Page 115 of Heartbreaker of the Ton
He bowed to Etty and winked at his wife, whose cheeks had turned a shade of crimson, before leaving.
“I must apologize for—” Arabella started.
“It’s not necessary,” Etty said. “Your husband is an extraordinary man, and I find his…naturalstyle of address refreshing.”
“Our friends are quite in awe of him,” Arabella said. “He says what he thinks with no concern for propriety. And if he takes a dislike to someone, he makes it perfectly clear.”
“That must be challenging.”
“Ah yes, but at least it means I can trust him. He speaks highly ofyou, Etty.”
“Of me? I’m of little consequence to him.”
“Ah, my friend, that’s where you are wrong. He admires your defense of Mrs. Smith.”
“I merely removed her from a violent husband.”
“You speak as if that were nothing, but it was everything to Mrs. Smith. Few people will stand in defense of others if they have nothing to gain themselves. Lawrence dislikes men and women of Society who only wish to further their own cause.”
“Isn’t that how most members of Society behave?”
“Not all of them,” Arabella said. “And my husband has the good fortune to be in a position that has given him a better understanding of men than I.”
“How so?” Etty asked.
“Lawrence works in trade,” Arabella replied. “And you can always tell a man’s honesty by how he treats his paid subordinates. Some of Lawrence’s clients would faint at the notion of associating themselves with us—which suits me just fine, as I am not so desperate to gain a ticket to Almack’s. So you see, my friend, you are safe with us.”
“Is that because those who would associate themselves socially with a common gardener and his wife are more likely to tolerate my company?” Etty asked. “A fallen woman who was evil enough to ruin her own sister and debauched enough to bear a bastard child?”
Etty regretted her words as soon as she spoke them, but Arabella gave no sign she’d taken offense. She merely took Etty’s hand.
“Etty, my love, you must cease to say such things about yourself. Gabriel is a delightful child. Surely you don’t think…”
Etty shook her head. “No, of course not,” she said. “Gabriel is my world, and I love him more than life itself. But what chance do I have of finding someone to love me for who I am, someone who’d accept Gabriel for who—and what—he is?”
What chance have I of finding another man such ashim?
But even Andrew, the man who had professed to love her and Gabriel, could not bring himself to love Etty for herself—her true self, with all her past sins.
“You have as much chance as any of us, dearest Etty,” Arabella said. “Better, in fact, now that you’re not required to parade yourself around the Marriage Mart. There’s plenty of eligible men among our acquaintance. There’s Lord Devereaux, who, despite his eccentricity, has secured my husband’s good opinion.”
“His eccentricity?”
“He doesn’t talk.”
“As in gossip?” Etty asked.
“As in at all. He comes across as a little standoffish. But perhaps he’s merely shy. Lawrence won’t hear a word against him.”
“Why not?”
“Because he has one defining characteristic that sets him apart from most men of theton.”
“Which is?”
“He settles his accounts on time,” Arabella said with a smile. “Lawrence told me that no sooner had he shaken hands with the fellow after completing the works on his garden, Lord Devereaux sent his steward to the bank to deposit the funds in his account. You can always tell a man’s virtue by how quickly he settles his debts.”
“And you intend to invite this Lord Devereaux to your house party?”
