For All Time

  “Where’s the ketchup? I’ve already been asked that twice.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” he said. “If you stand over there, out of sight, I can go inside, get food and beverages, and bring them out here. You’ll get to eat before you have to return.”

  “I shouldn’t,” Toby said but there wasn’t any conviction in her voice. She’d hoped to sneak away once everyone started dancing, but by then the food might be gone. “You think I might have a few scallops?”

  “I’ll get half a dozen hot off the grill. What else do you want?”

  Toby suddenly realized how hungry she was, and as she looked at him, he smiled. “I shall get a mix of everything. Do you like champagne?”

  “Love it.”

  “Chocolate?”

  “Especially if it’s around strawberries,” she said.

  “I’ll do my best. Wish me luck.”

  “I wish you a cornucopia full of luck,” she said.

  “I’ll try to live up to that.” He slipped away into the darkness and for a moment she lost sight of him, but then she saw him at the end of the buffet line. There weren’t many people there, as most were sitting at the tables. Toby expected him to pick up a plate and start to fill it, but he did an odd thing. He spoke quietly to one of the staff, a pretty female. She nodded, disappeared for a moment, then returned with a tray.

  Turning, he looked at Toby, just her face visible at the doorway of the tent, and raised his eyebrows in question. She nodded. Yes, the tray was fine.

  She watched as the man followed the waitress down the line and pointed out foods to be put on the tray that she, not he, carried. He spoke to a young man behind the long table, who turned away to the grill that had been set up. He said something to another waiter, who went to the bar and returned with a bottle of champagne and two flutes. By the time he was a quarter of the way down the line, Jared’s cousin had three people hurrying to do his bidding. “How extraordinary,” Toby said out loud.

  “There you are!” Lexie said as she came to stand next to Toby. “Why are you out here? And what is extraordinary?”

  Toby didn’t look at Lexie but put her arm out to motion her to get out of the light. “Sssh. I’m hiding.”

  “So am I.” Lexie moved behind Toby and peered around the doorway. “Who are you hiding from? For me, it’s Nelson and Plymouth.”

  Toby shook her head when the waitress held up some white bread with tongs, then nodded at a whole-wheat roll.

  Lexie followed Toby’s line of vision. “Isn’t that the guy we saw in the bar? The one you were so nasty to but who walked you down the aisle anyway? You stood so far away from him you were practically off-island.”

  “It wasn’t quite that bad,” Toby said. “But then, there are two of them.”

  “So you snubbed both of them?”

  Toby nodded at some coleslaw the waitress held up. “What’s his name? I can’t remember it.”

  “Which one? The guy in the bar or the one you walked down the aisle with?”

  “This one, the aisle one,” Toby said. “What’s up with you? You sound like you’re angry.”

  Lexie stepped away from the tent opening. “Four people told me that Nelson bought an engagement ring.”

  “For you?”

  “You’re not funny,” Lexie said.

  Toby gave her last nod at the food, then stepped away to look at her friend. “You knew this was going to happen. You’ve been dating the guy for years, so of course he’s going to ask you to marry him. Do you think he’s going to do it tonight?”

  “Probably. Which is why I’ve been avoiding him. And it doesn’t help that Plymouth is here. I’ve been hiding from him too.”

  Roger Plymouth was Lexie’s boss and it was Toby’s opinion that he thought of Lexie as a great deal more than just his personal assistant. Even though they’d been roommates for over two years, Toby had only recently met Lexie’s boss. She’d heard not even one good thing about him, so she was shocked when she saw him. Roger Plymouth was tall, muscular, and drop-dead gorgeous. He was so beautiful that people often just stood and stared at him. But Lexie swore she was immune to his external assets and that he was the biggest pest on earth. “Did you ever think that your hesitation about Nelson has to do with your attraction to Roger Plymouth?”

  “Since there is no attraction, how could I think that?” Lexie asked. “The man is nothing but a great nuisance.”

