Chapter Eleven
After dinner, Stacey went with Catherine and Agatha to the drawing room while Piers followed Ethan and Christopher to the den. This was his first time at a dinner party, and he hoped the others didn’t pick up on the fact that he didn’t know what to do. He had almost gone straight to the drawing room with the ladies. Had he not realized Ethan and Christopher were heading in the opposite direction, he wouldn’t have joined them before they noticed his faux pas.
Now, as he accepted the glass of brandy Ethan handed to him, he was grateful the candlelight hid how red his face was. Social situations were difficult to figure out. There were many small cues to pick up, and they came so fast that he had trouble keeping up with some of them. At least he’d been spared the embarrassment of going to the wrong room.
He settled into a chair and took a sip of the brandy, hoping it would help relax him. During the meal, the ladies did most of the talking, and that had taken considerable pressure off of him. But now he was alone with Christopher and Ethan, and the last thing he wanted to do was say something stupid.
He didn’t know why being around them at White’s was different than being with them here. Maybe it was because this was a lot more personal. At White’s, they usually played some kind of game. It was easy to fill in time with small talk during a game. But here, they weren’t playing games—at least not yet. That meant he had to come up with something more to contribute to the conversation.
“So you and Stacey will be marrying in three weeks?” Ethan asked once he and Christopher were lounging in their chairs.
Piers nodded. “The first banns were read last Sunday.”
“I’m surprised your future father-in-law didn’t jump up and protest the marriage,” Christopher said after he drank some brandy. “Unless he doesn’t hate you as much as you said he does.”
“Oh, he hates me,” Piers replied. “He didn’t care for me before he found out about this dinner party, but after I refused to let him chaperone, he hates me.”
Piers still recalled the way the gentleman glared at him. If the duke could figure out a way to end the engagement between Piers and his daughter, he would do so, which was why Piers moved as fast as he had in getting the banns read and securing a passage for Stacey and her mother to go to America. He didn’t have much time to waste, and while he had hoped to prolong the charade with Stacey for two months, he didn’t dare take his chances.
The ship would set sail for America the Thursday right before he and Stacey were to be married. That gave him fourteen days before he had to make up an excuse as to why Stacey and her mother ran off for America, sufficiently ending their engagement. The only angle he could go with at this point was her father’s animosity toward him. That was, of course, if Ethan and Christopher believed Stacey’s father hated him enough to cause a rift between him and Stacey.
“I don’t know why her father didn’t confront me this evening,” Piers told Christopher. “Maybe he didn’t want to do anything in front of you and your wife.”
“That’s possible,” Christopher replied.
“Well, I’m glad he’s not here,” Ethan said. “I don’t need someone who thinks he’s too good for me in my own home. I’m well aware of how self-important the Duke of Cathorn is. He’s written books dedicated to himself.”
Christopher chuckled. “Certainly, you jest.”
“All right,” Ethan began with a shrug, “he didn’t come out and dedicate them directly to himself, but he did dedicate them to the respectable members of the Ton. He’s worse than Lord Steinbeck, and honestly, I didn’t think anyone could be more full of himself than Lord Steinbeck.”
“Lord Steinbeck’s gotten better.”
“Which is why I say the Duke of Cathorn is worse.”
Piers shifted in his chair. He could think of better examples than Lord Steinbeck to compare the Duke of Cathorn to, but those were from the books he’d read. The two would probably consider that boring information.
“At least Stacey isn’t like him,” Ethan said. “She seems to be pleasant, and if I’m right, she’s happy to be here this evening.”
Since Ethan directed the statement to him, Piers replied, “She is. On both counts.” Then glancing between Ethan and Christopher, he added, “It’s nice of your wives to welcome her as quickly as they did.”
“Catherine’s a bit shy, but once she warms up to someone, there’s no stopping her,” Ethan said. “I can tell she likes Stacey. The two might become friends if we get together often enough for dinner parties.”
Piers didn’t know how to respond to that, so he took another drink of his brandy. It was hard to know what to say when he knew Stacey would be leaving London in a short period of time.
“What do you and Stacey talk about when you’re together?” Christopher asked Piers.
