Chapter 11

"W hat?" Winifred gasped.

Her face was a mask of complete shock as she took in his words, and then her visage transformed into one of anger.

As the gin was set down before her in a small clay cup, she eyed it and then, much to his astonishment, she grabbed it and took a long swig.

He wanted to warn her, but before he could, she'd downed half of it.

Her eyes widened even further and she coughed. She slammed the cup down and stood.

"I will not be a subject for humiliation," she ground out, though it was clear she was deeply hurt. "Or fun."

And with that, she climbed over the bench quickly and headed out of the room, weaving her way through the crowd with surprising skill, as if she was used to disappearing into large, packed rooms without being noticed.

"What the bloody hell are you thinking?" he demanded, turning to his brothers and his cousin.

The three of them looked shocked at her departure.

"We didn't mean offense," Achilles rushed.

"Well, you gave it," Ajax bit out.

"How?" Zephyr asked, also clearly flummoxed. "Win's marvelous."

"Look." Ajax stood and planted twin fists on the table as he said as quietly as he could, "Win hasn't had anybody pursue her. Ever. And Win is being sent away because of it. All Win wanted was one last great adventure before it happened and…she came to me to make that happen. The way you were teasing her… She doesn't think I'd ever ask her to marry me. She thought you were making fun of her."

Achilles, Zephyr, and Jean-Luc gaped at him.

"Bloody hell," ground out Achilles.

"Zounds," rasped Zephyr.

"Merde," announced Jean-Luc.

And in that moment, it hit him so hard. He hated it. It was like a crushing blow worse than any he'd ever known, and he'd known some heavy blows. He'd fought in the streets, and he was trained by one hell of an Irishman in the art of street battle, but this was far worse than anything he'd ever known because of her pain. Oh God, it went through him in a way his own could not, and the tightening coil of it nearly stole his breath away.

And the fact that she thought so little of herself? It nearly undid him.

His brothers and cousin genuinely had been teasing. They'd been happily alluding to what the three of them assumed was a foregone conclusion apparently—his marriage to Winifred.

It never would've occurred to him that she would think so little of herself that it would seem impossible that he'd ask her to marry him. But her actions proved it true.

The three men exchanged glances.

"We are sorry," whispered Zephyr.

Ajax stood. "Well, you're going to have to explain that to her."

But at present, he needed to sort this out himself. Without his family.

Ajax marched out of the room, leaving his gin untouched. He weaved his way through the crowd and hurried up the stairs. Then he knocked on the door softly and entered.

Winifred stood at the window, gazing out into the dark night, her arms folded over her chest.

"They are a bunch of fools," he said without hesitation.

She shrugged her shoulders. "They're young," she replied, "and I'm sensitive."

"They weren't jesting," he said, even as the world began to spin about him. For in that moment, he realized his whole future was pinned on this moment.

She looked back over her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

He cleared his throat and took a step towards her. "They're not jesting," he repeated.

She snorted. "Of course they are. They're having a merry old time making fun of my situation. After all, I'm an old spinster."

He flinched, and his heart ached for her. For so long, she'd been told the most terrible things, and it was clear she had come to believe them.

"Yes," he said softly. "They're having a merry time because that's how Zephyr, Achilles, and Jean-Luc are. They live life through a series of jokes, but usually those jokes are also masking truth…"

Ajax licked his lips and confessed, "They see it."

She narrowed her gaze. "See what?" she demanded.

"My feelings for you."

She stilled and swallowed. "Ajax—"

"You see," he rushed, refusing to lose his nerve now, "Briarwoods don't mess about. When they find the person they care for, they marry them. I would have asked sooner, but I didn't want to scare you off. I thought you might think me totally mad since we've known each other for such a little time. I was hoping to woo you a bit first, make you see how happy we could be together before I asked. But…I'm glad I don't have to wait."

She blinked. "You're serious?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Very."

Her eyes welled with tears, and she snapped her shoulders back before she bit out, "But I'm not the sort of person…"

"What?" he prompted gently. "The sort of person that I marry? Who is the sort of person that I should marry Winifred?"

He took a step forward, aching to close the distance between them, to make her understand.

For a moment, the only sound that filled the air was the fire crackling, burning the wood in the hearth, and the wind slipping past the windowsill.

