“Excellent.” Win nodded. “Mother left for London three days ago with instructions that when Lady Lydingham or the rest of her family arrived, Cook should prepare a basket of her best scones and cakes and biscuits to be sent to Millworth Manor as a gesture of neighborly goodwill. They are still the best in the county. Mother was a bit confused as to whether or not Lady Lydingham’s mother and sisters would be in residence for Christmas as well, as she had heard Lady Briston and her youngest daughter were in Paris.”

Gray cast his cousin a suspicious look. “And?”

“And, according to my information, Lady Lydingham arrived yesterday. Cook has prepared the basket and it needs to be delivered.”

“And?”

“And, while I can certainly send a footman, Mother would have my head if it wasn’t delivered by a family member.”

“I suspect she intended that family member to be you.”

“Only because she didn’t know you would be here. But I have a great deal to do.” Win aimed the younger man a hard look. “While you have been off making your fortune, I have been learning everything Father intended the two of us to share—business, finance and management of all the family’s properties and investments. Which means I am an extremely busy man. It is an immense burden, you know—”

“I can only imagine,” Gray murmured.

“And leaves me little time for social niceties.”

“Probably why you keep losing fiancées.”

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised. Why, I had to practically steal the time for a ride today before you arrived. And I need you to deliver this gesture of neighborly Christmas cheer to Lady Lydingham.”

Gray stared. “No.”

“Why not?”

“I’d prefer not to, that’s all.”

“Why?” Win studied him closely. “You said you weren’t avoiding her.”

“I’m not.”

“And the two of you were friends long before you fell in love with her.”

“True enough.”

“You said you have no lingering feelings. You have put her behind you. And should you meet, you would treat her with nothing more than polite cordiality, as one old friend encountering another.”

“I did say that, but—”

“But?” Win’s brow rose. “Unless, of course, you didn’t mean it. Unless, you still harbor feelings of affection. Unless you fear seeing her again will bring back—”

“Bloody hell, Win,” Gray snapped. “I’ll take the blasted basket.”

“It is, after all, the very least you can do after abandoning me for all those years to—”

“I said I’d do it!”