Matilda laughed and shook her head. “You two are terrible. And Harriet is spot on. It’s wonderful when the sex is actually good, isn’t it? Makes the entire endeavor much easier.”
Evelina nodded along with Harriet, even though the question about toes curling made her treacherous mind go to Vaughn and whatever would happen tonight. She couldn’t imagine he wouldn’t be incredibly talented in bed. His kiss alone had set her off kilter and she’d noticed he was a fine dancer over the years. That was usually a good sign.
“Why won’t you bother Evelina, anyway?” Matilda continued. “After all, she’s the one everyone wants to know about.”
“Oh Lord,” Evelina said with a playful roll of her eyes. “Go on with it, then. Ask your questions.”
They sat together, Evelina on the settee with Harriet beside her and Matilda across from them on a chair.
“It’s all the talk of London, of course,” Harriet said. “When you and Blackburn stepped out together at the opera…the shockwave could have brought down a building. With the very man whose wifeyourformer lover stole?”
Evelina somehow managed not to flinch but didn’t have to speak because now Matilda interrupted, “It’s practically Shakespearian. What revenge!”
Evelina considered her next words carefully. Revenge was, of course, the way of their plan, but to say it would give it less power. She wanted this conversation to drift back through the ranks of both courtesans and those of influence, all the way until it burned the ears of Lady Blackburn and Southwater.
“Oh heavens, revenge is hardly the thing on my mind when there is such a man,” she said, lightly fanning herself with the hand that didn’t hold her drink. “Of course I knew he wasthatwoman’shusband, but that wasn’t why we began. I’d always liked Vaughn, found him interesting, and of course he’s handsome as sin.”
“As sin,” Matilda repeated with a little sigh. “Those eyes.”
“That arse,” Harriet added, and all three women laughed even though Evelina felt a shocking tremor of…was that jealousy? Great God, she was beginning to believe her own stories ifthatwas cropping up.
“That everything,” she said with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows. “He is…magnificent. And good company. I couldn’t be happier with my choice. In fact, there’s part of me that thinks I should write poor Harry a thank-you letter. If he hadn’t behaved so badly, I never would have had this chance.”
There, that ought to do it. She’d waxed poeticanda bit vulgar. She’d implied Vaughn was a stunning lover and a good protector. And it had been easy to do so. Too easy, perhaps. After all, she did actually like spending time with him. He was witty when one got past the dour emotions of his loss and regret. And he was kind. She could talk about those things for hours and not have to make up a lie.
“Well, I must say I’m glad to hear it,” Harriet said, and sipped her drink. “Obviously this whole divorce business is shocking beyond belief. I read every single word about it in the gossip rags.”
Evelina felt her smile fade a fraction. “I suppose that’s to be expected.”
“Does he ever tell you anything about it?” Matilda pressed, and the light in both the women’s eyes made Evelina’s stomach turn. They both so wanted to take a strip of Vaughn’s pain and carry it around like a badge that said they knew more than anyone else.
“It doesn’t come up,” she said softly. “We’re too busy doing other things with our mouths than talk.”
“Oh.” Matilda sighed, and there was no hiding her disappointment at not getting any insider information.
Harriet was a little more subtle. “I’m glad to hear it, Evelina. After all, it sounds like the duke and his new paramour have moved on entirely, if the rumors of the reasons for their becoming public are true.”
Evelina drew back. “What reasons?”
Some of the color left Harriet’s cheeks and she exchanged a look with Matilda. “Oh, nothing.”
“No, you cannot imply something so enflaming and then keep it to yourself.” Her hands gripped at her sides, almost against her will. “What do you mean? Why would Harry—Southwater—and Lady Blackburn become public in their affair now?”
“I just heard a little rumor, nothing out in the open yet. But it might be that the duke and his lover may not be entirely…careful with their amour. That perhaps they have fear of a child and want to rush through the end of the divorce and marry as soon as possible in case his heir is about to become obvious.”
The lovely supper Evelina had so enjoyed now rose to her throat and she swallowed back bile and tried to maintain her composure in the face of such horrific rumor. “And where did you hear such a thing?”
“Maids talking to maids, you know how it is.” Harriet shifted. “It’s probably all nonsense.”
And at that, it might be. At the same time, courting the massive public disapproval of making their affair public had never seemed right to Evelina. But a rush to make the relationship palatable and use Harry’s influence to finish the long process of severing the ties…
A potential child would be a very good reason for that. And so it might be true. Which meant that she now knew something devastating about Vaughn’s countess. About her potentially giving another man the children he had so longed for. That was yet another heartbreak on a pile of heartbreak so high that it teetered precariously. If it fell…
Well, she worried it might crush the man in its wake. And she hated that she might be the one who’d have to set that fall in motion.
* * *
Vaughn didn’t play billiards well that night. When the marquess and the earl teased him about it, he kept saying it was for lack of practice lately, but in truth, he kept thinking about Evie. She had been an amazing companion over the evening. She was intelligent enough to keep up sparkling conversation, she had a kindness to her that drew everyone around her into her sphere.
