Chapter Four
Grosvenor Square
Mayfair, London
It had been a few days since Gregory had rescued Constance from that attacker, as well as three days since he’d apparently lost his damned mind and asked her to become his mistress.
Who the hell does that after barely meeting a woman?
The clearing of a masculine throat brought him out of his musings. “If you’re only going to woolgather, there is no point to my visit, Hamilton.”
With a snort of amusement, he turned away from this position at the window then came toward the grouping of furniture where Colin Haversham, Earl of Biddleton, sat with an ankle resting on a knee—the perfect picture of titled elegance.
“My apologies. Why are you here to begin with? I haven’t heard from you in so long, I figured you’d cut everyone out of your life.”
“Come off it, man. You know I’ve been busy.” The earl shook his head. “The last year or so was taken up with mourning for my father and with a very private wedding, strictly for the family only.”
“And the birth of your son and heir.”
“There is that.” A satisfaction entered the earl’s expression that Gregory couldn’t understand but yearned to.
When the other man grinned, a stab of envy went through his chest. “Some days I wake up and can hardly believe I’ve been married for nearly a year and a half to the sweetest, most clever woman, or that I have a seven-month-old son. ”
“I can tell you’re enamored of them both.
” He and the earl had been friends for years, even before Colin took the title.
When Gregory became a solicitor, the earl—then viscount—had engaged him on several legal matters, and then again when custody of his sister came to light. They had remained close ever since.
The earl’s grin was rather goofy. “I am, and if that is directly against what an earl should be, then so be it. A man needs to spend the time with his family, especially after the romance was hard won, and I’ll be damned if someone says I love my wife too much.”
“No one would dare, I think.” Gregory nodded.
“I remember the stories of that Christmastide.” It had happened during the holiday season that year, and the earl’s now-wife had come to deliver her niece—whose parentage landed squarely at the earls’ father’s doorstep, but only a select few close friends knew that—but then in a shocking turn of events, Colin had fallen in love with the girl’s aunt.
Currently, the young chit didn’t know the truth of her parentage. “I assume your sister is doing well?”
“She is, and she’s proved a great help to Clarissa.”
“Your wife is quite fortunate in that regard. I haven’t spoken with my brother recently, nor his wife.
” It wasn’t that he didn’t like his sibling; they were both involved in their own lives.
After dropping into a chair near the earl’s location, he asked, “But none of that answered my earlier question. Why are you here?”
“Ah, right.” Biddleton nodded. His gaze went to Gregory’s face. “A few days ago, I attended a rout where there were so very specific rumors bandied about concerning you and an unknown young woman.” One of his dark eyebrows lifted in question. “Are they true?”
“Yes and no.” With a sigh, Gregory rubbed a hand along the side of his face. As succinctly as he could, he told his friend what had occurred on that night. “I essentially played the hero, and now here we are.”
“Which is where, exactly? You haven’t answered my question now,” he said with a grin.
“Very astute of you.” God, did the whole of his acquaintances and friends know of the debacle? “I have taken Mrs. Knight for a mistress.”
“What?” Shock etched across the earl’s face.
“After talking with her that night, and knowing that the gossip had already thrown our lots together, I ventured to ask her if doing exactly that was of any interest to her.” He shrugged.
There was nothing else to say. “Since she lost her husband a few years back and I haven’t had a woman in my bed for at least six months, I thought the plan would prove beneficial for all involved. ”
“It’s a rather dim explanation.” For long moments, Biddleton rested his gaze on Gregory. “You’ve known the woman for a total of two hours.”
“This is true.”
“Yet you’ve asked her to become your mistress.” It wasn’t a question.
“I did.” Feeling rather cheeky about the situation, he grinned.
“To be honest, this has given me something to look forward to. With my position as a barrister, I have more and more required an outlet. Perhaps this will be it.” But it was more than that.
Yes, he looked forward to bedding the woman.
However, he wouldn’t say no to the companionship.
“What you need to remember is that you shouldn’t use her as an object, regardless of what role she is playing in your life.
” The earl shifted his position, put both of his boots on the floor as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.
