Raphe groaned. He hated the pomposity with which he was now required to behave. It reminded him too much of a past he’d rather forget.
“My parents were gentry.” Christ. It was like being forced to speak a foreign language he hadn’t used in years. “They taught us correct diction, but—once they were gone an’ me—” Catching Richardson’s eye he quickly amended, “My sisters and I moved, we adjusted to our new surroundings.” Exasperated with the effort of trying to pronounce each word properly, he allowed himself to slip back into his usual dialect. “Wouldn’t ‘ave done us an ounce of good usin’ hoity-toity speech in St. Giles. Been fifteen years now. Changin’ us won’t be too easy, what with force of ‘abit an’ all.”
“Agreed,” Pierson muttered, “but that doesn’t mean you’re incapable. If anything, you’ve just demonstrated that you are indeed quite capable of change, if you put your mind to it. The trick will be altering what comes naturally to you.”
“What were you going to tell us before?” Humphreys asked. “Something about the ladies?”
Leaning forward, Raphe propped his elbows on his knees. “Lady Warwick inquired abou’ our previous place of residence—on account of the way I talk. I told ’er that me sisters an’ I went to live with a distant relative close to the Scottish border after we lost our parents.”
“Do you think she believed you?” Pierson asked.
“I do,” Raphe said, though he had his doubts about Lady Gabriella.
“That’s good,” Richardson muttered. “Knowing her ladyship, she only asked because she’s looking for something salacious.”
“Why?” Raphe asked.
“Because gossip is one of Society’s highest commodities. It’s nothing personal, Your Grace. She just wants the attention that she’d undoubtedly acquire if it became known that she has damning information on you.”
Raphe frowned. “She could resort to blackmail.”
“Blackmail?” Richardson shook his head. “That’s not her style. Lady Warwick prides herself on three things: her appearance, her wealth and other people’s reactions to those two things.”
“And her daughter?” Raphe couldn’t help but ask. Even though he knew he shouldn’t.
“Lady Gabriella?” Humphreys said. “She used to visit quite often when your predecessor and his sons were still alive. With her sister and her parents, of course.”
“She ‘as a sister?”
Richardson gave Humphreys an odd look before saying, “Lady Victoria broke her engagement with a marquess in order to marry an American tradesman. The Warwicks are still recovering from the scandal.”
So, not as perfect as they pretended to be, Raphe mused.
“Which is why Lady Gabriella has formed an attachment with the Earl of Fielding,” Humphreys added. “Once the two are married the ton will be quick to forgive and forget any wrongdoing on her sister’s part.”
Raphe frowned. “So let me get this straight. Lady Gabriella is gonna sacrifice ‘erself because of a mistake that wasn’t ’er own, just so ’er family can save face?”
“Well . . .” Humphreys said, “When you put it like that—”
“It’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever ‘eard! Does she realize that marriage is fer life? That there’s no gettin’ out of it unless she or Fielding dies?”
“I believe she is aware, Your Grace,” Pierson said dryly, “but such is the way of the aristocracy, as unfortunate as it may sometimes be. Duty before all else.”
“Even common sense?” Raphe asked.
Pierson didn’t respond, leaving Raphe to draw his own conclusion.
“There is no denying that they will make a fine couple,” Richardson said.
“I’m sure they shall,” Raphe said, detesting that thought. Why? He couldn’t say. After all, he didn’t know Lady Gabriella at all, and from their brief interaction with each other, he had no reason to care about whom she married.
And yet . . . he couldn’t tear his mind away from her pretty eyes and rosy lips. He shook his head. What basis was that for developing an interest? It was a physical attraction, nothing more. And with his sisters’ welfare in mind, the arduous work that lay ahead of them all and his disinclination to marry, there was no point at all in considering anything more than a polite acquaintance with his neighbor.
To do otherwise would be not only mad, but a complete departure from all of his principles. It would never work. Which was why he decided to push all thoughts of Lady Gabriella from his mind by focusing on his own affairs. A plan that seemed very promising indeed, until Richardson said, “And since only a lady who has already made her debut is allowed to vouch for another, I would recommend asking Lady Gabriella to assist with Lady Juliette’s and Lady Amelia’s presentations at court. Her mother will likely refuse, but as it stands, you have no one else to turn to and nothing left to lose.”
Chapter 5
Standing by her bedroom window, Gabriella glanced out at the street below, her gaze lingering on the pavement where she and Fielding had encountered Huntley three days earlier. She pressed the palm of her hand to the cool glass, thankful for the peace and quiet that her solitude offered.
