If the Earl Only Knew (The Daring Marriages) (6 page)

* * *

Wynbrook retreated to his study and looked over some prospectuses Mr. Ashton had prepared for him regarding his investments. Despite being a reclusive man, Mr. Ashton had proven himself to be quite valuable. When Wynbrook’s father died, he had been shocked to learn his estate was not doing as well as he’d thought. Fortunately, Darington had recommended his cousin and solicitor, Mr. Ashton, who had set things to rights. The investment into Darington’s ventures had paid back handsomely too.

“The girls have managed to secure an invitation for Darington and Kate to Lady Manderlay’s party tomorrow night.” Tristan strolled in the room, his mouth, as always, turned in something of a smirk, as if laughing at a private joke.

Whatever Tristan found humorous in that turn of events, Wynbrook did not. “So soon?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Of course they must enter society, but I so wished to
clothe
them first. Something must be done.”

“Nothing we can do.” Wynbrook was less concerned about their attire and more concerned about their finances. He had no concept how much it had cost to free the children of Fleet. Had they run themselves to ground with their charity? “Perhaps they have spent their fortune on other expenses.”

“Not likely! Kate never wasted a farthing in all her life. She has the golden touch, to be sure, though you wouldn’t know it to look at her.”

“Are you certain they are flush? I witnessed a significant act of charity by them.”

“The only time they are generous is when they are giving it away,” commented Tristan. “But I am certain they have not gone down the hatches. Not in their nature. Hoarders of gold, they are. Which reminds me, must ask Dare about Kate.”

“What about Kate?” asked Wynbrook with a sense he might not wish to know.

“Why, the amount of her dowry, of course. Already got some inquiries about her.”

Wynbrook frowned. “What sort of inquiries?”

“Word has gotten out that Dare and his sister are plump in the pocket. Men will come ’round, make no mistake.”

No, this would never do. “I wonder at your interference.”

“And I wonder at your interest. You spent time with Lady Kate and returned to tell the tale, which already puts you ahead of most men. Shall I put out there that the lady is spoken for?”

“No, not at all!” cried Wynbrook. At Tristan’s smug grin, Wynbrook realized he had risen to easy bait.

“Very well. I shall be sure to let everyone know she is firmly on the marriage market.” Tristan smirked.

“You will do as you wish. I learned early that nothing can curb your tongue.”

Tristan clutched at his chest. “Ah, a direct hit!”

Wynbrook cleared his throat. “Given your wild chatter, I suppose we shall have to ensure that she is protected from fortune hunters.”

Tristan nodded, grim in expression but with dancing eyes. “Oh, yes, the only thing we can do.”

“Well, I shall join you tomorrow night if I am able.” Wynbrook rustled the papers on his desk in a random manner he hoped looked important. A glance at his brother told him the ruse was fooling no one.

“You have a good evening.” Tristan gave a mock salute and left Wynbrook to glower at the door.

Wynbrook would join them tomorrow and prove to himself and Tristan and everyone else that he did not care for Kate in any meaningful way. He would be charming, flirtatious, his normal self…and he would protect Lady Kate from the scheming machinations of fortune hunters and any other man who tried to get close.

It was his responsibility since she was staying under his roof and, thus, was under his protection. It was simply his duty, nothing more.

Nothing more.

Seven for a secret never to be told

The next night, Kate was escorted by Tristan, Jane, and Robert into a large home in a fashionable part of Town. Her heart beat in her throat and her hands were balled at her sides, ready to do battle, though she knew that was not how the members of polite society wounded. No, they cut with words and destroyed with a turn of their heads. This was not a type of warfare she or Robert knew how to wage.

Kate wore a white muslin gown she had made herself, and though well-fitting and serviceable, she was keenly aware it was considerably less fashionable than the gowns of the other ladies present. The house was furnished in such an opulent style it made Kate shake her head at the elaborate waste.

