Chapter 32
Nathanial
“Well then, how is marriage?” Christian asked as they strode out of earshot of the ladies.
It was all Nathanial could do not to look over his shoulder to check if his wife was still outside.
He scowled at Christian. There had been something about the way he’d asked that made it seem as though he was inquiring less on Nathanial’s behalf and more on his wife’s.
“Very good,” he said shortly. “My wife is more than satisfied; you do not need to worry about that.”
“I am not going to seduce your wife,” Christian replied, somewhat exasperated. “I am a better friend than that. No matter how attractive she is.”
Nathanial humphed.
“Even if his actress did give him his congé,” Gregory joked.
Christian sighed, casting him a look.
“Renee and I agreed—”
“She decided she was tired of him spending half his time at balls,” Gregory informed Nathanial, cutting Christian off.
“That our enjoyment of each other had run its course.” Now it was Christian’s turn to glare, reaching up to fiddle with the rose-red pocket square at his breast. “I cannot blame her, as I have not been able to give her the attention she deserves.”
“It does not hurt that she’d already found a new benefactor, a wealthy American who is courting her with diamonds rather than rubies,” Drake put in from the side, his lips twitching with amusement.
“I cannot help what a woman has preferences for.” Christian shrugged.
“Besides, she was becoming rather tedious with her demands.” Very possibly because she had already decided to end things with Christian and had deliberately done so to make the transition easier, but Nathanial did not point that out.
Christian would have already thought of it. Likely, he did not mind.
Though he enjoyed his mistresses and preferred long-term affairs over short ones, he never seemed to become truly attached to any of them.
“What else have I missed? Anything important?” Nathanial asked, causing those around him to exchange looks.
“We’ll tell you at the club,” Drake murmured, which made Nathanial’s senses prickle. Whatever they’d learned, it must be of significance for them not to want to speak of it in the street.
Which meant it had to do with their fathers.
His gut tightened.
“That matchmaker Lady Astrid brought to the house party made another match,” Matthew offered up after a moment. “Lady Nichole and the Viscount of Burberry are now engaged.”
“Well. I will have to wish the couple happy,” Nathanial said after a moment, realizing that his wishes for the newly engaged couple were sincere.
Even though Lady Nichole had been one of the ladies he’d been interested in at the house party, he was not unhappy to hear of her wedding someone else.
He hoped she and the viscount were very happy together.
“She’s working on a match for Lady Kari, too.”
“Not with any of you?” Nathanial raised his eyebrow.
“Apparently not.” Matthew appeared more amused than anything else. Sebastian was snorting and shaking his head again, likely at the idea that one of them might need a matchmaker at all.
So far, he had been proven right, but Nathanial doubted Sebastian would want to travel the same road as him and Gregory. He was far too proper to be sanguine about scandal precipitating his marriage. Him and Zachary.
Nathanial glanced over his shoulder.
“No engagement on your front?”
“Not yet.” Zachary grimaced. “But my mother has recruited my uncle, and now both of them are encouraging the match. Likely, I’ll be married to Lady Annabelle by the end of the Season. Or at least engaged.” He said it with all the cheer of a man walking to the gallows.
Nathanial shook his head. It was one thing to marry a lady when forced to by honor or even finances, but he could not imagine having a true choice and ceding it to someone else.
No matter how Zachary’s mother was grieving, making such an important decision for her son seemed like a step too far to help her recover.
But it was not his place to say.
If Zachary was willing to let his mother choose his bride… well, he was the one who was going to have to live with that. For the rest of his life.
Nathanial wanted to ask after Delilah, but doing so would only pain Zachary more. He’d ask Gregory or Matthew for the gossip later when Zachary was out of earshot.
They rambled on to the club, securing a private room upon their arrival. Thankfully, it was a quiet day at White’s with very few gentlemen about. They were quickly ushered into the room, and drinks were served, along with some food to nibble on.
“So,” Nathanial said once the server had exited, closing the door behind him. He settled back into his chair, crystal glass in hand. “What have I missed?”
“It’s what we’ve missed,” Drake replied rather grimly. “Namely, our chance at catching Montblanc in England. We’re fairly certain he made it onto a ship to America.”
