His Wicked Lady (5 page)

Eloise glanced up at her. “How did things go
with the duchess this afternoon?”

“I think it went well,” she said as she went
over to kiss her son on the head. “Do you like the story
Grandmother’s reading to you?”

Leonard nodded but wiggled off the chair.
“Can we go to the park?”

“I promised him I’d take him to the park if
he was good,” Regan explained to Eloise.

“Well, he was.” Eloise glanced at Leonard and
added, “You were a perfect gentleman.”

“Good. Then we will go to the park. But
first, I want to talk to your grandmother, so why don’t you have a
tart? We’ll go soon.” She sat in the chair next to Eloise and
asked, “Would you like to join us?”

“Not today, thank you.” She closed the book
and placed it on the table while Leonard picked up a tart and bit
into it. “Did the duchess pick someone for you?”

“Not yet, though it seems one of the ladies
who works with her said she had someone in mind.”

“Sounds intriguing!”

“It does. Lady Toplyn said he fit everything
I was looking for. The most important thing being that he has a
tender heart for children. Do you know anything about Lady
Toplyn?”

“I’m afraid I don’t. I haven’t engaged in the
social scene since my son needed a wife. I wanted to make sure he
got a good one.” She shot her a smile and patted her hand. “And he
most certainly did.”

Tears filled Regan’s eyes as she placed her
other hand over Eloise’s. “I was very blessed to be married to him.
You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do. You needn’t worry about me.
I never expected you to spend the rest of your life alone.”

“I’m not alone. I have you, Leonard, and
Danette.”

“Yes, but a lady as young as you shouldn’t
have to go without love. Family and friends are important. Your son
is important. But it’s also important to have a good gentleman who
can fill in the hole Frederick left when he passed away.”

“It’s no wonder I adore you so much. You’ve
always been good to me.”

“And you’ve been good to me. Leonard is a
great comfort after losing my son. It’s nice to know his legacy
will live on.”

“Are you sure you won’t come with us to the
park?”

“I better not. I’m not as young as I used to
be, and though this afternoon’s reading hasn’t exhausted Leonard,
it’s exhausted me. I’m going to lie down and rest.”

“All right.” Regan turned to her son and
wiped his hands and mouth clean. “You will be coming to my
townhouse tomorrow for dinner?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“Good because Leonard’s been working on his
tracing, and he wants to do your profile.”

Eyes twinkling, she glanced at Leonard who
was grinning at her. “In that case, I’ll come in my best
hairstyle.”

Patting his shoulder, Regan stood up. “He
loves to draw. I think he might have a future in it.”

“I draw good,” he said.

“Yes, you do,” Regan told him. “And tomorrow,
you can show your grandmother how much you’ve improved.”

“I look forward to seeing it,” Eloise said,
nodding at Leonard.

After saying good-bye, Regan took Leonard by
the hand and led him outside. The day was a pleasant one. It was
cloudy enough to cool things off. It was actually the kind of day
she’d love to take off her hat, let her hair down, and enjoy the
feel of letting her hair blow free in the breeze. But she couldn’t
do it, of course, not with all of London watching.

In the country, she could, but she often grew
bored in the country with so little to do. She came to London as
soon as the weather permitted and stayed until all the interesting
things to do were over for the Season.

There were drawbacks to everything, she
supposed. Except having children. She glanced down at her son and
squeezed his hand affectionately.

When she looked up, she caught sight of Mr.
Jasper coming out of a carriage. A part of her knew she shouldn’t
go up to him, but another part couldn’t resist the thrill of
talking to him again. What was it about him that intrigued her so
much? On the surface, he seemed like any other gentleman, but she
sensed something beneath his prim exterior that promised to be very
exciting. The question was, just how could a lady break through his
wall?

Since he was talking to the footman, he
didn’t see her coming, and that gave her the advantage of being
able to come right up to him. She stopped and gestured for Leonard
to be quiet.

“Lord Steinbeck’s an important gentleman,”
Mr. Jasper was telling the footman. “If Mr. Raleigh happens to come
by with the proposal, bring it here. Mr. Raleigh said he was
delayed with a personal matter, but he should deliver it within the
hour.”

