Page 13 of Educated By the Earl (Second Sons of London 1)

Chapter Four

Spencer did notwant to stoop to gossip—but he was intrigued enough by Lady Tessa to see if he could find out anything further about her.

That meant a conversation with Rigsby.

It amazed him how much information the valet passed along to him in daily conversation as he shaved and dressed Spencer. Even though they had only come to town a few weeks ago, he knew Rigsby would know something about the Uxbridge household.

“I have invited Lord Uxbridge and his family to dinner tomorrow evening,” he began, testing the waters.

“Oh, have you now, my lord?” Rigsby nodded in approval. “Hopefully, it will make up for things.”

“What things?”

Rigsby’s brows arched. “The fact that you turned down a perfectly good dinner invitation from the earl without providing any decent explanation as to why you did so.”

Baffled, Spencer asked, “How do you know about that?”

The valet shrugged. “Servants talk, my lord. Especially ones in such close proximity. I know pretty much everything going on around this square. I can tell you who recently arrived. What family won’t be attendance this Season due to a new baby’s arrival. How long most families plan to remain in town. Which ones will host events for the upcoming Season.”

“Wellington should have used you as a spy on the peninsula,” he said.

Rigsby beamed at the compliment. “Just tell me what you wish to know, my lord. I will do my best to find out the information for you.”

Though he felt like a gossiping girl, Spencer said, “Since I have invited the earl and his family to dinner, I should at least know how many guests are coming. To tell Cook how many to expect, of course.”

Rigsby bit back a smile. “Certainly, my lord. Well, you have the earl himself. An affable fellow, by all accounts. His politics are a bit conservative. He usually votes how his younger brother tells him to when a vote in the House of Lords comes up.”

“Who might Lord Uxbridge’s brother be?”

“Sir Edgar something. He works in the War Office. The brothers are close.”

“Who else?”

Rigsby scratched his chin. “Well, there is Lady Uxbridge. She’s nice to her servants. A bit of a featherhead. Enjoys coming to the Season in order to visit with her friends. There’s a daughter. Lady Adalyn. Now, she’s well known in theton. Pretty and vivacious. The earl’s child.”

When Rigsby fell silent, Spencer said, “So, it will be three for dinner then?”

“I would say four, my lord. Lord Uxbridge’s niece, Lady Tessa, is here this year. Her father died and she went to live with Lord Uxbridge, her mother’s brother. She’s a favorite with the servants. Polite and friendly, she is. Doesn’t cause much fuss.”

Spencer refrained from chuckling, knowing Lady Tessa bringing home a street urchin to serve as her lady’s maid would certainly cause a fuss.

“Then I will inform Cook it will be four for dinner tomorrow. You have been most helpful, Rigsby.”

“Anytime, my lord. Especially during the Season.”

“Why the Season?” he asked.

“Will you be looking for a bride?” the valet questioned.

If he was, sharing it with his valet wasn’t what Spencer had in mind. “It remains to be seen,” he said, not committing one way or the other.

“If you are considering a young lady, just let me know, my lord. I’ll do my best to ferret out any information about her that might help you in making your decision.”

Feeling he was stooping too low, he merely grunted. Let Rigsby take that however he chose.

“You might also want to start going to your club, my lord,” the valet recommended.

“Why so?”

---