He trudged into the house and found James seated at the desk in his study. Gil breathed a sigh of relief that Bree was nowhere to be seen.
James looked up from the ledger when he heard Gil enter. “There you are, boy. I thought you’d changed your mind.”
“No, sir, I haven’t,” he said quietly.
James put down his pen in a deliberate manner, replaced the cap on the bottle of ink, and folded his hands on the now-closed ledger. “Have a seat, Gilbert. I think we need to talk.”
Gil had rarely seen James this serious. Dread pooled in his gut as he reluctantly chose one of the leather chairs across from the desk. “About the foal . . .”
“That’s only part of it. The more important part has to do with your feelings for my daughter.”
Gil stiffened. He struggled for something to say, but when nothing seemed appropriate, he remained silent.
“Tell me, Gilbert, just how long have you been in love with Brianna?”
Gil jerked as though the man had slapped him. White knuckles gripped the leather armrests. “I don’t know what—”
“I’m not blind, boy. I saw what happened in that barn, and I know why you agreed to buy the foal. You wanted to fix the situation for Brianna, to ease her pain. A noble gesture, really. The act of a man in love.”
Gil wanted to argue, but his tongue stuck to the dry roof of his mouth. The clock on the desk ticked into the silence.
James leaned over the desktop. “Don’t bother to deny it. I recognize the signs because it was the same way with my Kathleen.” His expression softened as it often did when he spoke of his wife.
A small glimmer of hope bloomed in Gil’s chest. Might James be sympathetic to his cause? “I . . . I don’t know what to say, sir.”
James’s eyes narrowed. “I need you to answer a question for me. And I need the truth. Have you . . . acted on these feelings?”
Gil fought to keep the heat from his face as he recalled their kiss—not something he would share with her father. “I have never said anything to Brianna about my feelings.”
“So you haven’t been carrying on a secret affair behind my back?”
Outrage slammed through Gil. “Of course not.”
James blew out a long breath. “Thank God. It’s not too late.”
Too late? What does that mean? Gil swallowed and got to his feet. “Mr. O’Leary, I know I don’t have many assets, but I have big plans for the future. In a year’s time, I should have enough money saved to buy my own property.”
A shutter came down over James’s face, and he pushed his chair back, holding up a hand. “Let me stop you right there.” He moved slowly, as though weighing his words, and came around the desk to stand beside him. “Gilbert, I raised you in the bosom of my family. I consider you another son, and for all intents and purposes, a sibling to my children. I’ve even named you in my will. It would feel slightly incestuous for you to have a relationship with Brianna.”
Gil’s hands fisted in helpless frustration. “But we aren’t related—either biologically or legally, sir. I don’t see why—”
James pulled himself up to his full, imposing height, arms crossed tight over his chest. “In light of these new developments, Gilbert, I believe it might be wise for you to take Arthur Hastings up on his job offer at the bank.”
Bile rose at the back of Gil’s throat. He sank back onto the chair, speechless.
“You could move back to the city and begin the formal courtship of his daughter. In the meantime, Brianna will continue seeing Henry Sullivan. I expect to announce their betrothal at her eighteenth birthday in two weeks’ time.” He gave Gil a long look. “Some distance will do you both good.”
Gil’s head spun with sudden vertigo. “So I’m good enough to inherit your money, but not good enough to marry your daughter?” The words came out sharper than he’d intended.
“Nothing personal, son. I need the wealth and social status that the Sullivan family can bring us. You understand.” He clapped Gil on the back, then rounded the desk to resume his seat. “If you’re still bent on buying that colt, I’ll give you more than a fair price.” He took the cap off the ink and dipped his pen, effectively dismissing Gilbert.
Gil rose on unsteady legs, attempting to come to grips with everything that had just been said. As much as it pained him to admit it, James had a point. Gil couldn’t imagine being around Brianna after what had transpired between them. “I’ll speak with Mr. Hastings, but I’d like to stay until after Bree’s birthday. It would kill her if I left before then.”
