Page 75 of If the Duke Demands

Quinn lifted a brow. “Obviously.”

He tightened his hold on Quinn’s collar. “It is none of your business, and she doesn’t deserve to be ruined. If you say one word about this—if Mother or Josie finds out—so help me, Quinton, I will string you up between two trees in Hyde Park and—”

“I won’t tell them,” he promised, and Sebastian released his hold. “Good Lord, Seb, I would never say anything that could harm her. Or you. You know that.” Quinn shook out his shoulders and pulled at his cravat, heaving out a long breath of irritation that Sebastian would think so little of him. “I like Miranda.”

He blew out a hard breath, his shoulders sagging as the emotions he felt for her crashed over him. “So do I.”

Quinton grinned. “Obviously.”

With a growl, Sebastian shoved him back against the wall again. “She was never here, and you didn’t see anything,” he slowly forced out, each word a cold warning. “Understand?”

“She wasn’t here,” Quinn repeated solemnly, knowing not to bait Sebastian again if he valued his life. “And I didn’t see anything.”

He stepped back, taking a deep breath to steady himself and to figure out what to say to Miranda before he returned upstairs. Dear God, she must have been completely mortified. And now terrified that her reputation would be ruined. To be discovered like that—

Robert stepped out of the breakfast room and elbowed Quinn in the ribs. “What didn’t you see?”

“That Seb’s sleeping with Miranda,” Quinn answered immediately.

Robert blinked in confusion. “Hodgkins?”

Sebastian’s furious gaze swung between his brothers, not knowing which one of the two to kill first. “Not one word, do you understand?” he threatened, his anger barely controlled as he clenched and released his fists. “Both of you! Not one word about any of this to anyone.”

“Hodgkins?” Robert repeated, stunned.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, at that moment wanting to be an only child more than he ever had in his life. “She is a good and kind woman who doesn’t deserve to be hurt because of me. The only mistake she made was trusting me when I have the two of you for brothers.” After all the times they’d covered for one another with women in the past, he prayed he could trust them to protect his privacy one last time. And hers. But just to be certain, he jabbed Quinn in the shoulder, and his brother wisely retreated back against the wall. “Not one word. To anyone. If she’s hurt because of you—”

“I thought you were hunting a wife,” Robert interrupted, still bewildered.

“I am.” A swift stab of pain sliced into his chest as he uttered the words, the unbidden flash of betrayal toward Miranda unexpectedly piercing. “That hasn’t changed.”

Robert frowned. “So you’re marrying Miranda?”

Quinn grinned. “Mother’s going to faint when she hears this!”

“She isn’t hearing a word of it, understand?” Sebastian scoured his hand over his face, as if he could physically fight down the churning emotions roiling inside him. Or the guilt that threatened to consume him. The weight of the dukedom came crashing back onto him, and his shoulders sagged beneath the crushing burden of it. Worse, because for a few precious hours last night, he’d tasted happiness, and now he knew how empty his life was going to be going forward without her.

Robert shook his head, concern for her visible on his face. “But Miranda—”

“I’m not marrying Miranda,” he ground out, anger pulsing through him as the guilt gave way to desolate wretchedness and overwhelming frustration. Why wouldn’t the two of them shut up about Miranda and marriage?

“Does Miranda know that?” Quinn pressed.

“It’s none of your business,” he growled, adding jealousy at Quinn’s concern to the already growing knot of emotion choking the air from his lungs. “And you’ll forget about this, both of you.” He snapped a murderous glance between Robert and Quinn. “I am marrying the daughter of a peer, just as I’ve always intended. Miranda has absolutely nothing to do with that decision. She never has, and she never will, no matter what happened between us.”

No matter that she made him happy. Or that she loved him, more deeply than any other woman ever had. Or that he knew he’d never have the same depth of peace and comfort again that he’d experienced in her arms.

She was the orphaned niece of one of his tenants. In truth, no better in social rank than a barmaid, shop girl, seamstress…His father would never have accepted her as duchess.

He said again for good measure, to convince himself more than his brothers, “Never.”

Quinn repeated annoyingly, “Does Miranda know that?”

Robert answered grimly with a nod toward the stairs. “She does now.”

Sebastian turned and gazed up to find Miranda standing on the top landing, wearing the same driver’s coat she’d worn to the house two nights ago, covering herself from neck to ankle. Only her hair, loose around her shoulders in a riot of strawberry-blond curls, gave any reminder of the way he’d found her when he’d awoken this morning, so sweet and loving. So happy.

His breath ripped from his chest at the raw pain that radiated from her. Even from two stories away, he could see her green eyes glistening with wounded tears as she stared down at them. The look of betrayal on her face devastated him.