After coming home from the gallery, Evan had looked up every recent mention of the Viscount of Clifford in the society pages. The man had a tendency to frequent gambling halls and gentlemen’s clubs—at least the few he had not been banned from. All of his assets were leveraged or gone, and the man was still hopelessly in debt. His name appeared on the scandal sheets every other week. His latest nickname was the Viscount of Folly.Evan had to admit the Duke of Ice did not seem so horrible in comparison.
Peter’s eyes widened. “Well, that is certainly a twist. Are you certain she did not lie just to dissuade your advances?”
“I believe she was quite sincere. I could see that she was. Thankfully, I doubt anyone would have recognized her, so I am not publicly associated with her and her family.” He sighed. “I do not know which is worse. That ladies feel the need to go to such lengths just to avoid my company, or that I was beginning to like her.”
Evan looked up at the sky, and a chill ran down his spine when he saw it was quite overcast. “Let’s go inside before it starts raining.”
He didn’t wait for a response from Peter as he turned around and walked as quickly as he could to Blackwell Manor. He kept glancing at the darkening sky as he cursed himself for his foolishness. He never should have spent so much time outside.
Peter followed him inside. Evan breathed a quiet sigh of relief once they were both safely indoors before getting the attention of a passing maid. “Please have the curtains drawn. It looks like it’s going to rain.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the woman said before hurrying down the hallway.
“I will be in the library,” he told Peter, although it was unnecessary. He was always in the library when it rained because it was the only room in the manor where he could not hear it. It was the only room where he was able tothink.
He didn’t expect his brother to follow him, but Peter’s steps matched his as they walked down the hall. “You know, you could always court Miss Thorne if you enjoy her company so much. She’s still the lady who charmed you, and you certainly don’t need a large dowry from her.”
“I cannot,” he said. “The dowry has nothing to do with it. She lied to me, so I can hardly trust her. Besides, associating with her family will harm my reputation, and her father is an unpredictable variable that I will not be able to control. He will only bring hardship.”
“Yes. Heaven forbid you do not control every aspect of your life, dear brother.”
Evan shot Peter a glare but didn’t give a retort.
As he entered the library, he found the dowager duchess already waiting expectantly for him. She sat in one of the armchairs. On the mahogany table in front of her was a teapot with three steaming cups of tea and a plate of small cakes to go along with it.
She smiled pleasantly, knowing she had trapped her prey. “Evan and Peter. Right on time. I knew the two of you would come hereas soon as it began to rain, so I took the liberty of ordering tea for the three of us.”
Peter frowned. “Obviously, Mr. Moody would be in the library. How did you know I would be tagging along?”
“Because you would be just as curious about his date as I am, and it would take this long for him to start opening up about it.”
“There isn’t much to tell,” Evan said before Peter could speak. He sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. “The young lady is not interested in me.”
It wasn’t a lie. Lady Penelope Atwood, the lady who was invited to tea and then to the gallery, was certainly uninterested in getting courted by him. Miss Thorne was another matter because she certainly looked interested. But courting the deceitful daughter of a ruined viscount was more complicated than courting the daughter of a powerful earl.
His grandmother sipped her tea. “Well, that is how these things go sometimes. Honestly, it would have been a miracle if you courted the first woman you took on a date. There is only one thing to do now. You must take out another one.” She pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of her dress pocket and handed it to him. “Here. Set up a date with another lady from the list.”
He gave her an incredulous look. “Do you just carry this list around with you?”
“Of course not, but I had a feeling you would be needing it after the mood you’ve been in upon returning home.”
Peter chuckled, and Evan glowered at his family. He loved them, of course, but sometimes they could be insufferable. “Fine,” he grumbled as he unfolded the list and looked at the names. He was not surprised that Miss Thorne’s name was not on the list, but he was disappointed anyway.
He decided to choose a name at random, just to appease his grandmother. “Fine. I will invite Lady Katherine Preston to tea then.”
His grandmother smiled. “Excellent. I am pleased that you are finally opening yourself up to the possibility of love.”
When she said that, Joanna’s image flashed through his mind. He could still vividly remember the feeling of holding her hand just before they were about to kiss. He forced the image away aggressively.
“Love is a strong word,” he grumbled. “All I can promise is that I will go on these silly little dates until I either run out of names or the Season finally ends.”
CHAPTER 10
Dear Aurelia,
You simply must tell me about Mrs. Avery’s reaction upon discovering you reading after curfew, especially a book so scandalous as one written by Lady Caroline Lamb! I believe you got off easy writing lines after class for a week. Penelope had to write lines all the time, and it never deterred her.
London Season is frightfully dull, except for the company of Penelope. There was a small adventure last week that I will tell you about the next time we see each other in person, because I dare not write it down. However, that business is well and truly concluded by now.
