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  “Yeah,” Roger said, and shook his head. “She’s a handful. Right now she can’t stand me, but I’m working on her. Give me another couple of months and I’ll soften her up.” He gave a humorless laugh. “But I said that a year ago and I haven’t made any progress. A man can dream, can’t he?” He narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t thinking of going after her, are you?”

  Rory knew he’d never get used to the American way of telling everyone everything. “No, not at all.”

  “I get it,” Roger said. “You’re asking me about Lex because your brother is interested in her roommate. I saw the way he was staring at her all through the wedding. At first I thought he was you, but I know you’re not going to hang it all out for everybody to see. Your brother stared at her like he was the snake at the end of a flute.”

  “I think that’s a little strong,” Rory said stiffly, wanting to protect his brother.

  “Yeah, right,” Roger said. “I know he’s the one who’ll be king. I like that country of yours. Best skiing in the world and the food’s not bad either. But I think I better warn you that, from what I’ve heard, he’ll have an easier time being king than he will conquering pretty little Toby.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “That half the male population of this island has tried with her. The scuttlebutt is that she’s ‘saving herself for marriage.’ ”

  “You’re saying that she’s …?”

  “A virgin is what everybody says,” Roger said. “Whatever is true, I can tell you that a lot of people like that girl. If your brother decides to go after her just so he can put another notch on his bedpost, many people are going to be angry at him, including Jared Kingsley.”

  Yesterday Rory would have said that his brother wasn’t like that, but today everything seemed to have turned upside down. “My brother wants to stay here on Nantucket for a week and he would like the young lady to spend some time with him, but I fear that her roommate will interfere. She—”

  “You don’t have to tell me!” Roger said. “You wouldn’t believe the things I have to do to make Lexie stay with me. I have to hide things then pretend I’ve lost them.” He grimaced. “She thinks I’m a moron, but if I don’t do that, she says ‘Toby needs me’ and runs off.”

  “So there’s no chance that you could occupy the roommate for just a week? A trip somewhere, maybe?”

  “I know she wants to travel and I’ve asked her to go with me, but she just laughs. Hey! Maybe I can get my little sister to help. They like each other. When do you need this?”

  “Now. Immediately,” Rory said.

  “I’ll try to do it,” Roger said, then looked at Rory. “Maybe next time I visit your country I can stay in your house.”

  A business deal, Rory thought. “We’ll put you up in the oldest part of the palace. It’s haunted and girls squeal when you take them there.”

  Roger grimaced. “I wish that would work with Lexie but she’d probably make friends with a ghost. You should hear the Kingsley stories that float around this island!”

  Rory had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t have time to find out. He had other things to do. He said thanks, they exchanged goodbyes, and they parted.

  When Rory went back toward the small tent, he saw that his brother and the young woman were still in there together. The candles inside the tent and the darkness outside made a sort of movie screen in shadow and he could see them clearly. They were leaning toward each other, heads close together, and Graydon was talking with more animation than Rory had ever before seen him use around an outsider. There were very few people Gray relaxed around—and they were all blood relatives. But there he was with the girl he’d just met and moving his hands about as they talked.

  But no matter how much his brother liked this girl, there was one thing that Rory knew he absolutely had to do. He must see if she actually could tell the brothers apart. Forget the family legend about people who could tell the Montgomery-Taggert twins one from the other. Rory needed to know the truth.

  He’d called his assistant and minutes later he was dressed just like his brother. Quietly, he stood on the sidelines of the party, sipping champagne, while he waited for Graydon’s dinner to end—which is where Roger Plymouth found him. With a grin of triumph, Roger said his sister had come up with a way to get Lexie off the island for most of the summer, and as far as he could tell, Lex was going to agree to it. “I had to promise that I wouldn’t be there, but I predict that I might break a bone or two and have to recover around them,” Roger said, laughing. “This is my chance with Lexie, and I plan to make the most of it. Let’s hope that when I stay at your place, she’ll be with me.”

  When Rory went back outside, he was just in time to see Lexie run to the tent where Graydon and Toby were dining, and he heard her excited voice. Rory knew that as soon as his brother heard that Toby’s roommate had been called away by her rich playboy boss—a man Rory was likely to know—Graydon would know who had done it. Graydon didn’t believe in coincidences, especially not when his brother was nearby.

  Sure enough, when Rory’s phone buzzed, it was a single word from his brother. NOW! That meant Graydon wanted to talk now. Rory wrote back. I’M AT KINGSLEY HOUSE. MEET ME THERE. Since his brother had sneaked away, leaving all his staff in Maine, that meant he was without transportation. It was a long walk from the site of the wedding, through town, and up Main Street to Kingsley Lane. Even if Graydon got a ride with someone, it would still give Rory time to find out what he needed to know.

  He straightened his jacket, put his shoulders back, adjusted his face to the I-am-going-to-be-king expression, and started toward the big tent. He was going to do his best to impersonate his brother.

  Rory saw Toby standing by a large round table full of guests and asking them if they needed anything. He stood to one side and waited for her to finish, as that’s what Graydon would do. If he were being himself, Rory would have pulled her onto the dance floor and swept her away. If she protested, he would’ve kissed her into silence. But that wasn’t Graydon’s style.

  When she turned and saw him she looked a bit startled, but then she gave him a warm smile.

  “May I please have the honor of this dance?” he asked with his brother’s exaggerated politeness.

  “Of course,” she answered and took the hand he held out.

  Rory reminded himself to stay rigidly straight and distant. He was glad it was a slow dance, as he didn’t trust himself to hold back in a fast one. It was the first time he’d been so close to her and she was prettier than he’d thought. A sort of Grace Kelly, with her blue eyes and quiet features. Her makeup was subdued, meant to look like she wore none. He thought that if her eyes were emphasized more and she added some red lipstick, she could be a knockout.

  He gently led her in a circle, constantly reminding himself that he was his brother. “I enjoyed our dinner tonight very much.”

  “Oh?” Toby said, smiling. “And with whom did you eat it?”

  “With …” It took him a moment to understand what she was saying, then he laughed and relaxed his shoulders. “Did I fool you at all?”

  “Not for a second,” she said, and the smile left her face. Anger flooded through her blue eyes. “Tell me, did your brother send you in here to test me?”

  Immediately, Rory saw his mistake. “No,” he said seriously. “Graydon knows nothing about this. I sent him away so I could—”

  “Find out if I’m a liar? See whether I’m after something?” Toby’s eyes were very angry. “Would you please tell me why the ability to tell you two apart matters?”

  Rory avoided that question. “How much did Graydon tell you about himself?”

  “That he’s to be king, that he’s to marry some highborn young woman—at least I assume she’s young—and that he wants a bit of peace before then. I promised I’d find him a place to stay while you take over his duties. However, in light of this very unpleasant game of the two of you, I may rethink that offer. I don’t like to be on