“By the by, who is this Mrs. Knight? Is she part of the beau monde?”
“I’m not exactly certain, but I have the sense she is not of the ton at all. She has a cousin who is, and that is how she gains her invitations. In fact, she might just be a nobody. From her own admission, she married a military man.”
The earl frowned. “Don’t discount a woman such as that. My own wife was considered a nobody, yet I’d challenge anyone to find a better countess, wife, or mother.” Then he narrowed his eyes. “Is that why you chose her? Because no one knows of her?”
“I would have no idea.” As confusion circled through his mind, Gregory shrugged.
“When I saw her struggling with that attacker, I immediately knew I wished to help her, and then afterward, when society assumed the worst of her—of us—as I escorted her into that townhouse, I felt the urge to protect her.”
Does that mean the opportunity to play the hero gives me an odd satisfaction?
“Ah, now the gossip makes sense. I never knew you for a rescuer.”
“Neither did I, yet in a way, it makes sense. I defend people for a living. I champion for the people who don’t have a voice.”
“Perhaps.” Biddleton chuckled. “What happens when your parents demand you marry a suitable woman from the beau monde? After all, your brother married an earl’s daughter.”
“And my mother never fails to remind me of that fact.” With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes with his fingers.
“It is inevitable that I’ll need to do exactly that.
I’ve put it off long enough. It’s only natural my parents have turned their attentions to me, quite aggressively, in fact.
” Especially since he owned his townhouse as well as a carriage. That meant success within society.
“What will become of your newly acquired mistress in that event?”
“I’ll let her go. Ours is a transactional agreement. We both know that, and we still have a few points to work out. Besides, she’s actively searching for a new husband, so it’s equal on each side. There are no expectations for either of us beyond that.”
“It sounds as if this might prove the perfect arrangement.”
“That is the hope.”
“Then I wish you well in this new endeavor. Just remember not to take on the one cardinal sin of such a relationship.”
“Such as?”
“Don’t fall in love with the mistress while courting a future wife.”
Gregory snorted. “I rather think I’m smarter than that. Romance isn’t something I wish for myself just now.” Then he shot his friend a grin. “In any event, I’m taking Constance driving this afternoon in the hopes it leads to something more… satisfying than merely talking.”
Was he randy as hell? Absolutely, yes, but beyond that, he suspected there was more to the woman than what she’d already shared, and he couldn’t wait to delve deeper into all of it.
To pass the time, of course.
No. 5
Hanover Square
Mayfair, London
True to his word, Gregory took Constance driving that afternoon, and though it was overcast, it was still a pleasant enough afternoon.
They’d gone through Rotten Row and the fashionable areas around Hyde Park.
During that time, they’d chatted about banal and safe topics, but it had given him an opportunity to observe her when they’d passed a few of his friends or acquaintances.
The first time, she shied away from the greetings he’d performed, but the next two times, she seemed more relaxed about meeting new people.
She talked a surprising amount of time about her cat, which he found amusing, but she didn’t mention her husband or parents, yet she’d volunteered information regarding her cousin.
Never once did she mention her arrangement with him. To be fair, he didn’t bring it up either, but that was for another time.
All in all, it was a lovely couple of hours seated with her at his side, and in a cheerful, jonquil-colored gown that caught the attention from others in carriages.
It brightened her complexion and brought out tiny golden flecks in her eyes, yet it was the faint floral scent she wore that he found the most intriguing.
“I can’t help but notice your perfume, yet the notes escape me at the moment.”
“Oh!” A genuine smile curved her lips, and the gesture transformed her plain face to that which was quite arresting, and dare he say beautiful. “It is a blend of lilac, gardenia, with the veriest hint of lemon.”
“Well, it’s lovely, and has the potential to be intoxicating.”
A faint blush colored her cheeks. “Thank you. That bottle of perfume was the first thing I ever bought for myself after Samuel’s death.
I felt so selfish when I went into the perfumery, for I was still in mourning and I shouldn’t have thought of something so…
shallow, but it lifted my mood, so where was the harm? ”