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“Besides Kitty?” Zeke closed his eyes and blew air out his cheeks, trying to recall inheritance laws. He’d been forced to study the damned things in secondary school, but that was a long time ago.

Randall spoke up. “If we assume the Crown would eventually have concluded Hastings dead, what would have become of the barony?”

`“You mean, who would inherit?” Zeke asked.

“Precisely.” Randall said.

All at once, the truth dawned. “Randall, you’re a genius,” Zeke said.

“Thank you,” the viscount said with a jaunty grin. “Why, exactly?”

Zeke leaned across the table. “The title would have gone into abeyance ’til Kitty married.”

A moment of silence passed as Zeke allowed his words to penetrate. It all finally made sense. Why James had been so intent on marrying Kitty—and Holy Christ—why he still was. He was after the title, and he wasn’t letting anything like a prodigal son returned from the dead get in his way.

“My God,” Caden whispered. “At her marriage, the title would pass to her husband.”

“I am a bloody genius,” Randall murmured, his hand to his heart. “Where are you going? Caden, where’s your brother going?”

Zeke was halfway to the door, but he thought he heard his brother answer, “I think he’s going to get his lady.”

***

Zeke reached the mews, only to find his horse as yet un-saddled. He wanted to shake the groomsman. Instead he gritted his teeth and ordered the man to ready not only his mount, but Caden and Randall’s horses, as well.

They arrived a few minutes behind him.

“Thanks for waiting.” Caden slapped Zeke on the back a little harder than necessary.

“What took you so long?” Zeke asked, not taking his eyes from the barn door.

“We had to settle the bill. So tell us, where are we heading?”

“A little town called Aylesford.”

“Kitty’s there, I presume?”

Zeke met his brother’s eyes. “One way or another, we’re going to find her. But, yes, I suspect they’re all still in Aylesford.”

“Any reason in particular you think they haven’t set out for Maidstone yet?” Caden asked.

Zeke stepped back to make room as the stable lad led his horse from the stalls. “Just a feeling. Something to do with why they stopped in the first place. It’s a small village, not on the way to Maidstone. Kitty told me her brother claimed he’d made the detour for her, but…”

Randall came up on Zeke’s other side and gripped his shoulder. “But you find it hard to believe her brother would put her interests before his own in any circumstance?”

Zeke smiled grimly. “Precisely.”

The grooms led the horses out.

Zeke swung into his saddle, and waited while Caden and Randall followed suit. “Gentlemen, two words for you. Keep up.”

***

Kitty was spitting mad. She’d gotten Collin down the alley somehow, and now they stood on the storefront walkway in full view of any and all passersby while she scanned the cobbled streets for a hansom cab.

Bother. Collin was heavy. Her discomfort only fueled her anger.

“How could you do it, Collin? You lost a fortune. I had to sign a waiver personally guaranteeing to cover your losses. Me! And if that Mr Peters fellow told the truth, this wasn’t your first major loss.

Not to mention, you lied to me. This was the real reason we stopped here in Aylesford, wasn’t it? ”

Collin winced. “Kindly stop your caterwauling. My head feels as though it’s going to explode.”

“It would serve you right. Aylesford?” she prodded, tapping her foot.

“Yes, yes.” He put a hand to his temple. Their grandfather’s ring, which he wore on his pinkie sparkled in the sunlight.

Suddenly her anger gave way to unspeakable hurt. Had her brother, the man she thought she knew, ever existed? “I’m surprised you didn’t wager Grandfather’s ring.”

Collin held out his hand to study the gold band.

“I would never part with it. It’s a reminder of what’s mine by birthright.

Of what I nearly lost, thanks to the old man.

But to answer your question, yes, Peters let me know of a game he had going when we happened into each other two nights ago.

I didn’t mention it because it wasn’t your concern. ”

She laughed in disbelief. It was almost too much to take in. The fact she’d found Collin in a gaming den. The stunning sum of his loss. The fact she had to leverage their way out of the establishment by signing a promissory note.

