Chapter Two

F elix entered Marco's . This particular gentlemen's establishment was not exclusive like White's. Anyone was welcome to make an appearance. Spend some time playing games. Sit and talk. Read the local papers. Enjoy some drinks. Felix had never been to White's, but he assumed Marco's wasn't too different from White's, except, perhaps, for the furnishings that were rumored to be superior. Also, White's was notorious for running wagers, though the nature of them was supposed to be a secret from non-members. Not that the secrecy always worked.

Once in a while, the Tittletattle would reveal a wager to all of London's residents, and scandal would ensue. Felix had no desire to enter wagers where money could be easily lost. Being able to sit in a chair, so plush that it could be compared to sitting on a cloud, however, had a certain appeal to it, especially since all of the furnishings in Felix's townhouse were decades old. While his sister's marriage had given him some money, he wanted to save it, just in case he needed the money for something important. Luxuries like new furnishings could wait until he was better established.

He scanned the room until he found his brother. Oscar was lounging back in a chair while he nibbled on a scone. Felix retrieved a glass and poured water into it. He wasn't thirsty, but he needed to drink something so he wouldn't be tempted to grab some brandy. It was difficult to sit in a room where other gentlemen were drinking alcohol. Most gentlemen could handle liquor. Oscar happened to be one of them. Felix could not recall a time when Oscar was drunk. If Felix could've had the willpower that Oscar did, he wouldn't have to abstain from it. Sometimes he missed the taste of liquor.

Pushing the thought aside, he sat down next to his brother. He glanced at the crumbs on his brother's frock coat and chose to ignore it. At least, Oscar wasn't making the mess in their townhouse.

"Well, I did it," Felix said. "I am now betrothed to Lady Elizabeth."

"Did the Duke of Ivandore give you a difficult time?" Oscar asked.

"No, surprisingly, he was quite agreeable."

"That's good, isn't it? You were afraid that he was going to yell at you for what you did to his cousin's reputation."

Felix shifted in his chair. "Yes, I was worried about that." He rubbed his thumb along the edge of the glass. "Maybe I imagined it, but it almost seems like His Grace was a little too happy to get rid of her."

"Of course, he was eager to get rid of her. No one wants to be in charge of a lady who can't find a husband. There's no worse fate for a lady than spinsterhood. Marriage is the best thing for them. Why, just look at our sister. I can't recall a time I've seen her happier."

Yes, Lydia was happy with Guy. There was no denying that. Although Felix would never come out and say it, he envied their state of bliss. It must be nice to be in a love match. Felix took a sip of his water, wishing it was brandy. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Lord Dayton came up to them and snickered at Felix. "So you're going to marry the harpy."

"It's not fair to call her that, Adam," Oscar rebutted before Felix had the chance. "Felix made up all those rumors about her. None of them were true."

"I didn't make up all of the rumors," Felix corrected. "Some of those were done by other people."

Adam shrugged. "Does it matter? All of London thinks she's a harpy, so she's a harpy."

Felix grimaced. "I wish more people would mind their own business instead of listening to the ravings of a drunk man."

"But the ravings of a drunk man are entertaining," Adam said in amusement. "One might also say that a man is most honest when he's drunk. Things men would never say while sober tend to come out when the liquor does their talking for them."

"I wasn't telling the truth about her," Felix protested. "I made those stories up because I was mad at her."

Adam arched an eyebrow. "I'm not so sure those are just rumors. I heard she has a pretty high opinion of herself."

"A lot of ladies have a high opinion of themselves," Oscar inserted. "Especially the beautiful ones. And there's no denying that Lady Elizabeth is very beautiful."

"Beautiful or not," Felix argued with a pointed look at both gentlemen, "what I did was wrong. She did not deserve what happened to her. I have a title, and I should have lived up to it."

Adam was undeterred by Felix's words. "I'm tired of these ladies who think they are God's gift to the world. It's not like you asked her to run off into the bushes to enjoy a secret rendezvous with you. All you did was ask her for a dance. The least she could have done was agree to it."

Felix shook his head. "While I concede that it would have been the polite thing to do, she is not the only one to blame here. I should have behaved better than I did. It's like the Good Book says, ‘Turn the other cheek.'"

"A person can only be expected to turn the other cheek so many times before they've had enough."

"But I didn't know her before that evening. I should have gracefully accepted her answer instead of acting like a child about it."

"You should be glad the judge didn't condemn you for murder," Lord Maxwell called out. "Marriage is something a gentleman can overcome. A hanging, on the other hand, is final."

Felix glanced around the room and realized that most of the gentlemen had stopped talking to their friends so they could focus on his conversation with Adam. His face warmed. How long had they been paying attention to them? How much had they heard?

Horatio Abbot, the Duke of Creighton, poured brandy into his glass and told Lord Maxwell, "He is grateful for that." He set the decanter down then capped it. "But a gentleman has just as much to fear from the wrath of a wronged lady as he does a hangman's noose."

Lord Maxwell snorted. "What can a lady possibly do? It's a gentleman's world."

