Chapter Three
G yles stared out the window of his carriage to see how many carriages were ahead of his own. There were several others—and he couldn’t repress a grimace when he saw the carriage belonging to the Dubois family. Lady Juliet Dubois was the woman his mother favored as a possible wife for him. He had no such feelings for the woman, but she was pleasant enough and he had shown her the courtesy of dancing with her at other balls. Perhaps that, in itself, was the problem. The lady now behaved as though they had some unspoken arrangement that she would one day be his wife. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Ah, it seems that your regular dance partner will be in attendance,” Asher said after he, too, peered out the window to see their progress to the front of the townhouse.
Gyles sighed, knowing a long evening was in store for him. “I don’t know why I caved in to my mother’s demands to dance with her in the first place. Now she expects it every time we meet.”
“As does Lady Maribel from me, I suppose,” Asher replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Although they are well respected within Society, we best rethink who we dance with tonight unless we wish to find ourselves trapped into marriages we don’t want.”
Gyles chuckled. “You’ve spent too much time with Lady Maribel, of late, Asher. If you’re not careful, the ton will begin to think of you as a couple, and you’ll have to do the honorable thing or else you’ll wind up in the Teatime Tattler .”
Asher cursed beneath his breath. “Well, whatever happens, it’s too late to decline the invitation to tonight’s ball. Hopefully, we can hide away in the men’s salon with a drink and a good game of cards.”
Gyles’s carriage finally came to a stop in front of the townhouse and a footman opened the door. He stepped down and waited for Asher to join him and they began to proceed up the steps to stand in another line to greet the host and hostess. Lady Juliet and Lady Maribel came to stand next to them and each gave a curtsey while the men bowed.
“You both look lovely this evening, ladies,” Gyles mentioned putting a smile upon his face as they stepped forward as the line moved.
“And you look very handsome, my lord,” Lady Juliet replied with a soft purr to her voice.
Once they had greeted their hosts, they moved forward into the next room, and Lady Juliet placed her hand in the crook of his arm.
A heavy sigh threatened to escape him, and he plastered what he hoped was an acceptable smile on his face. Lady Juliet gave a bright laugh in response to whatever Lady Maribel had said. Honestly, it hardly mattered. As long as he wasn’t required to add to the conversation, he paid little-to-no attention to it. Clearly, he was in an irritable mood but he could not say why. Perhaps the woman who pressed herself into his arm was the cause. She certainly was bold enough this evening.
Gyles raised his eyes to Asher, who only shrugged. No help would be coming from his friend. His arm was suddenly caressed, and he attempted not to cringe as he tried to remember his manners. She was beautiful but so were a multiple of other ladies of his acquaintance .
“If you continue to frown so, mon cher , you will get wrinkles on your handsome brow,” Lady Juliet purred in her soft French accent. “What is troubling you so?”
He patted her arm in the hopes to placate her. “Nothing, my lady. Business matters from earlier today.”
Lady Maribel, who overheard their conversation, laughed. “But we are at a ball, my lord. We require your undivided attention tonight, don’t we, Juliet?” Lady Maribel said with a bright smile.
“ Oui . I expect you to dance only with me the entire night,” Lady Juliet cooed batting her eyes at him. Gyles almost groaned aloud.
Asher laughed. “Now that would cause a scandal, wouldn’t it, Wickes?”
“Indeed,” he drawled. “I would certainly hear of such inappropriate behavior from my parents come the morning. Two is the limit and even that is pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable.”
Lady Juliet waved her hand. “Bah! You are a marquis and will one day be a duke. You may do as you may.”
“Within reason… I, too, have a reputation to uphold,” Gyles replied knowing the noise from the crowd and music would drown out anything Lady Juliet might ask of him.
The two women excused themselves to visit the women’s salon to freshen up giving Gyles and Asher a few moments to mingle among the other guests. Gyles spotted their friend Vincent St. John, Marquis of Saxton and his wife, Moriah. He appeared deep in conversation with Lord and Lady Lancelot Versey.
Gyles had played cards a time or two with Lord Lancelot at the Lyon’s Den, among other places. His lady had had a hard time of it when she lost her children from her first marriage to a man who had made every attempt to steal her and her children’s inheritance. After a rough time of it, the situation had been remedied to everyone’s satisfaction and the culprit ousted from Society. Another match initiated by Mrs. Dove-Lyon, or so Gyles later learned. Saxton excused himself from the group and began making his way across the room.
The men clasped hands in greeting.
“Are you still enjoying wedded bliss, Saxton?” Gyles inquired while reaching for a glass of champagne in a crystal flute when a servant offered the drink. He had the notion he would need something stronger to make it through the evening.
Saxton smiled. “As any newlywed should. Moriah is a delight and my match in every way.”
Asher groaned. “Good Lord. You make it sound like you’re actually in love with the woman.” To be sure, they were reputed to be a love match, but it was one thing to hear that and another to see the evidence of it so plainly before him. Such matches were hardly common in his circle.