She stared at him, her lips parting even as her eyes shimmered.

"Some silly debutante?" he at last suggested dryly. "A young lady of the ton, who will never interest me or challenge me or do as you have done and chosen so boldly?"

Her brow furrowed and she lifted a hand to her face as if she might cover her eyes. As if it was all too much to believe.

"Surely, you will choose someone beautiful. Someone who is a lady, who is desired by everyone," she insisted.

He sucked in a long breath. It was all he could do not to cross the room and seize her in his arms. But not yet. He had to make her see too. "Why would I want such a thing? I don't need someone who is desired by everyone, Winifred. I only need someone who is desired by me to be my wife."

She stilled at that. Her hands lowered to her sides. "You want me for your wife? For more than just this…"

And before she could finish speaking, there was a pounding on the door.

"Bloody hell." Ajax rolled his eyes, his shoulders tensing as if he had been hanging on her every word. "Do you think if I dug three holes behind the inn, put my brothers and cousin in them swiftly, covered them, and then put horse manure on top, that anyone would notice?"

A laugh tumbled out of her lips at the image and his clear love for his family, even though they frustrated him. "I don't know. How quickly can you dig?"

"Would you help me?" he asked, waggling his brows.

She let out another laugh, shocked that she could laugh at such a time. She had never laughed so much before or in serious moments. Was this what it was like to be with him? "I might," she allowed, "but I'm not entirely certain how good I'd be at it."

He dragged his gaze up and down her form and his lips curled. "Oh, I don't know. You're good at a great many things that you didn't know you'd be good at."

And with that, he turned to the door. "Should I let them in?"

She bit her lower lip, worrying it, feeling rather overwhelmed by the events unfolding this night. And yet it seemed as if they were unfolding toward a place she never could have dared imagine. "I don't know. What do you think they want?"

He let out a long sigh, put his hand on the doorknob, and said, "There's only one way to find out."

In one quick move, Ajax opened the panel, and the three of them spilled in like sardines falling out of a barrel.

Ajax slammed the door shut behind them, then folded his arms across his chest like a schoolmaster who expected his errant students to repent.

The three young men had the good grace to look ashamed. Achilles was holding his hat in his hands, rotating it. "Can you forgive us?"

Forgive them? She blinked. No one had ever apologized to her before. Not like this. "I suppose it depends on what you're asking forgiveness for."

Achilles, Zephyr, and Jean-Luc exchanged a set of glances.

"We never meant to hurt your feelings," Zephyr rushed.

"It means we like you," added Achilles swiftly.

She frowned. "What means you like me?"

"The teasing," Jean-Luc said as if it was shocking to him that she could think they did not like her.

"We don't tease people we don't like," Achilles explained. "We're just rude to them."

She cocked her head to the side, taking their rapid comments in, trying to make sense of them.

In the past, when people had teased her, it had never been out of fondness but to point out how she did not belong.

Zephyr nodded. "Exactly," he added. "We don't waste our time with people we don't like, Lady Winifred. That is your name, isn't it?"

She nodded slowly as her pulse began to beat wildly. Her entire life seemed to be turning over in a moment. But then again, it had been evolving at a radical rate ever since she'd made the decision to not simply accept her fate meekly.

"We weren't trying to insinuate anything about you or about our brother…" Achilles shot Ajax a stare. "Except he needs to get the job done quickly. We don't want to risk him losing you."

"Losing me?" she gasped. "How do you even know about me? Or that I'm apparently the one he should wed?"

Zephyr cleared his throat. "Our mother, if you must know."

She blinked. "Your mother?"

Ajax threw up his hands and let out a beleaguered sound. "Did you have some sort of family meeting?"

Achilles grinned. "You know we did."

"Over tea and biscuits," added Zephyr.

"And marvelous cakes," Jean-Luc declared. "The Heron House chef is superb."

"He really is," agreed Zephyr.

"We discussed the merits of the wedding, of course," Achilles continued. "And if you should have it at St. Paul's—"

"Or," put in Zephyr, "there was some suggestion that it should be a swift wedding here in the country. Then it would be done."

Achilles nodded as if this was his favorite option. "You are of age. You don't need permission from any of your family."

"Are we right in understanding that to be true?" Zephyr asked.

