Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

W ith one shoulder propped against the display case, Ethan observed his sister through narrowed eyes. Gigi, being Gigi, showed no sign of being discomfited by his hard stare. She occupied the settee, sipping tea and exclaiming over the delicious scones. Xenia had brought in a tray earlier, then promptly fled before Ethan could make more than cursory introductions.

Given the tension in the room, he didn't blame her.

Flanking Gigi were her escorts, who happened to be Ethan's estranged cronies. Simon Parkhurst, a stylish rake with a mop of copper locks, sat in the wingchair to her right, and Cyril Canning, dark-haired and somber-looking, occupied the one to her left. Ethan was grateful that the pair had looked after his sister. While he suspected their actions were not solely prompted by their loyalty to him—Gigi had a habit of wrapping males around her finger—he was relieved that they'd insisted on accompanying her here.

Truth be told, he also felt guilty. After discovering Constance's perfidy with Blake, Ethan had cut off not only Blake but also the rest of the group, which included Parkhurst and Canning. At the time, the two had claimed that they had no knowledge of Blake's betrayal, but Ethan had been too angry to care. He'd lashed out and accused them of being traitors.

There would be time to apologize…after he dealt with his sister.

"Tell me what happened, Gigi," he said flatly. "Every detail. Leave nothing out."

Sighing, Gigi set down her cup. "I got into a bit of a scrape, that's all."

This did not come as a surprise. He'd been bailing Gigi out of scrapes for the past twenty-one years. Spirited and willful, his baby sister had a tendency to do as she pleased. In fact, she and Xenia had that in common, and he suspected that they would get along like a house on fire. The idea of his sister and his lover getting acquainted probably should have concerned him, but for some reason it didn't.

Gigi hadn't liked any of the ladies who'd flocked to him during the height of his fame. She'd been particularly disapproving of Constance, no matter how hard his ex-fiancée had tried to win her favor. He used to think Gigi was a brat. Now he considered that she might be an excellent judge of character.

"If it is just a scrape," he said, "why did you say you were ruined?"

"Because Society is stupid."

Since he couldn't argue, he waited, brows raised.

"It was nothing," she insisted. "I was at a ball two nights ago, and it was a dreadful bore, so I decided to get some air in the garden?—"

"You went to the garden unchaperoned?"

"There's no need to raise your voice," Gigi said primly. "If I wanted a lecture, I would have gone to James. Anyway, I didn't think I needed a chaperone since I only intended to be out there for a minute or two. Unfortunately, I ran into Sir Fenton."

Ethan's chest tightened at the mention of the corpulent fortune hunter.

If that bastard tried to lay a hand on Gigi, I am going to call him out.

"What happened?" he asked grimly.

"At first, it was the usual nonsense. He was pouring on the butterboat about my looks, my genteel disposition—clearly, he doesn't know me well—and so forth. He spoke at an atrociously loud volume, probably hoping that we would be discovered. Then I would be compromised and have to accept his offer. I could not let that happen…so I made a run for it."

At the idea of his sister having to flee from Fenton, scarlet splattered Ethan's vision.

"I'm going to kill him," he decided.

" No ." Gigi's violet eyes widened with her first show of concern. "You are not to murder anyone. And calling out the bounder will only draw attention to what happened—the very thing I was trying to prevent by fleeing."

"You cannot expect me to do nothing when the bloody bastard chased you?—"

"Sir Fenton didn't chase me. In case you haven't noticed, he is at least five stone overweight and lethargic at the best of times. Simply put, he was too lazy to pursue me. He didn't cause the harm to my reputation—a stick did."

Ethan strove to control his temper. "Explain."

"I tripped. Over a dashed branch." Gigi huffed out a breath. "I had the bad luck to land in a rosebush, and the thorns ripped my bodice and one of my sleeves. I didn't realize the extent of the damage until I returned to the ballroom and noticed the stares and whispers behind fans. I tried to explain that I'd slipped outside?—"

"Where were Mama and Papa?" Ethan asked the obvious question.

