Page 5 of Dare to Risk it All

“Lovely,” Raphe finished for him, his amusement growing as Sylvester shot a rueful glance at him. “And out of bounds, unless you’ve marriage on your mind.”

Sylvester snorted. “Oh, yes. I can consider marriage, can’t I? The women will queue up for us, desperate to join us on our merry way down the River Tick.”

Raphe frowned, disliking his brother’s cynical tone, and that their prospects were so grim. Perhaps if he’d not given up all hope, he might have done something, but what? If he’d worked for a living—supposing he could find something he was good at—he’d put them beyond the pale. How strange that all his whoring and gambling and drinking would eventually be forgiven and forgotten if he behaved himself from now on, yet working for a living would see the family shunned by polite society. What a nonsensical load of bollocks. Still, he was going to prove to Lord Rothborn that he was a changed man. He was a changed man. No more wickedness, no more debauchery, no more—

Holy mother of God.

“Who’s that?” Oliver asked in awe.

Raphe tried to speak, but for one awful moment no sound escaped. His brain had jolted to a standstill. He thought perhaps his heart had stopped beating too. How very peculiar. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Must be Greer. The sister—twin sister. They’re twins,” he mumbled, realising too late he’d said the same thing twice. Sylvester gave him a significant look and Raphe scowled, straightened, and turned away from the window. He didn’t need to see, anyway. Her image had imprinted itself on his mind like he’d engraved it on silver.

She was clearly Elspeth’s sister, and yet they were nothing alike. Superficially yes, blonde and with an echo of familiarity in their features, but Greer was far more voluptuous than Elspeth and there was something… something….

Whatever the something was, he forced himself not to think about it. Rothborn had told him in no uncertain terms to keep away from Greer Cadogan. He was to sort his life out. Certainly, he was in no position to have any involvement with a respectable young woman. Mind you, if the rumours about the family were true, she might not be as respectable as she ought to be. The inner demon that he had locked in a cage, right next to the heavily chained box of things he wasn’t thinking about, perked up and gave the bars an experimental rattle.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Raphe muttered to himself.

“What?” There was curiosity in Oliver’s big hazel eyes.

Raphe cleared his throat. “Nothing.”

“Oh, who’s that?”

Returning to the window, Raphe looked out to see what Oliver was sounding so pleased about. “The other sister,” he said, little interested in the girl who could be only fourteen. Despite his best intentions, his gaze returned to Greer, but she was walking inside now, out of sight.

“What’s her name?” Oliver demanded.

“Greer, I told you already,” Raphe said absently.

Oliver huffed at him. “No, the other one. The girl!”

Oh. Raphe forced himself to attend his brother. “Er… Alice? Anna? No, Alana, that was it.”

“Alana,” Oliver repeated to himself, giving the girl a speculative glance. “I wonder if she’s any fun, or if she’s the kind to weep and tell you you’re beastly.”

“She looks fun,” Sylvester said, his tone far too nonchalant. “Her sister looks a great deal of fun,” he added, with a more suggestive tone that made Raphe want to hit him.

“No.”

Sylvester returned an innocent expression Raphe was not buying for one second.

“No?”

“No! We are guests and, for once in my wretched life, I’m going to behave like a gentleman, and you two are going to help, not make my life difficult.”

“Oh, Raphe!” Oliver complained, folding his arms so tightly in annoyance that Raphe thought he heard a seam tear. “We came here to have fun. If we’d wanted to behave all the time, we could have stayed with Mother.”

“Then go back to her, and with my blessing,” Raphe said, heading for the door. “Because if you stay here, you’ll be on best behaviour, or you’ll have me to answer to. I’m going to get cleaned up for dinner. If you’re staying, I suggest you do the same.” And with that, he left them to bemoan him in his absence.

By the time Raphe had washed and made his way down the stairs, the guests were all congregating in the family parlour. It was a cosy room despite its grandeur, and everyone had gravitated to the immense stone fireplace where a half a good-sized tree burned merrily and cast a golden light about the room.

“Ah, here he is,” Dare said, grinning broadly as he spotted Raphe enter the room. Sylvester and Oliver were already chatting with the new arrivals, Raphe noted with a grimace. “Raphe, old man, come and let me introduce these lovely creatures. This is Lady Aisling Baxter, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Trevick, and my sisters-in-law, Miss Cadogan and Miss Alana Cadogan. Ladies, this dashing fellow is my dear friend, Lord de Ligne.”

Raphe was rivetingly aware of Greer Cadogan watching him with alert interest, almost as if she’d been waiting for him to appear. His heart gave an odd kick in his chest as he took her in. Her eyes were a far paler green than her sister’s and full of mischief. She looked to be exactly the kind of woman he would very much enjoy a naughty romp with. Out of bounds! yelled an anxious voice in his head, whilst the devil in him rattled its chains, excited to recognise one of its own. Hell, this was going to be a challenge. He’d best start as he meant to go on.

Raphe executed a very formal bow, murmured a few cool words that impressed upon them his polite indifference, and walked away. He was unsurprised when Sylvester pounced on him moments later.

“What crawled up your arse and died?” he demanded.