Harold found Alice in the drawing room that night, still reading the same book from earlier.

This time, despite the irritation, he was rather calm as he did not want to be outwitted once again.

"Good evening, my lady," he greeted, striding into the room and without waiting to be offered a seat he took the chair opposite hers, crossed his leg over the other and rested his chin on his hand.

If she flinched at his sudden entrance, she did not show it.

Good lord! The woman was very good at keeping her composure at its best!

"Whyever are you here, my lord?" she murmured, lips barely moving, eyes glued to her book.

Harold let a few seconds pass by, just looking at her reading. "You told me earlier that you did not know where to find Martin and Eva."

"You assumed I did not know," she said, throwing him a look. "You found them in the stables?"

"Yes."

"Were they in disarray?"

"No, but—"

"Well, then, your worry has not yet happened."

"Not yet happened. You said it, not me," he pointed out.

"Well, it would lead to the mating were have been talking about if you prove to be unsuccessful in keeping them apart."

"Without your help, thank you."

"You are welcome," she murmured back.

He sighed and leaned back into the chair, shifting his legs. "You still lied to me."

"Even if I did, I do not believe you have gained enough of my respect to honor you with my honesty." She finally took a longer moment to look at him, her blue eyes looking squarely at him, unwavering and confident. "And I rarely lie, my lord."

"You still lied to me."

"I said I rarely lie," she retorted. "I did not say I do not do it." Her gaze hardened. "And I did not lie earlier. You assumed I did not know where to find them. And why does it matter to you if I lied?"

"Because it irritates me to know that I am the only person here concerned about your friend and mine. Whatever they are doing is a serious matter."

"Which makes them happy. Why would you deprive them of that?"

"Because it is not practical."

"Then what would you consider practical?"

"Martin marrying you, of course."

She scoffed and chuckled. "That will be terrible." She closed her book and stood. "I should relocate myself. It seems I can no longer enjoy any private moment in this room. Good day, my lord."

"Do not go looking for me if something untoward happens, my lady."

"You can expect that," he heard her say as she left.

Harold growled as she gently closed the door behind her.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

He could feel it. Something was about to happen.

He should just leave and let Martin ruin his life.

*****

Alice was frowning at her mother's letter that night after supper.

"What is it?" Eva asked as she was changing into her nightgown.

"Mother has just conquered another great feat," she said, looking at her friend. "She is truly desperate."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"She wrote that Lady Vivian is in agreement with the marriage between Martin and I."

The small smile on Eva's lips froze.

Alice reread her mother's letter. When she returned her gaze at Eva, she said, "They have grown close since they left Langworthy and are now planning the wedding."

"But—"

"They are shopping for a modiste to make the wedding dress!"

"What?"

"She is crazy. Utterly crazy!"

"Alice, what if—"

"Fret not, the wedding is not happening," Alice said, standing to her feet.

"If your mother and Lady Vivian have decided, it would not take long for them to convince Lord August. Whatever can we do—"

"Of course you can do something," Alice snapped. A light shudder ran through her at the thought of marrying the man her best friend was in love with. "You ought to have a talk with Martin."

"What would I tell him—"

"Tell him that if he loves you, the two of you will go to Tiny Town very soon."

*****

"It makes me nervous that you have gathered us here," said Martin to his father.

They were in the ransacked study drinking brandy.

Lord August had not shown himself save for meal times. He would always disappear into this study, reading documents and journals by the late Lord Langworthy. No one was quite certain if he had had any progress at all. Bloody hell, no one was even sure what he was trying to achieve here.

It was a surprise when he asked for both Martin and Harold to join him in his study after supper and the two young ladies had retired for the night.

Harold was only present because he had no choice.

"Your mother sent a letter," Lord August nonchalantly said. "She and Edwina has agreed that you should marry Alice."

Harold's head snapped to the right to see Martin's reaction.

"No!" Martin cried out instantly. "I no longer wish to marry her."

Lord August frowned. "I agree with your mother. You are of marrying age. And so is Alice. We want to keep the lineage of our new inheritance as pure as possible. No one is better candidate than Alice. Her father and her father's father and the men before them had always been Langworthy's masters. We have to keep—"

"No! That is all I have to say. No," Martin stonily interjected. "Alice would agree to me on this matter as well. I have someone—"

"Then that someone better have a larger dowry than Alice, my boy," Lord August said, tone louder and even angry now, "because that will be all you will have for the rest of your life."

Martin's face turned white. "Are you saying you are cutting me off?"

Harold swallowed, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, ready to burst out of the room if he was ever asked to.

"I am threatening to cut you off, that is what I am saying," Lord August boomed, eyes alight with anger now. "How dare you say no to me?"

"I dare because I am looking at my own bloody future!"

"Which is quite bleak as we speak!" his friend's father roared. "If you do not marry Alice, I shall take Surley back. That includes the title. You will have none of it."

"You have no other heir!"

"I can always find one!" Lord August cried. "Harold can take everything when I die!"

Harold stiffened. He shifted uncomfortably once again. "I do not really need another title..." he managed to say under his breath. He glared at Martin, silently ordering his friend to just say yes to the man.