"Um, they could not make it." Gigi bit her lip, her gaze darting briefly to the side. "They were out of town, and Lady Darby was acting as my chaperone."

A friend of the family, Lady Darby was a gentle widow and no match for Gigi's antics. Mama and Papa ought to have known better than to leave Gigi in her care…then the realization hit him.

"They were taking care of Owen, you mean," he said starkly.

Gigi gave a small nod. "Owen had another, um, episode, and they took him to recover at the family seat. I wanted to stay in London, so they left me with Lady Darby."

Bloody Owen. Of course this is his fault. He causes trouble for everyone…even if he cannot help it.

Resentment and concern were a confounding mix, and Ethan took a steadying breath.

"Since they're occupied, I came to you. You'll let me stay, won't you?" Gigi wheedled. "Until the scandal blows over?"

She was staring at him with beseeching eyes…eyes that they'd both inherited from their mama. Of the four siblings, they were the closest in looks and temperament; perhaps that was why she'd always come to him first when she was in trouble. At least, until his injury. With gnawing shame, he realized that of late he'd been so wrapped up in his misery that he'd failed to be a proper big brother.

He addressed Parkhurst and Canning with a nod. "How did the two of you get involved with my sister's mess?"

"I was at the ball," Parkhurst replied.

He was, as usual, dressed in the latest fashion with a stylishly knotted cravat and frock coat, his copper curls in artful disarray. He was an aspiring painter, and despite his boyish looks, an exceptional rabble-rouser. Indeed, his drinking prowess had caused Ethan to lose the bet that made him the owner of Bottoms House.

"I heard the talk, but Lady Gigi had already left," he went on. "When I went to call on her the next day at Lady Darby's, I, er, saw her leaving. Out a back window. I offered to escort her wherever she was going."

" Et tu , Parkhurst?" Gigi muttered.

"I was with Parkhurst since I'd heard about the incident at the club," Canning added.

Dark-haired and lanky, Canning had an air of earnestness. Although he came from noble stock, his family's changing fortunes made it necessary for him to have a career. However, his true passion was writing. As far as Ethan knew, he'd been working on the same novel for years. The fact that he'd heard about Gigi's latest escapade at his club was bad news.

"I didn't need either of you," Gigi said sulkily. "I was going to travel with my maid Colette."

"You are fortunate Parkhurst and Canning saw you safely here," Ethan clipped out. "Have you informed our parents about the incident and your whereabouts?"

"I wrote them, and I left a note for Lady Darby."

Ethan turned to his friends. "You have my gratitude."

"Think nothing of it," Canning said. "You would do the same for us."

"We also wanted to see how you were getting on with the Double Ar…with, ahem, your new abode." Parkhurst cleared his throat, clearly remembering that a lady was present. "I must say you've done wonders with the place, old chap."

"The credit goes to my housekeeper, Mrs. Wood," Ethan said with pride.

"She seems lovely," Gigi said brightly. "She's young to be a housekeeper, isn't she?"

He didn't like the speculative glint in her eyes. While he didn't mind if she and Xenia got to know one another, he needed to settle things with his lover first. To convince Xenia that she could trust him with whatever she was running from. In the meantime, he didn't want his madcap sister scaring her off.

"James found her," he said noncommittally. "She came with excellent references."

"Speaking of James, could we invite him and Evie over for supper?" Gigi asked hopefully. "I haven't seen Evie in ages and miss her dreadfully."

"Get settled first." Ethan shook his head. "Then we can talk about supper parties."

"And this is why you are my favorite brother!"

With a happy squeal, Gigi threw her arms around him. He stilled. Gigi had always been affectionate, yet in recent years he'd pushed her away, along with everyone else. He realized now that he missed their closeness. He returned her hug before letting her go.

Turning to his friends, he said, "You are both welcome to stay. The manor isn't fully restored but?—"

"We would enjoy the country air." Parkhurst came over, slapped him on the back.

Canning smiled slowly. "It will be like old times."

"Without the drinking contests," Ethan said with feeling. "One tumbledown manor is all I can manage."