Chapter 5
E ddie’s eyes fell to the page on instinct, though he knew what he would find. He felt the attention of every man in the room turn toward them, and though some pretended otherwise, they were listening intently.
Rising to his feet, he held out his hands in placation and spoke quietly. “Perhaps we might speak privately?”
“What does that matter when my daughter’s good name has been bandied about the country?” asked Mr. Crosby.
“I assure you I had nothing to do with that, sir,” replied Eddie in a low tone, though the gentleman refused to follow suit.
“How dare you sully her name—”
“I didn’t,” whispered Eddie, trying to lead Mr. Crosby away from the prying eyes and ears. “I give you my word that I have never treated your daughter with anything but respect, and I had nothing to do with whatever this is.”
Snatching the paper up, he handed it back to Mr. Crosby, though the gentleman didn’t take it.
“If this is a ploy to snag yourself a wealthy wife, I assure you it shan’t work,” he said, batting away the newspaper. “I have provided her with a comfortable dowry, but she won’t be receiving an inheritance. I tied it all up nice and tight years ago so it will remain with my family name and not fall into the hands of fortune hunters.”
“I am offended at your implications,” said Eddie, straightening. “I may not be wealthy, but I have a good income and have no need for hunting fortunes. I would never stoop to such degrading behavior, nor would I treat your daughter so shabbily. I had nothing to do with the announcement in the newspapers, and I am just as shocked and confused as you.”
Mr. Crosby paused for a moment, which Eddie hoped meant something good, though there was no softening of the gentleman’s features to indicate that.
“You may have had nothing to do with it, but your name is now tied to my daughter’s,” he said in a hard voice. “What are you going to do about that?”
“About a lady whom I have treated with respect and nothing more?” asked Eddie with raised brows. “Whatever mischief is about, the only thing I am guilty of is being kind and dancing with her a few times.”
“She has been made a laughingstock—”
“And accosting me in this manner is not helping matters,” said Eddie with narrowed eyes, feeling all those many pairs trained on them.
Mr. Crosby sucked in a deep breath, his voice finally low enough not to carry, but the entire coffeehouse followed suit, making it quiet enough that one could hear the scuff of a shoe in the far corner.
“You know this will taint her more than you, and even when this is proven false, there will always be those who assume something untoward occurred, and the burden of that guilt will fall on her shoulders.”
Heart sinking, Eddie knew he spoke the truth, yet should they both be forced to bear the brunt of something that neither of them had a hand in? A slightly tarnished reputation was better than a forced marriage—and Eddie couldn’t deny that was precisely what Mr. Crosby was alluding to.
“I will be very sorry if it comes to that, sir, but it is not my fault if people speculate. Beyond treating her kindly—like every gentleman should—I have done nothing to raise expectations or lay this burden upon her. It is not my duty to right this wrong.”
Mr. Crosby’s eyes narrowed at him before the gentleman spun on his heel and marched out the door, slamming it behind him. The coffeehouse remained trapped in that silent spell for several heartbeats before the gawkers pretended to be very concerned with their conversations and drinks.
Eddie slipped into his chair, leaning heavily on the table as his three friends watched him with varying degrees of horror and amusement.
“Trouble, Eddie?” asked Harris, covering a laugh by sipping his coffee.
“Don’t fret,” added Morty. “It will all be forgotten in a trice.”
“That may be, but I cannot comprehend why someone did this to us,” muttered Eddie. “Who is behind it? And what do they hope to gain?”
Morty smirked. “No doubt Miss Crosby is hoping to snag herself her beloved Dr. Vaughn by any means necessary. Her dear ol’ father was quick to arrive and demand you step up to the marriage altar. After all, it does list her name first, which may not be out of the ordinary but certainly reads as though it is she who is announcing it to the world. The thought of snagging you is likely making her little heart pitter-patter.”
“Leave her alone,” said Eddie, shoving his cup and saucer aside. “She is an odd creature, but she doesn’t deserve your scorn.”
Doyle shifted in his seat, his gaze fixed on his cup, his brows pulled low as his foot bounced in place. Morty nudged the fellow, and Doyle stilled, though he did not look at the others in the group.
“Don’t give it a second thought, Eddie,” said Harris. “This isn’t your mess. If you had done anything to raise expectations, that would be one thing, but a few dances over the years is hardly noteworthy.”
“Absolutely,” said Morty, lifting his cup once again. “Ignore it.”
A clink of china, and Doyle’s cup dumped over, spilling the dark liquid across the table surface. Those in its path leapt from their seats to protect their trousers, but the gentleman remained where he was, staring at the droplets now coloring his lap.
“What is it?” asked Eddie.
