An Affair Most Wicked (8 page)

Chapter 5

“Did you see the Duke of Guysborough last night?” Mrs. Gunther asked, looking up from her embroidery to peer across the breakfast parlor at Sophia. “Did he attend the assembly?”

Sophia picked up her teacup and sipped from it, a faint smile touching her lips. If the Duke of Guysborough had been at the Cakras Ball, she and Clara certainly hadn’t known it.

Sophia set down her cup. “No, we didn’t see him.”

“I wonder if he’ll be at the Tremont assembly this evening. He’s a handsome gentleman, don’t you think? And widowed.”

Sophia raised her eyebrows. “You think he would be a good match for Clara?”

“Naturally, don’t you? Your mother would be pleased.”

“He’s rather old.”

“Nonsense, he can’t be a day over forty-five.”

“But he has children already from his first wife, who passed away not that long ago. Do you think he wishes to remarry?”

Mrs. Gunther poked her needle into the fabric on her lap and looked up. She spoke in a lowered voice. “I’ve been making inquiries, and from what I’ve learned, he has only one son and four girls. No spare, so to speak. I would think he would be inclined to marry again, and Clara is certainly a beauty.”

Sophia dabbed at her mouth with the corner of her linen napkin. “I hadn’t considered the duke. I don’t know him very well. Do you really think he’s handsome, and doesn’t seem too mature?”

“To a woman of my age, he’s barely more than a schoolboy.”

Just then, Sophia’s husband entered the breakfast parlor. “James, you’re back!”

He smiled. “Yes, I decided I missed my wife and sons far too much to spend another day away from them trying to calm my fanatical steward. He’s in a panic about the cottage renovations, you know. I believe your extravagance has taken ten years off his life.”

Sophia rose from the table to embrace him.

They sat down and discussed the renovations at Wentworth while James ate his breakfast. As soon as he laid down his fork, Sophia stood. “Shall we go and see the boys?”

“I would like nothing more.” Together, they excused themselves from Mrs. Gunther’s company and left the room.

As soon as they were alone in the corridor, James took Sophia’s hand, kissed it, then held it as they walked. “Perhaps next time you’ll accompany me to
Wentworth,” he said, “and spare me the anguish of sleeping alone.”

Sophia’s voice was flirtatious. “Is that the only time you missed me, James? In bed?”

He kissed her hand again. “You know I think of you always. There was a time I never imagined that being a husband and father could add such joy to my life.”

Sophia gazed lovingly at him. “And I think of you always, too. Which brings me to what I must tell you now. I hope you will not be angry, James, but I took Clara to a Cakras Ball last night, and I’m worried that I might have done the wrong thing.”

James stopped and let go of her hand. “You went to a Cakras Ball? Why in the world would you do that?”

She had taken a few steps ahead, but halted to turn and face him. “It’s a long story, James, but I must tell you all of it, for I worry that the situation could become dangerous if we don’t soon learn about a certain gentleman who has made an impression upon Clara.”

“Ah. This gentleman was at the Cakras Ball?”

She nodded.

“But why did you take her there, Sophia? The Cakras Society is supposed to be secret.”

Sophia explained the whole situation—how Clara had gone to the wrong ball a week ago by mistake, how she had not been able to forget the gentleman who’d informed her of her error, and how they went to last night’s ball to try and discover his identity.

After reminding Sophia of what she already knew— that going to a Cakras Ball had been a risky thing to do— James took her hand again. “Did you discover the gentleman’s name?”

“Only his Christian name. It’s Seger.”

James thought for a moment. “Seger. The only Seger I’ve ever heard of is Seger Wolfe, the Marquess of Rawdon.”

“He’s a marquess?”

“If he is indeed the same man.”

“Have you ever met him?”

“No, he doesn’t sit in the House. He’s not interested in politics from what I gather, or perhaps he simply doesn’t like to show his face. He was involved in a divorce scandal a few years back. He and a few other gentlemen were called to court as witnesses, to testify for a particular lady’s husband, to prove the woman’s adultery.”

Sophia tried not to sound glum as she walked slowly down the long corridor beside James. “So he’s not respectable?”

James inclined his head. “As I said, I’ve never met the man, so I can’t say. But do warn Clara to be careful if she encounters him again. Just in case. Especially considering what happened to her before. Is that what has you worried?”

