Lavender shook her head. “There must be a reason.”
“There is no reason other than the fact that the earl is nothing but a brute! I heard that he was the one who incited the fight. And given everything I knew about him—which was far too little, I’ll admit—I should have known better than to entrust you to a man like him, Lavender.”
“Vincent.” Lavender seemed to be struggling on her own with the truth. Austin could say nothing. He’d felt shame from the moment he woke up from his unconscious state but it did not choke him as soundly as it did now. “Let’s calm down.”
“I will not calm down, Lavender! It is one thing for him to carry the reputation of a brute and a bastard but it is another thing entirely for him to live up to one.” He whirled on Austin. “I shall give you anything you want to break our contract. Money is no issue here. As long as you leave.”
“Contract?” Colin spoke up. “You are contracted to marry her?”
Lavender mimicked her brother by pinching the bridge of her nose. “Colin, please.”
Austin didn’t look away from Vincent. He deserved this. Every bit of anger and disappointment directed towards him was duly sent. But he would not back down. “I made a promise by signing that contract. I shall not break it.”
“You made a promise because money is what you wanted,” Vincent reminded him. “I shall give you what you want, so long as you leave my sister be. I shall find a better husband for her.”
“Money was what I wanted,” Austin answered calmly. “It is no longer my motivation.”
“And what do you mean by that?”
Austin did not answer. He knew the truth deep down. Perhaps it was being knocked upside the chin that brought him tohis senses. But before he could find the right words, Lavender stepped in between them once again.
“Vincent, enough. I understand that you’re angry but there must have been a reason why Austin and Colin fought. Austin is not an irrational man. Whatever drove him do such a thing must have been worth it.” Lavender glanced uncertainly at him. “Wasn’t it?”
He met her eyes, hoping she could see the depth of his earnestness as he said, “Yes, it was. We fought over you, Lavender. And it was certainly worth it.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lavender only stared at him for a long moment. She could see him fighting the unconsciousness but the shock his words induced made it difficult to remember that he should be in bed under the care of a physician and not here talking about this.
“Over me?” she repeated dumbly. She didn’t realize she’d sank to his side again until he had to shift his head to look down at her. “I don’t…I don’t understand.”
“Ignore his ramblings, Lavender,” Colin spoke up from behind her. “He is delirious and clearly does not know what he is saying.”
“Do you call him a liar then?” Lavender asked, her tone sharp. She turned her head, looking at Colin from the corner of her eye. “And my brother as well? And all the others who have begun to spread rumours of your duel?”
She saw him scratch the back of his head. “I did not mean it that way.”
She turned back to Austin. His eyes were fluttering and he was holding his cane so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “Leave us be,” she said. “You as well, Vincent. I want to speak with Austin alone.”
“I’ll be damned if I leave you alone with this—”
“But you would much rather entertain the thought of me marrying someone who claims he is in love with me?” she snapped at her brother, cutting him off. Lavender stood and whirled on him. “Someone who claims he is my friend yet sneakily came here knowing what he did last night and lied to my face about it?”
To her left, Colin made a step toward. “Lavender, you know that wasn’t my—”
“Leave!” she shouted, her voice so loud that even Vincent jumped. “I said I need to speak with Austin alone.”
Vincent seemed reluctant. But he knew he couldn’t argue with her, not when she was like this. And especially not when it was clear that she was right. He shot an uncertain glance at Austinand then at Colin. Despite colorful bruises on Colin’s face, Lavender had never seen it paler.
After a few seconds, they finally gave in and sluggishly made their way to the door. Lavender turned to watch them go, crossing her arms. She did not let up her glare until the door closed behind them.
Once they were gone, her anger fell away, leaving the aching worry open like a pulsing wound. She was by Austin’s side again in a second. “I’m going to call you a physician,” she told him. “For now, just rest until they get here. Close your eyes.”
He shook his head weakly. “That isn’t a good idea,” he murmured.
“Why?” Lavender didn’t know what else to do. It was alarming watching the tough, burly earl appear so weak and fragile. Panic settled into the rhythms of her heartbeat, chasing away all the questions she had. She leaned forward, pressing a hand against his forehead. He wasn’t hot yet his eyes fluttered as if he was being taken by a fever dream.
Slowly, Austin reached up and took her hand. She thought that he would move it away but he just cradled it to his chest. “You have questions,” he said softly.
