Leith rolled his eyes. “I hardly think we are so ancient, Monty. Why is everyone calling usoldsuddenly? It is the fault of Trem and John, for getting married. Now everyone expects us to succumb to the parson’s noose, as well.”
Catherine gasped in affront. “I think you can blame the simple passage of time, Leith, for those comments, rather than the women in the room.”
“Well, Monty and I are not about to let thepassage of timechange our ways,” Leith said, blithely. “Say, Monty, Dalrymple told me that you were trifling with his wife’s lady’s maid and that she ran away afterward. Did you not think I needed to know about this little affair of the loins? You know I love hearing about a Monty adventure. They’ve given me inspiration over the years, I’m not ashamed to admit.”
Henrietta made a gagging noise and Leith scoffed in response.
Ah, yes, Montaigne thought,Alice. He had met her two weeks ago, before he had known Olivia was back in London, at Lord and Lady Dalrymple’s ball. She had called to him from an alcove. He had been walking between the card room and the main assembly. She was redheaded, slight, with freckles. He was not surprised to hear that she had left the employ of the Dalrymples. She had not seemed happy with her post.
“Nothing much to share, brother,” Montaigne said, hoping his smile came off as easy, not tight, “A quick tumble in the shadows at the Dalrymple crush. I know nothing of her departure from their employ, of course.”
“Actually, Leith, before you arrived, Monty was telling me that he was thinking of making a more lasting connection,” Catherine said, saving him from further questioning about Alice.
“What?”Trem bellowed.
John inelegantly spluttered on his drink. He tried, nevertheless, to draw a response from his throat. The result, however, was unintelligible.
“You are going topropose? To alady?” Henrietta said, her tone incredulous.
“If I receive the opportunity,” Montaigne began, unsure how to explain the situation.
“Who?”John finally managed.
“Truly, Monty, I can’t think of a soul,” Catherine laughed. “You must tell us.”
“She is very recently back in London,” he began.
“No,” Leith groaned, “You can’t be serious, Monty.”
“You know who he is speaking of?” Trem cried.
Leith ran his hand through his hair. “Surely, it isn’t wise. Just a brief rekindling of an old affair, I thought.”
Montaigne shook his head and took in his friends. Everyone’s eyes were trained on him, and he wondered if, perhaps, he had erred in revealing his plan to them. But it would help if they knew his intentions. He may need them as allies, after all. Avoiding Leith’s eye, he started to speak.
“Leith knows this,” he began, “But years ago, thirteen years ago, in fact, I—well, I fell in love with a woman. A maid in my mother’s house. In my house. And I thought we would be together. Marry, and all of that. But she left without warning. Just disappeared one day.”
He raised his eyes and saw John and Trem looking at one another.
“What?” he asked.
“We had an inkling of the affair,” Trem said, coughing. “Well, Leith mentioned—”
“And then Trem mentioned to me—” John began.
“That’s amazing she has returned, Monty,” Catherine said, her face showing that she had heard whatever John knew of it.
“Really, it is,” Henrietta added.
“You all know? About Olivia?”
“I didn’t know her name,” Henrietta supplied, “But Trem told me something of it. The maid part. And the part about—well, your disappointment.”
A few years ago, he would have been irate that Leith had spilled his secret, but now, given that it made his path easier, he found he couldn’t care.
“Monty, I shouldn’t have—I was worried only—all those years ago. I told Trem when you were still—”
“Drinking myself cross-eyed every night, yes,” he said, waving his hand at Leith to show that he was not upset. “After she left, I remember.”
