Page 69

He knew she was trying to maintain discretion, yet it burned. Especially because she was turning her attention back to that puppy. What on earth could he be talking about that was so damned interesting?

Sebastian’s jaw clenched.

“Meet in the billiards’ room,” Drake replied, his voice equally low, ensuring they would not be overheard. “We’ll discuss what we found.”

A short nod and Sebastian turned away, ambling toward the door, just as Christian came storming toward Drake with a brooding expression rather than his usual amiable smile. Curious, Sebastian waited in the hall for him, knowing Christian would be just a few steps behind him.

As he’d predicted, Christian came through the doorway almost immediately after Sebastian, still scowling, and ground to a halt when he saw Sebastian there waiting for him. Sebastian raised his eyebrows at the other man.

“Is something amiss with Miss Belle?” he asked, gesturing for Christian to accompany him down the hallway to the billiards’ room.

“The better question is what is not amiss with Miss Belle,” Christian snapped back shortly without looking at Sebastian as he began stalking down the hallway. Clearly, his temper was still not under control. Despite his fair coloring, his expression was quite dark at the moment, his blue eyes unusually icy. “I do not think she has approved of a single thing I have ever done.”

Did she need to?

That was the question, but Sebastian did not want to ask it when Christian was so clearly overwrought. He was practically stomping down the hallway, fast enough that Sebastian had to quicken his pace to keep up.

“I tried to help her into the carriage this morning, and she scoffed at me. Scoffed! For being polite!” Christian threw his hands in the air. “Turned her nose right up at my hand. So, I made certain I was there at the village to help her down, which, of course, was necessary, and she glared at me. As if I had personally offended her by ensuring she had a hand down from the carriage.”

“Perhaps she did not want a hand down?”

“It was necessary.” Christian’s jaw clenched. “Later, I saw her carrying several boxes back to the carriage and offered to do it for her, and she deliberately handed them off to the footman rather than accepting my offer of assistance.”

“I see.” Sebastian did not see in that he did not understand why Miss Belle had taken such a dislike to Christian nor why Christian was so determined to try to change her mind. He supposed it was true that Christian was unused to women disliking him. He had plenty of experience with it when it came to men.

Most women swooned at his feet. He’d caused fainting spells with a mere wink. Yet here was Miss Belle—unimpressed and glaring at him.

“I heard her tell Johanna she was hungry, so I bought her some sweet nuts. She took them and gave them to some children on the street.” Christian threw his hands up in the air. “I am done with this nonsense. Done, I say!”

Stomping through the door to the billiards’ room, Christian left a wake of frustrated fury trailing behind him. There was far more feeling there than if he was merely insulted over being ignored. Before Miss Belle, if Sebastian had been asked how Christian would handle rejection, he would have said with a smile and a laugh. It was Miss Belle’s rejection that caused him such consternation, and Sebastian had a feeling he knew why.

Shaking his head, Sebastian followed his friend into the room, feeling rather sorry for him. At least Sebastian did not have to deal with Mei denying there was something between them when it was so obvious. It gave him some perspective.

He might have to wait until the house party was over and things would not be so awkward with the invited debutantes to declare himself, and he would have to speak with Mei and her grandmother about how they would like to handle the social aspects of such a union, and at some point tell his mother… but Christian’s plight seemed far worse at the moment.

Everyone except Christian immediately looked up, their sharp gazes landing on Sebastian. Despite their casual stances around the billiards table, there was a hum of nervous energy in the air. All of them were eager to hear what Sebastian had to say. He held up one palm to stop any questions that might be asked.

“Let us wait for Drake and Matthew.” He did not want to have to repeat himself. Gregory huffed with impatience, but they did not have long to wait before Matthew and Drake both appeared in the doorway.

“We need to talk quickly,” Drake said, closing the door behind him. “With all of us out of the room, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes looking for us.”

“Or the supper gong is rung,” Gregory pointed out, sliding his hand over the front of his dark blue waistcoat.

“Well, then, do not dally,” Zachary said sharply, looking back and forth between Sebastian and Drake. He was the only one in the room who had not bothered trying to appear casual. While the others were sitting or leaning against the billiards table, he was standing ramrod straight by the window, tension in every line of his body. Monkey Sinclair made a soft chittering noise, going up onto his hind legs from his position on Zachary’s shoulder to start petting the man’s hair. Zachary relaxed only slightly as he reached up to pet Monkey Sinclair back. “What have you discovered?”

“Aaron Heywood is in London.” Sebastian dropped the biggest revelation like a brick, eliciting a round of shocked gasps and wide-eyed stares. “With the entourage my mother brought upon her arrival. I did not even think to check them.”

“I would not have either,” Gregory immediately reassured him. “I would have been too focused on getting away from her. Which you did.”

Sebastian shot him a look, and Gregory shrugged unrepentantly. While she had certainly wronged Tiffany, in many ways, there was also something very uncomfortable about allowing another person to speak poorly of his mother. Especially in large company.

“We should make haste for London then,” Zachary said immediately, clenching his fists at his side.

“No.” Drake’s rebuke was firm. “If we, any of us, leave here and make haste for London, and go straight to Sebastian’s household seeking Aaron Heywood…”

“The conspiracy might realize.” Nathanial made a face. “It would be highly unusual. Sebastian certainly cannot leave. Anyone with half a brain knows this house party was put together with potential brides for him.”

“And the rest of us cannot question his staff without causing comment,” Matthew put in. “Especially from his mother. I cannot imagine she would welcome such an intrusion into the household.”