Surprised by the question, Piers’ eyes widened.
“They had an arranged marriage,” Ethan told Christopher. “It doesn’t matter what they talk about.”
“Sure, it does,” Christopher said. “Even in arranged marriages, it’s nice to have something in common.”
“I don’t know,” Ethan replied. “Catherine and I are different, and we manage along just fine. You and Agatha aren’t exactly alike, either.”
“We have a lot more in common than you think,” Christopher said.
Ethan shot him an amused look. “Like what?”
“It’s a secret. I’m not at liberty to say.”
“That’s a pathetic answer.”
“I don’t care if you think it’s pathetic or not. I honor my secrets. My lips are sealed to the day I die.”
“Well, it has to be more than what a great lover you are in bed,” Ethan muttered.
Piers, who had taken another sip of his brandy, almost spit it out.
Ethan sighed, his gaze going to Piers. “You might as well know that Christopher believes he’s the most wonderful lover in all of London. He claims that Agatha can’t keep her hands off of him.”
Unable to resist the opportunity, Piers said, “In the carriage, he was the one with his hands all over her. Not the other way around.”
Ethan laughed. “Is that so? To hear him talk, you’d swear she’s practically jumping on top of him every chance she gets.”
“From what I saw, she had to fend him off.” For a moment, he wondered if Christopher was going to be upset with him for saying that, but when he saw Christopher give a mock gasp, he knew Christopher had joined in the joke. “I think Stacey was the real chaperone in the carriage,” Piers added.
Christopher shook his head. “It’s a shame you aren’t around when Agatha and I are alone. She does all sorts of things to encourage me to satisfy her.”
“Oh really?” Ethan asked, not seeming convinced.
“Yes,” Christopher said. “She comes to my bedchamber often, and during the day, she’ll close the doors of the drawing room and insist I take care of her. It’s because of that book you give out at White’s.” He turned his attention to Piers. “You’ll be glad you read it when it comes to your wedding night. Everything in that book works.”
Though Piers had no use for the book, he had read it. He made it a habit of reading books anyway, so it was natural he would read that one…even if his interest in it wasn’t simply academic. He was a gentleman, after all. It was only natural he’d be curious about a lady’s body. God knew there wasn’t any other way he was going to learn about it.
“I like Stacey,” Ethan said, changing the topic. “She’s not like that horrible Miss Wilmington in that Ladies of Grace group. If you ask me, Miss Wilmington is the male version of the Duke of Cathorn. Both think they are the greatest things that ever happened to London. I was afraid Stacey might be like her since the Duke of Cathorn is her father and she associates with Miss Wilmington. Thankfully, she reminds me of Catherine.”
“Is Miss Wilmington really that bad?” Piers asked, not expecting such a comparison to pop up. Miss Wilmington had seemed pleasant enough yesterday during the walk in the park.
“Have you ever noticed the way she takes a moment to look at herself in the mirror whenever there’s one in the room?” Ethan asked.
Piers shook his head. “I only met her yesterday when I joined Stacey for a walk with Ladies of Grace.”
“I watch people when I’m out, and every time she’s at a ball, she’ll go to one of the mirrors and admire her reflection.”
Christopher chuckled. “She does not.”
Ethan’s eyebrows rose. “She does. She pats her hair and gives herself a pleased smile. If there’s not a mirror, she goes to a window.”
Christopher’s eyes went heavenward but he sipped the rest of his brandy.
“Should we go see the ladies?” Ethan asked.
“Yes.” Christopher got up and put his glass on a nearby table. “I’m sure Agatha misses me.”
Ethan shot Piers a look that said Christopher thought way too much of himself, and Piers hid his chuckle with a cough. The subtle joke Ethan had just extended to him meant that he considered Piers to be one of his friends. It was nice. Finally, after all of these years of trying to fit in with a group of gentlemen, Piers had succeeded. And the fact that Christopher hadn’t been insulted by Piers’ jesting meant Christopher had accepted him into the group as well.
