Wicked Nights With a Proper Lady (34 page)

Why not? Genny asked herself. Staying with Lady Fallon would give her time to find decent accommodations of her own. And though she wanted to make an enemy of this woman, she couldn’t. The dowager was—yet she wasn’t—a contradiction to everything printed about her.

Lifting her reticule, Genny placed it on a chair. “There is a carriage outside waiting for my direction. I need to tell him that I’ve found temporary accommodations.”

Lady Fallon motioned to the door. As Genny went out to talk to Oliver, she felt as if she’d formed—not a friendship per se—but an odd alliance with the countess.

Chapter 23

Oh, the betting books are so full of the best fodder! When one can be amused by the actions and failures of others, what does it say about society today? Yet, without the characters that rely upon gossip, wherever would your reliable gossip columnist be?

The Mayfair Chronicles, August 9, 1846

Leo hadn’t been his normal self since arriving home two days ago. Tristan hadn’t been in residence so he couldn’t settle that old score. And he didn’t want to face Jez just yet.

To say that he had lived the life of a recluse since arriving in Town might be an understatement. Not once had he left his house. Nor had anyone bothered to visit since his knocker was put back on his door.

And in all the time since he’d been home, he hadn’t come up with a decent plan to win Genny back. The house party would be over, and everyone returning to London over the next couple of days, so he had better come up with a plan soon.

Should he formally call upon Genny or even Lord Ponsley and state his intention to court and marry her? The great flaw in that plan was that Genny might refuse to see him. However, that did not mean he would give up his suit.

Marks tied his cravat and helped him into his jacket. Fresh air always cleared his mind, so he stepped out the door for a walk in the park. This afternoon he was meeting with Hayden at the club. Perhaps his friend would have a few ideas for winning back Genny’s affections.

He missed her. Missed their walks in the morning, trailing after her cousin, their sultry evenings, stealing kisses whenever the mood presented itself, their nights lying out under the stars. Most of all, he missed hearing about her childhood and family as he told her tales of his life growing up while they lay in bed together.

His cane clicked against the paved path with each step. Every so often he was forced to dip his head and return the gestures of the ladies offering him a hallo, a nod, or an invitation to walk with them. He was too much of a bear right now to spend any time with others. He didn’t expect he’d be in a decent mood again till he and Genny had reconciled.

There was definitely something to be said about that. The best thing he could do with regard to Genny was beg her forgiveness and then ask for her hand in marriage every day until she was sick of refusing him.

Who would have thought two months ago that Genny would irrevocably snag his affections all over again, and that he’d want nothing more than to call her his wife?

He stopped on reaching the Serpentine and turned to face the river. The trickle of water had always had a soothing effect on him.

To win Genny back, he needed her forgiveness and that meant confronting Jez. Jez needed to understand the error of what they had planned, and he wanted to ensure that no other young ladies ever need worry for their reputations when Jez—or any of their set—singled them out.

Enough time had passed for her to grieve her loss. She’d be in a much better form to hear what he thought of their latest charade from his own lips if Hayden or Tristan hadn’t already discussed it with her.

Attuned to his own thoughts, he took no notice of his surroundings until a short, blonde fairy tugged on his jacket.

Leo stared down into the innocent blue eyes of Ronnie and offered her the first genuine smile he’d had the strength to muster in days.

“Well, if it isn’t a little imp tugging at my coat.”

“You shouldn’t call me that.” She put her hands on her hips. “I’m a young lady now.”

That made him chuckle as he took her hand and walked toward her picnic party. Tristan lounged on the lawn, a blanket beneath him, Rowan, and Beatrice. Sandwiches and tins for water were spread out in front of them.

“I called out to you three times,” Tristan said on his approach. “Ronnie thought it a good idea to make sure you weren’t walking in your sleep.”

“My thoughts are preoccupied.” He tipped his hat to Beatrice. “My lady.”

“And a good afternoon to you, Lord Barrington.” She was filling napkins with food for the children.

“Parliament matters?” Tristan asked.

“Far from.” Leo sat on the blanket next to Ronnie.

“You are back from the Carletons early.”

