Barney thought hard.He hadn’t heard any gossip about Marcus.
The old lady set down her cup with a snap.“Stop gaping at me like a gormless codfish, boy—the gossip about Marcus and Lady Hewitt.”
Barney shook his head.“I haven’t heard any gos—“
She made an impatient sound.“How on earth have you earned the reputation as a man who knows everything going on in theton?”
“Oh, I say, have I?”he said, pleased.
She fixed her beady eyes on him and shriveled him through the lorgnette.“Clearly I was mistaken.If you’ve heard nothing about the rumors flying around about how my nephew kidnapped Lady Hewitt from the guardianship of her brother and installed her as his mistress—”
“Good lord, did he?Must say, it doesn’t sound like M—”
“What my nephew may or may not have done with Lady Hewitt is beside the point!”she snapped.“You will quash these vile rumors, Barnaby.Quash them!Lady Hewitt ismy guest—understand that?Mine!”
Barney nodded.
“You will make it your business to inform every one of your acquaintances that rumor has it wrong, that there was no kidnapping and that Lady Hewitt is my guest and not my nephew’s mistress.Do.You.Understand?”
Barney swallowed.“But if I tell people that, it will only make it wor—” he began.
“Do.You.Understand?”
“Yes, Lady Gosforth,” he mumbled, a thirteen year-old scrubby schoolboy again.
“Then go forth.”She gestured magnificently.“Quash those dreadful rumors.Make sureeveryoneknows the correct version of events.Or I will want to know the reason why.”
“Yes, Lady Gosforth.”He scuttled out.
#
SEVERAL DAYS LATER, Marcus’s business was concluded earlier than expected so he thought he would invite Tessa for a ride in Hyde Park.His butler, Peverill, beckoned him inside.“Lady Gosforth wishes to speak to you—privately,” he murmured.“In the small sitting room.”
“It’s an utterdisgrace!”his aunt snapped as he entered the room.
He blinked.“Good afternoon, Aunt Maude.What’s a disgrace?”
“I attended the rout at Lady Reynolds’s last night.”
Sir Allan and Lady Reynolds were excellent hosts.He couldn’t imagine them producing a disgrace.He seated himself.“What happened?”he asked, resigned to a drawn-out revelation of whatever small thing had annoyed her.His aunt was addicted to drama, particularly if she was at the center of it.
“Everyonewas talking about it.Asking me the mostimpertinentquestions.”She snorted and drank a little tea.
“Questions?”
“Lady Hewitt is the one who will suffer, of course.Women are always blamed.”
He stiffened.“Lady Hewitt?”
“It won’t affect you, of course, not for long, at least.Not with your staid, not to say dull reputation.No, it’s always the woman’s fault.And it’s not even true!”
“What isn’t?”
“That you kidnapped her from her brother’s protective guardianship—”
“What?”He could imagine how the tale might be twisted into a kidnapping, though how did it get out?Only a handful of people knew what happened.
“And installed her as your mistress!”
