you want to know about Tabitha? Your letter to Trey was very…eh…different.”

Nic narrowed his gaze on the middle brother. “ Different ? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you see,” Trey answered for his brother, “your letter led me to believe that you might have feelings for Tabitha.”

A quick breath caught in Nic’s throat and this time, he nearly choked on it.

Instead, he swallowed hard and shrugged.

“As Tristan and Diana can probably tell you, I had gotten to know the young maid not too long ago. And of course, I wrongly accused her of murder, for which I will be forever ungrateful. When Tabitha arrived here in town, my first point of business was to make sure she knew how sorry I was. After that, we became friends, and I’ll admit that I began having feelings for her. ”

“What kind of feelings?” Diana asked quickly. Her eyes were larger and locked on to Nic.

“I cared about her. Deeply.”

“Cared?” Diana continued her questions. “As in past tense? Do you still care for her now?”

Gritting his teeth, Nic raked his fingers through his hair.

Why did he suddenly feel as if he were on trial?

All of them looked at Nic as if they were appalled he could have feelings for a mere maid.

“Actually, Diana, I still do have feelings for her, although she has already told me it could never go any farther. Simply put, she doesn’t want my affections. ”

Although it hurt him to confess the truth, these people were his friends, especially the brothers. They would understand Nic’s heartache. Apparently they had liked Nic’s answer, because their shoulders gradually relaxed.

Confusion filled Nic once more. None of this made any sense. He could understand Diana’s concern, because Tabitha was a close friend, but why the others? Why all three Worthington brothers?

Taking a deep breath, Nic moved away from the hearth and to the window.

He leaned against the wall and folded his arms. “Now will someone be so kind as to tell me why this matter is so important to you? Why does Trevor and Trey care about how I feel in regards to Diana’s friend?

And why did you all feel it important enough to travel all this way to come talk to me? ”

Tristan stood and hesitantly moved toward Nic. The middle brother’s eyes never left Nic’s face. “Well, you see, Hawthorne.” He scrubbed his hand over his chin. “About six months ago Diana and I discovered a secret about Tabitha. In fact, it was the very evening I was stabbed. Remember that?”

Nic nodded. “Yes, I recall you telling me about that night.”

“Well, Tabitha saved me, along with my beautiful Diana, but Tabitha had been harboring a secret for many years. That night was when she told us about who she really was.”

Nic wasn’t sure he liked the direction this conversation was taking.

The beat of his heart pounded a different rhythm.

Even the palms of his hands were moist with uncertainty.

Did he really want to know? Would it change his feelings at all?

She had been hiding something from him, but obviously, she didn’t feel it important to tell him. “What’s her secret?”

Tristan stopped in front of him. “You remember when my father was alive and all the scandals he’d created and all the affairs he’d been in?”

“Of course. I think all of London knew about that man.”

“Well, you see,” Tristan continued, “Tabitha came from one of our father’s affairs. She’s our half-sister.”