“Gaudy taste. So gauche,” whispered Tristan, and then raised his voice. “Oh my dear Lady Manderlay, allow me to introduce my friends!”

Introductions were made repeatedly as Kate and Robert were made acquainted to one after another of Tristan’s friends. Jane disappeared with some of her friends to look for her betrothed. Kate’s interest, however, was on scanning the room in search of a certain person. Perhaps Wynbrook would not come. The thought was not as reassuring as she’d expected.

She knew the moment he entered the hall. Wynbrook was a tall man, superbly dressed in a dark blue double-breasted coat, cut to perfection over his broad shoulders. His cravat and collar were snowy white, his waistcoat a golden brocade, and the crowd seemed to part before him. His eyes met hers and a slow smile spread across his lips. Her stomach fluttered in an odd way, and she was not sure if he was having some dastardly effect on her or if the evening’s fish hadn’t agreed with her.

“Darington, Lady Katherine, good to see you.” Wynbrook greeted them with benign pleasantries but his eyes shone.

She nodded and said nothing. Robert was similarly silent. This was not their world and Kate had never felt more out of place.

“Let us introduce you to a few people, shall we?” Wynbrook gave his winning smile.

She thought she had met quite enough people with Tristan, but even more people fell into the wake of the Earl of Wynbrook, the man everyone seemed to want to greet. She thought people would be interested only in Wynbrook and Tristan, but a surprising number of people expressed an interest in becoming better acquainted with her brother and even herself.

Wynbrook, for his part, was uniformly charming and witty, words never attributed to Kate or her brother. Contrary to her expectation, Wynbrook stayed by her side, which was an embarrassment, but since he and Tristan supplied the conversation, she came to appreciate his presence. She also recognized that his attendance at their sides gave society the message of his tacit approval of them.

Lady Jane returned on the arm of her betrothed with a wide smile and high color. “Lord Darington, Lady Kate, I wish to make you acquainted with Sir Richard.” Jane spoke with a bit more enthusiasm than an urbane sophisticate should muster. It was clear that Jane was quite in awe of her future husband.

Sir Richard was a distinguished man at least a decade older than Jane. He bowed before them with perfect form, yet his eyes swept over Kate with disdain. “Pleased to meet you, Lord Darington, Lady Katherine. I hope you had a pleasant journey to London.” He spoke with polished condescension.

“The voyage was a difficult one. It stormed the entire way,” said Kate, returning his bow with a small obligatory curtsy of her own.

“Hmmm? Indeed,” said Sir Richard, looking over Kate’s head. He smelled of brandy and perfume. But not Jane’s perfume.

“I am glad you were able to attend tonight so you could meet my friends,” said Jane, positively glowing at her future husband.

He smiled indulgently down at her. “Fortunately, my business did not take as long as I had anticipated.”

There was something in his manner, some bit of a smile about his mouth, as though he was enjoying some sort of secret joke, which Kate did not like. Of course it was not unusual for her to find something to dislike about most men she met. Or most women either. She had a knack for detecting the flaws in her fellow man. It was never much appreciated, so she generally kept her musings about the foibles of others to herself. But in this case, she decided to keep a close watch on the man who was contracted to be Jane’s husband.

Jane and her future husband went off to dance and he appeared to be attentive, smiling, and for the most part giving her his full attention. Only, once or twice, he made eye contact with another woman across the dance floor. There could have been a benign explanation for such behavior. But Kate, being Kate, doubted it.

The orchestra struck up a few chords, and Wynbrook turned to her with a polished smile. “Would you care to dance?” he asked politely.

“I never dance,” returned Kate not quite as politely.

Wynbrook did not look at all surprised by her reply. “Never learnt, did you? Been away awhile. Understandable.”

“I did not say I
could
not dance, only that I
would
not dance,” clarified Kate.

“Oh no, you ought not to have said that,” whispered Wynbrook, too close to her ear for comfort. “For now I will take it as a challenge to convince you to stand up with me.”

