The next afternoon, their party arrived home after leaving exceptionally early. Despite a night filled with making love to his wife, he was eager to return home to put certain wheels in motion. As he escorted Theo upstairs, Parsons followed him up. “My lord, there is a gentleman at the door who wishes a word with you.”

“Please tell him now is not a good time. My wife and I have just returned from a long journey and do not wish to be disturbed.” Stone turned from his longtime employee expecting his directions to be followed without question.

Parsons cleared his throat. “My apologies, my lord. But I believe the man is your dead brother.”

He and Theo both stopped and turned to stare at their servant. “Pardon me?” Theo paled and pressed her hand to her heart.

“The man currently in the front salon claims to be and looks remarkably similar to my lord’s dead brother,” Parsons calmly reiterated.

“I see. Well then, I suppose I shall be down in just a moment.” Stone nodded at Parsons and then turned to hustle his wife to their rooms.

“Stone, I wish to go with you. There is no reason for us to go to our rooms.” Theo tried to stop walking, but he refused to even consider such a thing.

“Absolutely not. I have no idea who that is sitting downstairs. I shall not have you put at risk unnecessarily. Once I know what the man is about, I shall call for you to come down, but until then, you will do as I ask and remain in our rooms.” He moved her forward, brooking no further resistance, and to his great relief, his wife complied with his wishes. And then a cold wash of fear swept through him. If it was his brother, what of Theo? Would he want her back? Would she want him back?

“Do be careful, dear.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and slipped into their rooms, leaving him once again stunned.

Her easy affection always seemed to surprise him, and in the moment of uncertainty, it comforted him. Perhaps one day he would become accustomed to such intimate displays. But for the moment, he had other issues to sort out, starting with who was sitting downstairs in his parlor. If it was his brother, what did it mean? Considering he had no suspects, merely a string of events that had ceased to be accidents in his mind, could his brother’s surprise return be his first big clue? A rather large pit opened up in his gut at the thought. They had been so close growing up, and never in all those years had Stone coveted the earldom. The notion it might be Odey behind the many attempts saddened him. One never wanted to think a family member—let alone a brother—might want one dead.

Drawing a deep, steadying breath, he determined to be on about finding out the truth and not wallowing in murky possibilities. The first step required him to see exactly who was downstairs. With a sense of great purpose behind him, Stone strode downstairs and into his front parlor. There a man stood with his back to the door, staring out the window.

He approached the right height for Odey, but he appeared a bit wider across the shoulders than Stone remembered. Granted, it had been nearly eight years since Stone had bought his commission and headed off to India, and three years since his brother had died. A man could change in all that time. Stone certainly had.

“Well, don’t just stand there and stare, ’Chilles. Mother would certainly not approve.” The man turned from the window, but his features were still cast in shadows by the late-afternoon sun.

“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage.” Stone stepped closer, but sought to maintain enough of a distance between the man and himself should he need to take action.

“It’s only been seven or eight years, brother. Have I already faded from your memory?” The man stepped even closer and shifted out of the shadows to reveal his face.

Stone stopped cold as a ghost rose before him in the form of his dead brother. Certainly, the man was older than he remembered, his face sunbaked from long hours outside, little lines fanning out from the creases of his eyes. Either laugh lines or markers of hard living; only the stories behind them would tell. All the blood rushed from his head to his feet as the last three years rushed at him, reminding him of all he had lost and gained. How could one feel both fear and joy in the same moment? “Dear God, it is you.” The words escaped past his frozen lips, a mere whisper.

Odey grinned, and then the men were hugging and slapping each other on the back as they greeted each other. After long seconds of merely absorbing the moment, they parted, and Stone dragged his brother to sit down, but they both came up short as Theo swept into the room.

His wife, not unlike himself, had turned rather pale when she saw who had arrived. She stood in the doorway, her hands trembling as she took in the moment. “I-I see it is truly Odey who has returned, and not some imposter.” She glanced uncertainly from him to his once-dead brother and back again. Then she took a small step toward them and stopped. Again, she looked from one to the other before taking another step, and another until she had slowly crossed to them and embraced his brother in an awkward welcome.

Stone cleared his throat. “I do recall having requested that you remain upstairs until I called for you.”

“And I did try to stay, but you took entirely too long, Stone.” She all but ignored the fact he’d been trying to keep her safe. For heaven’s sake, it could have been some derelict trying to rob them at gunpoint and she would have walked in and possibly gotten herself killed. “Besides, it is, in fact, Odey, so no harm done.”

“This time, pet,” Stone ground out between his teeth.

Theo stiffened further, which was hard to imagine, and turned an alarming shade of red. “Stone, do not take that tone with me.”

Odey glanced awkwardly back and forth between them. But Stone had little compunction about his proclivities in front of his brother, who not only shared them but had been with him as they discovered their preferences. “Odey is well aware of my proclivities, and even shared in many of them, once upon a time. So no need to hide anything before him, pet. And since you will be punished later, I doubt he will be unaware of them by morning.” He slashed a grin at his wife, who scowled at him.

