If that bastard tried to lay a hand on Gigi, I am going to call him out.
“What happened?” he asked grimly.
“At first, it was the usual nonsense. He was pouring on the butterboat about my looks, my genteel disposition—clearly, he doesn’t know me well—and so forth. He spoke at an atrociously loud volume, probably hoping that we would be discovered. Then I would be compromised and have to accept his offer. I could not let that happen…so I made a run for it.”
At the idea of his sister having to flee from Fenton, scarlet splattered Ethan’s vision.
“I’m going to kill him,” he decided.
“No.” Gigi’s violet eyes widened with her first show of concern. “You are not to murder anyone. And calling out the bounder will only draw attention to what happened—the very thing I was trying to prevent by fleeing.”
“You cannot expect me to do nothing when the bloody bastardchasedyou?—”
“Sir Fenton didn’t chase me. In case you haven’t noticed, he is at least five stone overweight and lethargic at the best of times. Simply put, he was toolazyto pursue me. He didn’t cause the harm to my reputation—a stick did.”
Ethan strove to control his temper. “Explain.”
“I tripped. Over a dashed branch.” Gigi huffed out a breath. “I had the bad luck to land in a rosebush, and the thorns ripped my bodice and one of my sleeves. I didn’t realize the extent of the damage until I returned to the ballroom and noticed the stares and whispers behind fans. I tried to explain that I’d slipped outside?—”
“Where were Mama and Papa?” Ethan asked the obvious question.
“Um, they could not make it.” Gigi bit her lip, her gaze darting briefly to the side. “They were out of town, and Lady Darby was acting as my chaperone.”
A friend of the family, Lady Darby was a gentle widow and no match for Gigi’s antics. Mama and Papa ought to have known better than to leave Gigi in her care…then the realization hit him.
“They were taking care of Owen, you mean,” he said starkly.
Gigi gave a small nod. “Owen had another, um, episode, and they took him to recover at the family seat. I wanted to stay in London, so they left me with Lady Darby.”
Bloody Owen. Of course this is his fault. He causes trouble for everyone…even if he cannot help it.
Resentment and concern were a confounding mix, and Ethan took a steadying breath.
“Since they’re occupied, I came to you. You’ll let me stay, won’t you?” Gigi wheedled. “Until the scandal blows over?”
She was staring at him with beseeching eyes…eyes that they’d both inherited from their mama. Of the four siblings, they were the closest in looks and temperament; perhaps that was why she’d always come to him first when she was in trouble. At least, until his injury. With gnawing shame, he realized that of late he’d been so wrapped up in his misery that he’d failed to be a proper big brother.
He addressed Parkhurst and Canning with a nod. “How did the two of you get involved with my sister’s mess?”
“I was at the ball,” Parkhurst replied.
He was, as usual, dressed in the latest fashion with a stylishly knotted cravat and frock coat, his copper curls in artful disarray. He was an aspiring painter, and despite his boyish looks, an exceptional rabble-rouser. Indeed, his drinking prowess had caused Ethan to lose the bet that made him the owner of Bottoms House.
“I heard the talk, but Lady Gigi had already left,” he went on. “When I went to call on her the next day at Lady Darby’s, I, er, saw her leaving. Out a back window. I offered to escort her wherever she was going.”
“Et tu, Parkhurst?” Gigi muttered.
“I was with Parkhurst since I’d heard about the incident at the club,” Canning added.
Dark-haired and lanky, Canning had an air of earnestness. Although he came from noble stock, his family’s changing fortunes made it necessary for him to have a career. However, his true passion was writing. As far as Ethan knew, he’d been working on the same novel for years. The fact that he’d heard about Gigi’s latest escapade at his club was bad news.
“I didn’t need either of you,” Gigi said sulkily. “I was going to travel with my maid Colette.”
“You are fortunate Parkhurst and Canning saw you safely here,” Ethan clipped out. “Have you informed our parents about the incident and your whereabouts?”
“I wrote them, and I left a note for Lady Darby.”
Ethan turned to his friends. “You have my gratitude.”