“Fine.” James glanced up for a moment. “No hard feelings, I hope, son.”
Gil clamped his lips together, fighting the sensation of his world spinning out of control. Morning light seeped through the window to illuminate the rigid lines on James’s face. Gil blinked against the harsh glare of reality that had effectively destroyed any lingering delusions he may have had about his place in this family.
He swallowed back his bitter disillusionment. “No, sir. You’ve made your position very clear. I know exactly where I stand.”
Brianna pushed into her father’s study without knocking. “Daddy, have you seen Gil? I can’t find him anywhere.”
It had been three days since the foal’s birth, three days since they’d shared their amazing kiss, and Brianna hadn’t seen Gil for more than five minutes. She was determined to speak to him today and find out exactly where things stood between them.
Her father looked up from his paperwork. “I believe he went into the city to meet with Arthur Hastings.”
A prickle of foreboding raced along her spine. “Why would he do that?”
Daddy removed his spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Didn’t he tell you? Arthur offered Gil a job at his bank in Manhattan. I suppose they’re working out the details.”
The room swirled around her. She clutched the back of the chair to keep from stumbling. “That can’t be true. Gil would never work in a bank.”
“He’s an ambitious young man, Brianna. We can’t expect him to stay cooped up here forever. Arthur recognizes Gil’s talent and wants to groom him in his business. It makes sense—now that Gil is courting his daughter.”
Momentary shock paralyzed Brianna’s lungs. Then ripe anger rose within her, loosening her tongue. “Gil is not courting Aurora Hastings.”
Her father flicked her a disapproving glance. “He made it official yesterday. Apparently the whole family is thrilled.”
Brianna tugged at the neck of her blouse, which had become unbearably tight. “You’re wrong. Gil is not interested in Aurora.”
He huffed out a loud breath. “Aurora is a beautiful young woman from a wealthy family. What better match could he make?”
“But Gil loves me.” The words burst forth in a torrent of desperate indignation.
Her father frowned. “Quit imagining things, Brianna. Gil loves you as a brother would. Nothing more.”
A toxic mixture of anger and jealousy surged through her veins. “You’re wrong,” she repeated. “Gil kissed me the way a man kisses the woman he loves.”
His head snapped up, giving Brianna a small thrill of victory. “That’s right, Daddy. Gil loves me, and I love him. We’re going to have a future together. You’ll see.”
Her father’s features turned to stone. He slammed a palm to the polished surface of the desk. “I will hear no more on the matter. You need to forget these nonsensical notions and concentrate on Henry, your future husband.”
Brianna’s fingers tightened into fists, her nails biting into her palms. She wanted to smash something. To break one of her father’s precious trophies. To hurt him as he always hurt her. Instead, she bit her bottom lip until the taste of blood brought about a measure of sanity.
Once she sorted out this misunderstanding with Gil, she would prove to her father that their love was something pure, sanctioned by God, something Daddy’s greed would never touch.
Love would triumph in the end. She’d make sure of it.
Avoiding Brianna was slowly killing him—a fate Gil surely deserved. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his shirt sleeve, silently berating himself as the worst sort of coward. The uncomfortable truth sat like a sharp blade between his shoulders. He just didn’t have the courage to face her after that kiss.
Or the courage to tell her he was leaving.
After twelve long hours of work with the horses, followed by an exhausting ride over the O’Leary property—none of which did anything to relieve Gil’s guilt and frustration—he now finished brushing Midnight’s coat, furious to find that nothing could erase Brianna from his mind.
He exhaled loudly, making the dust motes dance in the air around him, his thoughts turning to the conversation he’d inadvertently overhead the day after James all but banished him from Irish Meadows. Gil had been trying to avoid Brianna by sneaking into the kitchen through the servants’ entrance when he’d heard voices on the back porch.
“I suppose you think me an ogre for not letting Brianna continue her romantic daydreams.” James’s baritone had been clearly audible from where Gil stood, back pressed to the brick wall.
