Her Devilish Marquess (20 page)

“
You don’t have to leave,”
he replied.

“
I’m tired. I need to go
home and lie down for a while. That kind of thing happens when you
get to be my age. Enjoy your energy while you have it.”

Danette didn’t believe her mother for a
minute, but she supposed it didn’t matter if she bought the lie or
not. What mattered was that Derek didn’t pick up on the fib. Her
mother, no doubt, was giving Danette time alone with Derek. Maybe
she had picked up on the worried expression on his face just as
Danette had.

“
I’ll come see you later
this week,” Danette told her mother, also rising to her
feet.

“
I look forward to it,” her
mother said. “And let me know when would be a good time to invite
you two over for dinner. I don’t want to impose on your schedule,”
she told Derek. “I know you work all hours of the day since you’re
a doctor.”

“
So far my schedule is clear
around dinner time,” he said.

Her mother gathered her basket and smiled.
“Splendid. I’ll send an invitation in a day or two.”

“
Oh mother,” Danette
laughed, “you don’t have to be so formal.”

“
You’re a married lady now,”
her mother said. “I don’t want to be one of those mothers who
constantly intrudes on their married children’s lives.” She turned
to Derek. “There’s no need to see me out. I know the
way.”

Danette waited until her mother left before
directing her attention to her husband. “She used to bemoan the
fact that my grandmother—that is, her mother-in-law—would come over
far too much while I was growing up. I think that’s why she wants
to be careful she doesn’t wear out her welcome.”

“
That’s considerate of her,”
he replied.

“
It is. My mother is a
thoughtful person.” After a moment, she asked, “Is something
bothering you?”

He opened his mouth as if he was about to
tell her something, but then, a flicker of uncertainty crossed his
face, and he shut it.

“
Did you have a bad
experience at White’s?” she pressed, thinking the question might
open him up to telling her the matter.

He stared at her for a long moment before
settling beside her on the settee. “Everything went as
expected.”

“
Is that good or bad?”
Because if it was as he expected, then it should be good, shouldn’t
it?

“
I’ve never enjoyed large
gatherings. It was more my brother’s thing.”

“
Did you join White’s
because it was something he wanted you to do?”

“
No. I joined because I have
a couple of good friends there, but I never thought I’d get voted
in.”

She smiled. “But since you did get voted in,
then you can’t be as unpopular with the Ton as you think. That’s
good, isn’t it?”

Instead of answering her question, he picked
up her embroidery and studied it. “You didn’t strike me as a
butterflies and bows kind of lady.”

“
Oh?”

“
I imagined you more as a
lover of flowers. You’re not only as beautiful as one, but you also
have a pleasant demeanor. Once you get comfortable with someone,
you open to them, much like a flower when it blooms.” He took her
hand in his and squeezed it. “No one can truly appreciate a flower
until it opens up. However, I’ve seen butterflies rest on flowers,
and I’ve seen people wrap bows around bouquets. So I’d say they
complement flowers very well.”

She smiled. “I sense you have a way of
making everyone feel better, and I bet that goes for their mood as
well as their health.”

“
I don’t give compliments
unless I mean them. I only hope, given enough time, I’ll deserve
you.”

Her smile faltered. “Why are you talking
this way? You know I already love you.” In fact, falling in love
with him had been the easiest thing she’d ever done.

He cupped the side of her face with his hand
and leaned forward to kiss her. “I don’t have anywhere to go for
the next two hours. May I spend that time with you?”

“
Of course, you can. I enjoy
your company immensely.”

“
Good. What would you like
to do?”

“
Well, I’ve always wanted to
go horseback riding at Hyde Park, but Regan and my mother don’t
care for horses. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to do
it?”

“
Sure, I will. I love
horses.”

“
You do?” she asked,
surprised since he hadn’t mentioned this before.

“
Horses are much easier to
understand than people, and better yet, they don’t hold grudges.”
He gathered her embroidery and put everything into her basket.
“What is this for anyway?”

“
My vanity. I thought it’d
be nice to replace the old covering I have.” Then, feeling a bit
playful, she teased, “Would you like me to make one for your
vanity?”

He chuckled and turned to face her, his eyes
twinkling. “How should I politely decline your offer?”

“
Just tell me you’re a
gentleman, and gentlemen don’t have feminine things in their
bedchambers.”

“
All right. I’m a gentleman,
and the only thing feminine I want in my bedchamber is
you.”

His comment was so unexpected she burst out
laughing. “Derek, in so many ways you remind me of Regan. I can
never guess what you’ll say next.”

“
Since you two are friends,
I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“
It is. You two are my
favorite people.”

“
My wish is that it’ll
always be that way.”

What a curious thing for him to say. Of
course, it would always be that way. But before she could give it
any more thought, he helped her to her feet.

“
If we’re going to ride
those horses, we better get dressed for it,” he said and kissed her
nose. “I can’t be late for my appointment with Mr. Ward. There’s
nothing serious that ails him, but he feels better when I stop by
to assure him he’s not ready to leave this world yet.”

“
Do you ever have someone
whose condition is serious?” she asked as they left the drawing
room.

“
Sometimes I do. I never
enjoy watching anyone’s situation get worse. What I’ve learned is
that it’s important to take each day as it comes and get the most
out of it. That’s why I don’t want to waste my time at White’s. I’d
rather spend it with you.”

Her face warmed with pleasure. “There’s no
one else I’d rather spend the time with either.”

“
Then it’s a good thing I
came home when I did.”

“
It is.”

Together, they went up the stairs and
changed into their riding clothes.

***

Late the next morning, Derek took the
opportunity between appointments to pay Regan a visit. He wasn’t
sure if Malcolm would be at the townhouse, but even if Malcolm was,
there was no changing what had happened at White’s.

