Chapter Six
Standing at the front of the church beside Lavinia the next morning, Mattie’s hands were shaking almost as badly as the bride’s. Her excitement for her friend was boundless.
Ringley looked like a cornered mouse being held entranced by the wicked cat—Markham.
Markham, on the other hand, appeared happy and sad all at once, as though he realized his life would change now that his sister had a new man to champion her. The idea warmed Mattie and was perfectly in character with the man she knew him to be.
After signing the registry, husband and wife left arm-in-arm, and Mattie fell in step next to Markham. For a moment, her thoughts drifted to imagining they were the newlyweds, but she quickly staunched that foolish notion.
She rode back to Stanhope Abbey in the duke’s brougham carriage with Markham, which made it even more difficult not to pretend he loved her.
But he’d said quite plainly that he didn’t. It was time for her to grow up, forget about kissing him, or anything more.
Thankfully there were enough guests at the wedding breakfast that Mattie couldn’t spare a moment’s thought on the marquess. She sat with Clara and Selena at a small table covered in white linen, with a bouquet of pink roses as a centerpiece. In between bouts of laughter, Lavinia walked up with a young woman beside her.
“Girls—”
“Yes, Lady Ringley?” Clara said, smiling wide at the use of Lavinia’s married name.
They all laughed.
“This is my friend from London, Miss Charlotte Harrow. Do let her sit with you.”
“Of course,” Selena said, waving at a footman to bring another chair.
“Have you been friends long?” Mattie asked.
“We met—” Charlotte began.
“I’ve known—” Lavinia said over her. After another round of laughter, Lavinia said, “I can see she’ll be quite comfortable with you. I must return to Ringley.”
Charlotte answered the question. “We met several years ago in Town at a speech given by a paleontologist.”
Selena’s eyes widened. “I had no idea she had any interest in that.”
“I believe she was more interested in the young scientist who was an assistant to the speaker.” Charlotte grinned. “I’ve never heard her mention fossils again.”
“You live in Town year ’round?” Mattie asked.
“I do. My father’s a barrister.”
Clara looked shocked at the idea. “Don’t you go mad during the winter when everyone is at their country homes?”
“I still have friends to visit in Town. It’s no different to the entertainment you find in the country. You each should come stay a while with me. I’ll show you all the places you miss during the Season, and introduce you to my friends.”
“That would be delightful,” Mattie said. “I’ll be so very bored until the spring.”
“The Season just ended,” Selena pointed out.
“And already I’m looking forward to next year.”
Clara leaned close to Charlotte and kept her voice down. “Mattie has suffered a great disappointment and needs the company of new gentlemen.”
Gasping, Mattie whispered harshly. “I need no such thing. Please don’t pity me, Charlotte, or listen to anything these girls say about me. May I write you when I return home and discuss plans with you?”
“I look forward to it,” Charlotte said, and the conversation moved on to other things.
By going to London, Mattie hoped she’d finally find herself in the company of people who knew nothing of her situation with Markham.
They didn’t really have a situation, she reminded herself, but Clara’s mention of it said otherwise. As long as people discussed them in the same sentence, Mattie would avoid the company of people she knew.
***
The last of the guests at Stanhope Abbey left three days after the wedding, and Markham was finally free to return to London. Although he spent little time in their company, Mother insisted he be there as long as their friends stayed.
In addition to the usual business that took him to Town, he wanted to continue proving Sir Rollo was a cheat. With Ringley busy setting up house, Markham would call on his friend the Duke of Thornton. Thorny might have ideas that hadn’t occurred to him.
The morning after he arrived in Town, Markham called on Thorny at his home in Mayfair. After filling the duke in with the details of the wedding, and pointedly skipping any pertaining to him and Mattie, he focused on the true reason for his call.
“Ringley made me aware of a man, Sir Rollo Walford, who wins uncommonly often at the gaming hells. Do you know him?”
“He was pointed out to me once, with a suggestion I never play against him. What does Ringley know?”
