Falling for the Marquess - Julianne MacLean Page 0,18
gather the marquess is not respectable?”
James spoke plainly. “As I said, I’ve never met the man, so I cannot say. But do warn Clara to be careful if she encounters him again, especially in light of what happened to her before. Is this what has you worried?”
Sophia exhaled heavily. “You don’t think she’ll make a mistake like that again, do you?”
“What I think is that you should try to have confidence in her. She is an intelligent young woman and from what I have seen, she is no longer naive. She has been quiet and careful these past two years, choosing to postpone her first Season. That is self-restraint at its best, especially for an adventurous girl like Clara, who attended our wedding with dreams of romance in her eyes, longing for such happiness for herself. We must trust that she will be prudent, for she has said on many occasions in her letters to you that it is her greatest wish to be sensible.”
“Yes, but she is inherently passionate, and sometimes love can turn one’s head.”
“Like it turned yours?” He gave her a look.
“But you were a good man, James. We don’t know anything about the marquess, and I fear that I might have become caught up in the excitement of her infatuation and advised her poorly. Perhaps I should have set a better example and refused to let her return to Livingston House.”
“She saw him again, I presume?”
“Yes, they danced twice, and again, he asked her to leave. She was in a romantic daze the whole way home. I’m worried, James.”
He nodded as they reached the door to the nursery. “You mustn’t trouble yourself. We will do what we can to help Clara. I will make inquiries about the marquess. Now let us dispense with our concerns for the time being and see what our sons have accomplished today. Perhaps John has discovered his thumbs.” He opened the door to the nursery, and they walked into the warmth of morning sunlight streaming in through the windows.
“I have good news and bad news,” Sophia said to Clara that afternoon, as soon as they were out of earshot of the groom, who rode behind them in Hyde Park. Both in their riding habits, crops in hand, they sat high in their sidesaddles, maintaining a leisurely pace along the bridle path.
“Did James know anything?” Clara asked.
“Yes, if he was talking about the same Seger. The good news is, he’s a peer. His name is Seger Wolfe, and he’s the Marquess of Rawdon.”
“Truly. A marquess, you say. Mother would swoon.”
“Yes, she would, but I must inform you that James wasn’t particularly pleased to learn that you were at a Cakras Ball. He warned me to be more careful in the future, and he suggested that you be especially mindful if you ever meet the marquess again.”
“He has a reputation, then?” Clara asked as her horse’s hooves tapped lightly over the soft ground. “Is that the bad news? Did he lie to me about not being married?”
“That, I do not know, but it would be easy to find out now that we know who he is. All I know is what James told me—that the marquess was involved in a divorce scandal. He had to testify in court about his affair with a married woman, and for that reason, he is not invited into polite society.”
Clara absorbed this news with disappointment, though she shouldn’t be surprised. She knew the marquess seduced married women regularly at the Cakras Balls. That sort of behavior was bound to ruin a man’s reputation eventually.
“Will society not let him back in?” Clara asked. “Or is it his choice to refuse invitations?”
“I wish I knew.”
Clara gazed up at the sky. “I wonder if he learned a lesson from that scandal. Perhaps he’s more cautious these days. He must be, given the way he tossed me out the door when he discovered I was unmarried—a hot potato to him apparently.”
“You are not a potato, Clara, and you’re still hoping for the best where he’s concerned, aren’t you?”
“I can’t help it. He’s still the most interesting man I’ve met since my arrival in England. I want to understand why he is what he is, and I can’t seem to shake that desire.”
Sophia regarded her sister. “What about the Duke of Guysborough? I only mention him because Mrs. Gunther asked about him this morning. She wanted to know if we encountered him last night.”
Clara laughed. “How would we even know? Everyone was