Page 5 of Empowered By the Earl (Second Sons of London 3)

“Tell me about growing up at Danfield,” she urged. “What did you and Ev like to do?”

“Riding year-round. Swimming in the summers. Skimming rocks. Catching tadpoles. Roaming the woods between Danfield and Cliffside. Graduating from playing marbles to draughts to finally chess.”

She smiled. “Ev has promised to teach me to play chess.”

Adalyn looked to her husband, a look passing between them. A look that told Owen all that he needed to know.

This was a couple enamored with one another. Deeply in love. Two people who already shared a brief history together that they would build upon during the years as they started a family. A couple who would enjoy growing old together.

And for the first time in his life, Owen experienced jealousy.

He had always been athletic. Intelligent. Handsome. He did everything as well as or better than most. He had never envied anyone anything.

Until now.

Maybe there was something, after all, to what Ev had spoken of. Yet the notion of love was so foreign to Owen, he couldn’t fathom it. Oh, he loved his brotherhood. The Second Sons were family to him. But true familial love with blood relatives? He had never known it. Danbury ignored him in favor of his heir. His mother treated him as a pesky fly to be shooed away. Lawford had barely acknowledged he had a brother.

As for women, Owen had never taken any of them seriously. Women had been good for one thing. Once he had pleasured them and taken his own pleasure from them, he discarded them quickly.

Yet a hunger now built within him.

He wanted what Ev and Adalyn had.

“Chess is an interesting game,” he finally managed to say, causing Adalyn to glance from her husband back to her guest. “If Ev doesn’t have the patience to teach you, I certainly can.”

A womanly smile appeared. “My husband will find the time to do so. When we are not doing other things.”

Owen had an excellent idea what those other things might be.

They talked some about the recent Season, which the couple had left early, as had Spence and Tessa. He asked about them and heard a few stories, including some about Analise, Spence’s daughter who was four months old and whom Spence seemed to carry around whenever she was awake.

“You should see Spence with Analise,” Ev said. “I never saw a man take more to being a father.”

He wouldn’t know. His own father had barely acknowledged being a parent to him. Even with Lawford, his father had been stiff and formal. It was hard to imagine Spence, whom Owen had known for over two decades, being dotty over a child—much less a daughter.

“I look forward to seeing them at some point,” he said.

“I know!” Adalyn cried. “We will have a house party once the Season ends. That is in another two months or so. You will be more settled at Danfield, Owen, so you won’t have to worry about being away for a week or so. I will invite a select group you will feel comfortable with, naturally including Tessa and Spencer. That way, you will have already mingled a bit in Polite Society and be acquainted with some others by the time the next Season begins.”

“I don’t know,” he said stubbornly, not wanting Adalyn to start planning his life as she must do with Ev.

His friend laughed. “You might as well give in now, Owen. Else Addie will wear you down with kindness. Or determination. Or browbeat you. She’s actually quite good at all three. But she always gets her way.”

“Who is running this household?” he demanded, put out that his friend seemed so easily swayed by his duchess.

Ev’s mouth hardened. “We both do, Owen.” He took his wife’s hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “We are partners in every sense of the word. Addie is the intellectual equal of any man I have known. She doesn’t force me to do anything—and I would never do that to her.”

“It is all right, Ev,” Adalyn said, her words seeming to calm him. “Owen is merely you months ago when you first saw how Spencer was with Tessa. You had no idea of the deep and abiding love that could exist between a man and woman. In fact, you scoffed at it if I recall. Let Owen find his own way to love. Then he will understand.”

Ev looked appeased. Owen held in the snort he wished to issue but was wise enough not to do so in front of Adalyn, not wanting to distance himself from his old friend any more than he had.

“I know you want to dislike me,” she told him, as if she was reading his mind. “I understand. I fought what was happening between Ev and me. He did the same. But we were meant to be together. I hope you can accept that, Owen. I promise never to get in the way of your friendship with him. You are his oldest and dearest friend.”

Ev lifted their joined hands and kissed her fingers. “And it will stay that way. But you have to understand that I have changed, Owen. I am not the man I was. I am a better man. Because of this woman.”

Owen took in both their words, still amazed at the difference he was seeing in Ev—and not certain if he liked the changes or not. Still, Ev seemed incredibly happy and Owen knew Adalyn would have been quite the catch in Polite Society. The fact that his friend had claimed her for himself spoke volumes.

“Will you come to the house party if I plan it?” Adalyn asked, tears glistening in her eyes.

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