“We played Vingt-et-un against him. He wins more than odds allow, whether he’s banker or not.”
“That’s curious. He must be using several methods. Why do you mention him?”
“I promised Ringley I’d have the man banned from the clubs. It seems Sir Rollo left a friend of his with pockets to let.”
“How do you plan to go about it, and how does it involve me?” the duke asked.
“I need a compatriot. Catching him counting cards might be easy enough, but it’s unprovable. I suspect he also shorts the bank when he sells it to another player. If there are two of us buying the bank and actually counting it each time, we can catch him.”
“A recount after several hands would be hard to show a shortage in, unless one wrote down each win for the bank. You don’t think he’ll question your note-taking?”
“I plan to do the addition in my head.”
“All those plays…you can keep track from one change of banker to the next?”
Markham nodded. “What I need is a second man to take some of the action away from Sir Rollo and anyone working with him. Additional pontoons will improve the odds of taking over as banker and being able to count the money.”
“I understand. When do you plan to begin?”
“Tonight, if you’re free. The sooner I accomplish this, the sooner I can enjoy my own pursuits again.”
“Very well. Where will he be?”
“I’m not certain. Shall we meet outside White’s and go from there?”
“Excellent. I’ll see you there.”
***
The trip to London in her father’s carriage was terribly tiring, but Mattie’s energy returned when she arrived at Charlotte’s home.
Charlotte rushed out the door to greet her. “I’m so pleased you’ve taken my offer. I told my friend, Lady Adam St. Peters, of your coming and she invited us to dine this evening. Is that too soon? Should I suggest we plan another night?”
Following her inside, Mattie removed her hat and gloves. “Tonight will be fine. I’m excited to meet your friends.”
“Excellent. I’ll send word right away.”
After a short nap, Mattie had her maid restyle her hair for evening, and then help her decide what to wear. She hadn’t asked Charlotte who else they might meet, so she wasn’t sure how formally to dress. Lord Adam was a duke’s son, Charlotte had informed her, so Mattie used that as her guide.
While Mattie sat as still as possible so her maid could style her hair, Charlotte—already dressed, her hair simply done—began to tell her all about her friends.
“Lord Adam and Mary Jane—Lady Adam, I should say—are brother and sister-in-law to the Duke of Thornton, and they have another close friend, the Duke of Noblegreen. Both men are unmarried.”
“You don’t believe I came here solely to find a husband, do you?”
“Why else would you come? Oh, I don’t mean to suggest you are taking advantage of my friendship, but if a lady can’t introduce her friends to the gentlemen of her acquaintance, she’s not much of a friend, I say.”
Mattie laughed, then cringed when a hairpin scraped her scalp. “Ouch. Charlotte, I do think we’ll be the best of friends. If you ever choose to marry I’ll be happy to help you find a husband.”
“I see Lavinia told you much about me.”
“Not too much. Only that you prefer political meetings as opposed to balls. It can’t be true. Those meetings are so dull!”
“And I find it dull standing among strangers who have nothing to say beyond how lovely the weather is.”
When her maid set down the hairbrush, Mattie rose. “I see your point. I enjoy the challenge of seeing who I can encourage to dance with me. I rarely have intelligent conversation, unless someone like Lord Markham is there.”
“He’s a handsome one, isn’t he? Those fine eyes and gentle smile. Lavinia mentioned he was returning to London. Is he the reason you’re here?”
Mattie was shocked, both that Markham had come here, and that Charlotte would presume such a thing. “That’s twice you’ve suggested I’m only here to meet men. I thought you honestly wanted me to come.”
Charlotte shook her head, her gaze downcast. “Forgive me. I’m quite blunt in my manner and have been told I’m off-putting. I look forward to a long friendship with you, but we must have some challenge before us to keep the visit entertaining. Now, was I right? Do you care for Lord Markham?”
“Can I tell you while we’re in the carriage? If I begin now we might never reach your friends’ home.”