Page 39 of The Earl Next Door
“Pritchard started asking if anyone had seen you at White’s or any of the other clubs last night and no one had. You can imagine how that kindling added to the flame of intrigue about widowed Lady Wake without me even telling you.”
Another oath whispered under Lyon’s breath.
He looked his father straight in the eyes. “That doesn’t mean I was with her.”
“Of course it does,” he argued effectively, lifting thelids off the serving dishes and looking inside. “Because everyone wants to believe you were with her so they can gossip about it.”
Lyon plunked his coffee onto the buffet, causing the cup to rattle in the saucer. This was madness. “I will vehemently deny being with her last night. I won’t have her reputation ruined over a half-dozen carriages piled up at the front of her door.”
“Very gentlemanly of you,” Marksworth said, putting the cover back on the last bowl. “But no one would believe you. I took care of it for you and now you don’t have to say anything about it to anyone and Lady Wake will remain unblemished.”
Lyon’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
“I told them you came over to my house to find out why I missed the card game and stayed to have a late supper with me.” Marksworth stopped, took a sip of his coffee, and then smiled. “The whole lot of them believed it.”
“Because they aren’t fools,” Lyon finished for his father.
“Exactly. They don’t want her reputation ruined. They want it pure as the first blossom of spring so they can pursue her themselves.”
Lyon huffed a short laugh. His father and his aunt had managed to cover for him and Lady Wake before he’d even had a chance to defend Adeline himself.
“Why did you miss the card game?”
“Do you really want me to tell you?”
“No,” he said. “I can guess.”
“Good. You’d be right that I was spending the afternoon with someone else. However, I was rather remarkable in delivery of the made-up dinner between us,” his father said. “Though I really didn’t have to put too much outrage into my denial of your whereabouts. They had already made up their minds to court the lovely widow who captured everyone’s attention, scandal or not. Knowing they didn’t have to compete against you was all they really wanted to know. So what I said settles any mark against her reputation for now, but I fear they may talk about how improper, suggestive, and stimulating she looked in her wet clothing for years to come.”
Lyon wasn’t likely to forget the image anytime soon, either.
“At least now you know where you stand.”
Yes. Lyon knew where he stood with the men. The problem was he didn’t know where Adeline stood.
“Have you had a bite yet?” Marksworth asked.
“No.”
He looked at the place where Cordelia had been sitting, but didn’t ask any questions about who might have left the half-eaten scone. Instead, he grabbed a plate in one hand and lifted the cover off a bowl of steaming scrambled eggs with the other. “Good,” he said. “Me either. I’ll eat with you. All this talk of gossip has me starving.” But before he picked up the spoon and dipped into the fluffy yellow mound, he turned back to Lyon. “There’s one thing I forgot to tell you.”
Lyon didn’t know what that possibly could be. Between his gaming club, Mrs. Feversham, and Aunt Cordelia, nothing seemed to have been missed.
Still, he asked, “What?”
“The wager at White’s as to which of us will be thefirst to have a son. The bets are more than one hundred to one in my favor.”
That didn’t surprise Lyon or please him.
“You might want to keep that in mind the next time you want to visit Lady Wake. At your age, if you’re going to finally have a son, he should be a legitimate one.”
“Marksworth, you go too far,” Lyon said in a warning tone.
“It’s not the first time and I daresay it won’t be the last. I’m your father and have the right to say what I damn well please to you. You don’t have to like it or agree with it. She’s young, a countess, and from what I heard today, she’s a raving beauty and certainly looks shapely enough to bear you a healthy son. If she caught your fancy, as I have reason to believe by the murderous expression you’re giving me, you’re going to have a lot of competition for her hand. You best ask for her before someone else steps in front of you.”
Lyon’s jaw tightened as he struggled not to respond. The last thing he wanted was what happened between him and Adeline playing out in the gossip halls and gaming clubs, or in his father’s mind. A shudder went through Lyon. He’d already considered that marriage would put a quick stop to any gossip about her. His chest constricted.
Lady Wake, his bride?
