Page 106 of The Dueling Duchess

“No, what about Miss Carter?”

“I take it that you knew she was betrothed to your cousin?” Blade asked, taking the bowl of stew from Cook and nodding her thanks.

“Do you think there is anyone in Britain who doesn’t know that piece of news?” he asked, not caring if he sounded shirty.

Blade and Cecile exchanged an amused look, which further annoyed him.

Before he could open his mouth to say as much, Blade said, “Well, Miss Helena Carter has disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Guy repeated.

“Yes.” Blade blew on a spoonful of stew and then lifted it to Angus. The raven eyed the contents of the spoon for a moment and then delicately selected a piece of carrot.

Blade ate the rest.

Cecile made a hissing sound. “That is not sanitary.”

“Angus’s mouth is cleaner than any human’s,” Blade demurred.

“May I feed George from my spoon?” Cat asked.

“No, you may not.” Cecile glared at Blade “See what you’ve started?”

“Back to your story,” Guy interrupted, before things got ugly. “Disappeared how?”

“Her father hosted a betrothal dinner for her and your cousin the duke and she didn’t appear.”

“How did you hear about this? It wasn’t in this morning’s paper.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she agreed, buttering some warm bread and then tearing off a small chunk for her bird.

“Then how do you—” He stopped, rolled his eyes, and said, “Never mind.”

Whoever she really was and wherever she came from, Josephine Brown was every bit as sneaky as Elliot and always seemed to know things that she shouldn’t.

“Well, that’s an interesting development,” Guy said a moment later, feeling a pang of concern for his ex-betrothed. He didn’t love Helena, of course, but he’d come to like her quite a bit in the time they’d been conspirators.

“Apparently, she didn’t want to marry your cousin,” Cecile said.

“I can’t blame her,” Guy retorted.

“Why? What is he like?”

Guy’s impulse was to say he was an ignorant arse and as sneaky as a weasel, but he tried to answer more objectively.

“He’s handsome and gregarious enough. I wouldn’t have thought that he’d repel a woman.”

“What would you know about what women like?” Cecile demanded.

Guy counted to ten before answering. “You are correct, Miss Tremblay. As always.”

“Maybe she just didn’t care to be traded from man to man like a horse,” she suggested.

Rather than feel insulted by her comment, Guy actually happened to agree with it.

It wouldn’t have been Helena’s choice to marry Barry any more than it had been her choice to marry Guy. She’d been a pawn in her father’s quest for power and influence. He hoped that wherever she ended up, she could at least choose whom to spend her life with.

He finished his last mouthful of stew, threw back the remains of his wine, and stood.