“Tabitha,” Diana warned. “I assure you, Lord Hawthorne, your clothes will not be burned.”
When the ladies left and the door was closed behind them, Tristan breathed a ragged sigh. Although wet and weary, the worst of the evening was yet to come.
“By Jove, my good man,” Nic said with a sudden cheerful voice, “I believe you put on a splendid performance.”
Gritting his teeth, Tristan glared at his friend as he started to remove his neck cloth. Traveling to the cottage had been a long journey, and his friend’s humor had grated on his nerves for the last time today. “Oh really? What gave it away? My sarcastic tone? The hard set of my jaw as I gnashed my teeth? Or was it the distrust that I’m sure Diana saw in my eyes?”
Nic tilted his head and gave Tristan a quizzical stare. “Honestly, wasthatcalled for?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m referring to your vicious attitude.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, Tristan finished removing the neck cloth and shrugged out of his waistcoat. “My apologies, my friend. I’m in a sour mood, and I should not be vexed with you. After all, if you had not overheard the two maids, I would still have my head in the clouds feeling an abundance of lover’s bliss.”
Nic scowled. “Are you saying I should have held my tongue?” He shook his head as he yanked off his waist jacket. “Forgive me for thinking that kind of news was important. All that was going through my mind was imagining the trouble you would get in if the truth wasn’t discovered soon. I did not want to see that happen to you.”
Tristan waved his hand in the air. “You misunderstood, Hawthorne. I’m grateful you told me, but at the same time, my heart is broken because the woman I have loved for so long is deceiving me. That is why I have a rotten disposition.”
“Of course, Worthington. I understand. I shall try not to poke fun at your expense any longer. I cannot even imagine how you must feel right now.”
“I thank you, Hawthorne. I pray you will never have your heart broken like this. Then again—” Tristan scratched his chin, “it would be a miracle if you ever gave your heart to a woman at all.”
Nic laughed loudly. “That miracle will never happen, I assure you. I shall remain a bachelor for the rest of my life.”
After removing his shirt, Tristan knelt in front of the hearth and threw the logs in. “You never did tell me why you are like this.”
“What do you mean?”
He struck the flint. “Why are you so reluctant to fall in love?”
“Worthington,” Nic said as he struggled to get his wet shirt over his head, “there are many things you don’t know about me. Why are you so certain I have never given my heart to a woman? Perhaps I have been burned in the past, which is why I don’t want to do it again.”
The spark in the fireplace started. Tristan blew on it gently until a good fire began to burn. “Are you going to allow one woman to control how you feel for the rest of your life?”
Nic moved to stand by the fire. Tristan looked up at his friend’s serious expression. Not often did Hawthorne show this vulnerable side to him.
Nic tapped his finger on his chin. “You know, I could say the same about you.”
“Me?”
“Indeed. Have you not allowed Lady Hollingsworth to control your feelings? If we discover from our visit here that she has indeed deceived you, will your heart be scarred for life? Or will you eventually find another woman to love?”
Tristan stared into the fire. Numbness spread across him and he refused to think of the future. Nic was correct. Tristan had allowed Diana into his heart, and God help him, he never wanted to let her out.
*
“I just don’tunderstand you, Tabitha. Why do you taunt that man so much?” Diana sat at the table peeling potatoes as her maids helped her prepare the meal. “Lord Hawthorne is a respected man… and a man many women would love to marry, I might add. I just cannot understand why you don’t have dreamy eyes for him.”
A loud unlady-like grunt came from Tabitha as she rolled her eyes. “Thatwill never happen. Men like him are not worth my time. And honestly, the only reason I put up with Lord Tristan is because of you.”
Diana set her knife and potato down before looking at Tabitha. “What do you meanmen like him? Are you referring to rakes or nobility? Because Tristan has never been a scoundrel.”
“Perhaps it’s a combination of both that I’m disgusted with.” Tabitha frowned. “Gentlemen think of themselves as holier-than-thou creatures who cannot even force themselves to speak civilly to someone who is beneath their station, and if they do speak, they treat us like our only purpose is to warm their beds.”
Diana patted her friend’s shoulder. “There are a lot of men like what you have described, but Lord Hawthorne and Tristan are not like that.”
“I see them differently, my lady. They treat me differently when you are not around.”
