Well, only a moment or two of those before she regained most of her composure. Still, it only took that moment for him to feel the punch to his own heart.
She was hurting. And he was aching for her.
“Oh, now you are scowling at me. Why, Rob?”
“I am not scowling.”
“You are—I can always tell because your brow furrows and then your gaze turns hard as steel. Why?”
“Because I need to protect you.”
“From what?”
He decided to be honest with her. “I am not sure how to deal with Milbury and his sister. They will be here tonight and the vile sister is going to let on that I was with you before this house party began.”
“Oh, yes. I was thinking about that, too.” She winced. “Lady Cordelia will make me out to be a fallen woman without scruples. I wasn’t certain how to respond, whether to play into the scandal of it all, feign outrage, or look hurt and wounded for sympathy.”
“How about we just let Bromleigh and Cherish know the truth?”
She gasped. “Oh, not the whole truth. Bromleigh will boil you alive.”
“I only meant to let them know I arrived here early and you took me in.”
“Yes, that is best. Keep it quiet, just a friend visiting another friend. You already have everyone in a dither because of that betting book on you at White’s. Thetonwill be like sharks in a blood frenzy if they ever heard you had been cavorting with me.”
Not necessarily, Rob mused. Thetonlikely considered her to be a merry widow who had no interest in remarrying, and therefore was out of the running.
So why should she not take London’s most eligible bachelor into her bed? No commitments. No obligations.
This was why no one had wagered on her as a potential bride for him. Of course, everyone also knew she had already rejected him.
“That blasted betting book,” he said. “I forgot about it…or tried to forget. I had better bring that up with Bromleigh and Reggie, too. It is your reputation that will be tarnished, and I cannot allow this to happen.”
“Yes, talk to my idiot cousin and Reggie, but include his Silver Duke friends now that the last of them has arrived. They are the ones who started this wagering nonsense and should be held responsible if it turns into a mess.”
“All right, but I’m fairly certain Ramsdale stayed out of their schemes. He wasn’t happy when they opened a betting book on him. In truth, he was furious.”
“Then he shall be a good ally for you,” Fiona remarked. “Just take care of the men and I’ll talk to Cherish and the other wives. Best we nip any potential scandal in the bud. They’ll cover for us, the men especially. They’ll feel guilty about being the ones to foist theton’s attention on you and inadvertently hurting me.”
“As long as they agree to fix any damage caused toyou,” Rob insisted.
“Oh, they will. Their wives will see to it that they do. They’ll make their smug husbands grovel at my feet,” she said with a smirk. “Rob, why don’t you care about the damage to yourself?”
He arched an eyebrow. “What damage? Dukes are impervious. Nor have I ever cared what those in Society think of me. Protecting you is all that matters.”
“It will be easily enough done if our friends and family just shrug off Cordelia’s accusations. All they have to do is not look surprised, possibly mention they knew you had arrived early and spent a few days with me before this house party began. Innocent. Platonic. This would dampen the gossip before it ever amounted to anything.”
“Possibly.”
Thetonthrived on secrets revealed, but any scandal would die before it ever had a chance to arise if there was nothing lurid lurking in the darkest recesses.
However, what would happen in the coming year when it became clear he was sleeping with Fiona? Neither Bromleigh nor Reggie would ever stand for this, but that was a problem to be addressed afterward.
Anyway, what could they do? Put a shotgun to his head and force him to marry Fiona? She was the one who needed the prodding, not him.
Fiona poked him. “You are getting too deep in your thoughts again, Rob.”
He smiled. “I know.”