Sophia inhaled deeply. “You don’t think she’ll make a mistake like that again, do you?”

“What I think, my dear, is that you should try to have confidence in her. She is an intelligent young woman, and is no longer naive. She has been quiet and careful for the past two years, choosing to postpone her first Season. That is self-restraint at its best, especially for a romantic young girl like Clara, who attended our wedding with dreams of romance in her eyes, longing for such happiness for herself. We must trust that she will be prudent, for she has said on many occasions in her letters to you that it is her greatest wish to be sensible.”

“Yes, but she is inherently passionate, and sometimes love can turn one’s head.”

“Like it turned yours?” He squeezed her hand.

“You were a good man, James. We don’t know anything about the marquess, and I fear that I might have become caught up in the excitement of her infatuation and advised her poorly. Perhaps I should have set a better example and refused to let her return to that place.”

“She saw him again, I presume.”

“Yes, they danced twice and he again asked her to leave. She was in a romantic daze the whole way home. I’m worried, James.”

He nodded as they reached the door to the nursery. “You mustn’t let yourself be troubled, my darling. We will do what we can to help Clara. I will make inquiries about the marquess. Now let us dispense with worries for the time being and see what our sons have accomplished today. Perhaps John has discovered his thumbs.”

“I have good news and bad news,” Sophia said to Clara that afternoon, as soon as they were out of earshot of the groom, who rode behind them in Hyde Park.

Both in their riding habits, crops in hand, they sat high in their sidesaddles, maintaining a leisurely pace along the bridle path.

“Did James know anything?” Clara asked.

“Yes, if he was talking about the same Seger. The good news is, he’s a peer. His name is Seger Wolfe, and he’s the Marquess of Rawdon.”

“Truly. A marquess, you say. Mother would swoon.”

“Yes, she would, but I must inform you that James wasn’t particularly pleased to hear that you were at a Cakras Ball. He warned me to be more careful from now on, and suggested that you be especially careful if you ever see the marquess again.”

“Gracious. He has a reputation, then.” Their horses’ hooves tapped lightly over the soft ground. “What about the bad news? Did he lie to me about not being married?”

“That, I don’t know, but it would be very easy to find out now that we know who he is. All I know is the bit of news James reported to me—that the marquess was involved in a divorce scandal a few years ago, called to the witness stand to admit to being a certain lady’s lover—or one of them—to prove her adultery. It is said he seeks only physical pleasures, that he finds no joy in sentiment. That is surely why he’s not invited into polite society.”

Clara digested this news with some disappointment, though she knew she shouldn’t be surprised. She knew the marquess seduced married women regularly at the Cakras Balls. That sort of behavior was bound to ruin a man’s reputation eventually. Even in London.

“Will society not let him back in?” Clara asked. “Or is it his choice to scorn invitations?”

“I wish I knew.”

Clara gazed up at the sky. “I wonder if he learned a lesson from that scandal. Perhaps he’s more careful these days. He must be, given the way he tossed me out the door when he discovered I was unmarried—a hot potato to him apparently.”

“You are not a potato, Clara, and you’re still hoping for the best where he’s concerned, aren’t you?”

“I can’t help it. He’s still the most intriguing man I’ve met since I’ve arrived here. I have a profound desire to understand why he is what he is, and I can’t seem to shake myself out of it.”

Sophia regarded her sister. “What about the Duke of Guysborough? I only mention him because Mrs. Gunther asked about him this morning. She wanted to know if we’d seen him last night.”

Clara laughed. “Wouldn’t she be surprised to know why we didn’t see
anyone
where we were.”

“Indeed. Do you remember meeting him last week?”

“The tall fellow with the dark mustache?” Clara said. “Yes, I do.”

“What did you think of him? He would be an excellent catch, given his rank. His title is not quite as old as James’s, but he’s favored by the queen I understand. Her Majesty admired his wife for her charity work. She passed away just over a year ago.”

“A widower.” Clara ducked below some low hanging, leafy branches. “I hadn’t considered marrying someone who had been married before. I suppose it is an option.”

“Did you find him attractive?”

Clara shrugged. “Not as attractive as the marquess, though he would probably be a more sensible choice.”

“Yes,” Sophia agreed, gazing directly into Clara’s eyes, “and I do want you to be sensible. I know I was supportive about going to the Cakras Ball, but when I think about what could have happened if we were discovered… I don’t wish to take that kind of risk again.”