Page 110 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

Jane cut him off by throwing her arms around him, being careful to be mindful of his injuries. But firmly enough that he could feel there was no hesitation. He stiffened in surprise.

“You are my brother,” she whispered. His breathing caught. “You have always been my brother.”

Tears spilled freely down his battered face. “I thought…”

“You thought I would stop loving you?” Jane drew back only enough to look into his eyes. “There is nothing you could tell me that would make you cease being my brother.”

A sob escaped him. “I wanted to tell you. So many times. But I couldn’t.”

She brushed another strand of filthy hair from his forehead. “You were protecting him.”

“And protecting you.” He looked away. “If anyone suspected…”

Jane understood. She truly did. The scandal would have destroyed them all.

Hector finally spoke. “When did it begin?”

Colin lifted his eyes. “Nearly four years ago.”

Hector’s brow furrowed. “So long?”

Colin nodded. “We met at a charity dinner.” A faint smile touched his lips despite everything. “We argued.”

Jane almost laughed. “That sounds familiar.”

“It was.” He managed the ghost of a chuckle. “He accused me of being pompous.”

Hector gave the slightest huff of amusement. “That sounds like Evan.”

Colin’s smile faded into something infinitely softer. “He always challenged me.”

Jane watched the transformation. For the first time since finding him, genuine warmth entered his face. Love transformed him.

It suddenly explained why he had never shown interest in marriage, despite constant pressure from society.

“You used Foxglove,” she said. “You used it as a pseudonym.”

His expression softened. “You found that? At the brothel?”

“Yes. The duke and I have been looking for you.”

“Heavens, sister. I never… I never wanted you to end up at such a place.”

“It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you’re safe.”

Hector looked between them. “So the brothel…”

“Was never about the brothel.” Colin shook his head. “We needed places where respectable gentlemen could enter alone without attracting attention.”

Jane suddenly understood. “A gentleman visiting a brothel raises no questions.”

“Exactly. We rarely remained long. We met. We spoke. Sometimes we simply sat together.” His eyes glistened again. “It was one of the few places we could exist without pretending.”

Hector folded his arms. “And Strachan?”

The warmth vanished from Colin’s face. His shoulders tightened visibly. “Everything changed after the card game.”

Jane glanced toward Hector. “The dealer told us Evan won a great deal of money.”