“Yes, Mr. Jasper,” the footman replied. “I’ll
do as you say.”

“Good.” Mr. Jasper turned around and almost
bumped into her. He jerked back and, after a moment, was able to
compose himself. “What are you doing?”

“Taking my son to the park,” she replied as
his carriage pulled away from the sidewalk.

“The park is that way.” He gestured down the
street.

“I know. That happens to be the direction I’m
headed.”

“In that case, I won’t stand in your way.” He
moved aside and waved her down the sidewalk. “You may proceed.”

“Exactly what did I do to upset you so much
you won’t give me the pleasure of a few moments of your time?”

He glanced around. “Considering I’m not your
relative, I don’t think it’s appropriate we talk at all.”

“Come now, Mr. Jasper. We’re allowed a few
moments to talk.” When he gave another worried look to a couple of
people who passed them by, she said, “Are you really going to spend
the rest of your life sulking over what happened at Lord Roderick’s
ball?”

He let out a slight gasp. “I’m not sulking.
Sulking is something ladies do.”

She almost protested his statement, but what
good would it do? He was obviously a proud gentleman, especially in
having a pristine reputation. “If I knew it would have upset you so
much that I took it upon myself to get your attention so you’d
dance with me, I would have had someone arrange for you to ask me
to dance.”

He lowered his voice. “You did much more than
get my attention. You nearly created a scandal.” His gaze went to
her son. “Are you sure he should be hearing this? What is he?
Five?”

“Leonard’s four,” she said. “My husband was
tall. Leonard got his height from him so most people think he’s
older than he really is.”

“You’re married?”

She didn’t think it was possible, but he
seemed as if he was ready to faint.

“What are you doing dragging unsuspecting
gentlemen into dances when you have a husband?”

Amused he’d refer to himself as an
unsuspecting gentleman, she grinned. “I’m a widow.”

“But you’re not wearing black.”

“My mourning period is over. That means I’m
free to dance and go anywhere I want. I can even take my child to
the park in broad daylight without risking scandal.”

He frowned. “Are you having fun at my
expense?”

“It’s hard to have fun with someone who is so
uptight, Mr. Jasper.”

“Uptight?”

“Yes. You take everything much too seriously.
But since I can see how much I’ve distressed you the other evening,
I apologize. It was never my intention to upset you.”

He eyed her critically for a moment then his
face softened a bit. “You seem sincere.”

“That’s because I am.”

“In that case, I accept your apology.” His
gaze went to Lord Steinbeck’s townhouse. “I received an invitation
to an important dinner party. This might be a very profitable
evening for me.”

Her husband had once referred to Lord
Steinbeck as the kind of gentleman who only befriended those who
could do something for him. “I have a feeling the odds of profit
are much more in his favor than in yours.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean exactly what I said.” Leonard tugged
on her hand, so she squeezed it to let him know they would continue
on their way to the park. “Well, Mr. Jasper, I won’t keep you any
longer. I hope the evening goes as well as you hope.” With a nod in
his direction, she resumed her leisurely stroll with her son to the
park.

***

Malcolm glanced over his shoulder after he
climbed the steps to Steinbeck’s front door. The lady and her son
were still walking, going further and further from him, which was a
relief. He honestly didn’t know what to expect from her. She had
absolutely no sense of decency, coming up to him and talking to him
as if they were good friends or—heaven help him—more friendly than
they ought to be.

Then she’d blurted out her son’s name. It was
ironic she didn’t bother telling him her name, but that was
probably good. He didn’t care to know anything about her. The more
distance he had from someone like that, the better.

He shook his head. Well, it didn’t matter.
Melissa would find him someone respectable, and he could put the
troublesome matter with the other lady past him. His gaze
unwittingly went to her backside. For a lady who had a child, she
certainly had a nice figure.

Face warm, he quickly turned his gaze back to
Steinbeck’s door and knocked on it. The lady, no doubt, was a
seductress. Her husband probably hadn’t been the only gentleman
she’d known. Not with the way she behaved. And really, she didn’t
have to swing her hips in such a provocative manner. She was
practically asking him to look at her.

