Page 90 of The Duke of Seduction
Chapter 16
Bring vengeance, dark justice, to evil men!
No woman should witness the darkness end.
What sin hath done to the good and the right,
Cruel retribution in dark Devil light.
-Beck’s writings
As Beck strodeinto White’s, the tension Lavinia had driven away with her touch gripped him once more. He’d been incredibly wound up before the ball, and he knew his behavior had alarmed Lavinia as they’d danced. And then Sir Martin had decided to be an ass, and Beck had nearly plunged over the edge.
Sometimes anger took over, not as much as a need to be alone, but when rage came upon him, it wasn’t always easy to let it go. And he supposed he hadn’t. He’d simply set it aside until he could fully inhabit it. Now that he was here, he could.
He wasn’t entirely certain where he might find Haywood, but knew White’s was the blackguard’s preferred club. Beck circulated through the main rooms then situated himself in the morning room where he could see the hall and watch as gentlemen arrived.
He sipped whiskey—slowly so as to keep his wits about him—and waited.
Over an hour after he took his post, Haywood strode into the hall. He didn’t come into the morning room, but continued straight back to the main staircase. Beck waited a minute, then followed him up. He found his quarry in the coffee room seated at a table with another gentleman Beck barely recognized.
Gripping his whiskey, Beck made his way to the table. “Mind if I sit?”
Haywood looked up at him. “Didn’t I just run into you this morning?”
“Indeed you did.” Beck sat down and inclined his head toward the other gentleman.
“I was just telling Goodwin here about that debacle.” Haywood shook his head. “Stupid chit. Ah well, she’s the one who will bear the brunt of her mistake. Laurence will be just fine.”
Goodwin, whom Beck vaguely recalled now, nodded. He was similar in age to Haywood—early forties at least and apparently of a similar mind. “She’ll regret it, if she doesn’t already.”
Haywood snorted. “I’m sure she does. She may even be at my cousin’s right now begging him to take her back.”
The conversation was enough to make Beck want to pummel them both, but he had an objective and that wasn’t it. He really hoped Goodwin would just go away. Alas, Beck had to suffer his presence for some time before he excused himself.
By then, Haywood was on his third glass of whiskey, while Beck was on his second—again nursing it slowly. Now he had his chance.
Beck moved his chair closer to Haywood and took a drink. “I wanted to ask you about something. You seem a man of a certain…expertise.”
Haywood’s brows arched, and his eyes lit with curiosity behind the sheen of a whiskey-induced haze. “Expertise, eh?”
“You possessed a certain reputation before you wed, which is not all that different from mine.”
He chuckled low in his throat. “You’re a bit of a rakehell?” He lifted his glass in a toast. “The only way to survive.”
Beck swallowed his disgust and lifted his mouth in a brief smile. “I find myself engaged as of this afternoon.”
“Is that right? Hell, we should have been celebrating your fortune—or despairing of your impending shackle.” He shouted with laughter before taking a drink. “Who’s the lucky chit?”
Beck wanted to hit the man and tell him to never refer to his future wife that way, but he had to stay on task. He didn’t really want to say her name in his presence, as if that alone would sully her. “Lady Lavinia Gillingham.”
“Balcombe’s gel? She’s a bit odd, isn’t she?” He winced and apologized, demonstrating that he maybe wasn’t a complete dolt, though Beck wasn’t sure he believed that. “Had a bit of whiskey tonight, and sometimes my tongue gets ahead of me!” Haywood laughed and took another drink, clearly not at all concerned that he was on his way to being drunk and perhaps having an even more negligent tongue. “I hope you’ll be very happy together. As happy as one can be in matrimony.” He gave Beck a stern look and a nod for good measure.
“The advice I seek is regarding that, actually. You see, I have a mistress and she’s proving a bit difficult.” He rolled his eyes and tried not to choke on the revolting tale. “She’s threatened to reveal herself to my wife, which I just can’t have.”
“Have you tried paying her off? That’s the easiest way to rid yourself of a clinging bitch.”
God, he was awful. “Yes, but I’m not sure I can trust her to remain quiet.”