One brow on Saxton’s face rose as if in disbelief. “Most assuredly, I am. I’ve never been happier.”
Asher shook his head. “I thought you’d be ready to take a mistress by now.”
Gyles swatted his friend. “Quiet, you fool. Others can hear you and God only knows if there are prying ears listening so they can report any gossip for that blasted Teatime Tattler .”
Asher mumbled his apologies.
“I can assure you, gentlemen, I have no intention of taking a mistress.” Saxton gazed at his wife across the room. His emotions were clearly written all over his face. He reached for a glass of champagne when another servant passed by giving his wife a silent toast. “One day cupid’s arrow will find you both, most likely when you least expect it. I believe there will be a story to tell all our children one day.”
Saxton gave both men a look as if he had seen into their future and left to rejoin his wife and the Verseys. Gyles and Asher turned their attention to one another before they both laughed. Falling in love was for fools. Better to make an amicable match with a well-dowered lady who would add to your wealth than to actually fall in love with some unknown woman.
As if to prove his point, Lady Juliet and Lady Maribel saw them and made a mad dash to their sides. Gyles swore that if Lady Juliet got any closer, she’d be inside his jacket. To appease the women, they took the ladies to the ballroom when the music began again. Thankfully, Lady Juliet had a gentleman ask for the next dance and Gyles was only too happy to nod his head in acceptance while he gave the lady over to the other man.
He turned from the dance floor and almost bumped into Simon who leaned forward and asked if they could find a place to have that private conversation. Gyles was surprised at such a request but nodded his acceptance. They left the room and found themselves in a well-stocked library.
“Didn’t you receive my message that I would call upon you tomorrow?” Gyles inquired. He saw a decanter across the room on a sideboard and went to help himself. He poured two brandies and handed one glass to Simon.
Simon took a sip before he answered, then went to sit in a comfortable chair near the fireplace. “Yes, I did, but when I saw you in attendance, I figured now was a good a time as any to have this overdue conversation.”
“ At a ball ? You think now is the time to have a conversation that may become heated instead of in the privacy of your own home? Has something addled your wits in the past four years since we’ve spent time together that I should know about?” Gyles asked trying to control the tone of his voice. His jaw clenched as he prayed no one would overhear whatever was about to transpire in this room.
Simon smirked. “This way you can’t yell at me for my stupidity all those years ago.”
“Although I prefer to let the past stay where it belongs and move on, I can still yell at you, Simon.”
“Can you? Well, I suppose that remains to be seen,” Simon replied, took another drink, and then motioned for Gyles to take the vacant seat across from him.
Gyles complied. Obviously, he would need to keep his wits about him and not raise his voice unless he wished for everyone in Society to hear whatever was about to be said. Then it dawned on him that Simon had acknowledged his own mistake.
“I should have gone after her,” Simon admitted while watching Gyles carefully, “or allowed you to do so.”
“It wasn’t my place, or so you said,” Gyles muttered.
Simon nodded. “Another mistake on my part. I knew you cared for Josephine—”
“—I never told you I cared for her in that way,” Gyles confessed leaning forward even though his words were a lie.
Simon held up his hand. “You may not have voiced your thoughts aloud, but I could see for myself what was happening whether you admit it or not. Josephine had been in love with you for years although I squashed her thoughts more times than I could count telling her you thought of her as a sister. I figured she was young and would get over her infatuation with you. Knowing your sense of honor and our friendship, I knew you would have never taken your relationship further. Not after your promise.”
“And I kept that promise,” Gyles said, swiping his hand to wipe the back of his neck. Was it suddenly getting overly hot in this room?
“I know. I’m sorry for my harsh words four years ago. I’d say you were right all along, but you probably already realized that, haven’t you?” Simon said quietly, regret showing in his features.
“Where is she now?” Gyles couldn’t help but ask.
“Widowed for certain. But there’s a problem I’ve encountered. I’ve had private investigators looking for her and after a brief… liaison… as Adrian de Courtenay’s mistress, Josephine has just plain vanished. I’m not certain where to turn next and need your help. You have more resources being a duke’s son than I will ever have,” Simon plea ded before setting down his glass and placing his head in his hands in defeat. “How will I ever find her to bring her home?”
“Hopefully you can make it up to her, that is, if she truly wishes to be found. Send over whatever information you have on her, and I’ll ask my own team to see what they can find,” Gyles said as he stood.
The two men clasped hands and Gyles could only hope that they would be able to locate Josephine and bring her back home where she belonged. Simon would have a lot of groveling to do at her feet in order to make everything right.
Until then, he had his own dilemma to deal with. When he returned to the ballroom, it was as though Lady Juliet was waiting for him like a spider who had spotted her prey. She swooped down upon his once again as if they had formed some sort of agreement between them. She was clearly chasing after him hoping he would offer a proposal of marriage. The rest of the evening was a complete blur as he did his best to put as much space between them as possible. He danced with her only once despite her pouting and still she continued to pursue him. It was going to be a very long evening.