He let out a long sigh and cleared his mind.
Once he married a sensible lady with a good reputation, such
thoughts wouldn’t be a nuisance anymore. Wives were for giving a
gentleman children. Mistresses were for pleasure. But quite
frankly, he had more important things to think about than the lust
of the flesh.

He knocked again, and this time the footman
opened the door. Malcolm introduced himself and was escorted at
once to the drawing room where Steinbeck was talking to two other
gentlemen. Malcolm recognized Lord Dunnaby from White’s, but he
didn’t recognize the other one.

“Ah,” Steinbeck told the gentleman Malcolm
didn’t recognize, “there’s Mr. Jasper.” He gestured for Malcolm to
sit next to him. “Unfortunately, Lord Dodsworth took ill and
couldn’t make it tonight, but we’ll still have a good time. In
fact, I was just telling Patrick how much we’ll all benefit from
having you here.”

“Patrick?” Malcolm asked as he took his
seat.

The butler offered him a brandy, and Malcolm
took it.

“Sir Willoby,” Steinbeck clarified. “You can
call him,” he pointed to Lord Dunnaby, “Robert.”

Malcolm swallowed his sip of brandy. “Are you
sure it’s all right to refer to everyone by their Christian
names?”

Steinbeck laughed. “You’re one of us now. We
would never let your brother-in-law address us in such a way, but
you are nothing like him.”

“He’s right,” Patrick said. “You’re
intelligent.”

Malcolm chuckled at their joke.

“How do you manage it with something like him
in your family?” Steinbeck asked.

“I don’t have a choice,” Malcolm replied with
a grimace. “He forced my sister into marriage when he kissed her at
Lord Roderick’s ball. I tried to challenge him to a duel to save
her, but it didn’t work out.” He forced himself not to rub his
wrist at the reminder of the wound he’d acquired during the
ill-fated duel.

“It’s a shame we can’t get rid of him,”
Steinbeck said. “Though, I’ve noticed he doesn’t come to White’s as
much since you got voted in. The challenge to the duel must have
scared him away.”

“Only someone like him would avoid a duel,”
Robert spoke up. “I always knew he was a coward when he tried to
force everyone to honor the bet Davenport and Pennella made after
it was dissolved. I placed my money in the wager, too, but you
didn’t see me crying because the whole thing fell apart.”

“You made much more money when the Duke of
Ashbourne paid you for his brother’s debts,” Patrick added,
eyebrows raised.

“My agreement with his brother had nothing to
do with the bet Davenport and Pennella made. His brother came to me
asking for money, and I don’t lend money without expecting some
interest from the transaction.”

“As is sensible when you’re a businessman,”
Malcolm spoke up.

“Yes, but the interest rate you charged was a
bit excessive,” Patrick replied, shooting a pointed look in
Robert’s direction.

Robert shook his head in irritation. “His
brother was a poor risk. Few others would lend him money because of
it.” Before Patrick could respond, he leaned toward him and added,
“Perhaps if he’d been following you everywhere begging for the
money, you’d understand.”

“You shouldn’t be harsh with him,” Malcolm
told Patrick. “A gentleman who doesn’t honor his debts deserves
what he gets. I’d charge a higher interest rate, too. Paying off
debts in a timely manner should be rewarded with lower interest.
Not doing so should be punished. If a gentleman can’t fulfill his
obligations, he has no right asking for the money in the first
place.”

“I agree on that count,” Patrick told
Malcolm. “I just feel sorry for the duke. After his brother died,
he inherited the debt with his title, and he had to pay for
it.”

Steinbeck snorted. “I wouldn’t feel too sorry
for Ashbourne. His wife is shrewd in business, and she’s very
pleasing to the eye. Judging by the smile on his face, I’d say the
debt he inherited was the best thing that ever happened to
him.”

“There you go,” Robert told Patrick,
gesturing to Steinbeck. “It all worked out. I got paid, and he got
the lady most gentlemen would give their entire estates to
marry.”

“Well, there is that,” Patrick relented,
swirling the brandy in his glass. “Many gentlemen have had their
share of fantasies about her, I’m sure.”