Page 57 of The Duke and the Scarred Bride

Louisa admired the man’s grit while dealing with her husband. He lacked wisdom—surely he did, or else he would not have dared to speak those words. Especially not to her husband, whose face looked worse than the clouds on a particularly stormy day.

“I can’t say I’m surprised that you would rather delude yourself into thinking that you’re doing the country a great service in your high-back chair in the House of Lords and your frippery than giving your life for aworthy cause,as you put it.”

Banbury’s smile dropped, his face paling with each word that Percival spoke, and it had taken everything in her not to burst into laughter. It was almost hilarious how her husband had sapped the smarminess out of the men surrounding him with only a few words.

Louisa sighed, shaking her head. Percival had asked her to help restore his reputation, but if he continued acting the way he did, there would be nothing left to restore eventually.

“I had better mingle with some of the other guests,” she heard Banbury say, his eyes darting around before he scurried off.

Percival sighed and shook his head perhaps, regretting the harsh way he had spoken. The action brought a smile to Louisa’s faceas she regarded him. He really was so boyish in his mannerisms sometimes that it made her forget he was a fearsome duke.

She raised her hand to draw his attention, but then she stopped when laughter from beside him drew his attention to who must have been a friend of his.

The man was slightly shorter than her husband, but he was just as broad, with dark hair and grey eyes. He was handsome, and she couldn’t help but note the slight resemblance to her husband.

She shook the absurd thought out of her head, realizing that it was their similar colouring that was playing tricks on her mind. She recognized him as Elijah Balfour, the Baron Gillingham, and decided to wait till he noticed her.

They must have been really close because he kept laughing despite receiving a warning look from her closed-off husband.

“I’m sorry, Percy.” He chuckled. “I cannot help but find it amusing how you chased him away.”

“It was rather foolish to try and insult my shooting skills to get me to accept his invitation.”

“How was he to know that you wouldn’t be moved by such childish mind games?”

“He was sorely unprepared to deal with me,” Percival replied, before downing his drink in one angry gulp. “They all are. I’m almost disappointed that they haven’t changed their tactics since I left.”

“They didn’t have the opportunity, Percy,” the Baron said. “It has been dreadfully dull here.”

“How have you survived this long without running mad?”

“I had Michael, and now I have you.”

Percival snorted. “I do not intend to play nice for very much longer.”

“Not even with me?”

Percival’s answering glare had the Baron laughing again.

Lord Gillingham seemed like a man with an easy smile. Louisa wondered how the two of them were friends, considering the differences in their dispositions.

“You haven’t even started playing nice. You should not have been so hard on the Duke,” Lord Gillingham scolded playfully. “After all, you two are old friends and might have been family had you not jilted his daughter.”

Louisa’s eyes widened at the revelation.

Percival had been engaged once? And he had jilted the lady?

“Do not remind me,” Percival groaned. “And I didn’t jilt her. I had to end things because she would not have wanted to marry a soldier who may or may not have come back alive.”

“What would you call it, then?” The Baron laughed. “I remember how she cried when you told her you were going to war. Michael and I couldn’t stop laughing at the look on your face.”

“I cannot wait to see you fall in love.”

“I do not intend to experience such a sentiment, and you know it,” the Baron snorted. “I would doubtless court anyone because I want to.”

Louisa stumbled back, deciding that she had heard enough.

She didn’t know why, but disappointment coursed through as she realized that Percival would have been married to a woman he actually loved and would doubtless have had children of his own had things gone differently. He wouldn’t have been in a loveless, passionless marriage.

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