the light. “Who knows, if we can satisfy Uncle Bradley, the Blackwater cellars may see another heyday.”
He poured wine and handed a glass to his brother.
“So, Seb, much as I like to think this is a social call…?” He sat down, crossing one leg over the other, swinging his ankle, regarding his brother with a question in his dark eyes.
“It is, and it isn’t,” Sebastian confessed slowly. He took a sip of his wine, nodded appreciatively, then glanced down at the faded carpet. “Do you remember Lady Serena Carmichael, Jasper?”
Jasper’s expression didn’t change, although his mind was suddenly alert. “Certainly,” he said neutrally. “Why?”
Sebastian pulled at his chin. “You probably remember how things were between us?”
Jasper nodded. “It ended badly, I remember that.”
“Well, they’re back in town, running a hell on Pickering Street. Very high stakes, in quite another class from the previous one on Charles Street.”
Jasper regarded his brother over his wine glass. “I heard a new hell had opened. I was unaware it was run by Heyward and his stepdaughter.”
“I went there not knowing it myself,” Sebastian said.
“I take it, if you had known it, you would have avoided the place.” Jasper’s voice was level.
“Like the plague.” Sebastian stared into the fire’s glow.
Jasper leaned over to refill his wine glass. He waited for a moment or two before prodding gently. “So, what happened?”
Sebastian shook his head briskly as if dispelling cobwebs. “Nothing then, but the devil of it is that I bumped into her again this morning, and I realized that we can’t possibly both live in town without meeting accidentally.”
Jasper sipped his wine with every appearance of serenity. “I can see that there could be some awkwardness.”
“Awkwardness?” The word seemed to explode from Sebastian. “That’s the least of it, Jasper. The moment I saw her again, it all came back.” He ran a distracted hand through his hair, disturbing the neat queue held at his nape with a black velvet ribbon. “Every little thing about her, everything that I had loved, everything that had driven me to distraction. And the bitterness, the anger …” He shook his head as if searching for words before continuing, “I thought I was over her. How could it be otherwise after the way she treated me? But now … now, I just don’t know, and I can’t go through that again.” He raised his eyes from the fire and looked at his brother, who saw in the blue eyes the dreadful bleakness that Perry had seen.
“No,” Jasper agreed, reflecting that he couldn’t bear to see Sebastian suffer like that again. And he could easilyimagine what it would do to Perry to see his twin revisit that hell. “What can I do to help, Seb?”
Sebastian smiled suddenly. “Just be here, as you always have been. I’m going to see her, try to establish clear ground, so that we can at least nod in a civilized fashion should we have to meet. I’m a little scared that I might succumb again, that’s all.”
“Would you like me to see her for you?”
Sebastian shook his head. “No, thank you. I can’t have you doing my dirty work for me. I know you’ve done it often enough in the past, but I am all grown up now, big brother.”
Jasper laughed a little. “I don’t doubt it, Seb. But remember, Perry and I are standing behind you. There’s no shame in needing a little support now and then.”
“’Tis backbone I need,” Sebastian said ruefully.
They heard the sound of the front door, and a moment later, Lady Blackwater put her titian head around the library door. “Oh, Seb, how lovely to see you.”
“Why don’t you bring the rest of you in here?” her husband suggested, a smile in his dark eyes as they rested upon his wife’s countenance. “Where’s the lad?”
“We met the Langston boys on their way to Green Park with their tutor, so he joined them. They’ll bring him home before dark.” Clarissa
He poured wine and handed a glass to his brother.
“So, Seb, much as I like to think this is a social call…?” He sat down, crossing one leg over the other, swinging his ankle, regarding his brother with a question in his dark eyes.
“It is, and it isn’t,” Sebastian confessed slowly. He took a sip of his wine, nodded appreciatively, then glanced down at the faded carpet. “Do you remember Lady Serena Carmichael, Jasper?”
Jasper’s expression didn’t change, although his mind was suddenly alert. “Certainly,” he said neutrally. “Why?”
Sebastian pulled at his chin. “You probably remember how things were between us?”
Jasper nodded. “It ended badly, I remember that.”
“Well, they’re back in town, running a hell on Pickering Street. Very high stakes, in quite another class from the previous one on Charles Street.”
Jasper regarded his brother over his wine glass. “I heard a new hell had opened. I was unaware it was run by Heyward and his stepdaughter.”
“I went there not knowing it myself,” Sebastian said.
“I take it, if you had known it, you would have avoided the place.” Jasper’s voice was level.
“Like the plague.” Sebastian stared into the fire’s glow.
Jasper leaned over to refill his wine glass. He waited for a moment or two before prodding gently. “So, what happened?”
Sebastian shook his head briskly as if dispelling cobwebs. “Nothing then, but the devil of it is that I bumped into her again this morning, and I realized that we can’t possibly both live in town without meeting accidentally.”
Jasper sipped his wine with every appearance of serenity. “I can see that there could be some awkwardness.”
“Awkwardness?” The word seemed to explode from Sebastian. “That’s the least of it, Jasper. The moment I saw her again, it all came back.” He ran a distracted hand through his hair, disturbing the neat queue held at his nape with a black velvet ribbon. “Every little thing about her, everything that I had loved, everything that had driven me to distraction. And the bitterness, the anger …” He shook his head as if searching for words before continuing, “I thought I was over her. How could it be otherwise after the way she treated me? But now … now, I just don’t know, and I can’t go through that again.” He raised his eyes from the fire and looked at his brother, who saw in the blue eyes the dreadful bleakness that Perry had seen.
“No,” Jasper agreed, reflecting that he couldn’t bear to see Sebastian suffer like that again. And he could easilyimagine what it would do to Perry to see his twin revisit that hell. “What can I do to help, Seb?”
Sebastian smiled suddenly. “Just be here, as you always have been. I’m going to see her, try to establish clear ground, so that we can at least nod in a civilized fashion should we have to meet. I’m a little scared that I might succumb again, that’s all.”
“Would you like me to see her for you?”
Sebastian shook his head. “No, thank you. I can’t have you doing my dirty work for me. I know you’ve done it often enough in the past, but I am all grown up now, big brother.”
Jasper laughed a little. “I don’t doubt it, Seb. But remember, Perry and I are standing behind you. There’s no shame in needing a little support now and then.”
“’Tis backbone I need,” Sebastian said ruefully.
They heard the sound of the front door, and a moment later, Lady Blackwater put her titian head around the library door. “Oh, Seb, how lovely to see you.”
“Why don’t you bring the rest of you in here?” her husband suggested, a smile in his dark eyes as they rested upon his wife’s countenance. “Where’s the lad?”
“We met the Langston boys on their way to Green Park with their tutor, so he joined them. They’ll bring him home before dark.” Clarissa
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