Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

A lex sat in the billiard room at White's, staring down the grandfather clock on the wall and listening to the general buzz around the room. A group of gentleman had gathered to drink whiskey, port, or any other sort of alcoholic beverage while they commiserated about troubles with the women in their lives, but Alex participated in none of it. Firstly, that he had nothing to complain about the women in his life, and secondly, he'd much rather have a lovely lemonade to drink instead. It wouldn't seem completely out of place, considering how blasted hot it was in early July. It was just about time for Parliament to conclude, when all the titled and wealthy would retreat to the cooler weather of the countryside, but not yet.

So it was here Alex would remain until he could finally meet with Mr. Grisham. The man had been avoiding Alex it seemed, so it required the duke arranging the meeting. Norland had even agreed to accompany them to discuss the matter, which had been long awaited from months before. But it was now five to the hour, and neither of them had arrived yet. The other gentlemen in the room had invited him to join their round of billiards, but Alex declined, wanting to focus on the task at hand. This was not a conversation that could start with distractions.

The door opened to the billiard room, and Alex held his breath, hoping and dreading who might be entering, but instead of Mr. Grisham or even the duke, Alex's heart sank.

It was Mr. Evans.

Why the devil was this man everywhere Alex did not want him to be?

"Oh, Mr. Westcott. Good afternoon."

Alex watched with his mouth hanging open as the gentleman closed the door behind him and scurried over to the chair opposite Alex, sitting stiffly and offering an awkward smile.

"Uh… how do you do, Mr. Evans?" Alex asked when he finally gathered his wits. He didn't want to rudely dismiss the man, even though it probably would have felt justified after their last few interactions, but more than that, this was just the sort of distraction that Alex did not want.

"I'm quite all right, thank you," Mr. Evans replied, though Alex had a hard time believing him. The man could not stop fidgeting in his seat, or repeatedly folding and unfolding his hands. Something was definitely not all right.

"And what brings you back to London?" Alex watched him cautiously.

"Oh, I'm sure you're surprised to see me, aren't you? Considering we just crossed paths in Bath, of course." The man let out an unsteady laugh, which kept Alex even more on edge. "It's actually a lucky thing that I found you here, because I have something I wanted to say to you."

Alex blinked. "To me?"

Mr. Evans nodded, and the sweat accumulating on his brow in the warm room only accentuated his youthfulness. Alex was certain he was at least five years the man's senior, which meant Mr. Evans certainly would have been a better suitor for Emily in all aspects. Closer in age could mean they might have more shared interests, but perhaps that was the extent of their compatibility. For with how much Alex had learned about his wife over the last few months, he was not certain that Mr. Evans could handle the woman that Emily was. Her strong personality and forthright conversation, not to mention the recently revealed nature of her birth, it would certainly put this man in a conniption. Alex felt confident that Emily had married the right man, but now he just needed to make sure nothing would ever take them apart.

"I was in Bath, as you may recall," Mr. Evans finally spoke again. "And after briefly meeting with you and your wife on the street, there seemed to be certain whispers developing."

Whispers were never good, no matter what corner of the country they developed in. "And what did these whispers entail?"

Mr. Evans tugged on his cravat, which had been haphazardly tied at best. "For some reason, it has unfortunately been suggested that… your wife and I had recently been entangled in an affair."

Alex let the words settle over him as he ground his jaw. "I see." The anger in his chest had quickly started roiling. There was something about this man that always put him in the worst of moods, and which also tended to make him see red with rage. But Alex had made a determination long ago to not become the sort of man his father was, even though that seemed to be the very last thought when presented with such a notion about his wife. Still, he tried to remain civil as he asked, "And can you confirm there is no foundation for such treacherous whispers?"

"Oh certainly, Mr. Westcott." The fool nearly fell out of his chair. "I can assure you, though I was fond of Miss Clay, I would never do something so dishonorable as to seek out a married woman. Nor have I dared to touch her the way you have."

Such a declaration made Alex burst out in laughter, which eased his building tension. Still Mr. Evans went on about that balcony kiss, the one that made Alex the luckiest man alive in securing just the right woman for him.

"I understand. Thank you for making it clear before the rumors surge here in London." Alex glanced at the grandfather clock. Three minutes before the hour. Still his guests had not come. "Was there something more you wished to discuss?"

"Um, yes, actually. Though you may think me too eager in my approach. I am concerned about keeping Miss Clay, that is, Mrs. Westcott's reputation void of any scandal, along with my own as well. Is there some way that we might put these rumors to bed before it has a chance to properly grow?"

Alex wanted to laugh again at his choice of words, but he refrained, for at least Mr. Evans' motive was admirable. "I am certainly willing to help. What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I couldn't know. Just some matter of business that we could conduct that would serve as the reason for our interactions the last few months. That would be the excuse given to society in order to protect Mrs. Westcott and myself."

"I suppose that would be wise. Have you any particular interests that we might align on?"

"Well, I don't know if you frequent the horse races, but perhaps we could say that we met in Newmarket or Ascot. My father has an exceptional interest in breeding horses, which is the reason for our most recent visit to the country estate, to oversee the birth of his newest foal."

Alex wanted to give an eye of disdain, for his own father had special interest in horse racing and breeding as well, though nothing had ever come of it. And yet, that seemed to be the answer, the one thing they could connect on that would save the woman he loved.

"And are you in the market to purchase a stud horse, Mr. Evans?"