Chapter 28 #2
“She is not wrong. The suddenness of your marriage is the talk of the ton,” Lady Astrid confirmed with a glance at the others.
“We have managed to keep them at bay with some talk of my house party and your meeting there, but since there is not much to tell, that will not satisfy them for long. They will want to see you for themselves.”
“Another duke off the marriage mart is a big deal,” Tiffany agreed, a small smile alighting on her lips. “My brother is finding himself in more pursuit than ever, yet no closer to finding a wife. He is growing desperate enough, I think he may soon hire Lady Hu and Mei to help him.”
“Oh, I hope so,” Lady Astrid said immediately, a wicked grin on her face as she literally rubbed her hands together. “I would love to rub his nose in it that he did need a matchmaker’s help after all.”
“Well, that will not help if he thinks you might do so,” Tiffany told her, exasperated.
“I will wait until the actual wedding to enjoy my glory,” Lady Astrid assured her.
Johanna laughed with the others, a smile upon her face, even as her heart wailed within her.
Matthew
Laughter from the drawing room assured Matthew that his wife was well taken care of for company when the note from Drake arrived, summoning him to the club.
His lessons with Micah done for the morning, Matthew did not hesitate to take his hat and cane and quit the house for a bit—well, after confirming his plan of action with his coin.
Hopefully, he could be home in time for supper this evening.
He was very hopeful someone might have come up with something. Being left out of questioning the gentlemen Cornwall had named had seemed the best course of action at the time, but being out of the informational loop was rather bothersome. Matthew wanted to know what was going on.
Drake had commandeered one of the private rooms at White’s, and Matthew was surprised to find that he was not the first to arrive. Sebastian, Gregory, and Drake were all already there, glasses in hand, ensconced in large wingback chairs that had been set up in a circle.
“Matthew.” Drake nodded a greeting and handed Matthew a glass of brandy from where he was seated beside the drink tray. “How goes it?”
“I need to be home by supper,” he replied, taking both the drink and a seat. “Grandmama and Johanna were put out by my absence last night.”
“Tiffany was not best pleased, either,” Gregory agreed. “And we are not even as newly wed as Matthew and Johanna.”
“Yes, but you and Tiffany are a love match,” Sebastian said, swirling his drink in his snifter. “Matthew and Johanna are not.”
“Neither were Tiffany and I at the beginning. That was the falsehood we put about to save her reputation, remember?”
“I am trying to forget all about your scandalous behavior with my sister, actually, thank you,” Sebastian replied dryly. He turned to Matthew, cocking his head. “It has only been two days of marriage. Less than a week since you rescued her. Surely, you are not in love already.”
“I do not think there needs to be love for a new wife to desire her husband to be around for suppertime the day after their wedding,” Drake interjected, which Matthew was grateful for because he did not exactly know how to answer Sebastian.
He had not married Johanna for love. But he did like her. Quite a bit. He was not particularly interested in pursuing or bedding any other woman. In fact, he rather wanted to be around for suppertime this evening. He did not want to miss another meal with her if he did not have to.
He wanted her to be happy.
From what he’d seen of Gregory and Nathanial, that was how they conducted themselves, and they were both now love matches, though neither had started as one. Was it possible he was falling in love with his wife?
The desire to pull out his coin and flip it made his fingers twitch, but he managed to resist.
“I pity the woman who takes a chance on you if you do not think you need to be there for supper so soon after your wedding,” Gregory told Sebastian. He was grinning, but there was some sincerity to his words.
“Any woman would be lucky to marry a duke.”
“Then why have you not chosen one yet?”
“I am trying to do things properly, unlike some of us.” Sebastian glared at his closest friend. Since Gregory had been caught in a compromising position with Sebastian’s sister at the very first ball of the Season, he had a point. Not that it bothered Gregory, who just grinned at him.
“Who has done things properly at this point, other than Drake? And look how miserable he is. Do you want to be miserable like Drake?” Gregory gestured at the man in question, who glowered at him.
Thankfully, Gregory was saved from whatever retribution Drake and Sebastian may have come up with by the arrival of more of their friends.
Christian and Zachary came in, interrupting whatever might have followed, and they had not even gotten settled when Nathanial arrived and completed their coterie.
They sat in their chairs with their brandy, and Matthew wondered if the Knights of the Round Table had ever felt like this. And if this group were the knights, who was their King Arthur?
“Right then,” Drake said, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Who has managed to track down their quarry?”