When one is the rightful heir and the other wants everything just for himself. Josephine realised that she was caught in the middle of a succession war.
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Hero stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the waves washing over the rocks and the shore, not thinking of his impending death but thinking of Josephine, his wife.
He'd enjoyed watching her as she'd visited with Eleanor. He had to give Eros credit; he'd chosen an exemplary lady to serve as the Duchess of Gloucester . She fascinated him, and he'd seen in her eyes true concern at the possibility of his death. And her kiss of farewell...
He could still taste it upon his lips.
She loved his brother. Of that he had no doubt, and he knew a moment of despair that far exceeded anything he'd experienced during the last eight years. She could never be his, he could never hold her heart.
He told himself there were other women. That if he resolved this encounter and managed to hold on to his dukedom, he could release her and find someone else to take her place. But would any other woman exhibit her combination of shyness and boldness? Would another woman have her smile or her laughter? Would he find such pleasure in simply gazing upon another woman as he did looking at her?
It was selfish of him to bring her here, but he couldn't quite make himself not be with her as much as possible.
He heard grass rasping against cloth, boots hitting against ground. The arrival of his opponent. A man he'd always considered his one true friend.
Eros had even managed to strip him of that. He'd taken every blessed thing, and he'd hurt people in doing it.
Even as Hero knew, knew, he'd not been in a position to stop his brother, still he felt responsible. He was the true Duke of Gloucester, and while he'd not been wearing the mantle, still, the responsibilities of righting the wrongs committed by his brother fell to him.
Felix—otherwise known as Felix Arthur Kent, the fifth Duke of Weddington—came to stand beside him. He inhaled deeply. "A storm is brewing."
"So it is." It was more than the darkening clouds, it was the scent in the air.
"Then we'd best get to the task at hand. Your body will be soaked in blood when I carry it back to the manor. I'd rather it not be soaked in rain as well."
"I thought perhaps you'd choose to toss me into the sea afterward."
"Eleanor insists that I carry you back, allow you to have a proper burial." He thrust the open case in front of Hero. "Since we have no seconds, you are free to inspect the pistols and choose your weapon first."
Hero pulled a pistol free from the case. "No need to inspect them. I trust you."
"The rules we used as boys?"
"Of course."
"Do try to aim a little better. No sense in denying the sky its right to be filled with birds."
