Patrick blanched, but before he could respond, Liam drew his fist back to throw a punch at Oscar’s jaw.

With a lightning-fast reflex, Patrick stuck his hand out to intercept the punch. Pain shot up his arm because Liam’s fist had hit his bad hand and barely healed fingers. He howled, dizzy with pain, and curled over his hand.

“You broke my fingers again, Liam,” he managed to choke out.

The old aunts clucked in horror, and Liam looked aghast.

Gwen swooped in to hover over him. “Should we send for a doctor?” she asked in a panicked voice.

Patrick’s vision cleared, and the pain began fading. He had to hold this together. He’d taken punches before and knew how to handle pain. Liam’s punch had landed in the center of his palm, and despite the quick rush of agony, his fingers would probably be okay. He managed to straighten his spine and cast a surly look at Oscar, who had the grace to look mortified after being saved from a well-deserved decking by a man he despised.

“I’m okay,” he said, still glaring at Oscar.

Liam looked ready to keel over in regret. “I’m sorry, Patrick! I don’t mind if you want to punch my lights out for that.”

Patrick swallowed back a sigh. “Let’s all lower the temperature, okay?”

Oscar’s insult was forgotten as a servant went to get ice for his hand and the old aunts started fussing over him. One of them guided him to a wicker chair, and Bertie praised his quick reflexes. Oscar suddenly decided to fetch a glass of punch on the lower terrace.

Patrick watched him go, silently stewing. He’d known he would have to endure some slings and arrows on his road to winning Gwen, but Oscar’s unprovoked insult was a surprise. He thought about it all during the preparations for lunch as servants set the picnic tables and brought trays of food down for the family.

Oscar’s ridicule was badly done on a number of fronts. It stirred sympathy among the aunts, but most importantly, it strengthened Patrick’s resolve to get Liam on the board of the bank to give Oscar some real competition.

Gwen had been mortified by Oscar’s attack on Patrick. Most of her cousins hadn’t witnessed the incident, but word spread quickly. They cast furtive glances at Patrick and Liam during lunch, but few offered to join them at the table.

It was obvious Gwen needed to do a better job preparing the ground among her family. They didn’t need to fall over themselves with love for Patrick, but she wouldn’t tolerate outright rudeness.