He sipped his liquor, evaluating Luke over the rim of the glass. It was so quiet, Luke could hear a clock ticking down in the foyer, could hear his heart pounding in his ears.
“I hate to tell you this,” Charles finally said, “but Penny is no longer keen to wed you. She believes you’re in love with Miss Carstairs, and—if you won’t agree to part with her—there would be another woman standing in the middle of her marriage. She’s not eager to live like that, and I can’t blame her.”
“No, I wouldn’t blame her.”
Charles continued. “I, on the other hand, am still delighted by the prospect of having you as my son-in-law. It’s my decision as to who her husband will be, and I deem you to be an excellent choice.”
“I’m so relieved. I couldn’t bear to discover I’d squandered your esteem.”
“It would take quite a bit more than a romance with a beautiful female to dampen my regard, and girls like Penny can be so silly. I don’t suppose I have to listen to her when she’s being a brat.”
“I’m mortified that I’ve caused this discord,” Luke said. “I realize how much you detest conflict.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I haven’t received an acceptable answer from you about Miss Carstairs. Where are you in terms of your relationship? Is it just beginning? Or have you been together for ages? If you’re contemplating matrimony, are you ready to split with her? Is that what’s happening? What are your plans?”
Luke chuckled miserably. “I have no idea.”
“You and I have had conversations in the past about the kinds of men we are, and you’re aware of my opinion about moral rectitude and avoiding scandal.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“I’m much older than you are, but I’m not dead. I vividly remember what it’s like to leap into an amour with a vixen as alluring as Libby Carstairs.”
“I only recently crossed paths with her, and I’m bowled over.”
“She was with you at Barrett,” Charles said.
“Yes.”
“I won’t pry for details, but I assume you tarried there—with her—for illicit purposes.”
Luke didn’t respond, but his cheeks heated to such a degree he was amazed he didn’t ignite. Charles’s assessment was forceful, and he couldn’t abide the scrutiny. It felt as if he’d failed a great ethical test, as if his fatal flaws had been exposed.
He was thirty years old, an earl and a decorated navy captain. He didn’t bow down to anyone, but—by consorting with Libby—he’d disappointed Charles in a significant manner that could never be repaired. He was embarrassed and ashamed.
He went over and poured himself a whiskey, then he strolled to the window and peered outside. It was cool and cloudy, and a wet pall hung over the park, painting the landscape in gloomy shades of gray that perfectly matched his dour mood.
Charles’s probing gaze cut into his back, and Luke yearned to spin around and demand the man stop judging him, but Luke was in the wrong and he recognized that he was. He was Charles’s guest, his presence requested so he could socialize with Penny in order to determine whether they should wed. But so far, he’d hardly focused on her. Instead, he’d been completely fixated on Libby.
“When I was young,” Charles said, “I lived a full and degenerate life in a very short interval.”
“I know.”
“My debacle entitles me to offer advice in this arena.”
“What arena?”
“The arena of lust and the bad consequences it can bring.”
Luke glanced over his shoulder. “Are you about to tell me I have to give Libby up? For if that’s your ploy, I must confess that she and I are barely acquainted. We’re at the beginning of something, but I can’t describe what it is.”
“I wouldn’t presume to scold you.”
“It feels as if you are.”
“Please don’t take it that way. I simply ask this: If you’re so eager to philander with her, are you sure you’re ready to marry?”
Luke shrugged. “I thought I was.”
“Then you met Miss Carstairs.”
“Yes.”
“With you being so besotted, you’re not in any condition to be a husband. You shouldn’t be pondering matrimony for a single second.”
“Should I go home and leave Penny alone? Is that your wish?”
“No! As I previously mentioned, I want you to join my family, but I don’t see how we could proceed if you intend to pursue your flirtation.”
“I understand.”
“And the type of passion that’s flaring with her? It’s not real, Luke. It doesn’t last, and when it burns out, you have just the ashes for company. I’m living proof of that.”
“Should I ignore what’s bubbled up? Should I walk away from her? Is that what you’re suggesting? If so, it definitely makes me wonder what it would be like to have you as my father-in-law. Would you constantly butt into my private business?”
“Penny is my daughter. I could never be silent as you shamed her by chasing after loose women.”
Luke felt duty-bound to defend Libby, even though he should have kept his mouth shut. “Libby isn’t loose. Yes, she’s an actress, but she doesn’t possess the low morals attributed to those doxies.”
Charles didn’t argue the point. Instead, he said, “You have to decide the best path for yourself, but it can’t be Penny and Miss Carstairs riding in the same boat with you. You don’t have a parent to guide you in your marital search, and I can provide counsel that might benefit you in your choices.”
Luke tucked away his fit of pique. “I’m being an ass, Charles. I apologize.”
“Apology accepted, but you aren’t being awful. I’m cognizant of what it’s like to be mad for Miss Carstairs. Your fascination doesn’t surprise me, but such ardent attachment ruins men like you and me. We’re not cut out for such all-consuming obsession.”
“Probably not, so what should I do? Shall I return to Barrett? If I depart, it will stir rumors as to why I vanished. I’d hate to put you in such an awkward position.”
“We have a whole week left of this accursed party.”
“Now, now,” Luke facetiously said, “don’t be grouchy