Her pulse pounded loudly in the ear where Wynbrook’s teasing words were whispered. Was he attempting some ill-advised flirtation? No, it was not possible. “I trust, then, that you will learn to live with disappointment,” replied Kate coldly.

“Ho, ho! Such a set down,” said Tristan with a laugh. “There’s a novelty for you—a young lady who doesn’t fall at your feet. Good for you!”

Wynbrook ignored his brother and changed the subject. “Bit flush of company tonight for this time of the year.”

“So it is. Early opening of Parliament has brought much company to London at this unseasonable time. The young ladies are out in full bloom,” said Tristan with a laugh, clapping Robert on the back. “You won’t escape their clutches, you know. You’re an earl, no hope for it. Must take a wife, produce an heir, and all that.”

Robert, who was already looking a bit stricken at having been dragged to a ball, grew a shade paler. His jaw tightened, but otherwise, he made no reply.

“I see a few mamas have broken with tradition and put out their girls early, before they are formally presented at court,” continued Tristan. “Don’t want the best men snagged before they even get out of the gate.” He gave Robert a sidewise glance. “Of course, you know having the title puts you in the line of fire.”

“Surely it can’t be as bad as all that,” said Kate, wanting to protect her brother from a fit of apoplexy. Robert had turned from pale to a greenish hue. Strange that he could look into the heart of a storm or the fiercest of enemies without flinching, but put him in the middle of a ballroom of teenage debutantes, and the man was likely to drop his colors and run.

“’Course it is!” countered Tristan without mercy. “Word’s getting ’round there’s another peer of the realm available for the taking. Sorry to put the fear in you, old man, but you are young, titled, and now have a bit of money to you. You’ll find the people who didn’t remember your name when you were poor now wish to be your best friend. Probably even find family members coming out of the woodwork that were never there when you were needful.”

“And they say I am the cynical one,” muttered Kate.

“Ah yes, but I say it in good humor, thus I am considered amusing and refreshing.” Tristan gave Kate a dashing smile and was promptly commandeered by some of his friends to the card room.

“You also may find yourself sought as a matrimonial prize,” Wynbrook commented to her in a benign tone, as if commenting about the weather.

Kate knew he must have been having a bit of fun at her expense. Who would ever consider her to be a bride? “You are a dreadful man.” It was perhaps not the wittiest of comebacks, but it was the best she could come up with in the moment.

“I will never deny it,” said Wynbrook with a laugh. He was too cheeky for his own good.

“No one would ever look to me to be a bride,” she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.

“Is that so? Then, indeed, I have poor tidings for you.” His eyes sparkled with mischievous delight as he waited for Kate’s response.

“I know you wish for me to demand what horrible news you have for me, but I have decided to punish you and refuse to ask.” Kate turned away to watch the lovely dancing couples, remaining keenly aware of his presence beside her.

“Fine then, if you insist, I shall tell you. You also, my Lady Katherine, will be firmly on the marriage market rolls,” he commented in a smug tone.

Kate wished to dismiss the concept as absurd, but even worse than it being some cruel jest was the fear that he was not joking. Did he truly believe what he said? Kate gave Wynbrook an unladylike snort. She couldn’t help herself. Despite his superior knowledge of the
haut ton
, the very idea of her hand being sought was preposterous. “Have you gone mad?”

Far from being offended, Wynbrook continued. “You are a lady.”

Another snort.

“You are not unattractive.”

“Touched in the head, you are.” She refused to accept the growing heat of her cheeks to be a blush at such a backhanded compliment.

“And you are well dowered.”

Kate spun toward him. “What? There is no dowry!”

Wynbrook shrugged. “You have the scent of money about you.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Wynbrook gave her a small half smile that was so common in society’s elite. “Did you think your investors whose fortunes were made would be discreet? News of your good fortune has been splashed across Town.”

“But I have no dowry.” It was true. Any money her father had laid aside for her had been stolen long ago.

