The girl blinked and the belated wince of pain came three solid seconds after the pointed comment. “I know, mother,” she grimaced. “But I cannot be discourteous to a Duke. Especially the brother of the lord my dear cousin has brought into our lives.”
“It is all right,” Edward replied. “I appreciate the intention.”
“Let me introduce you,” Benedict was eagerly bouncing on his feet as he made the round of personalized introductions. When he came to Alice, he felt proud that she did look him in the eye this time.
She inclined her head. “Welcome, Your Grace.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Edward shoved away the duplicitous feeling crawling under his skin. “Has my brother mentioned me at all? You all seem a touch overwhelmed at knowing who I am.”
Hopping from one foot to the other, Benedict sheepishly said, “I haven’t yet. I thought it prudent to not pander with names or titles.”
“Meaning that you mean you didn’t want me to outshine you,” he laughed. “Pardon us, my ladies. My brother and I have a long-standing tradition of trying to outdo each other.”
The aunt was fanning herself, smiling widely at his and Benedict’s presence. “Oh no, no,” she chuckled. “We don’t mind the lovely banter.”
Edward’s attention shifted to the younger sister. “Miss Penelope, is it?” The girl's head shot up, shocked to hear him call her by name. “Would you like to be my partner for dinner this evening, and make a lovely evening of it?”
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Eliza’s mouth drop and her face darken, while her mother looked as if the heavens had opened and an angel had descended to shower them with rays of light.
The girl looked to her sister, shock painted right over her face, before she stood and curtsied. “I am honored, Your Grace. Yes, I would be delighted to be your partner.”
“Lovely,” Edward trained his gaze on Alice while he extended his arm. “Shall we then?”
CHAPTER 7
Four days later, Edward stepped out of his carriage and plucked his hat off his head to gaze at the building before him.
To call Baron Newcastle’s hunting lodge alodgewas a disservice to the word; the manor, set in the middle of Hampshire’s woods was teeming with game.
The lodge was massive; while it was luxurious, it was fashioned to be rustic with warm woods, brass furnishings, dark carpentry, and as grand upstairs as it was below. Paintings hung in gold frames, and rich ornaments sat on shelves and in cabinets.
“Newcastle,” Edward extended his hand to the tall, ex-soldier; the man’s dark, intense eyes and hooked nose showed the nooks where it had been broken once or twice. “Thank you for having me.”
“The honor is mine,” Newcastle replied. “I dare say, you carry the essence of an exotic animal, rare to find in the wild.”
Laughing, Edward pulled away, “I do like that analogy. The mysterious white stag of Arthurian legend.”
“An elusive figure, yes,” Newcastle drawled. “I can see the connection. Would you join me and the other men for a drink before the festivities begin?”
“Are you sure it is ethical to have men drink before they are armed with guns?” Edward asked while taking the steps up a billiard room; men were mingling with drinks in hand, and it took him less than a moment to find Rutledge in the mix.
As blond as the paintings of Apollo, the man drew eyes everywhere he went, but this time, the attention he drew from Edward was less admiring. He had told Alice to leave the tactic of approaching Rutledge to him and she had accepted his enigmatic answer without question; it was a good thing too because the tactic he had in mind was not exactly ethical.
What would innocent little Miss Alice think when she knows you plan to blackmail him into doing right by the girl?
While many saw his gold embroidered jackets and attended the lavish parties he threw at his country home, few people knew that the man was unsteady with his money—there were months when he was up to his eyeteeth in debt and the only thing keeping him afloat was the Club.
He would not make a good husband either, but the best thing the man could do was to marry the girl and stay with her for a year, and then annul the marriage; it was easier than forcing the girl to be found out as unchaste and then, unmarriageable.
I have two options here, personally persuade him or get the man he owes his debts to, to blackmail him. Rutledge needs his reputation, so he’ll stay quiet.
“Whiskey,” Newcastle said.
“Brandy, please,” Edward replied. “What are we hunting?”
“Grouse and brown hare,” Newcastle began while handing him the drink. “I hope you are familiar with your way around a shotgun.”
“I am,” Edward took a sip of the premium drink. “How many are taking part?”