“Ignore him,” said Morty. “He’s just out of sorts today.”
Harris nodded. “Had a rough night at the gaming tables.”
But Doyle’s eyes darted up to meet Eddie’s for the briefest of moments, and a flash of guilt in the fellow’s gaze drew Eddie to the edge of his seat.
“What has happened?” he demanded.
“It wasn’t my idea,” said Doyle.
Morty shoved him. “You don’t know what you’re saying—”
“I think he does,” said Eddie with a scowl before turning it on his friends. The sinking in his stomach bore witness that he already knew the answer to his question before he asked it. “What did you do?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be a wedding announcement,” said Doyle.
Harris huffed, slumping back into his seat as he muttered, “You are a coward to the core.”
But that made his friend’s expression harden in a manner the quiet fellow rarely employed. Scowling at the others, Doyle said, “I was a coward for not speaking up when Morty wrote the blasted thing or when you mailed it.”
“It was only a jest,” said Harris.
Eddie shot to his feet, leaning on the table as he glowered at the pair. “A jest?”
“Don’t be so serious,” said Morty with a laugh. “It isn’t as though anyone would believe you two are engaged—”
“It was a wedding announcement!” Eddie nearly shouted but managed a touch more decorum than Mr. Crosby. Surely there must be a way to salvage this if he didn’t make a bigger mess of it than his friends already had.
Holding up his hands in placation, Morty grimaced. “In our defense, Eddie, it was only meant to be an engagement announcement, and those are broken often enough that no one would think twice when it failed to bring about a marriage. But we’d made ourselves a little too merry with my father’s whiskey, and I must have worded it poorly.”
“I told you not to do it,” muttered Doyle, his brows pulled tight together. “I knew no good would come from it.”
“But really, Eddie,” continued Harris. “It’s not like anyone will believe such a silly jest. We meant no harm—”
“Do you have any idea what damage this could do to her?” demanded Eddie, forcing himself to speak in a low voice so all those eavesdropping ears couldn’t hear him. “This may be a joke aimed at me, but this is a wedding announcement, and there will be people who believe it. This could irreparably damage her reputation.”
Harris chuffed, laughing into his cup as he slanted a wry smile at the group.
“She must be nearly thirty by now, so it’s unlikely she’ll ever marry,” added Morty with a grimace. “Do you know a single gentleman who would tolerate her even with a sterling reputation? We haven’t harmed her chances.”
Slumping into his chair, Eddie stared at his cup and saucer as his brows pulled tight together. Blast it! Rubbing his forehead, he squeezed his eyes shut as his mind raced with what had happened and what was to come. Whether or not his friends were correct in their assessment of Miss Crosby’s marriage prospects, the lady was as sweet as she was awkward, and she didn’t deserve to suffer at the hands of his friends simply because she cared for him.
Eddie rose from his seat, shoving away from the table as the others protested, calling for him to stay and enjoy himself a bit more, but he ignored them and strode to the door. Snatching his hat and umbrella from the stand, he brought it up as he stepped into the torrent. Feet pounding against the pavement, he strode down the street; with the rain still falling heavily, most had taken refuge, leaving the streets empty and allowing him to ignore the world around him.
Curses! The devil take them! A silly jest? Even if the announcement had been worded as intended, the prank would’ve still been more harmful than amusing, and Miss Crosby didn’t deserve to be mocked.
Rubbing his forehead with his free hand, Eddie unleashed a torrent of curses on his head. Morty and Harris were mostly harmless, but their humor had a hard edge that often made him uneasy—yet still, he’d fostered the relationship. And now, Miss Crosby was made to pay for that lapse in judgment.
Though his feet seemed to move aimlessly around the city, Eddie knew there was purpose in his path. Every part of him longed to ignore the discovery and allow the Crosbys to live in ignorance rather than admit his unintentional tie to the blasted announcement, but his conscience wriggled and squirmed within him. At the very least, they deserved an explanation and an apology.
Visions of Mr. Crosby’s hard eyes glaring at him forced Eddie’s feet in a different direction as he considered just how the gentleman would react if he knew the truth. Mr. Crosby was already demanding satisfaction; what would he do if he knew Eddie’s connection? It was ridiculous to expect Eddie to sacrifice his future simply because a prank might damage his daughter’s reputation. There must be some other manner in which to smooth the whole debacle over. This was just a misunderstanding. That was all.
Those thoughts swirled about his head as his feet traversed the city, and Eddie rehearsed what he might say to the Crosbys. A properly worded apology did wonders when a mistake had been made, and there was no reason that he mightn’t simply explain, and together, they could arrive at a course of action that would save the pair from a forced marriage or social disgrace.
Confound those wretched friends of his!