Page 72 of The Unwanted Duchess

“Begrudgingly, which is how I came to learn that you are married now. I thank you for the invitation, or lack thereof, I should say.”

“I did not think you would come.”

“I would not have, but you still should have tried. If you claim to miss me so much, why now? Why not after Father’s funeral or in the year since? Why, pray tell, have you chosen now to appear?”

“Because of my wife.”

“She has told you to come?”

“She has made me want to change. She has a sister, and they are remarkably close. I saw them, and it made me realize that I wanted the same thing.”

“And what if I don’t want the same? What if this time, you do not get what you want?”

“Then I shall find peace in the fact that I tried. Andrew, we were never given a chance, but I want it to be different between us. Do you think it is possible?”

“I think you are a fool. You do not know anything about me, only that I played some role in the competition a man created years ago.”

“But I would like to. I want to know more about you and what you have been doing. I do not care about the competition or the estates and titles. I care about you, whether you believe it or not.”

“Do you truly care about me?”

“Of course.”

“Then transfer the estates to me. If it all truly meant nothing to you, then prove it and hand it to me instead.”

Graham sat back, trying not to let his mouth fall open. He had thought that of all three of his brothers, Andrew had been the least involved, but he seemed to have the same desire as the others. He wanted revenge, and he wanted to win by any means necessary.

“I thought better of you than that,” Graham sighed.

“Then you have proven me right. You are a fool. You should have known that after all that happened, I would want nothing more to do with you. You got everything you wanted, Graham. You are wealthy, you are married, and you are the only one of us that either of our parents ever truly cared for.”

“Father did not care for me.”

“Notice how you did not disagree about Mother?”

“I was the only one to notice her. The three of you preferred Father because you thought it would help you.”

“Graham, I was an infant. I did not know a thing about it, only that you did not want to be near us. Nothing has changed, it appears. We are done here.”

“Andrew, I —”

“No. We are done. You know my terms. Unless there is something in it for me, I do not care. Other than that, you have done enough.”

“That is not fair.”

“Well, what can I say? I am just like our father. You are too, though you might wish you weren’t.”

“I am not him,” he grumbled, “I am not and never will be.”

“You can tell yourself that all you wish,” Andrew smirked, “but there is no running from it. From one duke to the next, there are never any changes. Enjoy your wife and estates and wealth. I hope they are more important to you than we ever were.”

Graham wanted to argue. He wanted to say something to prove he meant it, and that he truly did miss his brother, but he had to admit that Andrew was right to feel how he did. They had not grown up closely, the same way Samantha had with her sister. They had been too far apart all their lives, and now, there was nothing to repair. They were not brothers; they were strangers.

“I am sorry to have bothered you,” Graham sighed. “I thought we would be able to move past it all.”

Andrew did not respond. It was clear that he had said all that he needed to say, and that was the end of the conversation.

Graham thought about his brother’s words throughout his journey home. He so badly wanted Andrew to be wrong because nothing in the world could have hurt him more than knowing he was anything like his father, but he did not know for sure. He saw glimpses of his father sometimes, and it made him uneasy.

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