“That’s rather overstating it.”
“I don’t think it is, Gabriel. You terrified the pianist, fired the dance instructor, and sent our sister fleeing the room, not to mention your insinuation that I was rather less than a gentleman.”
“Are you saying that you weren’t flirting inappropriately with the lady?” Ralston’s tone was bordering on peevish.
“Flirting? Yes. Inappropriately? No.”
Ralston looked back at the garden. Of course Nick hadn’t been flirting inappropriately.
As they’d matured, the twins had taken wildly divergent paths to shake off the mantle of their mother, who had so thoroughly destroyed the Ralston reputation. While Gabriel had enjoyed living up to the low expectations of the ton when it came to his womanizing ways, Nick, instead, had escaped those expectations altogether, spending nearly a decade on the Continent, entirely immersed in his work with antiquities. Certainly, his brother had had his fair share of women, but Ralston had never known Nick to attach himself to one publicly enough to garner even a modicum of gossip. The result? Women chased after both twins, but for vastly different reasons. Ralston was a well-known libertine; Nick was the perfect gentleman.
“In fact, we were talking about you,” Nick added, drawing a look of surprise from his brother. The younger St. John took the chance to drive his point home. “Tell me something. How does Lady Calpurnia happen to know that you play?”
There was a pause as Ralston processed the question. “That I play what?”
“The piano,” Nick said, as though speaking to a child.
“I don’t know.”
Nick sighed deeply. “You may avoid it, but it’s rather obvious, Gabriel. The only way she would know that you play…that you’re a virtuoso as she put it…is if she’d witnessed it. And I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you play outside of your bedchamber. It’s not exactly a habit that marquesses run around boasting of.”
He paused, waiting for his brother to speak. When Ralston said nothing, Nick continued, “So you’ve taken her to mistress.”
“No.” Ralston’s response was instant and vitriolic. He spun toward his brother, his muscles tense with barely contained violence. “She’s not my mistress. And I’ll see the next man who speculates such at dawn. I don’t care who he is.” The threat was clear.
It was Nick’s turn to look surprised. He blinked. “Well. That was enlightening. I’ll confess I’m happy to hear it. I had hoped she would not relinquish her honor so easily.”
When Ralston did not respond, instead glowering at his brother, Nick continued, “You understand, of course, that she is not the typical female with whom you tend to find yourself entangled.”
“We are not entangled.”
“No, of course not.” Nick waved a hand idly in the air and spoke wryly. “It’s quite common for you to come at me twice in one day over a woman.”
“I am attempting to keep her reputation intact. She is inexorably intertwined with Juliana. We cannot risk any gossip finding its way to our doorstep,” Ralston said, attempting to head Nick off.
“You’ve never cared much for reputations before,” Nick said wryly.
“I’ve never had a sister before.”
Nick raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I don’t think this about Juliana at all. I think this is about Lady Calpurnia. And I think you’re risking more than her reputation.”
“You needn’t feel it necessary to defend her honor to me, Nick. You saw the look she gave me before going after Juliana. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the last I saw of Lady Calpurnia Hartwell.”
“And you would be happy with such a turn of events?”
“Certainly.”
“Then it would be fine if I were to court her?”
The words hit Ralston like a physical blow. He tensed, eyes narrowing as he met his brother’s amused, knowing gaze.
“I see it would not be fine. Intriguing.”
“You go too far, Nick.”
“Probably. But someone must remind you of the truth.”
“Which is?”
“Calpurnia Hartwell is not your kind of woman, Gabriel.”
“And what kind of woman is she?”
“The kind that wants love.”
“Love.” Ralston spat the word. “Callie knows better than to believe in fairy tales. One doesn’t get to be her age without understanding that love is a fool’s errand.”