Lilith didn't come back to Hurtmore that night. Brandon fell into a miserable mood, and it was no better come morning.
Kendall's father went back to work, either out of a sense of duty or out of the uncomfortable atmosphere that had arisen, leaving Kendall and her mother to keep Brandon company.
"Kendall," her brother said to her halfway through the afternoon, after there was still no word from Lilith. "Will you do me a favor?"
She had a good feeling she knew what he was going to ask for. "Anything."
"Find out what happened to her. Find out what's going on."
Logan came in as he said this. He stepped forward, nodding in Kendall's direction. "I'll go with her."
Brandon blinked in surprise. "Really?"
Logan nodded.
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. It's more for her sake than yours."
"Even so."
He drew a long breath, lightly nudging Kendall's arm. "Come on then."
A few minutes later, the pair were making their way out of the estate together. It was a mild, pretty day, and their strolling pace made Kendall feel awkward, as if they were a couple sneaking away for some privacy. Get such thoughts out of your head, Kendall. You know he doesn't see you that way.
At first, neither of them said anything or even met each other's gaze. Kendall began to rethink allowing him to come with her, deciding she had better find something to say. She cleared her throat, speaking up, "So what do you think happened to her?"
"Lilith? Her father must have said or done something to guilt her into staying home."
"I can't believe her. She promised she would come back."
"I'm sure she had her reasons."
"Giving her the benefit of the doubt?" Kendall asked with a hint of displeasure.
"We don't know the whole story after all."
"I'll never forgive her if she backs out on him, never."
"If that does happen, Brandon will survive. As I did."
"But you never forget something like that, do you?"
"No, you don't. But maybe that's a good thing. You never forget what you learn either."
"So what did you learn?"
"Me? I learned about myself. And that means a great deal. We have to understand ourselves before we can understand anyone else, don't you think?"
"That's ... very profound."
He laughed. "I know. I'm surprised too."
"So you really don't regret anything?"
"Of course I do. I regret hurting her and your brother. I regret all the time I wasted being angry and hurt. But then again, perhaps all that was part of the lesson. Part of a long, difficult lesson I had to learn for myself."
They trotted through the trees, slowing as they passed the spot where they had met when he first returned to Coser. Logan shot her a meaningful look, remarking, "It seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it?"
"A lot's happened."
"By the way, I've been wondering about this bet of yours."
She let out a groan. "It was stupid of me, I know."
"I want to know how it came about. I find it hard to imagine Lilith being part of something like that."
"Really? You find it hard to imagine that she would jump at the chance to beat me at something?"
"What is it between the two of you that you feel compelled to outdo the other?"
"You mean like between you and Brandon, with your duel?"
"That's different."
"At least in our bet no one was hurt."
"Not physically," he said, a little sharply. "The wounds you can see heal much faster than the ones you don't."
She frowned, then grudgingly admitted, "Alright. Fair enough. But you have to believe me – I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all you."
"Yet, you didn't want me reuniting with Lilith."
"She broke your heart."
"That doesn't make it right."
Kendall drew to a stop, facing him. "Is that why you came back to Coser? To win her back?"
"No, I came back for my father. You know this."
"I only know what you told me."
"Wait, why are you getting so upset?"
Kendall told herself to draw a breath in order to calm down. "I just want you to believe me."
"You just want me to believe what?"
"That I would never make use of you for a bet. The whole idea of it was wrong and stupid – I see that now. And I think Lilith does too, that's why she called it off."
"No more bet?"
"No."
"Good. I'm glad to hear that." He nodded down the road. "Come on. Let's keep going."
They began walking again, and as the moments fell away, so did the worst of the tension.
"It's just as well," Kendall muttered, looking off into the brush. "It's obvious I had no chance of winning anyway."
"What about you and Tyler Black?"
"What about him?" she said, scowling.
"Brandon told me you two are now engaged."
"Out of necessity. His stupid lies have gotten us into this mess, and now we can't get out."
"So you don't want to marry him?"
"Of course not! After everything he's done?"
"What if the bet were still in effect? How would you feel about marrying him then?"
"I would still feel the same way – that he's a vile little toad and I hope he never comes back to Coser."
"So he's not the one."
"The one what?"
"The one you like. The one you told me about that night at Hurtmore."
Kendall blinked, then shook her head. "No, of course not. That's ... someone else."
"I don't know why you're so afraid to tell me who it is."
"Because it would be a huge embarrassment. Trust me on that."
"He's not married, is he?"
"No. Give me some credit, Logan."
"I was just checking," he defended himself. He paused, lightly raking a hand through his hair. "Do you really like this man?"
"I do."
"Is he good enough for you?"
"What?"
"You deserve someone who will give you his best."
"I don't know about that. Look at me. Look at the things I've done."
"You've made mistakes. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be happy."
Kendall didn't feel like she deserved to be happy. And she certainly didn't feel like she deserved Logan. She looked away, and was glad that Logan seemed to understand that she didn't want to talk anymore.
