Nigel Fairbanks and Victor Newdale had both attended Eton and Oxford with Marcus. They’d visited each other during school holidays and had later traveled the Continent together. When Marcus had been stripped of his title and lost everything that went with it, they’d still called him their friend - had done their utmost to offer support. But when Marcus had seen how his reputation affected theirs by association, he’d severed all ties. Which had been remarkably easy since he’d been denied access to his club and was living with Regina and her husband, the Duke of Windham. Few would dare call at the home of a man who’d once been known as the Scoundrel of St. Giles, London’s most infamous crime lord.
But even if they did, Marcus had only been there for a year, after which he’d gone off to Edinburgh in order to get the education required for him to make a decent living. That had led to a six-year absence from London, and while he did miss his friends on occasion, he knew he’d done them a favor. They were both better off not having to explain why they kept such reprehensible company, and their chances of making good matches would be much improved as a result.
“What are your thoughts on Lady Deidre?” Nigel asked Victor. The two men, apparently wishing to speak discreetly, had moved slightly closer to where Marcus stood.
“Her grandmother, the Dowager Countess Croft, is one of my favorite people, though I’m not sure I can say the same for Lady Deidre herself. A touch too viscous for my taste that one, though I do believe she has a very attractive dowry. Not as attractive as Lady Louise’s mind you, but substantial enough for a man in need of funds to sacrifice a bit of happiness over.”
“It seems we are of like mind,” Nigel murmured.
“Really?”
“Papa was very clear when he last advised me on marriage. According to what he has told me, he’s already met with Lord Grasmere to try and lay the groundwork for a potential courtship.”
“You wouldn’t mind ending up with a handicapped wife?”
Nigel shrugged. “The family needs to replenish its coffers and since I’ve not fallen prey to love, I’m able to make a logical decision rather than an emotional one.”
“I suppose the same can be said of me, and now that you’ve gotten me thinking, I do believe I’d rather end up with Lady Louise as well.” There was a pause and then Victor said, “Maybe I’ll fight you for her.”
“What?”
Victor grinned. “I don’t mean literally, but making a contest of it could be fun.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“We’ll pursue them both. Whichever one of us gets engaged to Lady Louise first, wins.”
“I’d say, in light of her ten thousand pounds.”
Victor laughed and clinked his glass against Nigel’s to salute the joke. “And whichever one of us ends up with Lady Deidre will pay the other… One hundred pounds?”
“What if neither one of us ends up with Lady Louise?”
“An unlikely scenario if we pursue her in earnest. I don’t believe any other gentlemen need the blunt as much as we do, so most will steer clear on account of her…um…undesirability.”
“And if the loser marries someone besides Lady Deidre?”
“They’ll still owe the winner one hundred pounds.”
“Fair enough,” Nigel said.
Breathing heavily, Marcus clutched his glass of champagne while anger drove through him. Was this what his friends were really like? Was it whathe’dbeen like? The sort of person who’d grown so entitled he’d lost sight of common decency?
Thank God he’d been tossed out of that world and forced to live among normal people, to make something of himself through hard work and dedication.
He curled one hand into a fist. Lady Louise had been lovely when he’d met her. She didn’t deserve to be treated like a milch cow. And the fact that both men would chase after money with such single-mindedness just went to show that Marcus and his former friends had completely drifted apart.
“Do you suppose either woman would mind being left alone in the country while I run off to London for a bit of amusement?” Victor asked.
“I can’t imagine why you’d concern yourself with that,” Nigel said. “She’ll be your wife and as such she’ll have to heed your wishes.”
Marcus gritted his teeth.
“That being said,” Nigel added, “ensuring your wife’s happiness can only benefit you in the long run. If I do keep my mistress, I’ll do so discreetly.”
“Of course. But some women won’t even let a man carouse with his friends, never mind entertain his lovers. I merely wonder if you believe Lady Deidre or Lady Louise might—”
“Hush, Victor. Here comes Lady Louise.”