There was a glint in Tristan’s eye, suggesting he had knowledge of why Leo was back. Was it so obvious he had had trouble with a lady friend?

“Bea,” Tristan said to his sister. “I’m going to have a round of the park with Leo.”

They both stood from the blanket and walked back down to the path that twisted around the Serpentine.

“Oddly enough,” his friend started, “when you warned me off Lady Charlotte, I had assumed you’d taken a moral obligation to her.”

“So you’ve decided against ruining her for marriage?” Leo nearly breathed a sigh of relief.

“It doesn’t matter what I’ve decided. I’m just trying to figure out when you became such a hypocrite.”

Leo stopped and turned to look Tristan in the eye. “True, I was at a house party with Ponsley’s daughter, but I had very little association with her.”

“Don’t get me wrong.” Tristan tapped his cane against the edge of the bench. “I’m not angry, but I can’t see why you would warn me off her when you couldn’t keep your hands off her chaperone.”

“What in hell are you talking about?”

Tristan looked at him quizzically and didn’t say anything for a few moments.

“It’s all about Town.”

“That’s not possible.” Leo hadn’t told a soul. Wouldn’t dare reveal to anyone what he’d done. Genny wouldn’t, either. Maybe someone had said something about the courting they hadn’t bothered to hide from those at the house party.

“The betting books have hit record stakes on whether you’ve taken a preferred liking to spinsters or if wallflowers will be your next target.”

What in hell had happened since he left the Carleton Estate? How had any of this happened? was the more likely question. “Are they betting because I took to courting Miss Camden?”

Tristan’s smile faded. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“Stop equivocating and spit out what it is you mean to say.”

“You were caught red-handed, Leo.”

“Son of a—”

Leo walked over to the bench and sat heavily on it. Removing his hat, he thrust his hand roughly through his hair. Tristan sat next to him.

“Tell me what you know.”

“I don’t know much more than that. Someone saw you with Miss Camden, and rumor has spread like wildfire around Town. The damn Mayfair Chronicler even made note of it two days ago.”

“I need to go back to Genny, ask her for her hand and not take no for an answer.”

“You’d really marry the chit?”

Leo stood suddenly from the bench and pointed his cane threateningly in Tristan’s direction. “Don’t you dare insult the woman I have every intention of marrying.”

Leo put his hat back on. Where should he go first?

His friend grinned. “Never thought you’d be the first to go.”

“What are you blathering on about?”

“I always thought it would be Hayden,” Tristan said. “To marry, you dolt. Only, his split with his mistress seemed to do a great deal of damage. Good Lord, I don’t think he’s lain with a woman since. His balls are bound to shrivel up from inactivity.”

Leo didn’t have time for this. He had to find Genny. “I have to go.”

“It’s a day’s ride back to the Carleton Estate. Although I have doubts your lady friend will still be in residence.”

“She has nowhere else to go, Tristan. What in hell have I done?” He smacked his cane against the bench. “I promised to keep her safe from gossip. I broke my bloody promise.”

“Well, it’s not like it couldn’t be helped; you were in residence with the biggest gossip the
ton
has ever produced. Why did you leave anyway?”

“I told her.”

Tristan put his arm on the back of the bench and gave him an inquisitive look. “You told her what?”

“Our intentions regarding her cousin. What Jez wanted and what we thought to accomplish.” Leo sat down again. “She asked me to leave after that.”

“Do you know nothing about women?” Tristan crossed his ankle over his knee and leaned back on the bench as though getting comfortable to give a long lecture. “Their honor puts ours to shame. Why in hell would you tell her any variation of the truth?”

“Because she deserved to know what we had planned. Because I couldn’t keep it from her indefinitely.”

Leo’s voice had risen and passersby stared at them, probably curious to know what he was shouting about.

Tristan sat up from the bench and tipped his hat in greeting to those who were walking by and giving them strange looks. “You need to calm yourself, man.”

“If you felt the way I do, there would be nothing calm about you. I need to find Genny.” Where would she go? If this happened two days ago, could she still be at the Carletons? Would she be with Ponsley? For some reason he didn’t think so.