They came to the Moore house, and Sky perked up noticeably at the sight of her. "Oh, Sky," she sighed. "I'm sorry. You've been all alone." Kendall went through the gate, rushing to give the mare some hay. Sky pushed her nuzzle against Kendall's cheek, nibbling playfully at her hair.
"It looks like she's missed you," Logan commented, leaning against the fence.
"After I deal with Lilith, I have to come back and clean her stall, let her out, exercise her - "
"After you deal with Lilith?"
"You know what I mean."
Logan did a smirk before his face became serious again. "You know, there's plenty of room in the Hurtmore stables. Apollo's there, so you might as well bring her too."
Kendall turned, looking over her shoulder. Logan was peering at her with one cheek resting on his fist, his figure framed by tall trees with rich, green crowns. "Logan, that's too generous of you. My whole family's over at Hurtmore, and we don't know for how long that's going to be."
"Well, after getting Brandon injured, I think it's the least I could do. And it's nice to have people in the estate, other than the servants."
Kendall rubbed Sky's coat, whispering in her ear that she would be back soon. She scrambled back to the gate, and Logan pulled it open to let her through. Ever the gentleman. They headed past the Moore house onto the street, and Kendall noticed Logan's glance flicking towards his old home. She decided not to say anything for the moment. They needed to focus on what they had set out to do.
They took the walk to the Harper manor, sharing an apprehensive look as they approached the front door. Logan rang the bell, and soon after, they were answered by that tall, elderly servant with the sharp tongue. "Oh," he said with obvious distaste.
"We'd like to speak to Lilith, please."
"Is she expecting you?"
"Actually, we were expecting her."
He scrunched his brows, not understanding.
"Is she here or not?" Kendall asked impatiently.
Adopting a pinched expression, he pulled the door wide for them. The pair toed their way inside, standing in the foyer. "I'll fetch Miss Lilith," he said, breezing off. "Try not to touch anything."
Kendall scowled behind the man's back.
"The man's still as friendly as ever," Logan commented drily. "He never did like me."
"That goes for both of us now."
They waited a long time before they heard footsteps coming briskly down the stairs. They perked up when they saw Lilith, until they saw her anxious expression. Lilith dragged a breath into her lungs as she came up. "What are you two doing here?"
"Where have you been?" Kendall put to her. "Brandon's been waiting for you."
"I know."
"You gave your word you would come back. You can't do this to him, not now."
"I'm sorry," she said, raising her hands in earnest. "But you two need to understand that this is a delicate situation I'm in. Regina and I are doing our best to work on my father, but we need time."
"Lilith, he was counting on you."
"I know. I'm doing my best here, you have to believe me. If it takes my staying here a little longer to convince him, then this works out in the long run."
They heard a door slam upstairs, and Lilith stiffened. "Look," she said, looking between them. "Tell Brandon I'm sorry and that I'll come see him as soon as I can. For now, you should go. It won't help if my father sees you here."
"Where have I heard that before?" Logan muttered, and Lilith shot him a look.
"Please, just go." She ushered them out, and the two of them blinked in shock as they door was shut on them.
Logan began counting off on his fingers. "Hmm, nasty servant, Lilith scared out of her wits, being shooed out of the manor - this is all striking me as a bit too familiar." He turned to Kendall with a frown. "This doesn't look like it will end well."
"Do you really think that?? No, she can't back out. Brandon practically proposed to her."
"So did I once, remember?"
"But in front of all of us and everything! She can't just .... "
Logan gave her a look as if to say: Are you surprised?
Kendall let loose a stream of incoherent, angry noises, moving down the step. "No one will ever be good enough for them!" she growled, as Logan trailed after her. "And Lilith - that coward! Why do we have to be the one to tell Brandon for her? Why should I have to do her dirty work?"
Logan shrugged, knowing there was not much to be said. They marched on for some way, Kendall still steaming, and were walking along the square when they saw someone waving to them.
"Kendall!" Lindsay came up, blinking when she saw who was with her. "Logan."
Logan bowed his head politely. "Hello, Lindsay."
Lindsay frowned. "You don't look injured."
"Pardon me?"
"I just heard about the duel. You and Brandon were dueling for Lilith Harper's hand, and Brandon won so now he's going to marry her."
"What?" Kendall and Logan exclaimed together. "Where did you hear that?" Kendall demanded.
"Rosemary and the girls." She pointed to where they were sitting on a bench across the square.
"Excuse me," Logan muttered, going off to investigate.
Lindsay did a few blinks, turning to Kendall. "Does that mean it's not true?"
"Not that version, no. I'm sorry, Lindsay. I'll explain things later." Kendall went after Logan, finding him talking with the girls. He turned his head as she came up, a worried look on his face. "Apparently, that ridiculous story is all over town."
"Oh no."
