Chapter 4 #3
Sarah cleared her throat. “And now that you are back in town, I hope you shall endeavour not to fall into a scrape like you did in Cornwall.”
Georgina gave her an arch look. “Better a scrape than a mésalliance.”
“You sail close to the wind, my girl,” Sarah countered. “One of these days, you shall find that doors are closed to you.”
Colt noticed Georgina’s bright blue eyes flash, and he interjected quickly. “It will take a lot for George to be exiled, Sarah.”
“I do not dread that day, in any event. Then I shall at least be spared the monotony of society.”
Sarah sighed. “I hope you will not ruin yourself. I wish you might marry, put that great heart of yours to use, and stay out of mischief.”
Colt preserved his silence, knowing Sarah’s tactic would be futile. He could already see the annoyance building within George. It would be up to him to try to claw back into George’s good graces if Sarah continued in this vein.
Georgina moved to sit on the edge of her desk. She folded her arms across her chest.
Colt felt the distance she placed between them.
“Marriage is the last thing on my mind. I am content with my life as it is. I can assist my father whenever he requires. I can go to my clubs when I choose, attend balls and go wherever I like, without a chaperone. Why would I sacrifice freedom in tying myself to one person?”
“There are benefits,” Sarah said with a twinkle in her eye. “Particularly if you fall in love.”
Georgina frowned. “Let us not speak of this further, Sarah, or I shall become vexed.”
Colt drank deeply from his coffee. That answered his question. Georgina responded more readily to his playful banter than Sarah’s direct approach. That was clear.
Georgina turned the subject. “Tell me, Sarah, how you have been?”
Colt’s posture straightened. Suddenly, he was deeply invested in the conversation.
Sarah faltered for a moment, but the words that hovered on her lips faded away.
“All has been well for me. My household runs along like the gears of a clock. Usually reliable and only occasionally needs winding. I am hardly needed for anything. I discovered a marvellous new milliner—which I dare not share with you, lest you try to upstage my custom.” She raised her brows cheekily.
Colt felt himself relax. This was much safer terrain. He stared down at the coffee in his cup and wondered if the ladies were open to exchanging it for a whiskey.
“Did she create that confection, Sarah?” Georgina gestured to Sarah’s bonnet. “It becomes you well, but would not suit me, I think.”
Sarah’s hand went self-consciously to the olive- and black-striped ribbons under her chin.
“It’s most fetching on you, my dear,” Colt reassured her, inclining his head to one side and regarding her with a smile. As far as he was concerned, Sarah could wear a flat cap or a crown befitting a queen, and she would look adorable.
“And have you found yourself a lover yet?” Georgina asked Sarah.
Colt nearly choked on his coffee. Sometimes he wished their friendship circle did not have to be so intimate.
The colour of Sarah’s cheeks deepened. “No, I have not found someone to fill that post.”
Georgina clicked her tongue. “Perhaps you are too discerning?”
With an icy stare, Sarah crossed her arms. “I have standards, at least.”
Georgina laughed. “Put your barbs down, my dear. I merely jest.”
Colt thought it more likely punishment than jest, given the way Sarah had pressed Georgina on marriage. He kept his thoughts to himself.
“Perhaps it is my misfortune that I do not crave women as lovers; I think there is a shortage of good men,” Sarah mused.
“Shall I just take my leave?” Colt demanded, aggrieved.
Sarah reached out and took his hand, squeezing it. “Oh, you know I do not mean you, my love.”
Colt ground his teeth. He did not crave Sarah’s pity. He met -Georgina’s gaze, and her eyes twinkled. Damn it, was she laughing at him too? He put his coffee down a touch too hard, rattling the table. He stood and walked to the window, folding his arms over his chest.
“I was meaning to ask, do either of you know anything about Solitaires in St James’s Square?” Georgina inquired.
Gaming hell? Now, that was a more enticing conversation. Colt turned back to see Sarah wrinkle her nose.
“Been there once or twice. Nothing noteworthy, except that two rum dogs, Ellis and Montgomery, sponsor it. Why do you ask?” he replied.
Georgina regaled him with the account of her young friends, Lord Edmund Telford and Mr Arthur Coombes, and explained that she had visited Mrs Gardner’s the previous evening in search of evi-dence.
“I have every reason to suspect they target susceptible people of means who do not know they are being taken in.” The muscle in Georgina’s cheek twitched.
It all sounded like a bore. Colt preferred it when Georgina fixed her interest on some damsel or wished to race him in a seduction. Whatever plan she was hatching now did not have the same hedonistic ring to it that he enjoyed, and he recognised the stubborn tilt to her chin.
He turned back to the window to show his disinterest in discussing this further. It occurred to him that he might claim a prior appointment at his tailor and excuse himself immediately, but he could not abandon Sarah to Georgina’s mercy. That would sink him in her estimation.
Luckily, a familiar upturned face, floating amidst the crowded street, offered him unexpected respite from the tedium.
“Is that Lady Prudence Ravenscroft standing outside?”
Georgina’s cup clattered back in the saucer as she shoved it on the table. “What?” She rushed to the window in alarm, then hid behind Colt’s broad physique, peering from behind him. “It is her!”
Colt burst out laughing. “Did you invite her?”
“Of course not. Look, she is passing by. Thank heavens.” Georgina gave him a playful slap on his arm. “What a fright you gave me. She already wrote me a letter propositioning me for an affair, now that she is a married woman.” Georgina massaged her face with her hand.
“What an impact you must have made in Cornwall,” Sarah interjected wryly.
“I think we can safely assume our George makes an impact wherever she goes.”
To Colt’s annoyance, Sarah redirected the conversation back to Arthur and his lost IOUs. “What is your plan to support Mr Coombes? Mrs Gardner’s cannot be a straightforward citadel to breach. Not even for your charms.”
Georgina rested her head on Colt’s shoulder. “I must think of something. There’ll be the devil to pay if I don’t help Arthur! The last thing I want is to bring Henry’s wrath down upon me.”
At Georgina’s reference to her brother, Colt’s heart sank. He exchanged a sidelong look with Sarah.
Georgina did not seem to notice. Instead, she had withdrawn her fob watch from her pocket and was idly rotating it between her fingers. “I will return tonight. I must speak with Mrs Gardner about the IOUs, but I am concerned my temper will get the better of me. Come with me, Colt? I need you.”
There it is, he thought grimly.
Her bright blue eyes captured his, and she smiled irresistibly.
Attempting to deny George proved futile once again. With a grudging nod, Colt agreed. Now, he really had earned that whiskey.