“So you ask the girl to marry you. What happens when she says no?”

“She won’t. She can’t.” Really, she’d have no choice but to marry him if she wanted to save her reputation.

Tristan laughed in that smug way of his. “Oh, I will guarantee that she’ll say no.”

“I’m glad you find amusement in this.” Leo sat on the edge of the bench, knowing he had nowhere to go at the moment. He needed to think. “Lady Carleton was her friend and would probably have invited her to stay on at the estate. It’s possible she’s still in Hertfordshire.”

“Since I seem to be the only rational person here at the moment, can I make a suggestion?” Tristan leaned back again, his smile ever present. “Never did think that kind of sentence would ever pass my lips.”

“Start talking,” Leo spat out impatiently.

“Let me send my fastest rider to Lady Carleton. He’ll be there and back before you make the trip one way. We’ll beg her assistance to find where your lady friend has gone. We should have an answer before the day is through.”

“And what if Genny hasn’t resituated herself?” She could be out on the streets. She could be walking back to London. His thoughts were a bloody mess and he’d get nowhere if he didn’t calm himself and let his friend help him think this through. “She could need my help now.”

“You’ll not find her if that’s the case. I have a feeling that if Lady Carleton is a friend, she’ll have put her up somewhere safe.”

“And what am I supposed to do while you send out your fastest rider?”

“To start…” Tristan rubbed at his chin pensively, as he stood from the bench they had occupied for too long. “You might as well set the books straight at the club.”

Leo threw up his hands in exasperation. His friend was intentionally trying his patience. “I don’t care about the bloody books. They won’t matter when I’m married.”

“Then you’ll need to pay a visit to the archbishop and obtain a special license.” Tristan slapped him on the shoulder, put his arm around him, and started walking them both back toward his picnic party. “Really, man, you need to screw your head on a little more straight. How are you going to get on for the next day if you can’t see where you’re going?”

“What in bloody hell am I supposed to do to occupy me until tomorrow?”

“Language, Leo. My children are about and they don’t need to hear anything from your foul mouth.” Standing on the edge of the blanket, Tristan said to his sister, “Bea, I have some business that needs to be taken care of right away.”

“Papa,” Ronnie protested. “You promised a day out with us.”

Tristan knelt and put his face level with Ronnie’s. “And just as soon as I’m finished doing something very important for Leo here, I will make this up to you. It won’t take more than an hour. And when I’m done, I’ll take you for ices.”

Ronnie crossed her arms over her chest and turned away with a curt, “Fine. But I want two ices.”

Tristan chuckled and roughed up Rowan’s hair as he stood. “Do you think you’ll have two also, champ?”

He nodded his head fervently. “Yes, Papa.”

“Excellent. I’ll see you back here in an hour.”

“Thank you,” Leo said as they walked back to their houses.

“Don’t thank me yet. I still doubt she’ll agree to marry a lout like you.”

It wouldn’t matter so long as he knew she was safe. “I’ll convince her that she has no choice.”

“How romantic of you,” Tristan said drolly.

“This has nothing to do with romance and everything to do with necessity.”

Tristan slapped him on the shoulder and laughed uproariously. “I see you’ve learned nothing of women in all your years.”

“I know what makes them happy.”

“In bed perhaps.”

“Are you questioning my manhood?”

“Would I dare?”

“Tristan,” Leo said in warning. He had no compunction about rearranging his friend’s face just as soon as Tristan’s rider was sent.

“You deserved it.” Tristan backhanded Leo across the stomach in horseplay. “If you like the chit as much as you say, you wouldn’t have told her the truth.”

“When you are in this position, I will remind you of this conversation.”

“You do that.” They broke apart on reaching the street. Their houses were a block away. “I will see you at the club this afternoon.”

Chapter 24

Oh, sweet revenge, how doth you fare today? Do you remember the much older ne’er-do-weller mixing with the undistinguished much younger type of society I mentioned some weeks back?

One Lady H
^___
has been caught in flagrante delicto. The gent filling her secret-spilling, reputation-damaging mouth has moved up a notch on my scale for the way in which he handled being discovered with his trousers around his ankles.