The address he had been given actually led to a wedding reception. He had no trouble getting in the door, which made him laugh to himself. George had no doubt paved his way. There were musicians and a space cleared for dancing. The bride and groom had apparently already had their twirl on the floor. Should he dance with his target or just get her alone for a few private words? He had to find her first, and that required asking someone to point her out to him. That problem got solved when Anne Beddows suddenly put her arm through his.
“It’s been too long, darling, I’ve missed you.”
He was surprised. He hadn’t seen the young widow since last year, when they’d ended their brief affair amicably. Of all his dalliances, he’d liked Lady Anne best. No strings, no false protestation of love, just laughter and sex. He would have extended the relationship, had enjoyed her that much, but it was better to stay the course, so he broke it off before she started thinking of something more permanent.
“And you are as beautiful as ever, Anne. I trust you still follow your whims?”
“If you mean have I replaced you, of course I have. And you?”
“I pine for you when I allow myself to.”
She blushed slightly but then tapped her fan against his arm to scold, “Ever the charmer, dear boy. But what brings you here?”
“I’m looking for Lady Tyler,” he replied. “D’you know her?”
“Another wager?”
“Wager?”
“Surely that’s what’s behind the recent gossip about you?” she asked.
Trust Anne, knowing him so well, to come up with that excuse, but he replied, “A gentleman never tells.”
She smiled. “I’d forgotten how gallant you are.”
He grinned. “No, you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t,” she agreed, and pointed to his target.
He guessed Anne would be avidly watching, and he hoped so, since one of Anne’s whims was to gossip. He was disappointed to see that his target was yet another lady closer to George’s age than his, but then the Prince did admit these women were old infatuations of his, decades old apparently. He sighed. One more ridiculous endeavor, but for once he was going to try to avoid provoking an insane husband to chop off his head.
Putting on his best smile, he approached Lady Tyler’s table. She was sitting with four friends, all finely garbed. They hadn’t been served food yet, but a servant stood by to refill their glasses. They looked bored with the party and likely wouldn’t get a chance to dance, since they were there without their husbands. They might see him as a boon.
He greeted all of them, gave his name, but his eyes were on Lady Tyler as he asked her to dance. She declined, but her friends, a couple of them giggling, urged her to stand up with him. He smiled charmingly and asked again. Grudgingly, she agreed. Half the battle was won, and there were four avid witnesses to the show.
He wasted no time getting to the point, whispering, “I’m here to do you a service, madam, to deflect any brewing scandal onto myself rather than you and our overzealous friend. You must interrupt this dance with a slap to my face and tell your friends I have been pursuing you all week and you have finally made your rebuff more forceful.”
“I’m old enough to be your mother. No one is going to believe you are seriously pursuing me.”
“Nonsense. You’re still a handsome woman, and I’m a rake, which I’m sure someone of your acquaintance can verify. But truly, only your husband needs to believe it. If he has doubts, tell him I made an effort to seduce you on a bet with my friends. Tell him whatever you like, but assure him I was unsuccessful. I would prefer not to be chased after by yet another husband. I am here merely to enable you to claim innocence. I tried to seduce you, you rebuffed my advances, your virtue and faithfulness remain unharmed. A very simple tactic, one I wish I’d thought of sooner.”
“George was seen at my door,” she whispered.
“Well, other than firing all your servants, can you claim he came by to personally apologize for my horrid behavior? He’s a friend of my father’s, after all.”
“There is still a problem with your strategy, Lord Townsend. I am enceinte.”
Said with an utter blush and adding an infuriating wrinkle to the situation that he hadn’t counted on. In defense of his indulgent friend, he said coldly, “Not by George you aren’t. I know for a fact he visited you too recently for you to know one way or the other.”
Lady Tyler’s blush deepened. “It’s not his.”
“But not your husband’s, either?” he guessed.
“No, he’s been away several months and only just returned to London.”
“Then I would suggest you seduce your husband immediately.”
“Yes, I have decided on that course, but he’s not exactly enamored of me anymore. However, you might be a boon after all. He is a jealous man. If he thinks someone as handsome as you has pursued me, indeed, that might work very well to get him back in my bed, however briefly, and have it be his idea, rather than mine.”