  “Sure he is,” Toby said as she glanced around the side of the tent, wondering when the man was going to show up with the food.

  Lexie was watching her. “He went off into the bushes with someone.”

  “Who?” Toby asked.

  “The man you’re so fascinated with. His name is … Grayson. No, it’s Graydon Montgomery. What made you stop sneering at him?”

  “I’ve never sneered at anyone in my life!”

  “Ha!” Lexie said. “I’ve seen you turn men into whimpering idiots with that how-dare-you-even-think-of-touching-me look of yours. I wish I could do that! I’d give it to Plymouth and watch him crawl.”

  “He’d crawl along behind you,” Toby said. “So who is Graydon talking to?”

  “I didn’t see, and they went into the bushes. It’s not a female, if that’s what’s worrying you. When he gets here I’ll leave. Tell me what to do about Nelson and his ring.”

  “You should say yes or no to him,” Toby said. “Let him know one way or the other. Do you love him?”

  “Sure I do, but he doesn’t make my heart skip a beat. But maybe that’s good. We’d get married, move into the house he inherited, and have two kids. It’s all great. I couldn’t ask for anything more in my life.”

  Toby glanced around the side of the tent but saw no one. “But you would like an adventure,” she said to her friend. “And maybe an adventurous man.”

  Lexie ignored the last part of that statement. “I was thinking that maybe you and I could go on a cruise together. I got my passport and …” She didn’t finish, as she was looking at Toby. “So what’s with you and this guy Graydon? I take it you forgave him for lying about saying he was his brother. And by the way, how did you know they weren’t the same?”

  “Because pirates and lawyers are not alike,” Toby said, smiling.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing. It’s just a joke.” She looked at Lexie. “I hope you know that you’re going to have to face your problem head-on. Nelson is a very nice man and if you marry him you can keep your job with Roger Plymouth and you’d never have to leave your beloved island.”

  “I know,” Lexie said. “I guess the sane and sensible thing would be to say yes to Nelson and let you plan our wedding. Think I could wear black?”

  “Lexie,” Toby said firmly, “if you feel that way, you shouldn’t even think about saying yes to Nelson.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. It’s just that tonight I don’t want to decide my entire future. Oh, no!”

  “What is it?”

  “I think I saw Plymouth. I still can’t believe you invited him here. Where’s he staying, since his house is filled with guests? Or has he jumped into bed with one or two of them?”

  Besides Roger’s beauty, he was also very rich and owned a multimillion-dollar house on the water. Since the original plan was that he would be away at the time of the wedding, he’d agreed to allow his six-bedroom house to be used for guests. But because of the last-minute changes in the wedding, Toby had called him and asked if he would walk Lexie down the aisle.

  It had been interesting to see the way the man looked at Lexie, as though she were the most beautiful, desirable woman on earth.

  “I don’t know where Roger is staying,” Toby said as she looked around the tent again. “You certainly are interested in his whereabouts.”

  “So I can avoid him,” Lexie said quickly. “You like this guy Graydon, don’t you?”

  “I don’t know,” Toby said. “I just met him, but he seems nice enough. He wants to stay on Nantucket for
a week, so I said I’d help him find a place. Maybe he could stay in Kingsley House since Jared will probably be in New York.”

  “Why did he ask you about housing? Why not one of his own relatives? I’m a cousin too, and then there’s his aunt Jilly. And besides that, why didn’t he plan this trip beforehand?”

  “He was only asked to be a groomsman three days ago,” Toby said. “I think he likes Nantucket. Maybe he wants to see the island. It does happen.” Many people came to visit and ended up staying for years.

  “You do know, don’t you, that he stared at you through the whole ceremony?”

  Toby was glad for the darkness to cover the way the blood rushed to her face. “I did see him look at me a few times, yes.”

  “Look at you?! Ha! That man hardly blinked. So now he wants to stay on Nantucket for a while and he’s asked you to help him find a place. How very interesting.”

  “You know,” Toby said calmly, “I do believe I just saw Nelson heading this way. Is that a ring box he’s holding open? I think I saw the flash of a diamond.”

