“Excellent.” Mr Daventry clapped his hands together. “Let’s put the plan in motion.” He raised his hand. “Just a word of caution. It takes cunning to keep a secret. Men kill for a pocket watch. Remember, nothing is more important than protecting each other.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Thank heavens Rothley is otherwise engaged tonight.” Aaron observed the men throwing their fortunes away at the tables. “Many refuse to play with him. I might ask Devon Masters to join a game and see if Rothley is hiding cards up his sleeve.”
Theo wondered if Aaron’s problem with Rothley had more to do with the marquess’ interest in The Burnished Jade. “You’re the only man in London who could accuse Rothley of cheating and live to tell the tale.”
Theo prayed the marquess hadn’t set his sights on Miss Scrumptious. Aaron could handle anything, except watching the woman he secretly admired being courted by another man.
“I’d take great pleasure in wiping the smug grin off his face.”
“You should tell Miss Lovelace that Rothley is watching her property. You don’t want him to catch her unawares.”
Aaron cursed under his breath. “If he hurts her, he’s a dead man. I don’t care about his damn title.” He paused, realising his outburst may have revealed too much. “I cannot abide men who target vulnerable women. The sooner Rothley gets bored with this club, the better.”
An argument erupted at the hazard table.
After a few cross words from Aaron, the game resumed peacefully.
“Thank you for letting Eleanor stay,” Theo said. They agreed that until they determined how the Franklins were involved, it was safer for Eleanor to stay at Fortune’s Den. “I’m sure this dreadful business will be over soon, and we can return to normality.”
Aaron held Theo’s gaze, a questioning look in his dark eyes. “We don’t keep secrets, not from each other. You know I despise being kept in the dark.”
Theo should have called him a hypocrite. Aaron was never honest about his own feelings. “I have kept you informed every step of the way.”
“I’m not referring to the case, but your feelings for Miss Darrow.” Aaron gave a humourless chuckle. “Daventry possesses an otherworldly skill. He knows exactly what a man needs in a woman. He found your ideal mate.”
Eleanor was more than his ideal mate.
She completed him.
“Daventry had no part to play in my relationship with Eleanor.” Daventry had not encouraged him to steal her sewing box. He had not persuaded them to kiss, make love, or forge an unbreakable bond.
Aaron frowned. “No, he’s subtle and manipulates events from behind the scenes. I’ll be damned if I know why.”
“Perhaps he understands the value of emotional connections. Daventry had a difficult upbringing. Meeting his wife changed his life. He’s an example to us all.”
Aaron fell silent.
Theo’s thoughts turned to Eleanor, sleeping upstairs in his bed. And how he had no choice but to hurt the man he loved most in this world. How he would fail the person he admired and respected above all others.
He pinched the bridge of his nose to stem a swell of emotion. “I’m in love with Eleanor,” he said, feeling a dreadful guilt for being happy. “She’s everything I could want in a woman—kind, compassionate, intelligent.” Beautiful inside and out. “She understands me like no one else.”
Aaron kept his gaze on the gameplay. “Does Miss Darrow know how you feel about her? Might your regret over stealing her box account for these temporary feelings?”
“My feelings are not temporary,” he said with unwavering conviction. Being with her felt like coming home.
“Are they reciprocated?”
His mind flashed to their interlude in the carriage. She’d missed him. She touched him at every opportunity, made love to him like he was the most desirable man alive. “I can only hope I have not misread the signs. If I’m wrong, I shall be inconsolable.”
“Who wouldn’t love a man with your kind heart?” Aaron faced him. Shadows of loneliness flickered in his eyes, but he smiled. “Go to her. Tell her how you feel. I can deal with things here. Sigmund will help me throw this rabble out.”
Theo’s chest tightened. Not because he was afraid to confess his love but because he sensed a gulf opening between him and his brother. They had walked the same path their entire lives. Now, the path had diverged.
“I’ll stay until the last patron leaves.”
“I’m fine on my own.”
If only that were true.
Sensing Theo’s discomfort, Aaron gripped his shoulder with brotherly affection. “You don’t need to concern yourself with me. I’m renowned for being robust. Follow your heart. It has served your siblings well. You deserve the best life has to offer.”
He swallowed past the thump in his throat. “There’s no one I admire more than you. I want you to know that I love you, as a brother, as a friend.”
Perhaps the smoke from the candles or the patrons’ cheroots had made Aaron’s eyes water. “I trust my actions always convey my feelings. All I have ever wanted is for you to be happy.” There was a sudden shift in Aaron’s mood, and he slapped Theo playfully on the back. “Go now. You know where to find me if you need me.”
Aaron crossed the room under the guise of speaking to the croupier.
With a heavy heart, Theo mounted the stairs to his chamber.
Perhaps Daventry had a plan for Aaron. The agent was the only person skilled enough to topple Aaron’s barricades. The road to love would be rocky. Too arduous for most women. He might help by making Miss Lovelace see Aaron was almost everything she would want in a husband—strong, honest, fiercely loyal. If only he could love her with the same fervency.
Theo forgot Aaron’s plight the second he walked into the softly lit chamber and found Eleanor in her shift, brushing her hair before the freestanding mirror.
“I thought you’d be asleep.” He crossed the room and stood behind her, threading his arms around her waist. Happy just to hold her. “We have a busy day tomorrow. Hopefully, everything will go according to plan.”
