“All right,” Daniel agreed.
Before they could depart, another bang on the door caught their attention. The butler was nowhere to be found. Lindsey cursed and went to answer his own door. Daniel was amused to see a duke doing what he normally had servants for. Lindsey opened the door and grinned. “Goodland,” he said in a cheery tone. “I thought you were coming later.” He gestured for the viscount to come inside.
Goodland stepped into the foyer and unbuttoned his coat. “I wrapped up my business early and thought, why the hell not come earlier. It won’t be too much trouble, will it?”
Lindsey shook his head. “No, your chamber should already be prepared. The servants have been preparing for this house party for days now.”
“Wonderful,” Goodland replied, and shrugged out of his coat. The butler returned at that moment and took it from the viscount.
“I’ll take that, my lord,” the butler said, then left.
Goodland turned toward Daniel and Calliope. “Hampstead,” he shouted in a jovial tone. “I saw your carriage being taken to the stable. There is a stack of trunks out there to be brought inside. Did you bring your entire wardrobe with you?”
Daniel glared at him. “Only one of those trunks belongs to me.”
“I’m afraid the rest are mine,” Calliope said. Her cheeks pinkened as she met Goodland’s gaze. “Gowns take up a lot of space.”
Was Calliope embarrassed because she had so many trunks. Daniel narrowed his gaze. “You don’t need to explain yourself to the viscount. He likes to tease. Ignore him. The rest of us do.”
“He is right,” Goodland agreed. “They do ignore me. Even when they shouldn’t.” He winked. “I hope you do not follow his lead.” He held a hand over his chest. “It would break what’s left of my poor abused heart.”
“Do not listen to that nonsense,” Daniel ordered Calliope. He turned to Goodland. “And you stay away from my sister.”
The last thing he needed was for Calliope to fall for Goodland. The only broken heart would be hers. The only gentleman more determined to never marry than Daniel, was Goodland. The viscount had his reasons for remaining unwed, and Daniel didn’t blame him for his reluctance. That didn’t mean he would allow him to ruin his sister. Calliope would find a man worthy of her. One that would not only treat her with respect but would always put her needs first. Goodland was not the man to do that for her. He was incapable of it.
“Hampstead, you’re being exceedingly tedious today.”
Daniel almost stepped forward. To do what he wasn’t certain. One look from Lindsey and he refrained. “I think we should go for that tea now.”
“Excellent idea,” Lindsey said. “Follow me.”
The duke led them down a corridor in his sprawling castle until they finally arrived at the sitting room. The duchess was indeed inside, and tea was sitting on a nearby cart. They all settled in for afternoon tea. The conversation stilted, and there was no sign that it would improve either.
Iris staredout the window of the carriage. They were getting close to the ducal estate. As the distance closed between them and the castle, Iris’s anxiety grew. She couldn’t be certain if the Earl of Hampstead was there yet or not, but that didn’t matter. He would be there eventually if he wasn’t already, and that was all that mattered. Then she would be forced to speak to him. At least it wouldn’t be all the time. She could ignore him for the most part, and she would. But there were still social niceties she would have to observe. That was what she wished she could avoid.
“There it is,” Violet said, excitement in her tone. “It’s massive.”
“The joys of being a duke,” Violet’s husband, the Marquess of Merrifield, said.
Violet wrinkled her nose. “You’ll be a duke someday, and the Merrifield estate is quite large. Don’t act as if you don’t have something comparable.”
“That is true,” the marquess agreed. “But at least I’m not the one responsible for this gathering. That means I can relax and enjoy Lindsey’s discomfort.” The marquess grinned. “And that will be as massive as his estate.”
“Don’t you think that is unkind?” Iris asked. She couldn’t fathom why he would wish his friend discomfort. “Isn’t he your friend?”
“No,” Lord Merrifield replied. “It is not callous. Because we are friends, we can tease him. It’ll help him suffer through it all.”
Violet frowned. “I don’t think I will ever understand your friendship.”
“It’s best not to think about it too much. Chances are you will develop a head pain from it.” Lord Merrifield shrugged. “We quit trying to dissect our friendship when we were still boys. It works, and that is all that matters to us.”
Iris almost envied them. The five of them had been dubbed the Scandalous Gentleman. Three of them were married now. The only two left unattached were the Earl of Hampstead and the Viscount of Goodland. Many ladies had hopes of catching their attention, especially now that three had fallen in love and were happily married.
At one time, Iris had hoped to be the one Hampstead would love. Now she just wanted to pretend she had never been so bloody foolish. Fate wasn’t allowing her that privilege, though. She would have to face her mistake, or she would never be able to move forward. That was what she had decided to do during this house party. Set aside her past and look to her future. One that would never include a scoundrel like the Earl of Hampstead.
“That seems like sound advice,” Iris said to Lord Merrifield. She turned to Violet. “I would heed what your husband has suggested. Besides, it involves his friends. You don’t need to understand it, do you?”
“I suppose you’re right,” Violet told her. “As long as he loves me, I don’t care who his friends are. If Lord Hampstead and Lord Goodland find wives, it will all sort itself out.”
