Leaving Drake’s, he decided to go for a ride in Hyde Park since he now had the time.First, he checked with the coin, and it landed heads up, confirming his choice.He absolutely trusted Drake would put an investigator on Mr.Blash, which meant that was handled.Perhaps he should have waited until later in the day to beard the dragon in his den, but it had worked out well enough.Next time, he’d check with the coin to make sure of it, though.
Feeling rather cheerful, he turned Casper toward Hyde Park.It was too late in the day to run.The park was already filling up with carriages and barouches as the lords and ladies of thetoncame out to see and be seen.Matthew always enjoyed watching them, the carriages laid out in rows and filled with nobility, like colorful birds on display.Some of the ladies even had feathers in their caps.
He wondered if Lady Johanna could ride.
If her family was poor enough to be starving, they likely did not have horses, but they might have in the past.A question for another time.At some point, they would need to come through Hyde Park, either riding or in a carriage.It would cause comment if they did not.
Across the wide expanse of green, Matthew spotted another rider, instantly recognizable even from a distance by the tiny figure clinging to his shoulder.Matthew grinned and tugged on Casper’s reins to send him in the direction of Zachary, the Duke of Grafton, and Monkey Sinclair.
The tiny monkey had been rescued by Zachary earlier this Season in a rather dramatic confrontation with his former owner.Upon acquiring his new pet, Zachary named him after their deceased friend, the former Duke of Northumberland.Sinclair would have hated it, which was why Zachary had done it.The two of them had been as close as brothers before Sinclair’s death.
Matthew raised his hand to catch Zachary’s attention, grinning when his friend saw him and nodded, turning his mount’s head to intercept him.
“Good morning,” Matthew said as he came alongside Zachary.
The other duke looked tired, as he often did these days.He was heartsick over the loss of Sinclair still, as they had been very close.It did not help that Zachary had also recently given his mistress herconge.Delilah Voight, Baroness Ashfield, was a widow he’d been involved with for years now, but when it came to marriage, Zachary was determined to do things properly.That meant the petticoat line and finding a young virgin to wed.
“Is it?”Zachary asked, not even pretending to be anything but melancholic.His dark hair and eyes already made him look broody, but now he appeared to be positively gothic.The only bit of brightness about him was the mustard pocket square tucked into the black jacket he wore—as, indeed, all of his clothing was currently an unrelenting black.
“Not for you, I take it?”
For a long moment, Zachary was silent as they rode beside each other.Then he stirred slightly.
“It was a long night.”
“Oh?”
“Lady Annabelle and her parents came over for dinner,” he said woodenly.Lady Annabelle was the woman Zachary’s mother wanted him to marry, the daughter of her best friend and a sweet young thing.
If Zachary was not in love with another woman, she would probably be a perfectly acceptable choice.
“Anyone else?”
“My mother and uncle.”
A family dinner.Delightful.Matthew sent his friend a look of sympathy.They might as well go ahead and formally announce the engagement once word of the dinner got out.
“The engagement announcement will run in the Gazette tomorrow.”Zachary’s wooden tone remained completely flat.
“Congratulations.”Matthew thought about it for a moment.“Or condolences.Congratudolences?”
One corner of Zachary’s mouth tipped up for just a moment before his expression fell again, which Matthew considered a monumental victory, given the circumstances.
“My mother is very happy.”Zachary sounded exhausted rather than pleased.“The dinner went well, although afterward all I wanted was a stiff drink, and for some reason, Monkey Sinclair went berserk.He somehow managed to pick up the decanter, which was practically the same size as him, and throw it at the wall.The damn thing shattered, and that was that.It was good brandy, too.”
No wonder the poor man looked peaked.Matthew took out his coin and deftly flipped it, not at all discomposed by being on the back of a horse.He’d had plenty of practice.
“Would you like to come for a visit?”he asked, after seeing the result.“You can meet my bride.”
That raised Zachary out of his stupor, his head swinging so fast that he nearly knocked Monkey Sinclair off his shoulder.The tiny menace chittered, scolding him, and climbed up onto the top of his hat.Zachary did not seem to notice—or if he did, he did not mind the relocation.
“Your what?”
Matthew’s coin had led him correctly.The news had knocked Zachary out of his melancholy; he had a real expression on his face—he was completely flummoxed.
“My bride.Lady Johanna Ashmore.”
Zachary blinked rapidly, catching up.
