Page 68 of The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables)
“That’s a shame,” Beaumont said. “I enjoyed his company.”
“I did as well. Very much. I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see him shoot.” Greene picked up his whiskey and swirled the amber liquid in the glass. He looked over at Andrew, his gaze enigmatic. “Did he leave an address? I should like to correspond with him and perhaps call on him when I visit my uncle in Edinburgh in the fall.”
Andrew had lifted his glass to take a drink, but stopped midmotion. What could he say to discourage Greene? Nothing without drawing attention to the matter, and he couldn’t do that. No, he’d let Greene look for Smitty, and when he couldn’t find him… Well, Andrew wouldn’t know what happened to him. “I’m afraid I don’t have an address.”
Greene, who’d watched Andrew closely during his response, lifted a shoulder. “I’m certain he won’t be difficult to find.”
Impossible, Andrew thought, but he remained silent. He hoped Greene wouldn’t bother. Perhaps he should create a story in which Smitty was besieged by highwaymen on his way north and sadly never arrived…
The conversation turned to the balloon descent and Andrew’s plan to parachute. Most of the table thought him insane, but a few, including Greene, were intrigued and asked if Sadler would take them up too.
“For a fee,” Andrew said.
Greene sat forward, his dark blue eyes gleaming with excitement. “I’d be willing to pay.”
Andrew finished his gin and signaled the footman for another. “You should write to him.”
“I will. Would you put in a word on my behalf?”
“Certainly, but truly it’s just about paying a fee. Sadler loves ballooning—you don’t have to persuade him to go.”
Thursby stood. “I’m afraid I must take my leave. Time to make an appearance at the Goodwin ball. Anyone else going?”
One other gentleman nodded, but the rest, including Andrew, shook their heads. He idly wondered if Lucy would be there and for a moment reconsidered. But what would he do? Watch her from afar? He doubted she’d accept an invitation to dance. There was no delaying their separation. Best to cut her out completely and immediately.
“Not you, Greene?” Charles asked. “You seemed to have quite a good time the other night.”
Beaumont chuckled. “Indeed. I daresay you may have set a record for dancing with the most misses.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how you did it. I would have gone mad with the insipidity of it.”
Greene rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t terrible. In fact, I danced with a rather engaging young woman—Miss Parnell.”
The footman was just handing Andrew his second glass. It slipped from his fingers, splashing gin on his sleeve and on Beaumont as well as it tumbled to the floor.
“How clumsy of me,” he murmured.
“The fault is mine, my lord.” The footman plucked up the glass. “I’ll just fetch some napkins.”
Beaumont brushed at his sleeve. “I’m fine.”
“I am too, thank you. Truly, it was my mistake.” Andrew hated that the footman felt responsible when the blame was entirely Andrew’s. Greene’s mention of Lucy had jarred him. “Are you looking for a wife?” Andrew hoped his question sounded casual, but a jealousy he shouldn’t feel ate at his insides.
“Not particularly. I attend a ball periodically and dance as much as possible to appease my parents. They wouldlikeme to look for a wife.” He surveyed the table in question, and everyone nodded in commiseration. Greene looked at Andrew directly. “Miss Parnell just caught my eye.”
Andrew’s mind began to whirl. At Darent Hall, after the balloon descent, he’d mistakenly referred to Lucy as “her.” He’d covered for his error, but he now recalled Greene studying her too closely. He also remembered Greene asking about a woman’s laugh after the phaeton race. Now, tonight he’d displayed a candid interest in “Smitty”andMiss Parnell. Had he somehow puzzled out their secret? Andrew’s replacement gin arrived, and he eagerly took a long drink.
Beaumont waggled his brows at Greene. “She’s attractive, eh?”
Greene lifted his shoulder again. “Not traditionally. Her wit and her intelligence are her better features, I’d say.”
Andrew wanted to argue. No, he wanted to plant his fist in Greene’s face for saying she wasn’t attractive. She was stunningly beautiful. At least the imbecile had recognized her other attributes.
Greene glanced at Andrew. Did he seem overly interested in Andrew’s reactions to his discussion of Lucy? Or was Andrew simply seeing things that weren’t there? Hell, he didn’t like this one bit. If Greene had put things together and knew that Smitty and Lucy were one and the same, what would he do with that information? There was a chance he meant to do nothing, but Andrew wasn’t sure he wanted to wait to find out. Neither, however, did he want to address the subject with Greene directly. It was probably best if he did nothing and simply kept an eye on the situation. He had to be overthinking this.
“I’m off, then,” Thursby said, taking his leave.
Andrew had been invited to the Goodwin ball. Perhaps he should go on the chance that Lucy would be there. That way he could warn her about Greene.
Why? So she could worry about something that was only a suspicion? No, he’d already decided it was best to make their break as clean as possible, before he contemplated a future he never intended to have.
