Page 14 of The Scoundrel and the Lady

“I suspect this is nothing more than a misunderstanding. The intention of the articles is to highlight the different sides of men. Certainly, you must have noticed that men tend to only share one side of themselves with ladies—the polished, gentle side. The articles are intended to shine a light, as it were, on the grittier side of their behavior,” he said.

“I refuse to believe men have such vastly different behavior.” She shook her head, then set down her tea. “I am not so naive as to not realize that gentlemen partake of a modicum of smoking and drinking away from the company of women, but that most assuredly does not mean that they all carouse and act like nothing more than wastrels.”

“I think you would be surprised what men do when the womenfolk are not watching.” He took a sip of his tea, and she watched as his lips touched the teacup.

Good heavens, what had gotten into her? She suspected he was right about some of the men in London, but certainly not all of them. “There are plenty of well-behaved gentlemen in this town. Not all of them womanize, or gamble away their family’s fortunes.”

“Lady Iris, might I be bold with you?”

Her heart raced, but she nodded.

“Men are the same regardless of where they are from. The only difference is that the aristocracy does their best to hide their nefarious behaviors from the gentler sex.” He leaned back and crossed his long legs at the ankle. “These articles are merely there to bring to light what they go to such lengths to hide.”

“Satire. Yes, I gathered that when I read them. But obviously there are people out there who don’t understand that, and they are taking the advice to heart.”

His head tilted and a slow smile slid into place. “Much of the material in my paper is satirical. Or had you not noticed the cartoons?”

“I didn’t bother reading anything save those articles because they, and you, by extension, are single-handedly ruining my brother. He should learn to behave as a proper gentleman, not this reckless cad that he’s become.”

“You give me too much credit, my lady. I’m afraid that you have simply refused to see that all men want to behave in such ways. You are being naive.”

“No. Your articles have given Jasper permission to behave badly. True gentlemen know how to control their urges and live in moderation.” She’d seen as much with Harriet and Agnes’s brothers. They had impeccable reputations. “Tell me, Lord Ashby, did you come to my home merely to insult me?”

“Of course not. Perhaps I could discuss this with your brother. Explain things to him so he could learn to be more discreet.”

“Discreet? Discretion is not the problem. No, thank you. I would not trust you to turn anyone into a gentleman, least of all my brother.”

His brows rose in a challenge. “I’ll wager you that I can pass off anyone as a gentleman. Your brother, for example,” he said.

“Why would you do that?” she asked.

“I have something you can do for me in return.”

She swallowed. “And what would that be?”

“As it turns out, you and I have something in common. A younger sibling that could use some guidance. In my case, my sister, Lucinda.”

“Oh, I see.” There was no need for her to feel disappointment, yet she could not deny a twinge of that very thing.

“I’m not certain how much of my background you know, Lady Iris, but I was not raised in Society as you were. Neither was my sister. I am the son of a merchant, and I started as a young man at the Daily Scandal, worked my way up, and eventually bought the entire paper. Not even a year ago, a distant cousin died without any other heirs, and suddenly I became the Earl of Ashby. My sister”—he shook his head—“well, I’m afraid she does not have the requisite skills to survive a debut. But she very much wants one. I cannot, in good conscience, send her out among the wolves, as it were.”

A merchant’s son turned earl. She had heard tell of such a story, but had not made the connection. His sister likely did need a tutor of sorts, to help her navigate all the intricacies of Society.

“My proposition is this: I shall tutor your brother on the ways of a gentleman and you, in turn, tutor my sister on how to be a lady,” he said.

She frowned. “I do beg your pardon. I don’t intend this to be insulting in any way, but how are you in a position to instruct anyone how to be a gentleman?”

He smiled, and her heart stuttered; he was so very handsome. She was a complete goose. “Good question. I can tell you that, though I haven’t technically been a gentleman for long, I have been studying them for years. My paper has made—”

“A mockery of gentleman,” she suggested.

He nodded. “At times, yes. But I know what they consider the appropriate behavior, and I can transform anyone. If not your brother, then anyone off the street.”

“That’s quite boastful of you.” Perhaps she was not approaching this as Harriet had suggested for their seven deadly sins task, but his impromptu wager might provide her the opportunity to accomplish the same thing.

“I’m rather confident in my ability.”

Iris eyed her friends and took a deep breath. They had met for their usual Wednesday luncheon, but she knew she’d been unusually quiet. She knew she had to tell them about the wager with Lord Ashby, but she hadn’t quite figured out how to do it.

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