“Well… damn.” Nathanial leaned back and took a long sip of his drink as Drake repeated the report he’d gotten from the investigator who had picked up Montblanc’s trail.
“We’ve given the man money to follow Montblanc to America,” Sebastian put in. “But whether he’ll be able to find him over there…” His voice trailed off, and he shrugged.
“Which leaves us empty-handed for clues again, other than we know someone planned the whole thing.” Matthew made a face. “But we do not know who they were aiming at, much less who was the mastermind.”
“Other than Montblanc was very much aiming at my father,” Gregory murmured.
Montblanc’s niece had been a victim of the old Duke of Clarence’s depredations, and Gregory had the half-sister to prove it.
According to Gregory, she had begged for clemency for her uncle, but Gregory could hardly promise her anything when they did not know the extent of Montblanc’s involvement, only that he had fled.
“But was he the person behind it, or did they just use Montblanc’s anger to their own ends?
” Drake shook his head. “I would not assume anything. Especially as both you and your mother agree that Montblanc had no reason to take up against any of our fathers, and he was not the type to sacrifice the innocent for his revenge.”
“No, if anything, he was defending the innocent.” Gregory grimaced. He had no illusions about the kind of man his father had been. Even worse than Nathanial’s father, who had been neglectful and selfish but had not been physically violent and never abused the maids.
“Which leaves us back where we began.” Nathanial sighed.
“Actually, I want to have another look at the notes your father received,” Sebastian said.
He was the one who had first noticed that several of the notes Gregory’s father had gotten were done by the same hand, though efforts had been taken to disguise the fact.
“We never looked very closely at the notes that were not by Montblanc. Now that we suspect he may have been used by the mastermind behind it all, it’s possible others may have been recruited to the same cause. ”
Nathanial blinked and took in what Sebastian was saying. A conspiracy was what he was describing. One that had ended with eight dead dukes.
“Bloody hell.” He took another large quaff of his drink, appreciating the burn as it slid down his throat.
And here he’d thought his marriage was the largest of his problems.
Kalina
“I told you they would realize,” Mei said, smiling warmly when she greeted Kalina, who had to laugh in response. She was wearing another outfit of dark green and ivory and gold, though slightly less elaborate in decoration than the one she’d donned for the house party.
Surrounded by her friends, all of who believed her innocence, had lightened her heart considerably.
“You did. If only you could induce my husband to do the same.” Kalina sighed as she sank onto the chair at the table.
They were in Lady Astrid’s salon, a bright room decorated in the shades of a countryside sunset with creamy oranges dominating the color scheme.
It could have been overwhelming, but she’d offset all the brighter hues with rust, copper, and cream, as well as delicately carved dark wooden furniture.
With the curtains open and sunlight streaming in, it was a relentlessly cheerful room, which felt exactly like what she needed right now.
“You have not told him?” Lady Astrid frowned as she began to pour the tea for all of them.
It was not a surprising response. Lady Astrid was a direct kind of person. Kalina admired the trait, but found herself unable to emulate it.
“There has not really been an opportunity to bring it up in conversation,” she replied truthfully. “His sisters are normally around when we are together.”
“Surely at night...” Tiffany let her voice trail off.
“We do not talk. In fact, we have not exchanged a single word at… at night.” Kalina felt her cheeks heating in embarrassment as her friends all looked at her. Tiffany was married, of course, and Delilah was a widow, but this was not proper conversation for Mei or Lady Astrid.
“Do not concern yourself about my delicate ears; I have heard far worse.” Mei smiled cheekily, lifting her teacup and gently blowing on the hot surface.
“Seen worse, too. The seamstress beside my grandmother’s shop has a daughter who is having a rather torrid affair with an earl’s younger son, and they are not very particular about where they copulate. It’s been very educational.”
“Good lord, Mei,” Delilah said, laughing despite herself.
Mei shrugged, unrepentant. “My grandmother already had a collection of books that she gave me to ensure I understood matters of the body. Attraction, chemistry, the physical aspects that draw people together, these are things that are necessary for a matchmaker to understand in order to make successful matches.”
“Do not hesitate to speak frankly in front of me, either,” Lady Astrid said. “I may be a virgin, but I doubt there is anything you could say that would surprise me.”