Lord Derrick shot him a wary look. “What is it, then? Gaming? Mistresses?”
“Both. Neither would distinguish him from any other nobleman, of course, except the degree to which he indulges his vices, particularly the gaming. Wrexley is so near ruin he’ll be following Harley to the Continent if he doesn’t pay his debts of honor soon.”
“He wants Miss Somerset’s money, then?”
“That’s part of it. She has a good deal of it, thanks to Lady Chase, but we both know the real reason her wants her, Derrick. It has far more to do with me than it does with Miss Somerset.”
Lord Derrick stared out at the Serpentine for a moment, thinking, then turned back to Finn. “Do you suppose she has a preference for him?”
Finn frowned. If she did have a preference for Wrexley, he hadn’t noticed it, but he’d missed a great deal when it came to Miss Somerset. “No, but Wrexley is Lady Honora’s cousin, and Miss Somerset and Lady Honora are friends. She’s likely spent more time with him than she has with any other gentleman, and may feel more comfortable with him for that reason. I do think she trusts him.”
“It’s not uncommon for an impoverished nobleman to marry an heiress for her fortune, Huntington. You’ll have to do better than that, because aside from Greyson’s idle gossip, Wrexley hasn’t done a thing to justify interfering if he does decide to court Miss Somerset.”
Finn let out a short, hard laugh. “Justify it? I don’t intend to justify a damn thing to him, Derrick. He’s not going to have her.”
Lord Derrick’s head jerked back in surprise. “Indeed? That’s a black scowl, Huntington. A bit possessive of your former betrothed, are you?”
Finn’s scowl deepened. “Not possessive, no, but I can’t stand by and leave Miss Somerset to fall into whatever trap Wrexley has planned for her. You know what he is. The lady…well, she deserves better than that. Better thanhim.”
Lord Derrick gave a derisive snort. “She deserves better than the whole lot of you, but I don’t see how you have a damn thing to say about who she marries, now she’s jilted you. You no longer have any claim on the lady. She may marry who she wishes.”
“No, she may not. She’s marryingme.”
Lord Derrick’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. “Doessheknow that?”
“No, not yet, but she hasn’t any other…that is, I can’t just stand by and let her…she jilted me, yes, and she made her choice, and while I can’t be expected to…I could leave her to face the consequences, of course, but even if Ididn’tfeel some concern, I wouldn’t just—”
“Huntington.” That was all Derrick said, but it was enough.
Finn met his friend’s steady gaze, and blew out a long breath. “This is my fault, Derrick. All of it.”
Finn didn’t even want toseeMiss Somerset again, much less marry her. He wanted to wait for thetonto return to London for the little season, so he could begin the search for his marchioness anew, and find a lady who was everything he’d thought Miss Somerset was. A quiet, modest lady, one who didn’t stir anything dangerous in him, or tempt him to let the tight control he held over himself unravel.
But ever since she’d jilted him, she’d squirmed her way under his skin, and no matter what he did to dislodge her, she clung to him like a burr hidden under a saddle. She’d been prickling and poking at him for a week now. Once he married her he wouldn’t have a moment’s peace, but he couldn’t stand by and do nothing while she tumbled headlong into Wrexley’s arms.
“Why is any of this your fault? Because of the wager?” Instead of delivering his usual indignant lecture on that subject, Lord Derrick waited for Finn to speak.
“Yes.” Bitter shame flooded Finn’s chest, and he couldn’t meet Derrick’s eyes. “No doubt Wrexley admired Miss Somerset even before the wager, but once those cards hit the table, this became less about her than the pleasure he’ll get from taking her from me. He’ll do anything to have her now.”
“You refer to that business with Wrexley and your former betrothed, Miss Hughes?” Lord Derrick shook his head. “That was five years ago, Huntington. Surely even a man as vindictive as Wrexley wouldn’t hold a grudge for so long.”
Finn tensed, just as he always did when anyone mentioned Diana Hughes. “He would, and he does. Wrexley may have seduced my betrothed, Derrick, but he’s never acknowledged his villainy. The way he sees it, I stole his heiress. He went to all the fuss and bother of ruining Miss Hughes, and then I snatched her away before he could marry her and secure her fortune. He wants revenge on me, and after five long years he sees his chance to get it. What could be a more fitting punishment than taking Miss Somerset from me? And she’s more vulnerable to him than ever, now she’s jilted me.”
Once the gossips found out she’d sent him on his way, theton’s judgment would fall heavily on her shoulders. There was every chance she’d never receive another offer of marriage. He might go on to choose another bride, and to get just the kind of compliant lady he’d always intended to have as his wife, but Miss Somerset would be left to languish for the unpardonable sin of encouraging and then jilting a marquess.
Especially one with his spotless reputation, undeserved as it might be.
“Wrexley will pounce on her, like any predator.” Lord Derrick’s voice was faint. “He’s charming, handsome. He’ll convince Miss Somerset he loves her, and Lady Chase will approve the match, because she’ll have no other choice now her granddaughter’s reputation has been stained.”
“Another suitor is the only way for her to escape a dreary fate, and Wrexley intends to be that suitor. As I said before, it’s a clever plan. It may not have gone just as he intended, but he’s accomplished his goal. Miss Somerset’s jilted me, and the way is clear for him to pursue her.”
“Once he’s secured her, he’ll…Jesus, Huntington. Who knows what he’ll do? Steal her fortune, yes, but a man who’d risk a lady’s reputation and potentially her happiness by destroying her betrothal? A man that selfish, that reckless—”
“He won’t secure her, Derrick.”
That despicable wager—that was his failure, not Miss Somerset’s. Finn would do what he must to see she wasn’t the one who suffered for it, and in this case, doing what he must meant making a trip to Hampshire.
“Wrexley’s going to Lady Hadley’s house party. He’s escorting his cousin, Lady Honora, and Miss Somerset and her sister. Once they’re there, he won’t waste any time. He’ll try and have the thing settled before they even leave Hampshire, no matter what it takes.”