But his friend ignored him. "You cannot control my life."

"Of course, I can!"

"Well, you barely managed to control Surley when you had it!" Martin shouted, whirling around, storming out of the room without closing the door.

Harold swallowed and cleared his throat, giving the red-faced Lord August an apologetic look. "I will talk to him. I am quite sure he is only foxed."

Lord August merely grumbled something under his breath and Harold took that as a sign that he, too, could escape the room.

But he did not go and search for Martin. His friend has the propensity to do something even more stupid when irked.

And he could not say he was in agreement with Lord August. Although he did not approve of Martin playing around with Eva in the past couple of days, he was not also in agreement that his friend ought to be forced to marry someone he did not want to.

He came here with Martin to escape marriage in the first place until his friend decided he wanted to marry Alice after all and later on change his mind after meeting Eva.

Things had drastically changed since that morning Martin dragged him out of his estate in Wickhurst.

Instead of making things even worse, Harold decided he needed a drink.

He crept into the drawing room to find it already occupied.

Alice was wearing a black silk robe, sipping a glass of sherry in one corner, looking almost like a silhouette in front of the window.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. This time, the surprise in her face was apparent.

Harold took in her appearance. She was ready for bed. She must be wearing her nightgown underneath that silk robe. Instead of answering her question, he walked over to the liquor cabinet to pour himself a drink and said, "I did not realize you like this room so much."

"I like it even more alone," she said, staring at his glass of brandy. "You can take that drink with you to your bedchamber."

"I may need another glass later," he said, taking a sit with a sigh.

"Then take the entire bottle with you."

Harold smiled at her. "I may also need company."

Her blue eyes seemed to have a light of their own as she stood there in front of the window, the light of the lamp outside giving her a yellow glow. Bloody tarnation, he could strip her of that silk robe in one fluid motion.

He pushed the thought aside because that would be even more stupid than Martin's recent actions.

"I am not need of one," she was saying. "I was here first. Find your own room."

"I am currently too tired. And would you not like to know why I need a drink?"

"You are the least person I will be interested in at the moment, my lord."

Harold finally saw something in her face. No, it could be in the way he said her statement. He frowned. "Has something happened?"

"No, something was delivered."

His frown deepened. And then it hit him. "You also got the letter."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Did Martin get one as well?"

He shook his head. "Lord August did."

Her lips pursed.

Harold looked at her drink. "You might need something stronger than a sherry."

She ignored his suggestion. Instead, she asked, "Well? What did the letter contain?"

"I do not know."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"But I do know one particular detail."

She waited for his next words without moving.

"Lord August just ordered his son to marry you."

"And?" She stated her question too fast as if she did not even want to say it. Or perhaps, did not want to hear the answer.

Harold sighed and shrugged. "Well, they fought, of course. No son wants to be ordered about."

His eyes landed on her lips as she worried them with her teeth.

She was clearly conflicted.

It was a miracle, really, to see Alice almost out of her flat and cold compsure.

She gulped her drink until it was empty. Then she turned and walked to the liquor cabinet.

Harold's eyes rounded when she picked up the bottle of brandy and walked to the door.

"Are you taking my brandy?"

"It was offered to you earlier, was it not?" she snapped over her shoulder. "Enjoy the sherry."

Harold scoffed.

As the silence of the room engulfed him, he threw his head back to rest against the chair and sighed.

"Ah, Martin, what trouble is this? How are you going to get through this, my friend?"

*****

Alice almost jumped out of her bed when the door to her bedchamber suddenly flew open, crashing against the wall.

"What in the world—" she started, but her next words were transformed into a shrill when she saw Harold standing at the foot of her bed. She scrambled for her covers as she cried, "You better have a very good explanation why you stormed into my room, my lord, before I skin you alive!"

"Where is Eva?" he demanded harshly.

Still half-asleep with murderous intent, Alice simply stared at him.

"Martin is nowhere to be found. So is his carriage. Two horses are missing from the stables."

Alice blinked a couple of times, collecting her thoughts, trying to remember everything.

She brushed her hands over her face and moaned in frustration. "You had to risk being murdered to ask me that question?"

"I just told you that Martin is gone! And it seems that so is Eva!"

"Well, of course they are!"

He stiffened, his blazing emerald eyes looking right into hers.

"They eloped, of course," Alice nonchalantly stated.

His eyes rounded at her accusingly. "You knew!"

"Well, of course. Someone had to help them," she said, slipping out of bed to grab her robe. She put them on, no longer concerned for modesty. He clearly was not either so why bother?

"You let them! Are you insane!"

She faced him, her hair a mess. "I am completely of sound mind, thank you."

"You just let our friends elope!"

"Yes!"

"You are insane!"

"Well, I also thought so at first. I have let them borrow two of my best horses, after all."

Harold scoffed at her in disbelief and whirled around. "You are insane, woman! Insane!"

"Where are you going?" she asked, following him out of her room and down the corridor.

He stopped and sharply turned to face her. "I am going to do what a sane friend ought to do. Stop them before it is too late!"