Page 67 of The Viscount's Diamond Bride
“Ah. I see. Goodbye, Mother.”
Not waiting for her to respond, Graham turned on his heel and walked out of the room, never once looking back.
***
Jonathan was not at home. Graham growled in frustration, raking a hand through his hair.
The butler, a little surprised at Graham’s clear misery, offered the information that Lord Hartwell had gone to his club, perhaps.
So, Graham headed there. The footmen at the door allowed him in, shooting curious looks at him.
Inside, the club was barely half full, mostly of middle-aged gentlemen enjoying luncheon. There were a few younger fellows, and as usual, games of cards were going on here and there.Graham scanned the scene, looking for Jonathan’s familiar face. He needed advice, and he needed it soon.
I’ll go to the Worths’ home,he thought,and speak to Ursula, but first I must get my thoughts in order. Whereareyou,Jonathan?
A raucous laugh made him flinch, followed by an irritatingly familiar voice.
“I never did see such a well-laid plan go so poorly, gentlemen. And now she is a viscountess, can you believe it?”
Graham stiffened, head swivelling in that direction. That was unmistakeably Sir Roderick Black’s voice. Without even understanding what he was doing, Graham began to walk in that direction.
Sir Roderick was sitting in a narrow booth with a couple of friends, all of which were untidy, unpleasant-looking gentlemen. Most were concentrating on their cards, leaving Sir Roderick talking almost to himself. It seemed that they were used to his long, rambling stories, and were quite tired of listening to them.
“Now, I was surprised when I received the letter. I’m sure you can imagine,” he continued, taking a loud slurp of his wine. “I have a reputation as something of a rake, you know. A man must wear such a thing with pride, ha-ha. At any rate, the terms were clear. A handsome payment in exchange for ruining a lady.”
Two of his companions did not react, and Graham was not sure his presence had been detected. The third man, however, glanced up with a sudden frown.
“Be careful who you say that to, Roderick,” the man said curtly, tossing away his cards. “I’m out.”
Sir Roderick played a card of his own, beaming, and took the trick entirely.
“Naturally, all did not go according to plan,” he admitted, shuffling his cards. “That honourable fool of a viscount appeared at precisely the wrong moment and knocked me out flat. Can you believe it? I was appalled. When I woke up and discovered that the job was half-done, I was most displeased. Of course, the girl was ruined, but notentirelyas I had planned.”
Graham’s skin crawled.
He’s speaking of Ursula,he realised, and that night in the garden. He intended to ravish her. Ruin her entirely, that is what he meant.
“And then, the trouble was that the girl wasn’t ruined at all,” Sir Roderick slurred, taking a long drink of his wine. “She wedded Lord Sinclair and now they are quite doing well. If I’d finished, nobody would have touched the girl with a bargepole. She would have been entirely ruined. I tell you, Miss Worth was quite angry that it was not dealt with properly. She only paid me half the money, on account of having to take care of the rest herself.”
The two men, whose attention was clearly elsewhere, only gave blank nods and smiles and murmuring to each other about the game.
“I’ve heard enough of this, Roderick,” he snapped, tossing down his cards and rising to his feet. “Keep this sordid story to yourself, do you hear?”
Sir Roderick cackled, unfazed by his friend’s departure.
The man who Graham vaguely recognized as a lanky, fortuneless third son of an earl, with few prospects and no charm rounded the corner and walked almost straight into Graham. He reeled back, the colour falling from his face.
“Lord Sinclair,” he gasped aloud, and all conversation stilled at the table. “You… You are here.”
There was a flurry, and then the other two card-players appeared, dashing off to separate corners of the club without a backwards glance. The young manswallowed;eyes wide with fear.
“I… I…” he stammered, and Graham held up a hand. The man swallowed his words.
“For your own good, I suggest you forget every word of what Sir Roderick has said here today,” Graham said firmly.
The man nodded eagerly, swallowing. “I swear I will.”
“Good. Off you go, then.”
