“Better.”

“Very well, then.” Curiosity sparked in Win’s eyes. “I shall carry your secret to my grave.”

“It’s not really my secret.”

“Even better.”

“Your word, then.”

“Such as it is.” Win shrugged. “You have it.”

“Well . . .” Gray sipped his whisky and thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure where to begin. The whole thing was so preposterous. “Camille has set her cap for a prince.”

“That comes as no surprise.”

“She’s not quite as shallow as you think.”

“She couldn’t possibly be.” Win’s opinion of Camille and her sisters was nothing new. Nor was Gray’s defense of her.

“Beryl was always much shallower than her sister.”

“As they look exactly alike and, to my observation, behave in exactly the same manner, explain to me, yet again, why she isn’t as shallow as her twin.”

“You don’t know her the way I do.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the woman who broke your heart to marry someone with a title and fortune?”

“In hindsight . . .” Gray chose his words with care. “What should she have done? She was about to be married.”

“Even so—”

“She’s still angry with me,” Gray said.

“She is angry with you?” Win said slowly.

Gray nodded. “Still.”

“After eleven years, she is still angry with you.” Win’s brow rose. “How very interesting. I didn’t know she had any right to be angry with you at all.” He studied his cousin for a long, thoughtful moment. “I thought you were the wounded party.”

“I was,” Gray said staunchly.

“I thought you and she were in love.” Win studied his cousin closely. “And that she chose someone else over you because he had money and you did not.”

“She did.”

Skepticism glittered in Win’s eyes.

“I was in love with her.”

“And was she in love with you?”

“I thought so. No, I knew so.” Gray blew a long breath. “Admittedly, we had never spoken of love and she had no idea of my feelings until that very day.”

“She never said she loved you as well?”

“No, but—”

Astonishment widened Win’s eyes. “You told this woman, who had long considered you her friend, that you loved her on the day before her wedding?”

“I told you all that at the time.”

“Not exactly.” Win shook his head. “You only told me that you loved her and she refused to marry you because you had no prospects.”

“That’s what happened.” Perhaps he had not fully explained everything all those years ago.

“I thought there was more between you. The way you talked about her and your behavior, you led me to believe you and she had some sort of understanding.”

“I never said—”

“No wonder she’s angry.” Win shook his head. “Still.”

“I think it’s a good sign,” Gray said.

“A sign of what?”

“Of her feelings.”