She then proceeded to ignore their conversation, and went on as though none of it had occurred. “Sit, Odey. I must say, while I am shocked, it is good—” She hesitated, seeming to trip over her words. “Well, what I mean to say is…I am sure Stone is pleased you aren’t dead.”

Stone sat and joined his brother and his wife, but not before he picked her up and sat her on his lap. Unwilling to examine the need to stake his claim on Theo before his brother, he naturally accepted the impulse and moved on. It could stem from any number of things, such as their recent reconciliation, the fact his brother was once her betrothed, or even that she was so recently hurt and he was still feeling rather overprotective of her person. “Yes, brother. How is it you aren’t dead? And why am I just learning this? I am certain you have a story to tell.”

Odey nodded. “Indeed, there is a story.” He glanced at Theo and then back to Stone, letting yet another awkward moment stretch out. “I understand that you are, in fact, Stonemere now.”

“I am.” Stone hesitated as he waited for his brother’s response. Did he want the title back? Stone considered the idea, however briefly, but rejected it out of hand. The title might have been forced upon him—even unwelcome at the time—but he had found the adjustment far easier since marrying Theo. His gut churned with all the sudden uncertainty.

Odey let out a huge sigh that sounded awfully relieved. “Thank goodness. I stayed away so long to give Parliament the time needed to sort it all out. I have yet to hear of a lord being recalled once a writ is issued. But these are modern times, and one can never be sure.”

“Do you mean you did not wish to be earl?” Theo sounded as surprised as Stone felt at that revelation.

“I did not. Not for many years. I had tried to tell Father on one occasion, but he merely assumed it was youth and fear of responsibility driving my lack of interest.” Odey shrugged. “And then you went and bought a commission, ’Chilles. I was alone with the full burden of the earldom’s future bearing down on me like a locomotive. I decided to do something drastic, so I signed up to sail as a crewman to the Far East. I left Mother and Father a note so they wouldn’t worry, but stated clearly that I had no intention of taking the title when the time came.”

Stone’s heart ached at the notion that his brother felt so deserted and desperate that he signed up to be a crewman on a silk run. Such a long and dangerous journey should not have been his only other option. “Obviously, something went wrong along the way.”

“It did. But at first, it was wonderful. Certainly, it was hard work. Hard work like I had never experienced. But at the end of the day, I felt as though I had accomplished something useful.”

“That I understand.” Stone missed that feeling from his army life, at least before Cawnpore. He reached around his wife and held her closer, needing her scent and feel to ground him in the moment, and not in his horror-filled memories.

“Then one morning, a terrible storm rolled in, and amidst the struggle to keep the ship upright, I was knocked overboard.” He paused and looked down at his hands wrapped tightly around each other. “I heard later that the ship went down and all aboard were lost.”

“That was when we believed you were killed.” Stone heard his wife’s little sigh as he squeezed her gently.

Odey looked up and smiled ruefully. “Yes, well, that was also when I decided that my being dead might be easier for everyone. At least until I heard Father had died.”

Stone saw the guilt flash over his brother’s face. “It wasn’t your fault. The doctor had advised him to relax more, maybe even retreat to Stonemere Abbey and get away from the city. But apparently, Father, as usual, ignored the advice.”

A small measure of relief seemed to flit through Odey’s gaze, but he certainly carried a fair amount of guilt. “Nevertheless, by the time I had received word of his passing, it was far too late to return. And then there was the hope the title would pass to you uncontested and all would be as it should.”

Stone shook his head. “You should have written to me. I would have resigned my commission and come home. I could have done something to help you sort this out with Father.”

“I tried talking to him. Many times. He was ridiculously insistent that I had to be the next earl and that the title would not pass to you. He was such a traditionalist. I don’t think he could accept anything but me as heir.” Odey shrugged as a sense of defeat dragged his shoulders down.

“But where did you end up after going overboard?” Theo jumped into the conversation, her curiosity an ever-ravening beast.

“Sardinia. We were near the Mediterranean Sea, and so I floated for two days clinging to a splinter of driftwood I found. And eventually I washed ashore. A local winemaker found me, cared for me, and then gave me work. I’ve worked for him for the last three years. He pays well and gives me food and shelter, so I have no expenses to speak of.”

“And you like the work?” Stone prodded him.

“I do. It’s good, honest labor, and the owner has mentioned making me a partner in the business as he has no sons to pass the vineyard on to.”

Theo yawned. “Oh, forgive me, we have just returned home from a house party. I fear I am a bit worn out.”

“Perhaps now that your curiosity has been quenched, you can retire until dinner?” Stone helped her stand.

“I believe I shall.” She turned to his brother. “Odey, it is wonderful to have you returned to us safely.”

