Page 64 of Mr. Eastwood’s Match

And why did everything hurt?

Chapter Nineteen

Roman was waiting.

Lyness had barely stepped through the front door when a clipped, unmistakable voice called to him from the study. “Lyness. In here.”

He removed his hat, handed it to Thomas the footman, and braced himself. The house was too quiet. His mother must have retired after he returned her home from the garden party. Roman had been at the club earlier, with his list of suspects and the hope of enlisting his friends to investigate. Given the tone of his voice, either it had not gone well or he had learned of Lyness’s actions already. Which left Lyness with no chance of delaying what must come.

He entered the study, shoulders squared and head held high.

Standing near the mantel, Roman braced one hand against the carved stone, the other clenched at his side. His jaw tight enough to crack.

“Would you like to explain yourself?” Roman’s voice was dangerously calm. “Because I am curious to hear you attempt it.”

Keeping his composure, Lyness closed the door behind him. “I take it you have heard the news.”

“Heard,” Roman snapped, “is far too gentle a word. I was informed. At my club. By men who found themselves delighted to congratulate me on my brother’s sudden betrothal.” He turned, eyes sharp. It was a rare thing, to see Roman shaken enough to let emotion show plainly on his face. He was, in fact, furious. “My brother who, until this morning, had given no indication he intended to propose to Lady Emily Sterling.”

It took effort to keep his voice steady and his stutter to a minimum. “I acted to protect her.”

“No,” Roman shot back. “You acted without speaking to me. Did you consult with anyone before you made your announcement?”

“No.” His hands balled at his sides, but he told himself to keep calm. He had expected this, but he thought he would be the one informing Roman of the change in plans, not defending himself.

“What were you thinking, Lyness? How could you make such a decision without speaking to Sterling? Without speaking to her. Do you have any idea the position you have placed her in? The position you have placed this family in?”

Lyness flinched—not at the words, but at the way Roman spoke them, as though Lyness were a reckless boy rather than the man who had helped carry Emily from danger the night before. “I did what I needed to do.”

That made Roman glower. “What you needed to do?” He stalked toward Lyness. “I have spent the entire day trying to determine who attempted to drug me, and in the midst of it, I am told my own brother has decided to shoulder a burden meant for me. The responsibility was mine. I am the head of this family, I am the one that must see to it that things are done correctly. You do not understand, Lyness. The engagement ought to have been mine to offer, because I am the one who⁠—”

“No,” Lyness interrupted quietly. “The responsibility is mine.”

That pulled Roman up short, and his steps halted.

Torn between needing to speak quickly and clearly, Lyness had to fight his tongue for every other word he said. “You speak of responsibility as though I do not understand it. As though running to rescue a lady from scandal is more than I can manage. But Roman, for years now, I have been the one handling the estate accounts. I have ridden through rain and snow to settle disputes between tenants. I have met with the solicitor at every turn while you were here in York, fighting political battles.” His voice firmed. “Do not tell me I do not understand responsibility.”

Roman’s anger faltered by a fraction. A small fraction, but it was enough for Lyness to notice it.

With some relief that his brother was listening, truly listening, Lyness continued, the words finally untangling themselves after years of trapping his tongue. “I have done all of it willingly. Gladly. And I will continue, as it is my duty to our family. But do not lecture me as if I have spent my life idle while you alone carried burdens.”

For a long and uncomfortable moment, Roman stared at him. His throat tightened on a swallow. “That is not what I meant.”

“Yet it is what you said,” Lyness replied, quiet and resolute.

The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on.

Finally, Roman scraped a hand over his face, staring at the floor between them. “Lyness…you should not have claimed a betrothal on impulse. Not for a woman still recovering. Not without speaking to me. Not without knowing⁠—”

“I know what matters,” Lyness said softly.

At that his brother looked up, brows drawn together and eyes troubled.

Lyness swallowed. His throat felt tight, but the words would not be denied. They had waited too long already. “I know that I am falling in love with her.”

Shock widened Roman’s eyes, and his fury melted away.

After Lyness steadied his words with a breath, he spoke with nary a stammer. “I know that when she is unwell, my heart feels as though someone has reached inside and twisted it. I know that every time she looks at me, I feel as though I have stepped into sunlight after standing in the shadows my entire life.” His voice softened. “I know that if the circumstances were better, she might never have chosen me at all. But this morning, when gossip was already turning cruel…Roman, I could not bear the thought of her being sacrificed to duty. Or to your sense of honor.”