Chapter 27

As he watched her walk away, guilt absolutely flooded George.

He did not mean for any of that to happen. All he wanted to do was stop Gregory from kissing Sophie or proposing to her. He wanted her to know the truth, but not like that. Never like that. The hurt that crossed her face as she confessed the depth of her true feelings for him was something he would never be able to forget.

He had been frozen to the spot, stuck in this horrible moment for what felt like far too long. Frozen in silence.

But now other people had started to gossip and move around once more, because there was clearly nothing else going on with the brothers, George snapped into action once more.

"I am leaving," he muttered under his breath. "I am not doing this anymore."

All he really wanted was to be left alone, but unfortunately Gregory did not seem to sense that. He followed George all the way outside the building, even walking towards the carriage with him. In his determination to be by himself, George turned on his heels, deciding to skip the carriage. Perhaps the walk home would give him time to clear his head, but Gregory continued to not get the hint. He carried on following him.

"Stop," Gregory begged. "You cannot just leave like this. We have to talk about it…"

"Leave me alone," George bit back. "I have absolutely nothing to stay to you."

"No, I need to know what just happened. Why did you ruin that for me when I was finally getting somewhere with Lady Dashwood? It does not make any sense. I do not understand why you would not help me wed her when you know she will help me."

"Leave it," George warned. "I am not discussing this with you. I just know that Lady Dashwood deserves much better than a husband who only wants her money. She deserves to be loved."

"Will you stop?"

George sighed.

He paused, trying to give himself a moment to think.

But thoughts did not come.

Actions did.

Finally, after all these years, George returned the favor, and he twisted around to punch his brother in the face.

It was not hard, not really. But it did cause Gregory to stagger back away from him giving him some much needed space. All he wanted was to be left alone.

Silence clung to the air as Gregory grabbed his nose. But as soon as he realized that there was no blood, he glared at George.

There was a massive chance that this was going to escalate into a physical fight, and there would be no reason for either of them to stop.

But that did not happen. Even to his own surprise, George found himself talking and being honest.

"I have fallen for Lady Dashwood, Gregory. I have really fallen for her, and I cannot stand to see her harmed. It is not right. I know why you want to marry her, and I cannot allow that to happen because she has my heart."

"I did not know." Much to George's shock, Gregory actually looked guilty as he responded. "I thought you were simply looking at Lady Dashwood in the same way that I was."

"I do not need the money," George reminded him. "I have a very successful business in Sweden. One that I can take anywhere in the world with me. So I do not need a dowry."

"Yet, you will not allow me to have the money myself, knowing that I need it."

George glared at Gregory. "Your problems have been brought on by yourself. You are the one who has chosen to gamble and to be foolish with money. Not me."

Gregory hung his head low. "I have not always made the right life choices, I know that. I can see that. But I am not gambling any longer, and I really am trying to make up for everything that I have done. I am trying to make things right, to look after the family name."

George shook his head. "How am I supposed to believe you?"

Gregory sighed heavily. "I might not have treated you well when you first arrived in London, but that is because your visit came as a surprise. I know I should have told you about Father's passing, but I did not want you to return to see me failing. I wanted to be in a better position before you finally returned. I wanted you to finally see me as a success." Gregory smiled a little to himself. "Because I have always looked up to you, George. Always. I have always wanted you to be impressed by me, which I might not have shown well over the years. But I have always held on to the fact that we were close as kids. I thought it was something we would be able to get back eventually."

George did not want to get mixed up in this nostalgia, not when he was still a little angry.

But he had also never heard this vulnerable side of his brother, and it tugged on his heart strings a little.

"I never should have told Father those lies," Gregory declared sadly. "I was not the right brother to take on the viscount position. I just could not stand to see you win at something else, when it felt like you won at everything else. You have always been so much better than me at everything and I suppose I was jealous."

"All I ever wanted, Gregory, was to be your brother. I never wanted to fall out like this. I never wanted any of this."

Gregory swallowed hard and nodded.

George was still a little anxious, he was not sure if he could fully trust his brother, but this was the closest he had felt to him in a very long time.

"I feel so very terrible about my selfish behavior and everything I have done," he confessed. "I truly have only been thinking about myself in all of this."

"Yes, I am very much the same," George agreed sadly. "I just did not realize it until Lady Dashwood called us out on our behavior. She has made me see everything."

"Seeing Lady Dashwood cry like that has truly broken me," Gregory said. "I never want to cause a woman pain like that. I never want to make a woman cry. She was right, I was not looking at her like she was a human being. I was treating her like a bank."

"And now you have had a sudden change of heart?" George narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What has caused that?"

"A change of heart that has been coming forever," Gregory insisted. "I have been feeling terrible about myself and my actions for a very long time. I might have been acting like I am a happy arrogant lord who has had everything handed to him, but deep down I have a sorrowful heart. Deep down, I truly want to be better."

"I do not know if I can believe you about this."

"Well, I will prove it to you, George. I will do whatever it takes to prove it to you. In fact, I will help you get Lady Dashwood back. I mean, you have feelings for her, and she has already admitted that she is in love with you… it seems obvious that you are made for one another."

George shook his head hard. "Oh no, I do not need that. I do not need to have your help, thank you very much."

"You do not wish to be with Lady Dashwood?"

"I do not think that is up to me any longer. It is too late for that. You saw Lady Dashwood's face, she is done with me. I will be on the first ship back to Sweden. I have already been here for far too long, and I need to get back home. Back to my life."

Gregory looked broken, but George was not here to make his brother feel better. Perhaps after this visit, they would have a better relationship from here on out, but they would still be in different countries. That would make things so much easier for them. Staying in London was no good for George, this whole debacle had proven that. He needed to escape back to his real life before this country swallowed him up whole.

"I am leaving now," George told his brother. "I have to go to gather my things from Sebastian's home before I return home. I hope you have all the success you need as a viscount. If you really have turned your life around, then I am sure you will have the life that you so desperately want."

George's heart sunk as he spun on his heels to leave Gregory behind. It might not have been the relationship he wanted to leave London with, but tonight had most certainly made it a little better. They understood one another a little better.

But the best thing that George could do now was walk away from Sophie, even if it killed him. He had caused too much damage, he had hurt her far too much. She had already said that she would never trust him again, and how could they come back from that? Once the trust was gone, there was no chance for feelings to bloom. He knew that all too well.

It made him feel sick to his stomach that he was about to get back on a ship back to Sweden, to leave everything behind, to leave everyone behind. He might not have enjoyed the city of London, but knowing that he was never going to see Sophie again crushed his spirit.

But this was his own fault.

He had caused all of this.

This was the consequences of his own actions, and he hated it.