A Fiery Dalliance

XVI

"Perrie is not security." Perrie was certainly a lot of things, but she wasn't her monetary value. The idea of Ed pursuing Perrie in this way made Joe's insides twist. His father's words rang inside of his head at other men doing exactly the same thing upon her debut next year. It was wrong, and Joe did not like it at all.

"Are you sweet on her, brother?" Ed asked simply.

"No," Joe rebuffed immediately. "I would rather wed a toad."

Ed pursed his lips for a moment. "If she rejects me, then there is nothing I can do about it. But I will have kept up my end of the bargain." He took a deep breath. "Do not worry about me," he urged. "And do not worry about your Lady Perrie, either. Odds are she will see my face and associate it with you, and she will loathe me, too. The reason I am here is to see my brother again. That is all."

Joe could not escape the feeling that his brother was not telling him everything, but Ed was entirely tight lipped. He was often this way when he was trying to protect Joe.

"You have always protected me from Father. I feel I need to start doing the same thing for you," Joe said quietly after a moment of silence between them.

Ed's face softened.

"Father has not even acknowledged my existence since arriving at Ashwood. Really, you have no reason to protect me. I have every reason to protect you."

"You have seen the reason Father's mind had been preoccupied. He will turn his attention to you, and when he does, I will be there to block him," Ed said with determination. "I told you that I have come here for you, Joe. Everything I do, I do for you."

Joe could hear the sincerity in his brother's words. He knew that Ed meant every part of it. He knew that their father's attention would eventually turn to him. He knew that his father would look at him and call him a failure, and that he would still have something to offer the world had he not blown himself up and wound up deaf.

But despite all that, what was twisting his stomach more in that moment was Perrie being a part of this plan to restore the Evesham estate. What if Ed was wrong and she did not reject him? What if Perrie accepted Ed?

"She's maddening," Joe murmured. "But she does have a heart." Joe had seen it plain as day. "Don't toy with her."

"I would never," promised Ed as he came to place a hand on Joe's shoulder. "I am proud of what you have done here, Joe. It is clear that this family hold you in high esteem. You have earned their respect as you have always had mine."

***

"Promise not to leave my side when we go into breakfast this morning," Perrie burst into Lily's bedroom without knocking. In doing so, and catching her sister about to head behind her privacy screen, she was reminded of the last time that she had so entered a room, and the state that she had caught its occupant in. She really needed to learn to knock.

Perrie noticed immediately that Lily was not alone as one of the maids was there ready to help her dress.

Lily frowned before disappearing, and shortly afterward she tossed her nightgown over the top of the screen. The housemaid collected the nightgown and put it away, before she moved behind the screen to affix Lily's buttons.

Perrie flitted over to her sister's bed and sat down while she waited for the maid to finish. Two minutes passed and both Lily and the maid walked out from behind the screen. The maid curtseyed to them both before leaving and Lily looked at Perrie expectantly.

"Do you promise?" Perrie prompted.

"Yes, but why?"

"I made a fool of myself in front of Mr Parish," Perrie groaned.