“Not an ogre, my love. But I would like to know what you have against Gil courting Brianna.”
“The boy was raised in our home as a sibling to our children. It feels like incest, Katie. It feels like betrayal.”
Gil flinched as though James had struck him.
“You make it sound like they created some insidious plan calculated to hurt you. Sometimes love catches you off guard. Have you forgotten how it was for us?”
“I remember.” James’s voice was husky. “I also remember my father clawing his way up from the dirt of poverty, fighting discrimination at every turn for being a poor Irishman. You know how long it took for us to achieve respectability, Katie.”
Heavy footsteps had thumped the porch, and Gil had pictured James pacing like a caged lion.
“I vowed that my children would never know that type of hardship. That our daughters would marry well-respected, wealthy men with good standing in society. Like it or not, Gilbert is the son of a destitute laborer, doomed to a lifetime of struggle. I don’t want that for Brianna.”
“What about what Brianna wants?”
Gil had held his breath, his fingers scraping the bricks at his back.
James snorted. “The girl is a dreamer. She wants to go to college to ‘expand her mind.’ And then to marry a penniless boy. Where does she get such notions?”
Mrs. O’Leary’s footsteps crossed the porch. “Our children are bound to make mistakes, James, and choose different paths than the ones we want for them. We can guide them, but we can’t force our views on them.”
“Oh, really? Are you not forcing your religion on them?”
“That’s different. I’m trying to save their souls.”
“You save our souls, Katie. I’ll look after the rest. My decision stands. Brianna will marry Henry Sullivan.”
The last thread of hope had drained away then, leaving Gil limp. Mrs. O’Leary was the one person in the world who might have changed James’s mind, but she had failed.
Fortunately or unfortunately—Gil wasn’t sure which—Arthur Hastings didn’t appear to share James’s pessimistic opinion of the Whelan name. He’d been thrilled at Gil’s change of heart and had eagerly offered him an entry-level position in the Hastings Bank and Loan Company. He’d also granted him permission to court Aurora. Apparently, Arthur didn’t share James’s reservations about having Gil as a potential son-in-law, perhaps due to the fact that he had no son to follow in his footsteps.
To that end, the Hastings family had invited Gil for dinner tonight at Belvedere, their summer estate. Mr. Hastings was sending an automobile for Gil promptly at six, which meant he needed to get cleaned up soon.
Gil shrugged off his useless ponderings and exited the stall, closing the latch with a soft clink of metal. Overcome with the need to hurry, he failed to see Brianna standing in the main corridor until it was too late. Gil’s heart chugged to a stop, his feet rooted to the spot as he braced himself for the inevitable confrontation.
She stood blocking the exit, her arms crossed in a battle stance. Behind her, the wind whipped the dirt and straw in a swirling pattern past the open doorway. Ominous clouds scuttled across the sky, framing her like a picture.
“Why are you avoiding me?” Her words rang through the hollow space.
The speech he’d been practicing for just such an eventuality flew from his mind. “I’ve been busy.” He bent to pick up a coil of rope and loop it over a nail on the wall.
“Is it true?” Raw emotion swirled in the depths of her eyes.
He steeled himself to inflict the blow. “It is.”
Her hand shot to her mouth, muffling her cry. A shaft of pain hit his chest as surely as if she’d taken aim and shot him with an arrow, but he held himself rigid.
Her hand fell away, fisting against the blue fabric of her dress. “I want to hear you say it out loud.”
He wet his dry lips, careful not to blink. He needed to be strong, to convince her this was the only course open to them. “I have accepted a job at the Hastings bank. And I am courting Aurora.”
She swayed for a moment, but steadied herself. “Why, Gil?” Her tortured whisper hung in the air between them.
“I think you know why.”
“My father.” She spat the word with a venomous sneer.
He nodded. “You may not agree with him, but he’s only looking out for you. He wants a better future for you, more than I can offer.”
