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He studied it for a moment. First his palm then the back of his hand. "No. This was an accident."

Beth smiled. "You are very loyal to him."

"He is loyal to me." He took a heavy sip.

"And to his brother." She drank from her glass. "Loyalty? Is that why he refuses anyone calling the Prince his half-brother?

Lord Carlisle shrugged. "Perhaps it is for Brand's sake. Perhaps not. He wouldn't tell." He reached out his hand, feeling the strands of her hair. It took the entirety of her will and her nerve not to flinch or lean from him.

He moved closer to her, lying on one elbow. Tension caused the hair on her nape to rise. Lord Carlisle looked up slowly. "Why was that day sad?" His voice was soft like silk and the tone impossibly intimate.

"What?" Her gaze skidded to his face and darted away. Surely he must know how he was affecting her. He couldn't be oblivious to it. It felt like it was what he intended. "What day?" She breathed out.

He twisted a few strands around his fingers. "The day you