“I fear no one will believe your brother could regain his fortune without restoring yours as well. Truth is, I can’t see Dare not providing a dowry for you, especially since Tristan reminded him of the need.”

“No, Robert would not do that,” said Kate firmly.

Wynbrook tilted his head to the side, as if truly confused by her denial. The more she considered the matter, the more she feared she might be wrong. Robert might consider restoring her dowry, particularly if Tristan brought it to mind.

“Dare did tell Tristan you would be amply provided for,” added Wynbrook.

“What!” Kate stared at him. Robert was going to provide her an “ample” dowry? And without telling her? She looked around to confront Robert, but he had disappeared.

“Ah, I love the look of murder in your eye. Who will you do in first? Tristan or Dare?” Gone was Wynbrook’s slightly bored expression; he regarded her now with singular interest.

“First one I find.”

“Excellent. Can I witness?”

“Yes. No. But I’ll let you help me dispose of the body if you help me find them now.”

“That is an offer I can hardly refuse.” Wynbrook gave her the same half smile, but this time his eyes were gleaming. “Tristan went into the back rooms to play a bit of cards and Dare followed a few minutes after, presumably to do the same.”

“Robert doesn’t play cards.” Having once lost their entire fortune under mysterious circumstances, she had no intention of losing their hard-earned gains at the card table. If she ever discovered that Robert was gambling, she would have yet one more reason to kill her brother.

“Allow me to escort you.” Wynbrook was all gallantry, and she wished to know what he was about. Had the man been drinking? He walked sure enough and did not appear foxed, but one could never be sure with an Englishman.

Kate allowed him to escort her out of the ballroom and into a parlor in which ladies and gentlemen of society’s elite were winning and losing fortunes in a blink of an eye. Though she was certain Robert would not be among them, Kate was sufficiently rattled to look about the room just to make sure. It was with a certain relief that she noted that Robert was not among those addicted to chance and Tristan seemed more interested in talking than gambling.

“What now?” asked Wynbrook. “Shall you confront Tristan and demand he keep his newfound wealth a secret?”

Kate sighed. “I fear there is no hope Tristan would be able to comply with such a demand.”

“Too true! I wonder where Dare has gone off to.”

“Probably hiding. He has a morbid fear of young ladies.”

Wynbrook laughed outright at this, causing a few people to turn their heads in surprise. One did not expect such an outburst from a bastion of society. “Come, let us find him before you induce me to sink lower in these good people’s estimation. My, but you do say the oddest things.”

They walked out the far door and down a quiet corridor. There were several doors along the hall, most likely leading to a variety of sitting rooms and maybe a study, library, or billiards room.

One of the doors was slightly ajar. She and Wynbrook paused a moment and exchanged a glance. They wished to find Robert, not barge in on a couple seeking a private escape. Though candlelight came from the room, no sound emerged. They pushed the door ever so slightly and peeked into the room.

“Good evening, Wynbrook, Kate,” said Robert without putting down his newspaper.

“What are you doing here?” asked Kate, walking into the room with Wynbrook. She realized she still had her hand on his arm and quickly snatched it back.

Robert looked at them over his newspaper. “I thought it would be obvious. I’m reading a newspaper.”

Kate rolled her eyes at him. “It is expected for you to be out there, mingling with the guests or some such rot.”

“You make it sound so appealing,” said Robert in a dry tone. He turned the page of his newspaper and gave no impression of a man who was about to jump up and join a ball.

Kate turned to Wynbrook in a silent appeal for help getting her brother back into the ballroom, but the man turned traitor.

“Nice hideaway you found,” said Wynbrook. “What are you reading?”

“The latest on Wellington’s campaign in Lisbon.”

“Oh? What news?” asked Wynbrook, sitting beside Robert on the couch.

“Marshal Ney has proven an obstacle for Wellington and prevented our forces from routing the retreating French army.”