“Do you know who he is?” Griffin asked.
Her brow crumpled into a frown. “I thought we weren’t allowed to ask personal questions or discuss names here.”
Griffin shook his head. What had he been thinking? “Yes. Of course. Regardless, I’m happy to help you.”
They didn’t have time to say more because Marsden arrived, his leer firmly in place. “My lady. Off so soon? I thought we were having an interesting conversation,” he said in a wheedling tone that made Griffin want to punch him even more.
“Seems the lady prefersmycompany,” Griffin said, giving the arse a tight smile.
“Butwehad just begunouracquaintance,” Marsden said while staring directly at Meredith’s breasts.
Griffin’s knuckles cracked as he made a fist. It would feel so good to punch this bastard in the face.
“I was interested in continuing my conversation with the lady here,” Marsden continued.
“And she’snotinterested in continuing it,” Griffin shot back, his eyes narrowing on the earl.
Marsden lifted his nose in the air. “I should like to hear that from the lady herself, if you?—”
“He’s right,” Meredith said, raising her chin and forcingMarsden’s gaze to meet hers. “I amnotinterested in continuing our acquaintance…Sir.”
“Ah, but I had just purchased your drink,” Marsden said, his smile downright unctuous.
Griffin’s knuckles cracked again. What sort of man, let alone a purported gentleman, would mention the fact that he purchased a lady’s drink…as if she owed him anything in return?
Griffin pulled a coin from his coat pocket and flipped it to Marsden. “There’s your money. Now be off with you.”
Meredith smiled behind her glass.
Marsden grabbed the coin and pocketed it, his own smile still tight. “It’s not about the coin, Sir,” he said in a mock-offended voice. “I had hoped?—”
“We all know what you had hoped. Now leave or I’m happy to continue this conversation with you alone…in the back alley.” It took everything in Griffin to keep from telling Marsden to go home to his long-suffering wife. But no names, he reminded himself. And no personal information.
The earl’s eyes narrowed to slits, but after a few moments, he turned abruptly on his heel and left.
“Thank you,” Meredith said, breathing a long sigh of relief after Marsden melted into the crowd.
Griffin bowed. “You’re quite welcome, my lady.”
“How do you know I’m a lady?” Her eyes were filled with suspicion and perhaps a hint of…alarm?
“Merely a guess,” he reassured her, shrugging. She still didn’t recognize him. Interesting. Well, it was dark in here and she had been drinking and…this was the last place she would expect to find him, even though hehadoffered to come with her.
She was taking too large sips of her drink. She had to be intoxicated. The encounter with Marsden had obviously shaken her.
“Why are you here?” he blurted.
She turned her head to the side and eyed him carefully. “That isn’t a personal question, is it?”
He allowed the hint of a grin to touch his lips. “I hope not because I’d very much like to hear the answer.”
She took another quick sip of her drink. “What if I don’t want to tell?”
He nodded. “That is your prerogative, of course.”
“Why areyouhere?” she countered. Another sip.
He expelled a breath before deciding upon his answer. “I am checking on a friend.”
