“Over?” Brand stood and picked an invisible piece of lint from his perfectly pressed coat. “You have a nursery to open, a governess to hire, ponies to buy—”

“My man of business can take care of such nonsense. Dalmapple will find the task invigorating.”

“Anthony, I don’t think you understand. Five children? That is a very heavy responsibility.”

“I’ve been taking care of the entire Elliot family since I was seventeen. How much trouble could a few children be?” Anthony lifted a brow. “I suppose you will be sending news of my misfortune to Marcus?”

“As the oldest, he will want to know.” Brand hesitated, then placed a hand on Anthony’s shoulder, his expression serious. “Anthony, I know you don’t—if you need any help, we are here for you. The St. Johns always support their own.”

“I am not a St. John.”

Brand frowned and squeezed Anthony’s shoulder. “You were raised a St. John, and a St. John you are.”

Anthony wasn’t sure he believed that. His true father had died when Anthony was quite young and he’d been raised by his stepfather, James St. John. Anthony’s mother and her new husband had been deeply in love and had rapidly produced five more children, four boys and a girl. Anthony hadn’t minded—he’d enjoyed his little half brothers and sister. But he’d always been aware that he was not one of them. “Brand, thank you for coming to this debacle. I suppose I owe you something in exchange?”

A sudden flash of humor lit Brand’s blue eyes. “Now that you mention it…” He reached into his waistcoat and withdrew a thick silver ring, heavily decorated with circular carvings.

“Good God. Mother’s ring,” Anthony said. Their mother had believed that whoever possessed the talisman ring would meet his life’s mate. Her sons, however, thought of the ring differently. They had early on dubbed the ring “the family curse” and then spent a considerable amount of time attempting to fob it off on one another. “I thought Chase had that blasted thing.”

“He did. I discovered it in one of my riding boots after he visited last week.”

“So hide it in his boot the next time you visit him.”

“Yes, well, I was hoping you’d do the honors. He’ll be expecting it from me.”

Anthony sighed. Normally he stayed out of this little game since the ring wouldn’t affect an Elliot. Still, it was the least he could do after Brand’s show of support. Anthony held out his hand.

Brand dropped the ring into it and grinned. “I’ll owe you for this.”

“Yes, you will.” Anthony deposited the ring in his own pocket. It seemed like a fairly easy request considering he’d just agreed to take on five unruly hellions.

He almost grimaced at the thought. Despite his outwardly calm reaction, inwardly he was seething. Cousin James must have laughed uproariously as he’d written that damnable phrase in his will. Anthony was quite certain the cretin had done it with no other thought in mind than to make his life miserable.