How long had she been a fool? How long had her brother been a ne’er-do-well gambler? She frowned, replaying his last words.

“What did you mean you nearly lost your birthright thanks to the old man? You mean our Grandfather?”

“It was he who sent me away in the first place.”

A flood of understanding assaulted her senses. Her stomach dropped and for a moment she thought she might be ill. “You bloody bastard.”

“Excuse me?” he demanded, one brow arched over a red-rimmed eye.

She pointed at him, hand shaking, heedless of the stares she attracted. “You never went to America in search of our parents’ belongings. You were running. Running from your moneylender. From Mr Peters.”

“Now, Kitty, I can explain. It wasn’t my doing. It was your beloved grandfather’s.”

People had stopped to stare. She sent them a warning glare before grasping Collin by the hand and dragging him back to the mouth of the alley. “You have the nerve to blame our grandfather for your disappearance? Your lies?”

“My losses were a mere drop in the estate’s bucket.

I would have recouped them in another game or two, at the most, like always.

But the baron refused to see reason. So, as a matter of fact, yes, I do blame him.

How do you think I got the money to go, anyway?

The ticket to cross the sea? He told me to go and never come back. ”

Collin’s words hit her like a punch to the gut. Her beloved Grandfather had sent Collin away, and then let her believe he was dead? He’d kept the truth from her every bit as much as Collin had.

A wave of nausea rolled through her. Her exertion coupled with the late morning heat wasn’t helping matters. She closed her eyes and gulped air. “I’ve heard enough.”

But Collin wasn’t done venting his grievances. “He drove me from England, my home, Kitty. Told me he’d let that blackguard, Peters, kill me before he’d pay off another debt. I had no choice, don’t you see?”

Drawing on all her will, Kitty tamped down on the pain squeezing her heart.

“Oh, I see, all right. I see you left me. You and grandfather both conspired to lie to me. And now that grandfather’s gone, you’ve come back to reclaim your title by any means necessary.”

Collin lifted his aristocratic chin a notch. “It is my title by right.”

She locked eyes with him. “That it is, Collin. I wish you the best at recovering it from our cousin. But I promise you this. I won’t be marrying him to aid your procurement.”

Collin’s previously ashen face suffused with color, and his eyes went hard. He drew himself up to his full height and closed the short distance between them with sudden agility. “You will if I say you will. I’m your guardian now, remember?”

Kitty had never seen this side of him. Hardened. Utterly without compassion. It broke her heart. But her spine had never been more stiff. “I don’t care what you say, or what you threaten. I won’t do it.”

An arm shot around her from behind, a tight cord squeezing her waist so she couldn’t draw in a full breath. Not Zeke’s muscular, protective arm, nor Mr Peters’ man, Brawn. But an arm with wiry strength. Garrick.

“Hastings, Hastings,” Garrick said in a tut-tut manner. He turned his head to whisper in Kitty’s ear, “I gather you’ve discovered your brother’s dirty little secret, and now think to break our engagement yet again.” As he spoke, he dragged her into the shadowy darkness of the alley.

“Let go of me,” Kitty said through gritted teeth. She struggled to free herself but with her arms pinned to her sides, she could gain no purchase. “Collin, do something.”

Collin did something, all right. He covered their movements like a walking shroud, glancing to and fro as if ascertaining no once witnessed the madness.

“Now, see you don’t hurt her, James,” he said.

As if that were the only issue. “Collin?”

He steadfastly avoided her gaze. He meant to let Garrick take her.

“No permanent marks,” Garrick agreed. “She is my soon-to-be bride after all.”

His calm arrogance galvanized her. She opened her mouth to scream, and found her face abruptly covered with a damp cloth reeking of chemicals. She turned her head violently, but Garrick’s hand held firm.

“There now. Take a breath and go to sleep, my love,” Garrick crooned.

She held her breath 'til her lungs burned from lack of oxygen and black dots danced before her eyes. Instinct drove her to suck in a breath, and everything went black.