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When Drew woke, Mary was fast asleep, so he left her in bed and walked to the lake to enjoy a cigar and absorb the quietness. It was calm here. Peaceful. When he returned, Mary had risen and gone to breakfast. He was on his way to join her.

Last night, the atmosphere during the evening meal had been strained. Pembroke, his duchess and Mary made polite conversation to avoid uncomfortable silence and the Duchess worked hard to draw him into it, but he had not really known what to say.

As soon as the meal was over, he escaped with Mary.

They retired to her rooms and talked for a long time, before falling asleep.

She woke him in the night, with a kiss. The kiss became urgent lovemaking in the utter darkness, serenaded by the calls of tawny owls through an open window. A warm breeze had brushed across his skin.

That was another special thing about this place, the air smelt clean; of the meadow grass and clover.

He woke her at dawn, and made love to her more slowly, adoring every inch of her body. Afterwards she tucked herself beneath his arm and slept again.

Today, he knew, to the very depths of his marrow, that she was entirely his, and always would be.

‘He does love me, John.’

Drew stopped midway across the hall at the sound of Mary’s voice.

People who listened to conversations about themselves never heard anything good, Mary had learned that when she’d listened to his friends talking. And yet, he could not help it, he wanted to know what she said behind his back.

The door of the dining room was left open to a point that Drew could see the table was only occupied by Mary and her brother, and there were no servants in view.

Drew could see Mary’s back and Pembroke looking at her.

‘We watched you yesterday for a while, Katherine and I, when you were talking in the meadow. His behaviour certainly suggested he has feelings for you.’

‘If you knew him…’

‘He is not a man who is easily known.’

‘But that does not make him bad, he has reasons to be wary.’

Her brother’s gaze showed something Drew would not have recognised a few months ago – care. He cared immensely for his sister.

Pembroke smiled in a way Drew would not have thought him capable. Pembroke was different here at home.

Pembroke stood up.

Drew stepped back, trying to watch but not be seen.

‘He promised to be different now.’

‘I hope he is, for your sake, and I believe he has feelings for you. I wish you happy, as does Katherine.’

Drew took a bolstering breath and walked into the room. Now was his moment to prove Mary’s words true. ‘We will be happy.’

Suspicion glinted in Pembroke’s eyes. He must wonder how much Drew had heard.

Enough to know that Pembroke was as close to Mary as Drew was to Caro.

Mary stood.

Drew walked to her side and held her hand. ‘I love your sister, Pembroke, she will be happy.’

Pembroke smiled, with the mellow look Drew had only just discovered he was capable of.

‘I shall leave you to your breakfast.’ He nodded at Drew, then walked out.

Drew sat in a chair beside Mary.

‘He approves. I told you he would. If you make me happy, Papa will approve too.’