  Lexie moved farther into the darkness. “You haven’t heard the end of this,” she said before she disappeared.

  “I’m sure I haven’t,” Toby muttered, but then Lexie’s question of should she or shouldn’t she marry Nelson had been going on for a long time. Ever since she’d met Roger Plymouth, Toby thought he was the problem, not Nelson. When Toby was alone, she looked around the tent, but there was no sign of Graydon. With a sigh, she started to go inside. It looked like he wasn’t going to return, so it was time to go back to work.

  “May I escort you to a table?”

  Toby stopped walking and couldn’t help the smile that nearly cracked her face. When she turned to look at Graydon, she was more subdued. He was holding out his arm to her and she took it.

  “I beg you to forgive my tardiness, but I was waysided by my brother.”

  “Is that the same as waylaid?”

  “If it means I was dragged into the bushes and lectured, yes, that’s the correct term. Tell me, Miss Wyndam, do you have siblings?”

  “No, I don’t. It was just me.”

  “Then someday maybe I can tell you what you’ve had the pleasure of missing.”

  “I would love to hear it,” Toby said, smiling up at him as she held on to his arm.

  Earlier, Graydon had walked out of the big tent behind three people carrying food and furniture. It had taken more time than he would have liked to arrange a private dinner, but he’d done it. It seemed that a second, much smaller tent had been set up and Graydon had commandeered it. A table, chairs, candles, were all to be put inside, then he and Miss Wyndam would—

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  His brother’s voice and the Lanconian language took the smile off Graydon’s face. His plan had been to try to win over the young lady before he had to ask his brother to make what he wanted to do possible. “I’m having dinner,” Graydon said. “With a young woman. I’ll talk to you later.”

  His brother’s dismissal was so unusual that for a moment Rory couldn’t speak. It was only when his brother turned away that he recovered himself. “Unless you want a third dinner guest, we’ll talk now.”

  Graydon halted, gritted his teeth for a moment, then turned back. He waited while the catering people went past him to the little tent, then he stepped into the wooded area with his brother. “Let’s make this quick. She’s waiting for me.”

  Rory couldn’t seem to take the astonishment off his face. “You picked up a girl? You?! I assume she’s the girl you were making a fool of yourself over at the ceremony. She’s pretty but not exactly something to set a man on fire. I could set you up with—”

  Rory stepped back just in time to miss his brother’s fist slamming into his face. If they hadn’t spent a lot of time training together, Rory would be flat on his back now.

  “By the wrath of Naos, but that was close!” Rory said, and stood there staring, wide-eyed.

  Graydon adjusted his cuffs. “I guess I should apologize for that but my apology quota is filled for tonight. Is there something you wanted to say to me?”

  Never before had anything come between the brothers. But tonight Graydon—the calm one—had almost struck Rory—the hot-tempered one—in anger.

  Rory lost his attitude. “You … what? Fell in love with this girl? At first sight?” He was astonished.

  “No,” Graydon said. “Not at all.” He looked at his brother in the dim light. “She can tell us apart.”

  Rory blinked for a moment. “How do you know?”

  “She knew it wasn’t me in the bar. What were you thinking when you confronted her?”

  “I didn’t. At least not her specifically. It was three very pretty girls and I said hello. The one you like turned her little nose up at me and walked out. I haven’t been put down like that in … well, ever, actually. Do you think you and I are getting old?”

  “I think she didn’t want to be accosted by a stranger.”

  Rory gave a little smile. “So you figured out another way to pick her up?” He nodded toward the small tent. “Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries? That should do it. These American girls—” Again Rory stepped back when his brother looked ready to punch him.

  “All right,” Rory said, “no more jokes. How do you know she can tell us apart?”

  “The other bridesmaid, the dark-haired one, said they saw me at the bar. I didn’t think about it, but I said I was there. The blonde—she’s called Toby—got quite angry at me for lying.”

