Thirty-five

Zachary

Eveline peered up at me. The air in the room felt taut and smothering as I waited the precious few seconds to hear her answer.

“Yes, Zachary, we can meet.”

Breathe.

“I will have Banja sit with Patrick tonight.” Her tone intimated closure but I only saw this as the beginning of the rest of our lives. If she would have me.

I squeezed her hands and bowed over them. “Thank you, Eveline. Meet me in the stables after dinner, I would like to show you something.”

She nodded and circled around to take her seat beside the bed once more.

Feeling life surging through my limbs more than ever before, I strode down the corridor and into the billiard room where I knew I would find my friends. When I entered, the only men present were Hunter and Lucas, both enthusiastically engaged in a highly competitive contest.

“Where’s Jaxon?” I enquired.

They shrugged their shoulders. “He said he had some business to attend to and we haven’t seen him since,” Lucas answered.

“When was this?” I felt as if the last three days had fallen into a dark pit somewhere and vanished. I had hardly eaten or slept, and my entire existence was engulfed with Eveline and Patrick—the most worthy of reasons.

Lucas rubbed his chin. “Yesterday. And come to think of it, he wasn’t at dinner last night either.”

“Should we be concerned?” I arched a brow and leaned against the polished walnut sideboard, crossing my legs at the ankles in my typical position of leisure. “If he was traveling alone, he may have come upon danger of some sort.”

Hunter chuckled and exchanged a glance with Lucas. “Interesting.” Then he tapped the billiard pole against his lips. “Quite interesting.”

“What does that mean?” I shook my head. “You are speaking in riddles.”

“You have been a father for all of three days and your concern for others has made you soft.”

“I—I’m not a f—father.”

Lucas patted me on the shoulder. “I passed the nursery and overheard Patrick call you Papa.”

Oh. That.

“Yes,” my demeanor deflated. “He said it for the first time when I found him at the tower, and I haven’t corrected him.”

“Why not make it real?” Hunter glanced up a brief second before he took a shot.

“Make what real?”

“The title,” he added.

I ran both of my hands through my hair, the elation of the situation seeping into my movements. “I have never wanted anything so much in all my life.”

The men stopped playing and faced me. Hunter pointed to the chairs on the opposite side of the room. “Come, sit. We need to dissect this.”

Lucas and I took a seat while Hunter poured drinks. When he came to hand me one, I waved it off. “No, thank you.”

“I knew it!” Lucas leaned forward, narrowing his eyes in my direction and studying me. “You are not drinking anymore.”

I sighed. “While I am sorely tempted every single day, I found I don’t want to be that man. The man that spews venom when he’s foxed. I never want to be him again.”

Lucas smiled. “I’m proud of you, mate.” He set his unfinished glass back on the sideboard and relaxed against the back of his chair once more. “This will make Eveline happy.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“Alright,” Hunter said as he dropped into his seat and placed his boot over one knee. “Speak plainly. What happened?”

“I proposed.”

Both men seemed to choke on that answer simultaneously.

“You did? When?” Lucas managed to spit out.

“At Havenscrest. At Cornelius.”

Lucas lit up. “That’s wonderful.”

“Not exactly,” I mumbled. “Everything felt perfect. She accepted, then she decided to return to Gottling and tell Patrick and you and your wives in person. Then…” I stood up again. I couldn’t remain seated as I described the next events. “Well, while I was at Havenscrest, I learned my father left me my mother’s cottage in Brighton.”

“Well, that’s good news,” Hunter added.

“Yes, with a ￡5000 inheritance attached.”

“Still, good news.”

“And Frederick went nearly mad over it. He rode back to London posthaste to confirm its truth and seek ways to thwart it.”

“That louse,” Lucas whispered. “He has everything and, as always, even when we were children, he could not tolerate you procuring one moment of joy.”

I nodded. “But that is not the worst of it.” My jaw tightened. “Sometime in his absence, he did something. The most likely answer was that he forwarded a letter here with information that might cause Eveline to have doubts about me.”

“She’s not that fragile, Collins,” Lucas countered. “Her mind is bright. She’s made decisions concerning her husband’s cotton distribution since they wed.”

This news stumped me. I knew of Evie’s intelligence, and knew of her involvement, but knowing Sir Colin trusted her entirely with his business brought forth a burst of pride. Then I finished my sentence. “Frederick was quite certain Eveline would refuse to marry me after his divulgence.”

Hunter now set his drink aside. “Yes, I do recall several letters arriving in her absence.” He rubbed his chin. “Eveline mentioned that she was reading the letters when she lost sight of Patrick, and Gwendolyn believed she received bad news. I believe you are right, Zach.”

“But you don’t know the contents or what he could have shared?” Lucas asked.

“It could have been anything.”

Hunter rubbed his chin. “Was there something that he could have discovered on you?”

“Other than my relentless flirting, no!”

“But he could have lied,” Lucas countered. “Frederick lied often in our childhood, it was why we stopped playing with him. He was also one of the men Helena’s father pushed on her. Of course, all of those men gambled excessively and that was how Lord Webster was going to clear his debt with them.”

“I didn’t know Frederick markedly gambled,” I whispered. “I had heard rumors but there were also rumors out there of liaisons I had never engaged in.”

“Maybe that’s what he shared and, despite how much you might convince Eveline of your love now, she witnessed your flirtatious behavior here a mere ten days ago.” Hunter spoke the truth. “She might not trust you.”

“As pathetic as this sounds, I needed distractions. It killed me to watch those men fawn all over Evie. It was wrong, I know.”

Lucas leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “How earnest are you in making Eveline your wife?”

“And Patrick your son,” Hunter added.

I took a breath. Without a single blink, I declared, “I have never in my entire life wanted anything more.”

“Brilliant!” Lucas patted my knee and stood up. “Then do just that.” He gestured to Hunter. “We have a game to finish.”

“But how?” I raised my hands midway.

Hunter turned around. “Zach, you held down a hill against Napoleon’s troops at Waterloo. Your men could have all been killed, but because of your leadership, wisdom, and decisions, more came home than not.”

“But I still lost many.”

“Those are the risks we take.” Hunter shrugged his shoulders. “And with every decision comes challenges, heartache, doubt, and fear. But it can also generate hope, faith, trust, strength, and love. You cannot stop obstacles from being in your path, you can only choose to meet them head on, and it is much simpler with someone you love by your side. Eveline is your person . Now find a way to show her.”