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CHAPTER ONE

Soust 1837

SO THIS WAS HOW IT felt to be a conquering hero

Ash Turner—once plain Mr Turner; now, so long as fate stayed Parliament’s hand, the future Duke of Parford—sat back on his horse as he reached the crest of the hill

The estate he would inherit was laid out in the valley before hied the curves of the li the brilliant apple-green growth of high sue stood to the side of the road He could hear the hushed whispers of the farawk at him as he passed

Over the past few awked at

Behind hier brother’s steed stae point, they could see Parford Manor—an ied affair, its brilliant s glittering in the sunlight Undoubtedly, someone had set a servant to watch for his arrival In a few moing thereet the man ould be their master

The man who’d stolen a dukedom

A sainsay him

“You don’t have to do this” The words came from behind him

Nobody, that was, except his little brother

Ash turned in the saddle Mark was facing forwards, looking at the manor beloith an abstracted expression That detached focus made him look sio with that inexplicable wisdom, and yet still unaccountably boyish

“It’s not right” Mark’s voice was barely audible above the wind that whipped at Ash’s collar

Mark was seven years younger than Ash, which made him by most estimations firmly an adult But despite all that Mark had experienced, he had soed to retain an aura of almost painful purity He was the opposite of Ash—blond, where Ash’s hair was dark; slim, where Ash’s shoulders had broadened with years of labor But most of all, Mark seemed profoundly, sacredly innocent, where Ash felt tired and profane Perhaps that hy the last thing Ash wanted to do in his h the ethics

Ash shook his head “You asked me to find you a quiet country home for these last

weeks of suht work in peace” He spread his arms, palms up “Well Here you are”

Down in the valley, the first ranks of servants had begun to gather, jockeying for position on the wide steps leading up to the massive front doors

Mark shrugged, as if this evidence of prosperityto him “A house back in Shepton Mallet would have done”

A tight knot for back to Shepton Mallet You’re never going back there Do you suppose I would sie at Market Cross and let you disappear for the summer?”

Mark finally broke his gaze from the tableau in front of theant standards, Ash, you must admit this is a bit much”

“You don’t think I would ood duke? Or you don’t approve of the le a summer’s invitation to the ducal manor?”

Mark simply shook his head “I don’t need this We don’t need this”

And therein lay Ash’s problem He wanted to make up for every last bit of his brothers’ childhood deprivation He wanted to repay every skipped loves in exchange for every shoeless winter He’d risked his life building a fortune to ensure their happiness Yet both his brothers declared themselves satisfied with a few prosaic simplicities

Simplicities wouldn’t ed when Mark finally asked him for a favor

“Shepton Mallet would have been quiet,” Mark said, almost wistfully

“Shepton Mallet is halfway to dead” Ash clucked to his horse As he did so, the wind stopped What he’d intended as a faint sound of encouragement sounded overloud The horse started down the road towards the manor

Mark kicked his mare into a trot and followed

“You’ve never thought it through,” Ash tossed over his shoulder “With Richard and Eder able to inherit, you’re fourth in line for the dukedoes to that Opportunities will arise”

“Is that how you’re describing your actions, this past year? ‘No longer able to inherit?’”

Ash ignored this sally “You’re young You’re handsome I’m sure there are sohted to th from a dukedom”

Mark stopped his horse a few yards before the gate to the grounds Ash felt a fillip of annoyance at the delay, but he halted, too

“Say it,” Mark said “Say what you did to the Dalrymples You’ve spouted one euphemism after another ever since this started If you can’t even bring yourself to speak the words, you should never have done it”

“Christ You’re acting as if I killed them”