So Piers could relax. They had officially welcomed him in as a friend. The ploy he’d set up had worked. Having a lady by his side had worked just as he’d hoped. Being here this evening with Stacey had been the final thing he’d needed to set everything in place. Now, he could rest assured that when it came time to end the betrothal, all would be well. Stacey would get to leave for America with her mother, and he would still be friends with these gentlemen.
He couldn’t wait to tell Stacey the good news. That, of course, would have to wait until he had a moment to speak with her in private.
The three gentlemen reached the closed doors of the drawing room. From the other side, they heard Agatha laughing.
Ethan glanced at Christopher and smirked. “It doesn’t sound like your wife misses you.”
“She’s giddy with grief,” Christopher replied. “The poor thing doesn’t know what to do with herself when I’m not around.”
Though Ethan shook his head, he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he opened the doors, and the three ladies stopped talking and turned to face them. Stacey and Catherine were on the settee, and Agatha was in a chair across from them.
Ethan waved Christopher and Piers into the room. Once they were in, he shut the doors and joined them.
Catherine stood up and motioned for Piers to sit by Stacey. “You should sit with your intended.”
Despite the awkwardness he felt as everyone watched him, Piers went to the settee and sat down.
“Don’t be shy,” Christopher told him. “She’s going to be your wife. You can touch her.”
When he realized everyone was watching him, Piers’ face went warm. He didn’t think being here with Stacey would put him in the center of attention like this. He dared a glance at Stacey, and she held her hand out to him. Breathing a sigh of relief since she was making this easy for him, he took it. Besides the dance they’d shared at the ball, he hadn’t touched her. He gave her a smile to express his thanks, and she smiled in return.
He should have expected that Ethan and Christopher would expect him to touch Stacey at some point in the evening. The other couples had shown tangible forms of their love. Since he was engaged to Stacey, it was natural that he’d want to show her a token of his affection, too. Otherwise, the charade would crumble apart.
While Ethan and Catherine sat down in the chairs that were already set apart at a respectable distance, Christopher pulled his chair close to Agatha and settled into it. “Did you miss me?” Christopher asked her.
“I did,” Agatha replied. “My shoulder’s been bothering me right here.” She pointed to the spot that was bugging her. “Will you massage it for me?”
Ethan threw back his head and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Catherine asked, looking at her husband as if he’d lost his mind.
He waved her question aside. “You would know if you’d been in the den.”
Ethan’s gaze went to Piers, and Piers caught the secret message in his eyes. Ethan wasn’t planning to tell Catherine what they had talked about in the den. The joke was going to remain between him, Ethan, and Christopher. Again, Piers experienced a surge of pleasure at knowing he was a part of the group.
“Are we ready to play Guess Who Did The Scandal?” Catherine asked as she went to the desk.
“We’re really going to play that game?” Piers asked. “I thought Christopher was joking when he mentioned it.”
“I know I don’t usually do things like this,” Catherine said as she gathered up several pieces of parchment, “but I wanted to do something different. Sometimes I get tired of the rhymes, drawing silhouettes, and charades.”
From where Piers was sitting, he couldn’t make out how much parchment she was collecting, but it seemed like a good amount.
“My father would be appalled if he knew I was playing this particular game,” Catherine continued.
“Her father is appalled at everything,” Ethan said, directing his gaze to Piers. “Which is why it’s nice there are no fathers in the room.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Agatha replied as Christopher rubbed her shoulder. “You and Christopher are fathers.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Of little children.”
“I fail to see what difference the ages of the children make,” Agatha said, a teasing gleam in her eye.
“It makes all the difference in the world,” Ethan replied. “We don’t meddle in our children’s lives, and we don’t give our poor sons-in-law grief.”
Agatha snorted. “Just wait until Audrey’s grown up and a young gentleman comes to marry her. I’ve seen the way you pamper her. You’ll be a terror of a father-in-law when your turn comes.”
Ethan gasped and then looked at Catherine as she returned to her chair. “Did you hear that?”
Catherine sorted through the pieces of parchment. “Well, you do fuss over Audrey a lot. When she learned how to walk, you wanted the servants to cover the edges of every piece of furniture we have so that she wouldn’t get hurt when she bumped into something.”
“That was diligence,” Ethan insisted. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to be like your father.”
