Page 117 of Ten Lords for the Holidays

So, when the invitation had first arrived, Evan had been wary. Thinking that perhaps the viscount had gotten a match between Evan and the girl into his head.

However, the man talked little of his daughter and seemed disinterested in anything to do with her.

If anything, it appeared that the viscount’s mother, the dowager viscountess, had been the driving force behind this particular gathering.

Evan cast his mind to Lady Holly now, trying to remember their brief meeting during her first Season.

It had been, what? Three years ago. A year before Celia had gone.

He couldn’t remember much about the Northwood girl.

She’d been pretty, in the first flushes of womanhood.

Startling hair, that much he remembered. Vibrantly red with touches of gold. Most unusual.

But he knew nothing about her.

At the time, he’d been wrapped up in the misery of an impending unwanted marriage, in saving face and keeping up appearances.

He hadn’t had room in his mind to think of anyone else, much less the daughter of an acquaintance.

Still didn’t, truth be told. He’d be polite to the girl, of course. He had no reason not to be.

But if his invitationhadbeen extended with any sort of ulterior motive, they would all just have to look elsewhere.

Just then, Lord Northwood announced that the gentlemen should return to the manor house, distracting Evan from his thoughts.

The gentlemen were to have a luncheon by themselves today whilst the ladies toured the local church, built on the ruins of a Norman structure and of great historical significance. They would then be dining out with the vicar and his wife and would join the gentlemen for the first official dinner later that evening.

All around him, as they walked back to the manor house, Evan heard gentlemen discussing the ladies present.

He let it wash over him, not participating.

He had no interest in marrying right now, though he was patently aware of his duty, and he wouldn’t countenance a dalliance with a lady of Quality.

Having been cuckolded himself, he certainly wouldn’t engage in anything illicit with a married woman.

Though he knew well enough that it was practically commonplace fortonmembers to have affairs with each other, and indeed in his youth had enjoyed many a married lady’spenchantfor young bucks, having been the victim of its humiliation, it was a practise that Evan would never again participate in.

Most of the gentry present were local enough that they would return to their own homes on Christmas Eve after the ball or early on Christmas morning, but Evan would stay on until after Twelfth Night.

It would take him weeks to return home and besides, it wasn’t as though he had big family celebrations to return to.

His mother chose to live in Bath during the winter months. And his sisters were all married and happily settled around the country.

Time and distance had gone a long way in helping the Belmont name escape Evan’s scandal unscathed, and matches had ultimately been secured for his three younger sisters.

Though he’d been the talk of Town for a goodly while after the news broke, living in an isolated Scottish town of little consequence helped thebeau mondeto forget the whole thing and move on to ruining some other poor blighter.

Though Evan’s sisters had extended invitations for him to join their respective families for Yuletide, he knew better than to lay himself at the feet of their matchmaking. And so, he stayed away.

Usually alone.

This year at Northwood.

But still determined to leave the season a bachelor.

No, he was here for a change of scenery. For an escape from the memories this time of year always brought up.

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