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No doubt that chaperone would be instructed to find Emily and the duke in a compromising position, so it was just as well his brother would not be here.

Despite that, Freddie looked at Tobias, trying to communicate the danger with his eyes, but his brother wasn’t looking at him.

Instead, Tobias’ gaze was fixed on Emily.

Perhaps it was a figment of Freddie’s imagination, but it looked as if his brother’s eyes had softened as he stared at the young woman.

A serpent writhed in Freddie’s stomach, trying to force its way to his chest.

‘Well,’ said Emily, shifting Charlotte in her arms, ‘we had better take our leave if I am to return this afternoon.’

Emily half stood while turning and in a move not one of his brothers had perfected, placed Charlotte on the settee behind her without waking her up.

Her slender fingers passed over the sleeping child’s face; Freddie was fairly certain Emily was as enamoured with Lotte as everyone who made the little girl’s acquaintance.

While Tobias showed the two women out, Freddie watched over Charlotte.

He adored his niece, would travel to the ends of the Earth to make her happy, would throw himself in front of a moving carriage to save her life, but it hadn’t escaped his attention that looking after her was easiest when she was fast asleep.

He was up and moving as soon as he heard the front door close. He signalled to a maid. ‘Please keep an eye on her until I return. If she wakes prior to that, come and inform me immediately. I shall be in the duke’s office. ’

His brother was just settling behind his desk when Freddie entered. The deep frown on his face was not encouraging.

‘Mrs Hawkins is trying to marry you off to her daughter.’ Freddie didn’t see the point of niceties. His brother didn’t do idle chitchat.

Tobias merely grunted, picked up a letter and looked at it pointedly.

Freddie didn’t think Tobias had quite understood the importance of what he had said. ‘Do you want to marry her? Because the mother will be relentless now that you’ve offered the use of your library. You’ll be leg-shackled by the end of the season.’

Tobias raised an eyebrow, which somehow Freddie knew was directed at him and not at the contents of the epistle his brother was reading.

‘Who’s getting married?’ Edward stepped into the study, quickly followed by Christopher.

Both were clutching glasses of brandy and had the air of men who’d had more than one glass already.

They looked far more relaxed than anyone had a right to be after the morning through which they had all suffered.

‘Mrs Hawkins has her eyes on the duke.’

Edward smirked. ‘Isn’t she already married?

I’m fairly sure Mr Hawkins will have something to say about that.

’ Christopher snickered. Was Edward being deliberately obtuse?

Probably. He and Christopher were closer than any of the rest of them, having spent the latter part of their childhood without the presence of Miss Dunn.

Sometimes they even chose to spend time together when they weren’t forced to for family issues.

Sebastian and Tobias had naturally drifted towards each other as the oldest two, although Freddie wouldn’t have considered them friendly as such—Tobias didn’t invite people to be his confidants—but they had rubbed along together well enough until Sebastian had gone to America.

Still, it left Freddie adrift in the middle.

Not that he minded; he had lots of acquaintances with whom he could happily while away the hours, but an ally would have been good in this moment.

‘Mrs Hawkins is interested in Tobias for her daughter,’ Freddie clarified.

‘You should have seen the look in her eyes. She was like a hound after a fox.’ He turned back to Tobias.

‘I am warning you. She is not going to let it go now. You will be wed to Miss Hawkins before you know it if you are not careful.’

He was facing Tobias, but even so, he didn’t miss the smirk that passed between Edward and Christopher.

‘What is amusing about this?’ he snapped. How could no one see the danger Tobias was in?

‘Nothing is funny.’ Edward raised his hand as if warding off an attack, which was ridiculous.

Freddie was calm; he was only pointing out a potential pitfall to his older brother.

Nobody wanted to be accidentally married to Miss Hawkins.

Well, there was no denying that Freddie’s body wouldn’t object to the idea of taking her to bed and not letting her out of it for at least a year, but her constant looks of disdain would drain him and he would become a shell of himself, a shell.

And then where would he be? No doubt he’d fall in love with her and she would still think him a witless fool and the whole thing would collapse in a pyre of flames.

Besides, this thought was pointless. Emily Hawkins hated him and he…

he didn’t dislike her exactly but he found her…

Anyway, it didn’t matter what he felt either way.

No one was discussing Freddie marrying her; this catastrophe was all about Tobias.

His brothers were still smirking, which only infuriated Freddie further. ‘What?’

‘There is no need to get missish about it.’

‘Missish!’

‘Yes, you are all aflutter. ’

Had his brothers always been this irritating? Yes, yes they had. He’d risen above their childish behaviour before and would do so again. ‘I am not flustered. I am merely pointing out that if he is not careful…’

‘Yes, we have understood the situation, but we are not sure why it is causing you such distress.’ Edward took a swig of his brandy.

‘Miss Hawkins would make a good duchess. She is from a wealthy family with an impeccable background. She is gently bred, clever but not patronising with it, she is quiet but pleasant and she is beautiful. Perfect wife material, I would say.’

Freddie’s heart plummeted to his shoes; put that way she did sound like she would be the perfect wife for Tobias.

‘Agreed,’ growled Tobias.

Agreed? Agreed! What the blazes was going on here?

Tobias had never shown any indication he wanted a wife, let alone shown interest in his next-door neighbour’s daughter.

The serpent was back, but now it was twisting around his heart trying to squeeze it to death.

Perhaps Freddie was having a heart attack brought on by shock.

‘It will be difficult for you, Freddie,’ Edward continued as if Tobias hadn’t dropped a cannonball the size of a ship in his office.

‘Me! Why would it be difficult for me?’ It would be torture.

If he was around her all the time, he’d constantly be noticing the slight swell of her breasts, which were small but perfectly formed, or the way she always smelled like flowers and this unwanted, unasked-for and constantly denied attraction could bloom into something far, far worse.

‘You do not like each other,’ Edward continued blithely.

Oh, that hurt more than it should have done. He’d had no idea anyone other than him had picked up that Emily didn’t like him. Hearing it from someone else’s mouth was a punch to the stomach. Dear God, now his heart and his stomach were aching and all because of this ridiculous conversation .

‘It will not be difficult for me. I am merely pointing out the danger to Tobias.’

‘That is good of you,’ said Edward, a supercilious grin spreading across his face. ‘I am sure our brother is grateful to you for your helpful advice.’

‘Helpful but not necessary,’ snapped the duke, the letter still clutched in his hand.

‘See—’ Edward spread his hands ‘—I am looking forward to welcoming Emily Hawkins as a sister-in-law.’

Freddie could only gape at him.

‘Unless…’ continued Edward, with a self-satisfied smirk, ‘there is something else you would like to discuss with us.’

His two idiot brothers sniggered; even the duke’s lips looked like they’d twitched but Freddie couldn’t be sure. Especially as he was busy storming out of the room.