Chapter Two #2
“And you chose to accommodate such a request instead of insisting upon your honeymoon?” A little astonished that the gentleman would do such a thing, Gideon’s lips twisted as his friend nodded. He did not understand why Lord Markham would be willing to do such a ridiculous thing.
“You do not understand,” his friend said, somehow able to read the thoughts in Gideon’s mind. “That is quite all right. When it comes time for you to fall in love, I am certain that understanding will come then.”
Gideon snorted aloud at this. “I have no intention nor expectation of falling in love,” he said, lifting his glass to his lips. “I think it quite foolish.”
This did not seem to upset nor insult Lord Markham, for he only grinned in a most irritating way as Gideon took another sip of his brandy.
“You are here with your sister, I expect?”
Relieved that Lord Markham had changed the subject, Gideon nodded. “She is dancing at present.”
“And you are not especially enamored with the idea of being her chaperone, I imagine.” Lord Markham chuckled as Gideon rolled his eyes. “But it must be done, I suppose.”
Gideon nodded. “Indeed it must. I do admit, however, that the thought of her finding a match very soon would be pleasing. Although at the same time, I must take great care with any gentleman that thinks of pursuing her. They might well be seeking only her fortune and an improvement in their standing.”
At this, Lord Markham’s expression darkened. “That much is true, I suppose. You will have to take great care with her, just as you shall have to do with yourself.”
A frown tugged at his forehead. “With myself?”
“Yes, when you go to wed,” Lord Markham replied, lightly.
“You must be aware that even now, the ton will be watching you carefully, eager to know when you might begin to pursue a young lady. From that moment, they will throw sisters, cousins, daughters and friends in front of your eyes, eager to have you consider them.” He chuckled wryly.
“There are times I am very glad not to be a Duke.”
“It matters not,” Gideon replied, firmly. “I have no intention of marrying.”
A moment of silence told him of Lord Markham’s surprise.
“There is a duty to the title, I know,” Gideon continued, ignoring Lord Markham’s stunned silence.
“When I am older, mayhap, I shall arrange for a suitable creature to marry, the heir will be produced and all will be done as expected. But to think of matrimony at the present moment is not something I am in the least bit inclined towards considering.”
“I see.” Lord Markham’s eyebrow lifted. “And what if you should find yourself captured by one particular young lady? What if she is someone you are unable to remove from your thoughts… even from your heart?”
Scoffing at this, Gideon shook his head. “That will never happen.”
“No?”
“Because I am not in the least bit interested. Therefore, it will not occur.”
This made Lord Markham chuckle but Gideon did not ask him as to why he did so. His attention had been drawn by something else.
A face.
A familiar face… and one that struck his heart with a fiery anger so furious, he feared he might explode with the heat of it all.
“My friend? Are you unwell?”
“Not unwell but angry,” Gideon replied, his eyes trained on the face of the gentleman he despised. “I did not think that he would be coming to London, not after all that he did.”
“Did?” Lord Markham frowned, then took a step closer to Gideon, his gaze darting across the room as if he hoped to spy out precisely who Gideon was speaking of. “This is someone who has maligned you, then?”
Gideon grimaced, recalling the moment he had found that gentleman in the woods, how he had roared at him with all the upset and fury that had been building in him for days.
Had that young lady, whoever she had been, not cried out in fright, then Gideon feared he might have severely injured the fellow – perhaps beyond recovery.
What she had done, in exclaiming as she did…
. did not only save the gentleman’s life but had given Gideon himself pause.
As far as he was concerned, he had been meting out the correct punishment for the man’s sins.
“He did not malign me, no. There was, however a connection with Lord Poole’s sister which may have caused me some pain… though not much,” Gideon muttered, darkly. “Lord Poole had every intention of injuring my family in a way that I could not and will not forgive.”
“Your family?” Lord Markham repeated, sounding all the more concerned. “Goodness, then something must be done, Lancaster! The ton must know of it!”
Gideon shook his head. “It will do no good. It is his word against my own, for all the evidence I have has been burned.”
Lord Markham blinked. “You burned it?”
“I did.” Gideon rubbed one hand over his eyes, aware of the regret beginning to steal through him.
“In a moment of anger, I threw all that I had found upon the fire. Do not ask me to explain all to you, my friend, for I have no desire to. It was a slow but painful discovery and I thought… well, I thought that I had made it quite clear to him that he was not to come anywhere near my family again.”
A quick snatch of breath told Gideon that his friend understood. “You think he has followed you here?”
“Mayhap.”
“But for what cause?”
Gideon looked directly into Lord Markham’s eyes and felt the familiar swirl of tension in his stomach. “Because Lord Poole already tried to steal Emilia away once,” he gritted out, as Lord Markham’s eyes widened. “And I fear now that he has come to try the very same thing again.”