Page 19 of Seeking Ruin

Chapter Seven

“He’s late.” Sebastian casually opened his pocket watch, suppressed a yawn. “I wonder if he will come.

“I’m starting to wonder that myself,” Jasper Featherston, the Marquess of Amberwood and his dearest friend, replied dryly with an odd calm about him for a man about to engage in a duel. The dawn light was just beginning to bathe the field with its dim morning gloom, mist creeping over the grass. The sight only served to make Sebastian sleepier, especially considering that they were likely to be standing here for a good long while more, as he was entirely certain that Lord Wardely was not going to show.

Amberwood had returned to London only a few weeks prior, having both achieved his aim of retrieving Francesca and somehow managing to get himself married to Sophie Berrington. Apparently, James Berrington’s actions had been in response to his father’s own ploy to trade Miss Berrington’s hand in marriage to Baron Wardely in exchange for some obscene amount of money, hence why the boy had abandoned Kitty the moment her lack of dowry became known. Wardely’s plot had been foiled by Amberwood marrying his intended bride, and all would have been well had the man not began spewing obscenities about the woman in public, prompting Amberwood to call him out in the middle of a crowded ballroom last evening. Which is what brought them here to Battersea Fields at five in the goddamn morning. The only thing that could have made the day worse would be if Amberwood were actually in any danger from a duel, which he was not, even if he was still currently unaware of that fact.

Sebastian debated telling him of his little visit with Barrow to Wardely’s home only a few hours ago. He’d intended on keeping mum for the sake of Amberwood’s pride, but he was getting damn tired, and hungry to boot. Well, he thought with an inward smile as he began fishing into his pocket, the latter problem could be somewhat rectified. He pulled out one of the tea sandwiches that he’d discreetly swiped from his kitchen before he’d left to see Wardely and pick Amberwood up.

His friend looked at him in disbelief. “Did you seriously bring food?”

“I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. Sebastian shrugged as he unwrapped a handkerchief from around the snack and took a bite out of the corner. “I brought more if you want some.”

Amberwood narrowed his eyes. “You are being awfully calm for someone potentially about to see his best friend die.”

It appeared the jig was up, though he shouldn’t have been surprised. Amberwood was smart as a whip when he wanted to be. “Wardely is running late, so I doubt he will show.”

“Which you couldn’t have known. Unless…”

“Unless?” Sebastian prompted with a cryptic smile.

Amberwood sighed irritably. “You threatened him before the morning, didn’t you?”

“Perhaps. Though, he could be brave enough to defy me. You never know.” From the way Wardely had nearly pissed himself the moment he and Barrow had strolled into the man’s drawing room for their little ‘chat’, Sebastian did not think he would be brave enough to do so.

“I doubt that,” Amberwood replied, rolling his eyes.

If he were being honest, there had been just a smidgen of unease that things would go as well as they had, it was his best friend’s life on the line, after all. Sebastian’s chest lightened as the tiny anxiety melted away. They both tensed as some trees in the distance rustled, but it was only Barrow who emerged from the foliage, much to Sebastian’s relief.

“Have I missed it already?” their third friend called with a wave.

“Hail, Barrow,” Sebastian replied as the man trotted up to them. “Unfortunately for you, our little chat with him worked.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Barrow went too?” Amberwood said as he ran an irritated hand over his face.

“You really think we would have let you get yourself killed?” Barrow replied. “The social ruin Wardely will face with this no show is justice enough.” That, combined with the scathing cut direct Sebastian had given the baron at last night’s ball just before Amberwood had arrived, would well and truly ruin the man. He could still remember the satisfaction he’d felt after embarrassing Wardely so thoroughly. Really, Amberwood’s challenge hadn’t even been necessary, but the fool was in love and eager to be his marchioness’s champion. The only thing missing had been Kitty being there to gloat with him. His thoughts drifted to the young woman, who had somehow wormed her way into his esteem within a matter of days with her theatrics. He hadn’t seen her since that afternoon in her parlor several weeks ago, Lord and Lady Amberwood’s arrival back in London derailing the planned excursion Vauxhall. He was not too proud to admit that he missed the entertaining woman, even if he had to endure the increasingly herculean task of resisting her misguided advances.

He was jolted from his thoughts as Amberwood snatched the sandwich out of his hand. “Dammit you two,” the marquess grumbled as he took a petulant bite from the corner. “My manly pride is ruined.

Barrow shook his head with a scoff. “Your manly pride wouldn’t matter much in a grave, now would it? You silly aristocrats and your stupid traditions. It’s a wonder the country hasn’t collapsed already.”

“Oh, come now, we aren’t all bad,” Sebastian replied as he produced another sandwich, even though he shared Barrow’s opinion more often than not as of late. “There’s me and Amberwood, after all.”

Barrow jabbed an accusatory finger at him. “You nearly lost me half my patrons after Lord Emberton caught you tupping his wife in one of my back rooms.”

Sebastian nearly rolled his eyes and continued eating as Barrow whirled on Amberwood and continued his bickering, the club owner conveniently choosing to forget that their friendship wouldn’t even exist had he not committed that fatal error with Lady Emberton all those years ago. He finished his snack as the two kept arguing, but paused in the middle of shaking the crumbs from his hands at the sight of a young woman cresting a distant hill.

“I say, is that your cousin spying on us from the hill?” Barrow asked Amberwood, who muttered something and squinted in the direction that Barrow was gesturing towards.

It was indeed Lady Francesca, Sebastian noted. Two more ladies sidled up behind her, Lady Amberwood and another woman whose appearance filled him with pleasure. Kitty met his gaze and gave him a cheerful little wave as Lady Amberwood fled from her arms. He caught himself on the cusp of returning the silly gesture like a fool, only giving her a nod and a small smile and choosing not to dwell on the fact that just the sight of her after only a few weeks was fizzing up his head to an embarrassing degree.

**

Kitty strolled down the hill at a leisurely pace, exhausted with relief for Sophie.

“Thank God it seems that Wardely decided not to show, for the duel would have surely been underway by now,” Lady Francesca said as they walked, color coming back to her previously ghostly pallor. They’d run into each other at the entrance to Amberwood’s home this morning but hadn’t spoken much between that and escorting Sophie to the dueling grounds. What did one say to the woman who ran off with your own fiancée in plain view? Not that she held any malice towards the girl, as it was apparent that Lady Francesca had been as ignorant as she.

“Yes, I am glad of it.” Kitty wrung her hands as they reached the bottom of the hill. “I’m not mad, you know,” she blurted impulsively.

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