  “But you got her to forgive you?”

  “I hope so. Look, I have to go, but I want you to do something for me.”

  “Find out about her?”

  “No!” Graydon said. “I’ll do that on my own. I want to stay here,” he said softly. He looked back at his brother. “In fact, I am going to stay here on Nantucket for an entire week.”

  Rory was trying to cover his shock. For all that they were identical twins, they were very different personalities. His brother was the responsible one, the one who put duty before … well, before life. Rory was a man of impulse, a man who didn’t believe in duty in any form.

  “How can you get away with being gone that long?” Rory asked. “You can’t even escape for twenty-four hours without consequences. Our father will send soldiers to find you, and your disappearance will be on the news. The entire planet will start looking for you in the hope of a reward.”

  “No, they won’t,” Graydon said as he looked hard at his brother. “No one will look for me because you are going to take my place.”

  Rory laughed at that. “We may fool outsiders but our family will know.”

  “Who? Our parents? I rarely see them. Will our Montgomery-Taggert relatives tell? Their loyalty to each other is of legendary proportions. Do you think the press will be astute enough to figure it out?”

  “What about Danna?” Rory asked.

  Graydon put his hands in his pockets, an unusual gesture for him, more like something Rory would do—and the casual stance shocked his twin. “She, least of all, will know which of us is the crown prince. I see her less often than I do our parents. Rory?” He looked at his brother. “You are going to do this for me.”

  Between them were years of unspoken words. Graydon had covered for Rory hundreds of times. Since they were children, Graydon had often taken the blame for things that Rory did. When they were younger, it had been a game. Rory did the naughty deeds and Graydon took the blame. He used to say, “Being you makes me seem less …” “Less like the Perfect Prince?” Rory had finished for him. “Yes,” Graydon had said, smiling.

  But as they grew up, people around them—and there were a lot of retainers—figured it out. By the time the boys were twelve, it was known that if something good was done, Graydon did it. Bad behavior was Rory’s territory.

  Rory was staring at his brother—who seemed to have turned into someone he didn’t know. “All this is because of some girl who says she c
an tell you from me?” Rory didn’t realize it, but he was beginning to stand taller, straighter. Just the thought of pretending to be his brother for an extended time was doing something to him.

  “She has no idea there’s any significance to what she saw,” Graydon said.

  “But she said she can tell the crown prince from the landless one?”

  “She doesn’t know,” Graydon said.

  “Doesn’t know that you’ll someday be the king of a country? Doesn’t know that you’re to marry a Lanconian duke’s daughter? Does she even know that she turned down the UYB in favor of a future king? What does she know?”

  Graydon kept his hands in his pockets. “She doesn’t know any of it. Not a word.”

  “The legend about whoever can tell the Montgomery-Taggert twins apart?”

  “No, of course not. Rory,” Graydon said firmly, “I want to see if …”

  “If what?” Rory asked, anger in his voice. “You want to see if you can make her fall in love with you because of some stupid legend? By Jura, but that’s cruel! You can’t do that! There’s no future for you two. You know you can’t marry her. And even Danna, as sweet as she is, wouldn’t put up with a cute blonde mistress.”

  “I’m not in love with this girl and I don’t plan to be.” Graydon took a breath. “I just want what you’ve had since we were twelve years old. I want some time of freedom. Think of it as an extended bachelor party.” He was nose to nose with his brother. “You are going to be me for a whole week. Do you understand me?”

  “Sure,” Rory said as he took a step back. He’d never seen his brother so fierce and angry. He could almost imagine the warriors their family was descended from. “I’ll stay in the palace and live a life of ease. Get waited on day and night. I’ll have champagne for breakfast.”

  Graydon stepped away. “That’s how your life is now, but while I’m here you’ll take over my duties at home. I can postpone the important meetings but you’ll have to attend to charity matters, make a few presentations, and go to at least one ribbon cutting. Wherever you’re needed, you’ll be there. Now, I’m going to have dinner with a lovely young lady and—”