“I’ll just take these intothe morning room and review them to determine which functions wewill attend.” She turned and breezed out of the room. A collectivesigh from the remaining occupants followed herdisappearance.
“Your townhome isn’t sosmall that I couldn’t move in as well, is it?” Moira pitched hervoice low on the off chance her mother might overhear her. “You aremy guardian after all, Nyle.”
Alvina genuinely smiled. “I would loveto have you, you know that.”
“But,” her brotherinterrupted, “Mother would visit even more often than she alreadydoes, and I don’t wish for my wife to run off to the countrywithout me just to get away.”
“Why should I sufferalone?” Moira thrust out her lower lip.
“I’ve suffered more yearsthan you. Simply marry some fellow, and then you can live under hisroof.”
Moira grinned. “That is exactly what Iplan to do, as soon as I find the right gentleman.”
“And compromise him, Ihear.”
Moira stiffened at thecold, hard tone of her brother’s voice. Rarely did she hear suchfrom him, and it had never been directed toward her. “It was ajest.” Sort of.“And said only to Alvina. I don’t know why you should beconcerned.” She should have known Alvina would have mentioned herplans to Nyle. Within the first year of their marriage, Moiraquickly learned that if anything was said to Alvina, it was beingsaid to Nyle as well.
“Because my wife isn’t theonly one who heard you.”
Moira shrugged. “What does it matter?”She reached forward to pick a cake from the tray.
Nyle leaned in as well. “It mattersbecause your little comment prompted a notation in the betting bookat White’s.”
“I beg your pardon?” Herfingers sank into the moist sponge and her stomach rumbled inanticipation.
“You were overheard, andone wagered the other. Apparently, dear sister, there are twogentlemen who have nothing better to do than to listen to youngladies’ conversations.”
“They wagered overme?”
Nyle nodded solemnly. “And thepenniless Lord Lydell. The wager involves you compromising thefellow before the Season is done.”
Moria’s heart pounded. What an awfulturn of events. “Who is Lord Lydell?” she asked, though she wasafraid of the answer. She returned the cake to the plate, no longerhungry.
“A marquess,” Nylereplied. “So you could do worse for a title, not that I want youcompromising anyone.”
A marquess. Honestly, the man’s titlemeant very little to Moira. “Does he have an estate inScotland?”
“Scotland? What does thathave to do with anything?” her brother raged.
Alvina reached over and gently touchedNyle’s arm. “It doesn’t matter.”
Maybe Alvina didn’t tellNyle everything.
He met Alvina’s eyes and his shouldersrelaxed before turning back to Moira. “Lord Lydell does not have anestate in Scotland.”
“Then I shan’t compromisehim,” Moira assured her brother, enjoying the various flushed tonesto his skin, and picked up the cake once again.
“You won’tcompromise anyone.”
“Hush, before Mother hearsyou.” The last thing Moira needed was her mother getting wind ofher plans or the scandalous bet in the infamous book. She wouldn’tbe allowed out of doors the rest of the Season. “I don’t know themarquess. Why should he be attached to my name?”
“Lydell needs an heiress,as do a number of other gentlemen in society. Any one of them wouldbe happy to be your willing victim, I’m sure.”
“Heiress? I’m not anheiress.” That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.Certainly she had a dowry, but it wasn’t outrageous, wasit?
“Yes, you are,” herbrother answered grimly. “Father left five thousand pounds for yourdowry.”
“That is a bloodyfortune.”
“Moira Rose Kirkwood, takeyourself upstairs right now. A lady does not use foul language,even in the privacy of her own home.”
Mother was back.
“I apologize,” Moiramuttered. Blast, she really did need to learn to think before shespoke. A trait she apparently inherited from her mother and neededto curb before she turned into that woman. A shudder ran throughMoira at the thought. The last person in the world she wanted tobecome was the Dowager Countess Hearne. Moira stood and swiped twocakes off the plate before going to her chambers.
Gideon thumbed through the stack ofinvitations on his desk. Almost half of those he had alreadyreceived were in the can beside his desk. Now he needed todetermine which of the remaining were for meeting a future bride.Lydell wasn’t the only one who wished to find a wife this Season,but at least Gideon didn’t need an heiress. Not that Gideon had anyintention of announcing his plan to wed. Such a statement wouldhave women circling around him like vultures.
Or perhaps not. Few wished to live onhis estate, far removed from society and in the wilds. Perhaps, notso much the wilds, but between the steep hills and river thattended to flood on occasion, a person could be confined to theestate for an undetermined amount of time. The roads weren’t thebest either. Carriages and wagons often got stuck in the ruts andmud as they climbed the road to his home, and more than a fewturned back. It was a bloody shame, because the view wasspectacular. The young women he met in Edinburgh were intrigueduntil they learned it wasn’t always a quick jaunt into town, andeven worse, to Edinburgh. One would think, especially those youngwomen from the Highlands, that a bit of mud and occasional floodingwasn’t much of an inconvenience.
“You have got to help me.”Lydell burst into Gideon’s library. “My debts continue to pile up.Why didn’t my father say something?”
“Pride, perhaps.” Gideonleaned back against his leather chair.
“Well, his damn pride hasme contemplating the Continent.” Lydell marched across the room andpoured himself a glass of scotch whiskey, Gideon’s choice ofbeverage.
“I could loan you thefunds…”
“Gads, no, man. I wouldnever presume upon our friendship.” He poured a second glass,carried both to where Gideon sat, and placed one of them beforehim. “I need an introduction to this Lady Moira.”
Such a match would solve Lydell’sproblems. “I don’t know her, so I don’t know how to go aboutgaining an introduction.”
“Doors are open to youeverywhere, and mothers like you.”
“They like you as well,”Gideon insisted.
Lydell snorted. “That was last year.Only the most desperate wallflowers or those who wish for a titlepay me any mind now.”
There was some truth in the statement.Gideon had witnessed it the previous evening. Before Lydell’s emptycoffers became fodder for the gossips, he’d had