“My father only worries over me because he loves me,” Catherine said. “Just as you worry over our children.” She placed her hand on his knee and smiled. “You two are both wonderful fathers.”
Ethan grimaced. “Terrific. Now you’re comparing me to your father. I think I’m going to be sick.”
“At least you already ate,” Agatha told him.
“I’m going to need something to drink.” He rose to his feet and headed for the decanter. “Does anyone else want any wine?”
“My darling wife will have a glass,” Christopher called out. When Agatha gave him a questioning look, he explained, “Wine will be good for your shoulder. It’ll relax your muscles.”
Piers was sure that wasn’t why Christopher wanted Agatha to drink the wine. The book on pleasuring a lady mentioned wine being a good way to relax a lady so she’d more amiable to being in bed. The book had made it clear that the wine shouldn’t be given in excess. The goal wasn’t to get the lady drunk. It was merely to get her comfortable. When a lady was comfortable, she got more enjoyment from intimate relations.
“Does anyone else want any?” Ethan asked as he handed Christopher the glass.
Christopher gave it to Agatha, who, to Pier’s surprise, took a sip. Either she didn’t know what Christopher was up to or didn’t care. Since the two seemed happy together, she probably did look forward to being in bed with him. So the wine was beneficial, no matter how one looked at it.
Catherine shook her head. “I’m too full to drink anything.”
Ethan glanced at Piers and Stacey.
Piers directed his gaze to Stacey.
“I don’t know if I should,” Stacey slowly replied.
Piers didn’t expect this. Hoping to assure her that she was free to make the choice, he said, “You can do whatever you wish. I won’t forbid you to take the wine if you want it.”
“If my father is waiting for me when I get home, he won’t like it if he smells wine on my breath,” she replied, her voice low.
“But you had wine at dinner,” Piers said. “And it’s only one glass. It’s not like Ethan is offering you the entire decanter.”
“It was a risk to even have that wine at dinner,” she whispered.
Then why would she drink it? Why not just have water instead? As soon as he thought the questions, the answer came to him. She did it to fit in. Like him, she was struggling to belong with these people. She didn’t want to be different any more than he wanted to be different. Up to now, he thought he was the only person in London who felt like he didn’t truly belong anywhere, but he hadn’t been. She’d felt that way, too.
“We don’t need any wine,” Piers said, turning his attention back to Ethan. “Thank you for the offer, though.”
Piers was originally going to accept the offer, but now it seemed important he didn’t. Stacey should know she wasn’t alone.
Ethan nodded and sat in his chair. “I’m only having this to ease my stomach. A little wine can settle some nerves.”
Catherine giggled and leaned over to kiss him. “I don’t know why you let my father intimidate you. He’s harmless.”
Ethan gestured to the parchment in her hands. “The sooner we go on to another topic, the sooner I’ll feel better.” Then he took a sip of the wine.
“All right.” Catherine got comfortable in her chair. “Let’s get started.”
“It’s a shame your father doesn’t know what you do in your pastime for amusement,” Ethan commented. Then, directing his attention to the group, he said, “Even if I were to tell her father, he wouldn’t believe me. In his eyes, Lady Catherine lives the life of a nun.”
“I’m not Lady Catherine anymore. I’m Lady Edon.”
“Not according to him.”
“I suppose this is a scandal in itself,” Christopher interrupted. “A marriage and two children later, whose father still refuses to acknowledge a certain lady’s marriage?” He chuckled. “That would be a good one for the Tittletattle.”
“It would be boring,” Agatha replied. “Now, if Ethan weren’t married to her and they were hiding their children in secret, it would be worthy of the Tittletattle.”
“A simple kiss in public is worthy of the Tittletattle,” Ethan said.
“Only if the couple isn’t married,” Agatha pointed out.
“I have a scandal better than that,” Catherine said. “And it’s nowhere in the Tittletattle.” With an excited grin, she read from the first piece of parchment in her hand, “There was a certain gentleman caught relieving his bladder in the pot of a plant at the theatre. When the matter was discovered, he said he couldn’t make it to the chamber pot in his carriage. Anyone want to guess who that is?”