Undoubtedly, Steinbeck had already told
Malcolm what he’d said. If Malcolm told Regan, she might decline to
hear him out. Which would be her right. He couldn’t begrudge a wife
standing by her husband. But he had to try. So it was with a
mixture of hope and unease that he knocked on the door of the
townhouse.

The footman answered the door, and it was on
the tip of Derek’s tongue to come up with some lie to get out of
seeing Regan. He could say he’d come to the wrong townhouse by
accident. But when Regan passed by the entryway with Leonard, she
took note of him and waved him in.

“
Derek! What a pleasure it
is to see you,” she said, leading her son over to him. “To what do
we owe the honor of your visit?”

“
I’m doing well,” Leonard
said.

Derek glanced from Regan to the lad.

“
Yes, he is,” Regan replied.
“Thanks to you, he got over his upset stomach and had a good
night’s sleep.”

Since Derek couldn’t think of anything to
say, he ventured for a simple, “That’s good.”

“
Why don’t you come into the
drawing room?” Regan turned to the footman. “Please bring us some
green tea.”

“
I will do as you wish, my
lady,” the footman replied then gestured for Derek to enter the
townhouse.

Derek did as they requested. Her seeing him
when she did was a sign. He had to tell her the truth about what
happened. It might be the only way to help soothe things over so
Danette wouldn’t be disappointed with him.

Regan waited until they were all seated
before she asked, “Did you come to seek my advice about
Danette?”

Derek adjusted the cravat around his neck.
Goodness but the thing had a tendency to get restrictive at times,
especially when he had to weigh every word he spoke. “Is your
husband here?”

“
No. Malcolm went to
White’s,” Regan said. “Ever since I’ve known him, it seems to be
his favorite place. Sometimes I wish I could go into the club and
find out what’s so fascinating about it.”

Despite the situation, he felt a chuckle
rise up in his throat. “There’s not much to it. All the gentlemen
do there is play games, gossip, and read.”

She frowned. “Is that all there is to
it?”

“
I’m afraid so. You’d get
more excitement out of watching people at a ball or Hyde
Park.”

“
When you put it that way,
it’s just as well I’m not there. Malcolm only goes because he
enjoys making business plans with his friends. I knew what he was
doing wasn’t all that exciting, but it’s unfortunate some gentlemen
there aren’t doing anything worth discussing. Though, I hear
everything that happens at White’s stays at White’s, so even if
something interesting did occur, I would never know about
it.”

“
But you’re married to one
of the members of the club. Surely, Malcolm tells you some things
that go on there.”

“
Well, he does, but it’s all
vague. It’s mostly things about Warren or Robert. Lately, he’s been
talking about Anthony.” When Derek’s eyebrows furrowed, she offered
an apologetic smile. “You might recognize them by their titles.
Steinbeck is Warren, Dunnaby is Robert, and Worsley is Anthony.
Anthony is the new member of their very,” she rolled her eyes,
“important group.”

“
Oh, yes.” Derek cleared his
throat. “I met Warren and Anthony yesterday when I was
there.”

“
Did you?”

He noted the spark of interest in her eyes,
but the butler came into the room, carrying the tray of tea and
crumpets. Derek waited until the butler left and she had poured
them both a cup of tea before speaking. “Did Malcolm tell you
anything about yesterday?” he asked, accepting the tea from
her.

She poured Leonard a cup and gave him a
crumpet. “He didn’t go to White’s yesterday.”

That explained why she was more than happy
to welcome him into her home. He shifted in the chair and released
a long breath, hoping he would be able to word things in a way that
might inspire some sympathy from her.

“
Actually, yesterday might
have been an exciting day,” he began. “That is, depending on how
you look at it.”

“
Really?” she asked, turning
her attention to him.

“
What did you do?” Leonard
piped up.

“
Leonard, it’s not polite to
interrupt adults when they’re talking.” Then, as an afterthought,
she added, “Why don’t you go over there and play a game?” She
pointed to the corner of the room where a couple of children’s
games were neatly stacked along the wall.

Leonard frowned. “Do I have to?”

“
You don’t want to hear
boring talk,” she told him.

Not fooled in the least, he gave her a
skeptical look. “It doesn’t seem boring.”

“
Leonard, you need to do as
I say,” she replied. “I’m your mother.”

Every child, no matter who their parents
were, couldn’t get around this line of reasoning, so Derek wasn’t
the least bit surprised when Leonard let out a disappointed sigh as
he went to the other side of the room. Derek wished he could tell
the lad being an adult really wasn’t all that fun. It seemed
children had the best of things. They had few worries and were
often distracted by toys. Plus, none had to bother with what others
thought of them.

Regan lowered her voice so Leonard wouldn’t
overhear them. “What happened yesterday at White’s?”

Derek took a sip of the tea then leaned
toward her. “When I feel provoked, I tend to say things to upset
people.”

“
Yes, I know. Your
reputation precedes you.” She laughed and shrugged. “It doesn’t
bother me at all. In fact, one of my favorite memories was that
evening you removed your shirt at the Duke of Rumsey’s ball. I
never laughed so hard in my entire life. My husband at the time
wished he’d had your kind of courage. You were a hero to
him.”

“
Your husband at the
time?”

“
Lord Cantrell.
Unfortunately, he didn’t live long after that evening. But that’s
not why we’re talking about White’s. Tell me, what could you have
done to upset anyone over there?”

“
I blurted out that
Steinbeck—Warren—and his friends were miserable people.”

She gasped. “You said that to his face?”

“
He wasn’t happy when I said
it.”

“
Oh, I imagine not.” She
covered her mouth and chuckled for about a minute. When she managed
to catch her breath, she said, “Shame on you, Derek. I thought you
said nothing exciting ever happened at White’s.”