She blinked, so overborne by their enthusiasm and apparent plans for her that she blurted, "I'm old."

Jean-Luc let out a laugh, throwing back his head, which caused his thick hair to shine in the firelight. "Old, mademoiselle? You are in your prime."

She cocked her head to the side and began to smile. The three of them were quite the outside of enough, but she was coming to enjoy their excitement and commitment to bringing her into the family. "I like that idea, but that's not the general sentiment of the ton."

"We don't generally follow the sentiment of the ton," Zephyr put in.

"I'm beginning to truly understand that." She'd understood this theoretically. But now? She understood quite practically that the Briarwood family was not like the rest of the ton. Not at all.

She drew in a long breath. "The four of you in one room, talking to me thus, is quite something. A part of me feels certain it must be some great lie. Some trick. I know such tricks do occur and not just in books—"

"It's not a trick, Winifred," Ajax assured, his voice low and firm as if he was speaking some sort of vow. "My family is just pushing me towards what I already know. It's what we do to each other."

She gazed upon the man who had already given her so much. Who had helped her transform. "And what do you know?" she whispered.

"That without question, you are the one I'm supposed to marry…if you'll but allow it."

She gasped. "This feels impossible."

"I assure you this is very possible," he whispered, his gaze full of emotion. "I've known where we were headed since we met." A rueful smile turned his lips. "It drove me absolutely mad when I realized what was happening. I thought I was going to be able to avoid getting married for at least a few more years, but it seems like the Briarwoods are going down like plague victims in the medieval period."

"One right after the other," crowed Zephyr.

"It's definitely a sickness, but it seems to be a nice one," Achilles pointed out. "Our siblings are incredibly happy."

She frowned. "This is all happening so fast, and it seems beyond the realm of what I ever could have hoped for—"

"Would marriage to me be better than looking after your great aunt?" Ajax asked.

A note of surprise slipped past her lips. "Is that my choice then? Marrying you or looking after my great aunt?"

He shook his head. "No. Remember, my mother could always help you find work in the theater. But you wish to marry me. Don't you?"

"Do I?" she breathed. She was terrified to say yes. This was all too good. All too wonderful. If she said yes, would it all vanish?

"It seems like the greatest of adventures, doesn't it?" Ajax queried.

She licked her lips. The room suddenly felt very warm, the colors of the men's coats grew brighter, the stick pins in their cravats winked, the crackle of the fire burst in the air, and the glow of the candles was more romantic.

Yes, suddenly, everything seemed more.

"What do you say?" Ajax whispered.

"Come on," Achilles urged. "Do say yes."

Zephyr nodded. "Indeed. We love seeing our siblings get married. Half of them did it last year!"

"Bloody hell," Achilles groaned.

Zephyr looked at his brother. "What?"

"Since so many of us have married recently, does that mean we are next?" Achilles asked.

Zephyr shook his head. "No, we're too young."

Jean-Luc just let out a laugh. "There is no knowing. The Fates are mysterious ladies."

"Fate cannot be denied," Achilles said with a straight face, and then he turned back to her. "So just say yes. It's clearly meant to be."

"Let her respond!" Ajax growled suddenly.

She swung her gaze, trailing her attention to each of them. "You are all positively mad."

Ajax smiled, even as he waited for her reply. "Of course we are. And you like it, don't you?"

"Yes," she agreed. "I do."

"That's a yes," Achilles stated.

"Absolutely," agreed Zephyr.

"But of course," finalized Jean-Luc.

"Cease," countered Ajax as he crossed to her and took her hands in his. He gazed down into her eyes and said, "Let the lady say it. Let's not waste any time on formalities. Marry me, Winifred Tuttle. You are the best lady that I know. The most interesting and the only one I could imagine spending the rest of my life with. And if you regret saying yes, and find you can't stand being married to me, I promise to buy you a house, and you can do whatever you want. And I will never get in your way."

She blinked, her voice hitching in her throat as awe filled her. "You are the oddest person, Ajax."

"Just like you," he said softly.

"Yes," she whispered, holding his hands tightly, savoring their strength. Their warmth. "Just like me. Who would've thought we were so alike? I never would have."

"That's why we found each other, my darling."

And in that moment, she felt more at home than she had in her whole life. She had been found.

"Then, yes," she replied. "Most definitely yes."