“Are you talking about the plant that’s in the actual theatre area? The one off to the right of the main doors?” Christopher asked.
Catherine nodded. “He was discreet.”
“If he was so discreet, then how did he get caught?” Ethan commented.
“Sir Tristan Blakemoor happened to catch him coming out from the behind the plant,” Catherine said.
Piers glanced at Stacey, and her eyes widened at the mention of Sir Tristan Blakemoor. It looked like Sir Tristan Blakemoor was as much of a gossip as his aunt, Lady Cadwalader, was. Which was a shame. Piers actually thought he was a decent person when he’d met him yesterday.
“You need to give us a hint on who this gentleman at the plant was,” Christopher told Catherine. “There’s not enough information to go on.”
“All right,” Catherine replied. “I only heard about the scandal when I was at the market with Lady Roderick last week. She and I were purchasing drawing pads when we overheard a gentleman telling the owner of the store to make sure a certain gentleman didn’t relieve his bladder in a plant that was nearby. He went on to explain why. I got a look at the gentleman he was talking about. The gentleman is tall, and he has dark hair.”
“That could be almost any gentleman in London,” Christopher said, looking bored.
“Well,” Catherine began, “there is one more feature about him. He wore a monocle.”
Agatha gasped. “It can’t be Lord Mulborne!”
Catherine frowned. “I knew once I said he had a monocle someone would know his identity.”
“But Lord Mulborne is an immaculate gentleman,” Agatha said. “He would never relieve his bladder in a public place, no matter how badly he had to go.”
“I don’t know,” Ethan commented. “When you have to go, you have to go.”
“That might be true for most people, but it’s not for him.” Agatha’s eyebrows furrowed. “I just can’t believe that about him. I think Sir Tristan Blakemoor made that up.”
Christopher looked intrigued by the prospect. “Hmm… It would be a scandal if a gentleman was going around making up rumors about other people.”
Ethan took another sip of his wine. “Even if I knew someone did that, I wouldn’t come out and say it in a public setting. Relieving one’s bladder is a private matter.”
Christopher laughed. “You’ve done far worse in the past, and you’ve made no secret of all your scandals.”
Ethan shrugged. “Sometimes it’s impossible to keep a secret. I figured I might as well be bold about it and avoid further trouble.”
As Ethan took another sip of his wine, Piers glanced at Stacey, wondering if, like him, she was worried Ethan might be right. He’d been careful every step of the way of their ruse. He’d paid the captain of the ship extra to keep quiet about Stacey and her mother’s passage to America. He’d arranged for the banns to be read. He’d gone through the formality of asking Stacey’s father for permission to marry her, just so he could say the father had had a hand in the arrangement.
He didn’t think he’d missed anything. He only had fourteen more days to go. Then he would be in the clear. Even so, he had to resist the urge to pull out his handkerchief and wipe sweat from his forehead. What if, somehow, someway, the lie was exposed?
“Anyway,” Catherine said as she took the piece of parchment from the top of the stack and slipped it under the others she was holding, “there are more to go through. We should get to those.”
“Good,” Christopher replied. “I hope this one is better. I realize it’s embarrassing to get caught relieving one’s bladder in public, but there’s got to be something better in your stack of scandals than that.”
“I started with the smallest scandal,” she assured him. “I couldn’t give away the best ones first. All right, here’s the next one.” She lowered her gaze to the parchment in front of her and read, “Everyone thinks this particular gentleman has an abundance of wealth, but he’s a reckless spender. Now he’s searching for a wealthy lady to marry so he can save his estate.”
“Hmm,” Agatha began, “that could be a lot of gentlemen.”
“This one has the appearance of being well off,” Catherine said. “No one would guess he’s a pauper.”
“If no one would guess that, then how do you know about it?” Christopher asked.
“I found this out from a reliable source,” Catherine replied.
Christopher’s eyebrows rose as he glanced at Ethan. “Would this reliable source be you?”
Ethan set his glass on a nearby table and settled back in the chair. “You’d be surprised by how many gentlemen ask me for advice on handling the problems they’re having, whether it be with ladies or money. I told this particular gentleman to find a wealthy lady and make sure he doesn’t slip back into gambling.”
