Noah stood near the mantel slightly apart from everyone as they drank to their future happiness. His intense regard was fathomless as he watched Matt with Faith. They sat together on the sofa seemingly oblivious to the world, their gazes locked, their expressions rapturous.

Though he was careful to keep his thoughts masked, Noah couldn’t help but feel left out of the entire situation. He had always anticipated that Matt would marry well and settle down on the lands at Kincade Hall, but now…the memory of the past and the frustration of the present filled Noah with the urge to throw the empty wineglass he held with all his might against the wall and watch it shatter into a million splintering pieces.

“Matthew’s told me so much about you, Noah, that I feel as if I know you already.” Faith spoke up boldly once she’d managed to tear her attention away from Matt. She had noticed that he was holding himself slightly aloof, and she wanted to make him feel welcome.

“Oh, really?” Noah arched a dark brow in consideration of her remark, and he wondered just how much Matt had told his fiancée about their business.

Faith studied the tall nobleman with open interest as she tried to engage him in conversation. She found Noah to be a very handsome, slightly taller, older version of Matthew, but that was where she felt the resemblance ended. Matthew was warm and open and honest, whereas Noah Kincade struck her as being a very private person, not given to revealing anything about himself to anyone. She wondered if he had always been like this or if their more recent difficulties had forced him to become so hardened.

“Yes, Matt tells me that you’re planning to return to England in the spring.”

Noah let his gaze slide to his brother and then back to Faith as he wondered just how much she knew about the state of their financial affairs.

“Yes, I’ll be returning as soon as the weather breaks in the spring,” he answered with polite indifference.

“Do you miss England?” Ruth asked, wanting to keep the conversation flowing.

“Yes” came his curt reply as his thoughts drifted back to his more carefree days when the pursuit of money was not a major factor in his life. “Yes, I do miss it. It will be good to return. I had hoped that Matthew would be coming with me, but he tells me that he’s decided to remain here in Boston.”

“This is where my future lies, Noah,” Matt answered firmly, defensively.

“The opportunities are unlimited for shipping and transport here in the colonies,” Ben joined in. “What with the rum trade and all…”

“Noah and I haven’t discussed the details of just how we’ll be handling the business from now on, but I’m certain we’ll have it worked out before he departs in the spring,” Matt put in. Then, addressing his brother directly, he added the idea he had been considering since he’d first decided to remain in Boston. “I see no reason why I couldn’t handle our business contracts on this end, since you’re choosing to return to England and remain there permanently.”

“It seems you’ve been giving this a lot of thought,” Noah remarked.

“Well, the wedding does take place in less than two weeks, and I wanted to have some idea of what my prospects are going to be before then,” he said simply.

“Have you two decided where you’re going to live after you’re married?” Ben asked.

“We’ve discussed it,” Faith answered, “and we thought it would be best if Matt moved in here with Mother and me for the time being. We’ll have our own room and enough privacy, I’m sure.”

Noah was astounded by the news. His brother, living here? The house was clean and neat, but atrociously small, and he wondered how Matt would possibly be able to contend with such limited living space. True, they had suffered through the weeks of living in cramped quarters on board the Lorelei and at the inn, but only because there had been no other alternative. Now Matt was deliberately choosing to live under such conditions for possibly a lengthy period of time, and Noah was mystified. What had possessed his brother?

The lilting sound of Faith’s laughter drew Noah’s attention then, and as he glanced at her, he knew the answer to his own question. Love had possessed his brother in the form of this lovely wisp of a woman whose devotion to Matthew was obvious. Her voice softened when she spoke to him and her eyes reflected the depth of her love for him.

A pang of envy seared Noah as he watched the open affection between Matt and Faith, and he suddenly felt very alone. Even calling upon his resolve to return to England to set things right did nothing for his somber mood. The goal he had been driven to achieve for so long now seemed somehow insignificant, and Noah willed himself to believe that this feeling of purposelessness was merely transitory. Surely, as soon as he got things settled with the Pride and was on his way back to London, he would be more himself.

His thoughts were interrupted as Ruth suggested they dine. While the dinner was not elegant, the food was certainly well prepared and plentiful.

“We’re going to be married at our church,” Faith explained as she spoke of the wedding preparations to Noah and Ben, “and then return here for a small party…just family and a few friends.” Her eyes were upon Noah as she spoke, for she was trying to judge his reaction to their plans. She felt certain that the Kincades were used to far more elegant fare than anything she and her mother could provide, and she was fearful of drawing his disapproval.

Noah met her gaze and sensed her fears. Though he had always hoped for the very best for his brother, he couldn’t help but feel that maybe, this time, the very best for Matt did not necessarily have to be the most expensive. Matt loved Faith. Why else would he have risked all…his livelihood…his inheritance…his future…to remain here with her? That knowledge was enough for Noah. His brother had grown up into a strong-willed, determined man who knew what he wanted and let nothing stand in his way. Noah realized with a bit of a start that he was proud of him for having stood firm in the face of his own opposition.

“It sounds fine,” he told Faith, giving her his first real, heartfelt smile of the night, “and as long as the two of you are happy, that’s all that matters.”

His words stunned Matt even as they pleased him, but he said nothing, not wanting Faith to be aware of the discord that had existed between them before regarding the wedding.

With all the arrangements made, the talk drifted to other subjects, and it was Ben who brought up the subject of the tea.

“I hope nothing further develops with the tea situation.”

“What’s happened?” Matt was instantly curious.

Ben was ready to answer openly when he realized that Noah might not share their beliefs, and he glanced in his direction questioningly.

“It’s all right, Ben. You can talk freely,” Matt assured him.

“Well…if you’re certain…”

“I am.”

“What my brother is trying to tell you, Ben, is that while I have no desire to become involved with your causes, I have no reason to run to the authorities with anything I might hear here tonight. Your opinions are safe with me.”

Ben gave a curt nod and continued. “There are two more ships due in port any day, and both are carrying more of the English tea! You know the uproar the Dartmouth’s arrival caused… Well, if the other two ships dock and the authorities try to unload, then there could be violence.”

“Things have gone that far?” Faith asked worriedly, concerned for both Ben’s and Matthew’s safety should they find themselves caught up in the protest.

“They have. I’ve heard talk that they might even try to dump it, should word come that it’s to be unloaded.”

“Dump it?” The others were amazed.

“That’s right. The Sons are willing to do whatever it takes to prevent the tea from being landed and sold. Emotions are running wild over the issue and I’m sure popular support would be with us.”