Though he hardly believed it was possible, Trevor felt the tips of his ears heat. Blushing at his age? Over his wife?
“I am fine, sir,” the marquess insisted. He took a large swallow of his drink to prove the point, and nearly started choking.
“Yes, I can see that,” the duke replied, grinning.
Trevor let the remark pass. He knew his father was trying to get a rise out of him, so he deliberately refused to be baited.
“Did you enjoy yourself this evening?” Trevor asked.
“Certainly,” the duke responded. “Linny always did know how to throw a first-class party, even if he is an idiot when it comes to other aspects of life.”
Trevor nodded in agreement. They discussed a few of the other guests and some of the outlandish costumes, shared a laugh over a bawdy joke, then argued over a bill on land reform that the House of Lords was going to present to Parliament.
As he accepted another inch of brandy in his goblet, Trevor admitted he vastly enjoyed having these pleasant, mostly nonconfrontational conversations with his father. It was yet another thing he owed to Meredith. Her presence in their lives had formed the bridge he needed to cross over and reach out to the duke.
“Meredith would like to attend a musical evening at the Duke of Shrewsbury’s tomorrow night,” Trevor said. “Will you be joining us?”
The duke’s dignified features scrunched together in distress. “Meredith is a wonderful woman, but for the life of me I cannot understand why she likes these musical evenings so much. Screeching singers and whining strings. It drives me positively mad. Did you know she made me take her to the opera once?”
Trevor lifted his glass to his lips to hide his smile. “I recall hearing something about that evening.”
“It was awful. My teeth were aching by the time we were able to leave.” The duke sighed. “I will therefore be very much in your debt if you can assist me in concocting a reasonable excuse to decline. After all, I do not wish to hurt dear Meredith’s feelings.”
“She already mentioned to me yesterday afternoon that she fully expects you to find at least three reasons why you cannot be there.”
The duke threw back his head and laughed heartily. “Clever girl. She knows me all too well.” Sobering, the duke then asked, “Are you still convinced she is in some sort of danger?”
The marquess shrugged. “I am not as certain, but think it would be foolish to relax my guard. Besides, I’ve discovered I very much enjoy being in my wife’s company.”
The duke snorted. “It’s about time you realized it. The woman is a treasure, a rare jewel that needs to be cosseted and protected.”
Trevor regarded his father solemnly. “We are completely in accord on that matter, sir.”
The duke smiled slyly at his son. “Well, now that you have finally gotten your marriage sorted out, will there be grandchildren coming along soon? Little mites who will fear my booming voice, my strict demands for proper behavior, but adore how I grant their every wish?”
This time Trevor did choke on his brandy. “I am doing my best.”
“Well, get yourself upstairs at once and work on it harder. I’m not getting any younger, you know. I’ve already decided I want to be nimble enough to chase the little rascals about the room.”
By the time they reached the Duke of Shrewsbury’s mansion, the number of guests in attendance had swelled to nearly one hundred.
Meredith held out her hand to the footman, who stood politely at the ready to assist her from the coach, but her husband waved the servant off. It was the marquess who possessively took her hand and assisted her down to the pavement.
Meredith stood for a moment and looked up. The mansion was ablaze with lights. Candles glowed from behind each window pane facing the street, and extra torches had been lit on the outside steps to illuminate the way to the front door. Delighted with the twinkling view, Meredith turned to her husband.
“Why are you frowning, Trevor? Is something amiss?”
Behind her, Trevor murmured, “No. I am just surprised so many people are here. I had no idea this sort of evening would be of interest to any but the most ardent of music lovers. To be honest, I expected only a handful of guests.”
Meredith quelled a sigh. She had been looking forward to tonight’s performance for weeks. It would be a rare privilege to hear the talented singers and musicians the duke had persuaded to entertain, for they seldom left their native homelands in Europe.
“My dear husband, you have yet to hear a note played or an aria sung, so please reserve your judgment.” Compressing her lips, she added, “If I wanted a grumbling man along, I would have asked your father to accompany us.”
“He was wise enough to formulate an excuse,” Trevor muttered under his breath.
“I heard that,” she quipped.
His features grim, the marquess took his wife by the elbow and led her up the stairs. Once inside, Meredith gave her wrap to a waiting servant and allowed her husband to steer her away from the crowd. It was his usual method when they first arrived at an event, so she knew precisely what to expect.
