For All Time (Nantucket Brides 2)

“No, I don’t. It was just me.”

“Then someday maybe I can tell you what you’ve had the pleasure of missing.”

“I would love to hear it,” Toby said, smiling up at him as she held on to his arm.

Earlier, Graydon had walked out of the big tent behind three people carrying food and furniture. It had taken more time than he would have liked to arrange a private dinner, but he’d done it. It seemed that a second, much smaller tent had been set up and Graydon had commandeered it. A table, chairs, candles, were all to be put inside, then he and Miss Wyndam would—

“What the hell are you doing?”

His brother’s voice and the Lanconian language took the smile off Graydon’s face. His plan had been to try to win over the young lady before he had to ask his brother to make what he wanted to do possible. “I’m having dinner,” Graydon said. “With a young woman. I’ll talk to you later.”

His brother’s dismissal was so unusual that for a moment Rory couldn’t speak. It was only when his brother turned away that he recovered himself. “Unless you want a third dinner guest, we’ll talk now.”

Graydon halted, gritted his teeth for a moment, then turned back. He waited while the catering people went past him to the little tent, then he stepped into the wooded area with his brother. “Let’s make this quick. She’s waiting for me.”

Rory couldn’t seem to take the astonishment off his face. “You picked up a girl? You?! I assume she’s the girl you were making a fool of yourself over at the ceremony. She’s pretty but not exactly something to set a man on fire. I could set you up with—”

Rory stepped back just in time to miss his brother’s fist slamming into his face. If they hadn’t spent a lot of time training together, Rory would be flat on his back now.

“By the wrath of Naos, but that was close!” Rory said, and stood there staring, wide-eyed.

Graydon adjusted his cuffs. “I guess I should apologize for that but my apology quota is filled for tonight. Is there something you wanted to say to me?”

Never before had anything come between the brothers. But tonight Graydon—the calm one—had almost struck Rory—the hot-tempered one—in anger.

Rory lost his attitude. “You … what? Fell in love with this girl? At first sight?” He was astonished.

“No,” Graydon said. “Not at all.” He looked at his brother in the dim light. “She can tell us apart.”

Rory blinked for a moment. “How do you know?”

“She knew it wasn’t me in the bar. What were you thinking when you confronted her?”

“I didn’t. At least not her specifically. It was three very pretty girls and I said hello. The one you like turned her little nose up at me and walked out. I haven’t been put down like that in … well, ever, actually. Do you think you and I are getting old?”

“I think she didn’t want to be accosted by a stranger.”

Rory gave a little smile. “So you figured out another way to pick her up?” He nodded toward the small tent. “Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries? That should do it. These American girls—” Again Rory stepped back when his brother looked ready to punch him.

“All right,” Rory said, “no more jokes. How do you know she can tell us apart?”

“The other bridesmaid, the dark-haired one, said they saw me at the bar. I didn’t think about it, but I said I was there. The blonde—she’s called Toby—got quite angry at me for lying.”

“But you got her to forgive you?”

“I hope so. Look, I have to go, but I want you to do something for me.”

“Find out about her?”

“No!” Graydon said. “I’ll do that on my own. I want to stay here,” he said softly. He looked back at his brother. “In fact, I am going to stay here on Nantucket for an entire week.”

Rory was trying to cover his shock. For all that they were identical twins, they were very different personalities. His brother was the responsible one, the one who put duty before … well, before life. Rory was a man of impulse, a man who didn’t believe in duty in any form.

“How can you get away with being gone that long?” Rory asked. “You can’t even escape for twenty-four hours without consequences. Our father will send soldiers to find you, and your disappearance will be on the news. The entire planet will start looking for you in the hope of a reward.”

“No, they won’t,” Graydon said as he looked hard at his brother. “No one will look for me because you are going to take my place.”

Rory laughed at that. “We may fool outsiders but our family will know.”