His Grace settled into a vacant chair next to Adam. "It might be a gentleman's world when we're in public, but when we're at home, everything is ruled by the wife." He took a sip of brandy.

"That's only if he lets her rule things," Lord Maxwell argued. "Not all of us are weak like you. If I had a sister, I would never let her marry a butler because she refuses to be with a titled gentleman."

In all of the excitement over the past month, Felix forgot that Horatio had chosen to bless his sister's marriage instead of insisting on an annulment. Felix's sister, Lydia, was good friends with Horatio's sister, Rachel. While Felix knew the gentleman, they weren't close friends, but he knew him well enough to realize how important Horatio valued Rachel's opinion. Considering how much Felix loved his own sister, that wasn't a bad trait like Lord Maxwell thought.

"Not everything is about money and titles," Horatio told Lord Maxwell, not the least bit bothered by the gentleman's criticism. "Marriage is a lifetime commitment. You shouldn't force someone to spend a lifetime with someone they don't love."

Lord Maxwell shrugged. "Love is for sonnets and songs. Marriage is for an heir and a spare."

"That's a grim view of things," Felix inserted, surprised by the gentleman's skepticism toward love.

"It's not grim. It's realistic," Lord Maxwell replied. "To make a marriage work, all one needs is a lady of good reputation and money."

"And to make sure the lady understands her happiness doesn't matter," Horatio added. "Am I right?"

Lord Maxwell sighed. "I'm not a brute, but I refuse to let a lady dictate my life for me. I'm not weak like you are."

"He's not weak," Oscar spoke up in an effort to defend Horatio. "He's considerate."

"‘Considerate' is a nice way of saying ‘weak'," Lord Maxwell argued.

Before Oscar or Felix could comment, Horatio stopped them. "It doesn't matter what he thinks. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks," he added to the group of gentlemen who were still watching the whole exchange. "I stand by my decision to let my sister remain married. Her husband is a fine person, and he will adjust nicely to his new station."

Lord Maxwell rolled his eyes but didn't answer.

Looking satisfied, Horatio glanced at Felix. "Even if things between you and Lady Elizabeth aren't ideal, I hope you will treat her better than Lord Maxwell would if he were in your situation."

Felix hid the urge to grimace. He had hoped they had forgotten all about him during their squabble. Since Horatio expected him to respond, he promised, "I will be kind to her."

"I think she's the one who should be kind to him," Adam said. "Lady Elizabeth isn't like your sister, Horatio. Lady Elizabeth thinks she's better than the rest of us. It might be good for her to realize that she's not. I'm not saying that I like all of the rumors swirling around London about her, but maybe it'll humble her."

"What did Lady Elizabeth do to you?" Oscar asked, not hiding his surprise.

"Nothing," Adam replied. "But I knew her brother, and you pick up on things when you let someone talk long enough. I suppose it's not all of her fault that she is the way she is. He had a hand in it. He didn't treat her the way Horatio treats his sister, but he did expect her to be better than everyone else." He paused. "I don't know the exact nature of that family relationship, but they looked down on the rest of us. They seemed to think of themselves as royalty." He shot Felix a pointed look. "She considers herself a queen while the rest of us are lowly peasants."

Felix supposed he shouldn't let the conversation go on about Lady Elizabeth, but Adam had piqued his curiosity. "How well did you know her brother?"

"I met with him a few times," Adam said. "The encounters were strictly business."

Really? Felix had heard that Adam liked to act in plays. He didn't recall Lady Elizabeth's brother having anything to do with the theatre. "What kind of business?"

Adam took a moment to say, "He hired me for a few jobs. It's nothing worth discussing."

It wasn't? Now Felix's interest was piqued even more. "Were these jobs related to the theatre?"

"No. And there's nothing else to discuss about it."

Felix was shocked at the gentleman's curt response. Adam was hiding something. Either the jobs Lady Elizabeth's brother had hired him to do were embarrassing, or they were serious enough to warrant secrecy.

Adam rose to his feet and turned to Oscar, who was drinking the remaining brandy in his glass. "I tire of being here. Do you want to see if that shop has new beakers in yet?"

Oscar agreed, and the two left the establishment.

Felix noted the way the other gentlemen turned back to their games and conversations. He had no idea that Adam and Oscar leaving would mean the others would finally ignore him. Had he known that, he would have pried into Adam's business sooner.

"So," Horatio began, "when is the wedding?"

"I don't know yet. The Duke of Ivandore will let me know as soon as he gets the special license." His gut tightened in dread. He hoped it took a long time to set up special licenses.

"What do you think of him?"

"The Duke of Ivandore?"

Horatio nodded.

Felix thought it over and said, "He seems amiable. I think I might like him if I got a chance to know him better."

"Did you get a chance to talk with Lady Elizabeth?"

Felix shook his head. "Maybe that's for the best. I don't know what to say to her."

"You could apologize."

Yes, he understood that much. He just didn't know what he should say after that. He took a deep breath and slowly released it. He supposed it made no sense to worry about it. He would cross that bridge when he came to it.