“Is this one of your friends?” Agatha asked.
“No, he’s not a friend,” Ethan replied. “I hardly know him. He cornered me at the last ball and told me his situation.”
“Why do so many gentlemen go to you for advice?” Agatha asked.
Piers cleared his throat. “I can answer that.”
Everyone directed their attention to him. Under ordinary circumstances, Piers wouldn’t have jumped into the conversation, but he hadn’t added much to the discussion up to this point, and he didn’t want them to think he had no interest in the topic.
Piers gestured to Ethan. “He’s highly respected. Granted, that respect doesn’t come from the Ton, but there are a lot of people who hold the Ton in contempt. They admire Ethan for snubbing his nose at everything the Ton stands for. He’s practically a legend.”
With a smile, Ethan glanced at Agatha. “There you go. I’m a legend. That’s why gentlemen from all over London seek my advice.”
When Agatha didn’t seem impressed, Ethan faced Catherine. “Aren’t you happy to be married to someone so influential?”
Catherine clasped his hand and squeezed it. “I’m happy to be married to you regardless of what others think. Even if everyone turned against you, I’d love you.”
Ethan looked disappointed.
“Isn’t it a good thing she feels that way?” Piers asked, surprised by Ethan’s response. He would love to be with someone who wanted to be with him regardless of what others thought about him.
“It is,” Ethan said, “but it’s also flattering to know people think so highly of me. I like knowing the efforts I put into building up my reputation as a rake before marrying Catherine paid off.”
“I think you hold yourself in high enough esteem already,” Agatha commented. “You don’t need anyone else fawning all over you.”
“Catherine,” Christopher interrupted before Ethan could reply, “who is the destitute gentleman who’s looking for a wealthy bride?”
“I want someone to guess,” Catherine said, her gaze going from Christopher and Agatha to Piers and Stacey. “It’s more fun if others guess before I say who it is.”
“Is this gentleman ugly and old?” Christopher asked.
Catherine shook her head. “On the contrary, he’s handsome and young.”
“If he’s handsome, he shouldn’t have trouble finding a wife,” Agatha said.
“But he’s not really looking for a wife,” Ethan chimed in. “He’s looking for money. And lots of it. I just told him marriage would be the easiest way to acquire it.”
“What’s his hair color?” Piers asked, deciding if he was going to be a part of the game, he might as well try to figure out who it was.
“He has dark blond hair,” Catherine said. “He dresses very well, and Ethan says he’s charming around ladies.” With a teasing grin at Agatha, she added, “And no, he doesn’t have a monocle.”
“What title does he have?” Christopher asked.
“He’s a duke,” Catherine replied.
From beside Piers, Stacey stiffened. His gaze went to her. She shot him a startled glance, and he couldn’t figure out why until she mouthed the words, “The Duke of Ravenshire.”
“The Duke of Ravenshire?” Piers blurted aloud before he could stop himself.
“Yes, that’s the gentleman!” Catherine clapped her hands then went to the next parchment in her lap.
Piers turned his gaze back to Stacey. The Duke of Ravenshire didn’t have any money to his name? He was only with Miss Wilmington because he wanted her money?
He could tell by the look on Stacey’s face that she was just as shocked as he was. The Duke of Ravenshire had seemed like such a likable and sincere fellow. But then, hadn’t Catherine said the Duke of Ravenshire was charming?
“You don’t have to be shy about calling out the name,” Catherine told Stacey with a teasing grin. “Even if you guess wrong, we promise not to make fun of you for it. We’ve played this game before, and Christopher usually gets everyone wrong.”
Christopher rolled his eyes. “Thanks for telling her that.”
The group laughed, and Piers squeezed Stacey’s hand. He hadn’t realized she was so shy when she was with a lot of people. She had seemed much more comfortable when the group was smaller. Well, when she was with him, she had nothing to worry about. He didn’t mind it if she spoke a lot or not. Just being around her was pleasant enough.
Catherine started reading the next scandal, and Piers gave Stacey a supportive smile before he directed his attention back to the game.