Page 72 of Watching the Earl

From the tension emanating from him, Georgina knew something was terribly wrong. She rose immediately. “Has something happened?”

He didn’t look at her as he answered, instead looking at his mother, who also stood. “Yes. We need to return to the townhouse immediately. Mother, you shall continue on to Lady Redding’s.”

“Of course. Can we be of any help?”

“No.” He waited for them to precede him down the path around the house to where the coaches were parked.

Once they were on their way, he stared out the window. Georgina looked at her mother-in-law, who appeared as worried as she felt. She gave a reassuring nod, sure that whatever it was could not be so horrible. It wasn’t as if Philip had been gambling and lost, or that they had angered the prince regent. Anything else was fixable.

When they arrived at the townhouse, she squeezed the dowager’s hand. “Please give our regards to Lady Redding.”

“I will. Thank you for inviting me on such a lovely outing.”

When Georgina alighted, she found Philip was already inside, and she hurried up the steps. At the doorway, she untied her bonnet and handed it to Haines.

“In the study. Now.”

She jumped at Philip’s cold tone before following him to the study, where he closed the door and immediately went to the sideboard to pour a drink. She could sense his anger, and his posture was much like a goose just before it was about to attack. “What is it?”

He splashed liquor into a glass then threw it back before pouring another.

She’d never seen him drink anything but wine and port, and that was definitely not port.

“What it is…is you. You just couldn’t keep it a secret, despite how it would affect me, my mother, our whole family.”

Confused, she moved toward a high-backed chair and held on to the top. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What secret? I promise, I didn’t tell your mother about your father dying of consumption, if that’s what you mean.”

“My father?” He laughed, but there was no mirth in it. “My father would be devastated. You should be devastated. Everyone at the aviary is talking about it. Do you have no sense of self-preservation?”

Tired of not knowing, she let her irritation color her tone. “I can’t answer any of your questions if I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He strode up to her, his brows lowered in a scowl, and stopped just three feet away, his hands curling into fists. “I’m talking about the fact you told Lady Buswick about your ravishment before we were married. You just couldn’t keep your own shame to yourself.”

Shocked, she blinked. “I haven’t seen Lady Buswick since I arrived in Town. I certainly didn’t tell her of my condition before we married. I didn’t even tell your mother, though it was hard, since she is so good to me.”

He waved away her explanation. “If it wasn’t Lady Buswick, then it was someone else, but she certainly heard and was quick to spread it through the ton. When you said you couldn’t keep a secret, I thought at least one so detrimental to yourself would be worth some effort.” He turned around and returned to the sideboard and his drink.

“Philip, I promise you, I didn’t tell anyone. I wouldn’t.”

He took another gulp of amber liquor. “So you’re telling me that you, who can’t keep a secret, did, which means one of your friends didn’t?”

“No! They would never do that to me.”

He sneered. “It doesn’t matter. The entire ton now knows. My father’s reputation, which I fought so hard to save, is now ruined because of you.” He pointed at her with his glass before throwing back what was left.

“I swear, I didn’t tell anyone.”

He poured more liquor into his glass, clearly planning to get foxed. Then he looked at her and the pain in his eyes undid her more than his anger. “And to think I married to punish myself for my past mistakes, only to discover I didn’t need punishing and have had it visited upon me anyway.”

She sucked in a breath. “You married me to punish yourself?”

“Ironic, is it not?”

She forced herself to breathe even as her throat closed over the pain radiating through her chest. She was his punishment? Hurt and anger collided inside her.

She spun on her heel and threw open the door of the study. “Haines, the coach!”

“The coach has not yet returned, my lady.”