The magistrate grimaced. Immediately, Philip wished he had not said anything so stupid. It made him sound like a dastardly predator who went after those who were powerless, which he was not.
“I was dusting when he arrived,” Miss Bright chimed in. “And then he told me how he is being blamed for ruining Miss Waltham. But he swears he didn’t.” She looked at Philip and nodded in his direction.
Clearly, she thought she was helping, but he could almost feel the magistrate’s hostility emanating like waves of heat from a well-stoked stove.
“You see, Lord Mercer merely obliged the lady with a kiss,” Miss Bright continued, “and nothing more. Someone else ruined her.”
Philip wished he could stop her talking, but that was like wishing he could hold back the ocean. The magistrate’s visage had grown ever more grim at her words. Yet instead of throwing Philip out of his home, he took his daughter to task.
“You cannot behave like this,” he said to her in a scolding tone before adding, “with such carelessness.” Then the older man shook his head. “You will never get a husband if you go on in this way. You shall only attracthistype.”
Philip didn’t enjoy being considered the dregs of marriageable material, but the magistrate had the right of it.Histype, as the papers liked to point out, was not the marrying kind. At least not yet. There were too many lovely ladies to taste and titillate.
Regardless, he should not have tried to enjoy a sensual encounter with this particular one. Nor could he imagine how he would now ask for the assistance he needed to clear his name, but he would do it anyhow.
Without any further preamble, the magistrate said, “Leave us, and I will talk to his lordship.”
Philip waited, but Miss Bright didn’t even pretend to obey.
Ignoring his daughter’s insubordination, Sir William turned to him.
“What do you want?”
Philip couldn’t quite believe he was going to ask him for anything after being caught kissing the man’s daughter — a kiss so simple and sweet he’d lost himself briefly.
“As Miss Bright mentioned, I am Lord Mercer of the Mercer barony in Guildford. I am here on a delicate matter.” He shot the magistrate’s daughter a look, hoping she would go away. Her presence would only make it worse because of their indiscretion.
“I have heard of you,” the magistrate said.
Philip feared he would be hoisted on the petard of his own scandalous reputation. But the next question was of an entirely different nature.
“You were in Europe in the war, yes?” enquired Sir William.
“Were you?” Miss Bright asked. “Why didn’t the newspapers mention that when they go on about your more questionable deeds?”
Philip wondered how she had become a sharp and needling thorn in such a short time.
The magistrate narrowed his eyes, then he gestured toward the parlor instead of his study.
Unfortunately, behind Sir William went his very troublesome daughter who seemed to be made of tar, so fixed was she upon sticking with him.
“Perhaps we could speak in private, sir.”
The magistrate shrugged but said to his daughter, “Fetch me a cup of tea and one for the baron while he tells me his woes without your interference.”
“But, Papa, I already know all about his woes. I shall ring for Eliza.” And she wrapped her slender fingers around the bell pull with an insistent tug that somehow caused a spark of desire to shoot to Philip’s loins.
Coughing, he looked away.
He was correct. Miss Bright was troublesome. She had disobeyed her father.Again!The magistrate didn’t seem to notice or to care. Nor did he wait for his daughter to take a seat. The balding man sat heavily upon a winged chair and put his feet on a velvet ottoman.
“I’ve already had a busy morning, my lord,” Sir William said. “In order for me not to look unbearably rude, please take a seat.”
“Thank you,” Philip said, but he remained standing, watching Miss Bright.
He might be a riotous rake who’d just displayed dreadfully poor judgment, but he would not dismiss all civilized behavior. He waited while she poked her head out the doorway and spoke with someone who’d come along the passageway, presumably regarding the refreshments.
“Take a seat, dear,” her father ordered, seeing Philip’s conundrum.
