Page 79 of Everything But the Earl
“I didn’t have to.”
Anthony tilted his head. “Why? What happened to—”
“He was hit by a carriage yesterday.”
“He…what?”
Lark sighed and set the letter from Owen aside. “Obviously I don’t wish Samuel Gordon ill.”
A lie, Anthony knew. “Obviously.”
“I was prepared to pay him, although I was reluctant to do so because I didn’t think this would make him go away. He would just continue to extort me. But I thought paying him would buy us some time until we could come up with a more permanent solution. But Fate took care of that for me.”
“He was hit by a carriage?”
“Got rip-roaring drunk last night, stumbled into the street, met his end.”
“So he’s dead.”
“Alas, yes. It was in theTimesthis morning. You didn’t read it?”
Anthony waved his hand. “I didn’t read the paper today.”
“The thing is, I don’t think Gordon was the only one who knew about us.”
“How did he find out? Did he tell you when he confronted you before meeting his untimely end?”
“Not specifically, but he implied he’d seen us somewhere.”
“That doesn’t narrow it down much.”
“Anthony.”
“Around the club?”
“Probably one of the times you pulled me into the coat closet.”
Anthony sighed. It was true, they had not been the most discreet, especially at the club. They’d fooled around in that coat closet more than once. If someone had walked in when they’d been too occupied by what they were doing to notice, the information might have gotten out. “Do you think others know?”
“That is why I called you here.”
“You think they do?”
“I don’t honestly know. But if Gordon knew, it’s not completelyout of the realm of possibility that others do as well.”
Anthony feared where this was going. “Have you heard something?”
“No. But Anthony, the Season is nearly upon us.”
“Yes.”
Lark frowned. “I don’t want to have this conversation.”
“I gathered.”
“The thing is, you promised your mother you’d find a wife by the end of this Season.”
This again. “I did.”
