Page 103 of Her Scottish Scoundrel
Marcus peered through the darkness. The lady stood alone, a little off to one side. He glanced around. There was no one else.
“Do you have any idea?”
Marcus paused. She must have heard him arrive and probably thought him a friend of hers. He began to retreat. The last thing he needed right now was to offer romantic advice to a woman who loved a man whose interest clearly lay elsewhere.
“Oh, if only you would speak.”
Halting, Marcus cleared his throat. “Forgive me. I believe you must have mistaken me for someone else.”
The lady spun around so fast she nearly lost her balance. “Who are you?”
He stared at her. “Apparently not the person you believed you were addressing.”
“No. I…um…” She looked askance.
“Riiiibiiiit.”
Marcus frowned. “Were you conversing with a frog?”
“Not at all,” the lady said at the exact same moment as a fat toad hopped out from behind her. It paused for a moment before continuing onto the grass beyond the terrace. She sighed. “Maybe.”
Marcus chuckled. “How unusual.”
“It wasn’t very helpful.”
“Not with its advice perhaps, but maybe by lending an ear.” He tilted his head in thought. “Do toads even have ears? I’m sure they must.”
The lady gave him a hesitant smile. “I should probably go back inside. Being out here alone was all right until you joined me. Now it would be improper.”
She moved toward the French doors behind him. He would not stop her from leaving. To do so would be wrong, possibly ruinous for her if she were found keeping his company. A pity, since he’d enjoyed their brief encounter.
Marcus turned to watch her go as an older gentleman exited onto the terrace. His gaze immediately settled on the young lady. “Louise. What are you doing out here?”
“I was merely taking a small reprieve,” Louise replied in a more timid tone than the one she’d used with Marcus.
“Go and find your mother. She’s in the supper room waiting for you.”
“Yes, Papa.”
The young lady offered Marcus a swift smile in parting, and then she was gone. Her father, however, remained. His dark expression focused solely on Marcus. “I know who you are, Mr. Berkly, and as such, I demand you stay away from my daughter.”
“With whom do I have the honor of speaking?” Marcus asked. He’d never met this man before, which clearly put him at a disadvantage.
“The Earl of Grasmere.”
Marcus held the man’s gaze. “A pleasure, my lord.”
“A pity I can’t say the same,” Grasmere said. He snorted with visible disdain, then walked away.
Raising his glass to his lips, Marcus polished off the rest of his brandy. There had been a time when men like Grasmere would have thought him a fine catch for their daughter. But that was a long time ago, before his father’s crimes had come to light, before he’d been hanged for murder, before the title the Berkly family had held for nine generations had been absolved.
Expelling a sigh, Marcus went back inside, crossed the ballroom to the hallway beyond, and made his way to the exit. Remaining for the sake of the music alone was no longer enough. What he wanted now – what he wished for most – was a chance to dance with Lady Louise so he could find out why she spoke to toads. And since that would never happen, he found no reason to stay.