She took several quick steps forward and threw out her hands. “Don’t you understand? I don’t care about money or social status. None of that will make me happy. Being with you will.”
Dear God, how do I fight such naivety, such passion? He yearned to gather her to him and never let her go. Instead, he had to make her accept the reality of the situation.
“Going against your father’s wishes won’t make you happy, Bree. It will rip your family apart. Create a rift that can never be mended. I can’t do that to them—or to you.” He took a deep breath. “So unless your father changes his mind, this is the way it has to be.”
He knew the truth had hit home when her shoulders slumped and the light dimmed in her eyes. With an unbearable ache in his heart, he shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her. “I’ll stay until your birthday, then I’m moving to the city for good. It will be better for everyone.”
He ducked his head to hide the moisture blurring his vision, then pushed past her out of the barn. The rain had started to fall, fat drops soaking his shirt in seconds. Halfway to the house, Brianna’s wail of anguish shattered the last of his control. His grief broke loose in a torrent that mingled with the rain streaming down his face.
He’d lost Brianna and he’d lost Irish Meadows—all because he couldn’t resist the temptation of her kiss.
He deserved to be unhappy for the rest of his life.
13
COLLEEN TAPPED A TOE in time with the music, trying to pretend she was enjoying Brianna’s birthday celebration. Not that her sister would even notice. Brianna had never looked more miserable in her life. Probably pining over Gil’s impending departure—a surprising turn of events, to be sure.
Too bad Colleen had never gotten the chance to steal a kiss from Gil.
Colleen fanned her cheeks, which had warmed at the thought. She’d been fending off offers to dance all evening. After two uncomfortable dances with Jared, she’d claimed a leg cramp and moved to the chairs for the remainder of the night. Jared’s indulgence in spirits, as well as his wandering hands, made her want to avoid his company altogether.
The fact that Jared had spent the last twenty minutes holed away with her father in his study had only added to Colleen’s foul mood. Their private meeting could only mean one thing—Jared had asked for her hand in marriage. Waves of nausea twisted Colleen’s stomach. At one time, she’d actually entertained the idea of marr
ying him, but lately Jared’s behavior had become more and more alarming, and she was no longer sure she wanted anything to do with him.
But Daddy would never turn down the chance for a union with their well-to-do neighbors. Colleen needed to come up with some indisputable way to get out of this relationship, once and for all.
She scanned the crowd, relieved that for once the knowing eyes of Rylan Montgomery were not aimed at her. Her gaze moved down the room and lit on Gil, standing in the corner with Aurora Hastings at his side, looking as depressed as she’d ever seen him. He hadn’t gone near Brianna all evening—a curious event in itself. Normally on her birthday, Gil would lavish all sorts of attention on Bree. Perhaps the rumors were true and Gil had indeed started courting Aurora. If so, maybe the girl had put a stop to Gil’s ridiculous fawning over her sister.
“What’s wrong with Bree tonight?” Adam sprawled on the seat beside her. “She usually loves her birthday.”
Colleen glanced over at her brother, pleased to see that for once Adam hadn’t overindulged in alcohol. His eyes were sharp, his speech clear.
Adam nodded toward Gil. “I’m guessing it has something to do with Whelan. Am I right?”
She shrugged. “Possibly. He’s working for Mr. Hastings now and is moving to the city.”
“Hallelujah! There is a God.”
“Adam.” She swatted his shoulder. “Don’t let Mama catch you talking like that.”
Adam’s retort was interrupted by Daddy stepping forward and clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. The crowd ceased their chatter to focus on him.
“I want to thank all of you for coming tonight to help celebrate Brianna’s eighteenth birthday.” Applause rippled through the room. Daddy motioned for silence. “In addition to that momentous event, I have another happy announcement to make.”
Colleen stiffened on her chair, her heart pounding an uncomfortable rhythm.
“Any idea what this is about?” Adam whispered.
“None.” She gripped her fingers together on her lap. It had better not have anything to do with Jared Nolan.
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