"People think Brandon and Lilith are about to be married. If Richard Harper hears about this - "
"I know. He'll have our heads. Is there anything we can do?"
"I think you know all too well how these things are, and how futile it is to try and stop them."
"This is getting from bad to worse," Kendall moaned, pressing her hands over her eyes. It felt like things were spinning out of control. If only she could make everything stop for a while so she could just take a moment to think. She felt Logan rubbing her back, and looked up at him in surprise.
He smiled awkwardly, taking his hand away. "Come on. Let's go."
Wordlessly, she nodded. They made their way towards the Moore house, and again, Kendall saw the way he looked down the street. "I'll need some time to tend to Sky," she pointed out. "You should ... go see your parents."
His expression became unsure.
"I'm sure they'll appreciate it," she added.
"Not my father."
"Especially your father."
"I don't know," he sighed.
"You aren't going to be in Coser long," she reminded him. "Don't you think you should spend some time with them before you leave?"
There was no good argument to that. "Alright," he finally agreed.
"I'll see you back at Hurtmore."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded.
"Alright then." He turned, heading down the road while Kendall stared after him. It would only be for an hour or so, but her heart wrenched as if it were their final goodbye. I have to got to get over this, or I won't be able to handle it when he leaves. Nothing ever even happened between us!
With such thoughts plaguing her, coming back to Sky was a welcome distraction. She almost enjoyed cleaning out Sky's stall, throwing herself into the work. It was good to have something to do, something to focus on.
When she was done, she went inside the house, gathered up some things for her, Brandon and her parents and shoved them into a few bags. She hauled them outside, loading them on Sky's back. "Sorry to treat you like a pack mule today," she apologized. "But it's not much, and I promise there's nothing heavy."
Sky responded with an energetic bob of her head. Kendall put the lead on her, then used a few apple slices to lure her out of the yard. The pair walked together along the dirt road, taking the path that had become so familiar, Sky would trot forward even without Kendall's guiding hand.
"How could Lilith give him up?" Kendall said out loud, unsurprisingly not receiving any response from Sky. "No, I'm not talking about Brandon. I mean him. Before things became such a mess, before he moved away and turned bitter and became a rich man."
Kendall paused, then shrugged as if in a real conversation. "I don't know. I don't know if he still loves her. All I know is she's a fool if she lets Brandon get away too."
The trees parted then, and Hurtmore, the home of Kendall's dreams, loomed before them. Kendall did a wistful sigh, moving down the gentle slope, and Sky followed obligingly. They went past the gates, and Kendall hung around on the grounds, inspecting the stables and talking to the groomsmen. They let Sky roam over the green, and the young mare trotted about for a bit before dropping onto a worn patch of ground and rubbing herself silly.
"All this room to run around and you go and do that," Kendall teased, clicking her tongue. Her tone was cheery, but she was all too aware of the fact that she was just biding time. She was dreading going inside to speak to her brother. The thought seemed even more daunting without Logan at her side.
But at last, she knew she couldn't put it off any longer. She left Sky to the men's care and grudgingly headed inside. She stepped inside the hall where she had left her brother, but was surprised to find him asleep.
Relief washed over her, then became tinged with guilt. Well, if he was asleep, there was nothing she could do about that. She wasn't about to wake him just to be the bearer of bad news. She crept away, finding her mother resting in the parlor. The way her mother sat on the sofa, with a throw blanket over her and a cup of tea in hand, made it seem as if she was the owner of the house and not a guest.
Kendall bit back her irritation, going over to sit across from her mother.
"Kendall," her mother greeted. "You're back. How did it go?"
"Not too well."
Her mother set down her teacup, sitting straighter. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"To be honest, I don't really know." She gave an uneasy laugh. "Lilith said she wanted to stay and talk to her father, but I don't know. It seemed to me like ... she might be having second thoughts."
"What? Are you sure?"
"If she's going to be wishy-washy about Brandon, then maybe he's better off. She doesn't deserve him."
"Easy, my dear. We have to understand her situation too."
"It may be her situation, but I'm the one who has to tell Brandon."
"I can't believe she'd change her mind like that so quickly. It doesn't make sense."
"Mother," Kendall said in a serious tone. "I wanted this to happen just as much as you did, but I think we have to be realistic."
"No. I saw something between those two. She wouldn't just turn on that."
She turned on Logan, didn't she? Do you really think she's changed? Kendall didn't say this, taking a different tack instead. "Our families come from two different worlds. Not to mention we still - " She stopped herself before she could mention the debt. After all, she was not supposed to know about it.
Her mother leaned forward, her gaze piercing as a hawk's. "Still what?"
"Nothing. The Harpers are just on a whole other level of society."
"For all their money, they're just people like us, with people thoughts and people worries and people problems."
Kendall pursed her lips, not saying anything in response.
Her mother picked up her cup again, gesturing it at her. "And I, for one, think you should have a little more faith in Lilith Harper."