What wounds? I can’t be hurt from one night of fun, a night similar to any at Sarah’s. Can I? I should not have had her stay. It muddies the waters. I cannot become invested.
Evan glared, his jaw tightening.
Robert stared in surprise as his friend growled, “No, thank you. I need to find out more to see if the investment makes sense. I need you to keep her rather energetic cousin entertained.”
Ah, an excuse to— No! Attention from the mean-spirited Ton is the last thing I want. Gor, I knew that girl was too bold for me. But those breasts were nigh on irresistible, and she did not wait for my invitation.
“No,” he barked. “I can’t. No.”
Evan’s eyes widened.
It was rare for Robert to feel strongly about anything, rarer still for him to raise his voice to almost a shout. He cringed, expecting his friend to question him on his vehemence.
Instead, Evan stared at him for a moment, then continued. “I am not asking for every moment of the day, only the evenings. Remember what I said to you when you arrived? This wom—ah, opportunity—is the first thing to catch my interest in months.”
Robert sighed, deflating. A few days was not much to ask, especially when Evan rarely needed help and had done so much for him. “Yes, of course. I’ll do my best.”
“Now that you’ve agreed, I should probably warn you about her.” Evan grinned at Robert’s hard stare. “She grew up learning that the same rules that apply to boys and men should apply to girls and women. That she should have the same rights as you or I and not care what the Ton thinks. So her behavior is often bordering on the outrageous. When I say she knows a lot of people, I mean intimately. I imagine Althea keeps her somewhat reined in, and they seem close, so Beth likely tries to remain circumspect for her cousin’s sake, but that little body bursts with vivacity, so she struggles. You’d think, as she knows half the Ton and their secrets, they’d be kinder to her.”
Robert grunted. “Doesn’t seem to work that way.” He’d had enough horrible experiences with society’s view of him, his shape, and his untitled standing, even after Bags’s investments had assured his ability to buy and sell almost any of them. Another thought occurred to him. Evan knew he hated to risk gossip. “That wasn’t fair, asking me to squire a wild chit around who is going to cause mischief.”
“No need to squire. Simply keep a watchful eye so she doesn’t interfere with me getting to know Althea. Please. If she finds games or men—or women—to occupy her, your duty is done.”
Given his knowledge of Evan’s sexual history as well as his own, promiscuity did not bother him as it might another man. However, he hated the idea that she would replace him.
Buck up, man. You’re being childish. If you don’t want her, you can’t pout if she finds someone else to play with.
He hated when his inner voice was right.
****
Robert returned to his rooms torn. With the perspective of daylight and time apart, part of him wanted Beth to be gone to avoid temptation. Evan’s use of the word “outrageous” made him nervous. But a big part—growing bigger as he neared the room—hoped she was still abed, where he could encourage her to stay and skip breakfast.
She was dressed and sifting through piles of leather accessories when he returned, a scenario he should have but hadn’t envisioned.
“Robert, these are magnificent.” She looked up as he clicked the door shut. “Are they all your design or are some by request?”
“One or two are from creative minds, but most are mine.”
“How did you learn this?”
“By happenstance, really. My first year room at Oxford was not as fancy as Evan’s and other heirs’. It was one of four rooms in a tanner’s house, attached to his tannery. I watched him work when I needed a break from the endless books.” He’d watch the man’s arms flex as he forced tools and needles through the hide, fascinated with the convergence of craftsmanship, design, and strength.
“The couple did not have children; I suspect that is why they hosted students. They treated us as family. When I visited him at work, the house master always asked if my reading was complete before he allowed me to stay. One day, I picked up a scrap to try sewing, and he took it as an invitation to teach me the trade. ‘It can never hurt,’ he told me, ‘to have a variety of ways to put food on the table. If only they taught you more business management at that fancy school, you’d be unstoppable.’”
Robert had chuckled at the man’s words, but the idea had taken root.
He moved into a house with Evan for his last two years, because it was much easier to help one another sneak back in after an Evan-inspired escapade. But he visited the tannery at least once a week and kept a small project on the side at all times. The complexity of the items he made increased as he honed his skills.
What he did not tell Beth was that he did not need to sell these. Indeed, he could have given all the pieces away and not impair his net worth. He’d happily turned his entire quarterly allowance over to Evan while in university, and his friend had made them all bags and bags of money, earning him his nickname. Robert wasn’t even sure he still received funds from his father, as the income from investments and his bank balance eclipsed those stipends. However, Robert had remembered the tanner’s words and kept his skills honed, and designing and creating unique leather apparel and accessories quickly became a passion.
He needed something to occupy his days, anyway. He wasn’t social enough or attractive enough to be a—what was the male equivalent of a socialite?—a fop or dandy or rake. He just provided them with the tools they needed. The Merlin behind each would-be Arthur’s throne, with Bags being the king of all kings in this particular world.
“That explains the leatherwork, but not the subject matter.” She arched a brow.
“You’ve met our host, haven’t you?” he asked with a sardonic grin.
She laughed.
