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“List?” Eleanor questioned. “What list?” She let go of the duke’s hand and snatched it from him, unfolding it. “Nate?” She recognized her brother’s handwriting immediately.

“Yes?” he replied.

Eleanor shook her head, and she scoffed as she read through the items. “You left a list of instructions on how to handle me?”

“A list of suggestions on how to make your Season better, Ellie,” Nathaniel clarified. “And I distinctly remember that I didn’t write anything about a wedding.”

Eleanor read through the list a second time and turned her attention to her husband. “You never mentioned anything about a list of instructions on how to handle me. What was I to you? A pet?”

“I’m glad to see that you’re feeling more like your old self,” Gabriel noted with a smile.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Eleanor questioned.

Gabriel didn’t answer the question and instead spoke to Nathaniel. “You wanted me to tell you that your sister had fun during the Season, and I will argue that I succeeded.”

“I respect you and like you, Your Grace, but I am in no mood for jokes.”

“Then let’s not make any,” he said sternly. “I watched over your sister since the beginning of the Season, and I did everything you asked of me and more. I was there for her when she was brought to tears, and I brought her lemon cakes to help her. I let her climb trees without hesitation. I let her argue when she needed to, and I will admit that I argued back at times, but it was what was needed. I did everything you asked of me.”

“And that still doesn’t explain why I have returned to find you married,” Nathaniel said.

Eleanor knew her brother, and from the clipped tone of his voice, she could tell that he needed a serious explanation now.

“I’m getting to that,” Gabriel replied with a low growl.

Eleanor still clung to Gabriel, but she had known her brother her entire life. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and she had no idea how she could explain what had happened without either straight-up lying or admitting to her brother how much she had messed up.

And for what? For a loveless marriage like her mother’s?

“I had to be there for Eleanor through what she went through, and I used your list to be there for her, and during that time, I got closer to your sister.”

Gabriel took a moment to lift her hand and kiss the back of it softly. It was exactly the sort of thing that Eleanor yearned for, but she also knew that it was a show he put on to convince Nathaniel that they had married for the right reasons.

“I watched lords approach your sister: Gentlemen of the ton, other men from across England, and I took note of your sister’s reaction to them. I don’t believe it is hyperbole when I state that none of them entranced her. The more suitors who approached, the more it looked to me that she would be ensnared in a marriage to a man who was beneath her.”

“So, you stepped in to fill that void?” Nathaniel asked.

“Yes,” Gabriel answered, letting the word hang in the air for a moment. “I know I have my failings, but I can also offer more than any of the men who approached Eleanor. Perhaps there was one man who came close, a friend of mine, but even he was not nearly good enough for her.”

“So, you married my sister because no other man was deserving of her, and it was you who passed judgment on all of them?” Nathaniel asked.

Eleanor let go of the duke’s hand and stepped forward. “Gabriel is right. I had a number of suitors who approached me, and I did not feel anything for any of them. You left me in Gabriel’s care, and if he had advised me on a match, I would have accepted that advice without question, but he did not, and I am not trapped in a marriage.”

“You must still make it make sense,” Nathaniel grumbled. “I understand not letting my sister settle, but a marriage is about more than material possessions or what comfort you can offer Eleanor. Please tell me there is more to this than convenience.”

“Of course,” Gabriel stated, stepping forward to stand by Eleanor’s side. “The more time we spent together, the more we developed feelings for each other. You wouldn’t wish for her to marry someone she barely knew, would you?”

“I’m still considering what I want from this,” Nathaniel admitted. “I’m still trying to figure out exactly how this happened.”

Nathaniel had more time to consider it when Margaret returned to the drawing room, pushing a cart with a maid trying to take the cart handle and push it for her.

“Honestly,” Margaret gushed. “Nathaniel, I must tell you all about Lord Westcott.”

Everyone in the room fell silent as Margaret made an entrance.

“Oh, what broad shoulders,” Margaret said with a dreamy smile.

“Mother, we are in the middle of a discussion,” Nathaniel told her.