Odey rose and kissed her hand. “It is good to be home. Rest well, my lady.”

She swatted his arm. “Theo, please. We are family.”

“Theo.” He smiled.

Then she turned to Stone and placed a kiss on his cheek again. “I shall see you in a bit?”

“Of course, pet.” He gave her a meaningful look, which she interpreted correctly.

“Yes, M- M-…” She cast an uncomfortable glance at Odey. “My lord.” And then she all but ran from the room.

“You shouldn’t do that to her, ’Chilles. She’s always been a sweet, gentle soul,” Odey chided him as they sat back down.

“Do not imagine you know my wife better than I do.” Stone couldn’t control the edge of annoyance in his voice, but he tried to remind himself she was his, and Odey clearly had no interest in taking the title back—if his words were to be trusted. “She is a hellion, and she utterly disobeyed my orders to keep her safe. But perhaps I was beyond the pale to call her ‘pet’ in your company. I take it you have not continued your interest in taking the reins in the bedroom.” Stone was curious how much his brother had changed. He also had noticed Odey never really mentioned what spurred his return, which niggled at Stone’s thoughts in relation to the accidents he’d had of late.

“Sweet Theodora? I cannot imagine such a thing.” Odey sounded appalled by Stone’s characterization of his wife.

“Imagine my wife racing my cabriolet through Hyde Park against Hugh Denton. And then you can imagine my sweet wife visiting The Market for lessons on how to please me.”

Odey’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Never!”

“Quite so. So please do not imagine my wife to be anything but what she is. A headstrong free thinker who makes me immeasurably happy.” He turned to face his brother. “You have all but said you did not return for the title. Why have you come back?”

Odey stared at him for a moment. “Not for Theo, if that is what you are thinking. She was a kind girl and would have made a suitable wife, but we were never a love match, as you should well know.”

Utter relief swept through Stone, damn near making him weak in the knees. “I had not suspected there was any great romance between you two, but you have yet to say why you have returned. If it was not for the title or the woman, then what?”

Odey stood. “I do have more to discuss with you now that we are alone. Perhaps we should retire to the library for a drink?” They headed into the more masculine environment, which retained a whiff of tobacco laced with leather and dust. “You are correct. I did not come home purely to tell you I am alive. It seems that someone may wish to truly see me dead.”

---

A low, agonized moan ripped Theo from a fitful sleep. She had been tossing and turning all night with odd dreams where her husband would morph into his brother, usually at the most awkward of moments. Next to her, Stone muttered in his sleep and groaned.

Her gut twisted, because she knew he must be in the grip of another nightmare. She unwound the sheets from his legs, careful of any sudden thrashing movements, and then sat next to him on the edge of the bed. As she lay a hand on his forehead and carefully pushed the flop of hair from his face, he seemed to ease a bit.

This was the first nightmare he’d had since the episode at Hawksbury Grange, though if she were able to judge based on past nights, she’d say this was a less intense dream. She hoped that as he opened up to her, he might find more peaceful dreams in his sleep.

He rolled away from her and thrashed about as he cried out in distress. “Not the women…”

Determined to end his nightmare, she crawled across the mattress to where he’d moved and stroked his face again. “Stone, you must wake up. Come back to me.” She said the litany over and over until a single tear slipped down her cheek and dropped onto his face. Eyes closed, she muttered the words and hoped she could cut through the pain to bring him back.

The first sign of his return was the strong grasp of his hand around one of her wrists, and then the warm press of his lips against her palm. “I’m here, Theo.”

A sigh of relief escaped her as she opened her eyes to meet the coherent yet agonized gaze of her husband. “You’ve come back.”

“I shall always return to you.” The raspiness of his voice made her heart ache with the need to soothe such a fine man.

“I am glad to hear such promises.” She hesitated and decided to press on. “Would you like to talk about the nightmare?”

He shook his head, but pulled her into the circle of his arms. “There is little new to share. It is simply the feeling of helplessness that torments me. The grief of hearing events unfold, and being unable to stop them.”

Theo couldn’t imagine such frustration and despair as he must experience each time he had the dream. “I wish I could make it all disappear.”

Stone glanced at her, and seemed to weigh sharing something. “I think you may be aiding me in some way. The dream seemed less…intense this time. Normally, the images are so vivid and real, but as soon as you spoke to me, I began drifting away from the horror and surfacing from the dream.”

Theo held on to the notion and let it give her comfort. “I am glad if it offers you some respite.” She yawned terribly as the heat from his torso seeped through her thin nightgown.

Stone kissed the top of her head. “Sleep, wife. You need your rest, and I shall watch over you for a bit.”

Unable to argue, she slipped back into slumber and pressed against her husband. Perhaps things were finally turning about and going their way. All she had ever wanted was a small measure of happiness, no grand love or epic romance. Truly, she was a simple woman at heart.