It was on the tip of her tongue to ask what else he wanted, but Lavinia was not certain she wished to know and feared that she might be disappointed in his answer if it was not her.
Goodness! Where had that thought come from? She had not asked Demetrius to dine with her for any reason other than to come to know him better.
“I understand you lost a brother at Waterloo. I am sorry for that.”
The humor in his eyes faded away, which was understandable and perhaps she should not have mentioned the death.
“Thank you. We still miss Bertram, but he wanted to serve King and Country and nobody could keep him from doing so.”
“That leaves one other sister, does it not?”
“Yes, Perdita.”
Demetrius did not smile as he had when speaking of his other living siblings. Had something happened to her?
“She enjoyed her position at Westbrook House taking care of orphans but is now traveling. Much like you, she is in search of something for herself.”
It was unusual for a miss to travel, but perhaps she was with a chaperone or friends who watched over her. Clearly, he was concerned for her welfare, but Lavinia did not know him nearly well enough to inquire further. Though, Perdita’s decision did give her an idea. Maybe she should travel. Maybe then she would find something to fill the loneliness inside by discovering wonders that she’d been denied on account of duty.
“I do hope she is enjoying herself and finds what she needs,” Lavinia finally offered with all sincerity.
As the servant took the now empty plates from the table, Lavinia stood. “Would you care to join me in the parlor?”
Demetrius came to his feet. “I would like that very much.”
He followed her out of the dining room and into the parlor where he waited while she poured more wine then settled across from her.
“I am rather curious about one matter, however, given you were raised by a vicar.”
“What would that be?” he asked.
“What does he think of you being a rake?”
He nearly spilled his wine. “Rake?”
“Yes, Rake. It is what you are.”
Demetrius wasn’t certain if he was angered or humored to be called such. “Why do you believe that I am a rake?”
“I fear that if I tell you that you will become angry with me.”
He nearly laughed because if she had not been able to anger him since they first met, it was unlikely that she would now. A thorn in his side, often, and perhaps there was some irritation. If anything, Lavinia offered a challenge that he had not encountered in anyone else.
“Why would I be angry?”
“I had you investigated.”
“Investigated?” If that was true, how the blazes did she come to the conclusion that he was a rake?
Worse, what else had she learned? There were secrets in his family that needed to remain just that—secrets. At least until Perdita wed. If she wed.
“Yes. I had you followed and while I was assured that you were honest, intelligent and trustworthy, I also learned that you frequented brothels and regularly visited lightskirts and actresses as well as widows.”
All he could do was stare at Lavinia. This was certainly not a proper topic to discuss, especially since her investigator had made errors in his assessment.
“I find no fault in your actions as you are a man and that is what men do.”
Except, he did not. Well, he had lovers in the past, but did he explain as such to Lavinia?
