Blame It on Bath Page 0,19

a broken heart in his youth—men can be so hurt by those, no matter what they say to the contrary—but when he met your mother . . .” A faint smile lit her face. “He was a different man with her. It was clear to see he loved her deeply, and she him. The years he had with her were the happiest I ever saw him.”

Gerard bowed his head, struck again by someone else’s memory of his mother. It quite hamstrung his anger at his father. Still, it didn’t change his situation now. “Edward’s hired a solicitor to try to straighten the mess.”

“I shouldn’t think it will take much!” She drew a deep breath and gave a decisive nod. “Who was the woman, anyway? Nobody. What court would invalidate your mother’s marriage—and offend all her family—to name you illegitimate? This will all be settled as it should be, in favor of you three. Anything else is simply inconceivable.”

“Not really, if Cousin Augustus shows up and makes a strong case.”

Margaret shuddered. “Heaven help Durham if Augustus gets his filthy fingers on it. Such a terrible young man he was. That entire branch of the family was rotten, through and through.”

Gerard privately thought his own suffering would be just as bad as the dukedom’s, if not worse, should Augustus succeed to the title. “I share your hopes, Aunt, but cannot share your confidence. So about Lady Howe . . .”

“Oh! Yes,” she murmured, her gaze growing distant. “Howe died last year, I believe—I can’t recall of what, or precisely when. The new viscount is a handsome fellow, young and serious. Old Howe was a bit of a devil, and his heir is rather the opposite, I gather.” She looked at him, a pleased smile breaking over her face. “But of course: you should ask Clarissa! She knows everything about everyone and loves nothing more than sharing it. She usually calls in the mornings; why don’t you wait and ask her?”

The very last thing on earth Gerard wanted to do was sit and chat with his aunt’s bosom friend, Lady Clarissa Eccleston. Lady Eccleston was an inveterate spy who always managed to know far more about other people’s lives than any disinterested person had a right to know. There was no possibility she wouldn’t be brimming with curiosity about his father’s scandal, but perhaps she would rein it in out of respect for Lady Dowling, if nothing else. Otherwise, he hated to admit, she was practically ideal for his purposes. If anyone could tell him about Lady Howe, it would be Lady Eccleston. “Very well,” he said, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

His aunt merely smiled and shooed him out the door. “Trust me,” she called to him as he headed for the stairs. “Clarissa will know.”

Chapter 5

Gerard went to the drawing room to await Lady Eccleston while his aunt dressed. The butler brought him some coffee, steaming hot and very strong, and he took it to the window to sip while he reviewed the morning so far.

First, and most importantly, Lady Howe was as wealthy as she’d promised. That really was her main attraction, even allowing for the unpleasantness of the unpaid twenty thousand pounds. Gerard thought he could manage well enough on six or seven thousand a year, which would be the income from her inheritance combined with the share of his mother’s dowry left to him. He could pursue his army career unhindered, and most likely his wife would prefer it as well. There was obviously no affection binding them together, and the lady gave no sign she hoped that would change. Katherine Howe looked as if she didn’t want to be touched, which had the unfortunate effect of making him want to try it, just to see. She’d worn her cloak through their entire interview, so he had no idea of her figure. Wouldn’t it be a fine joke on him if he married a plain-faced woman for her money, and she turned out to have a bewitching body that left him tied in knots of lust?

But that was neither here nor there. She had the money he needed; what else would she bring him? A secure, uneventful life, or endless headaches over that damned loan? What sort of woman was she—snappish and controlling, pious and delicate, meek and quiet? Gerard admitted he didn’t have a lot of choice, but he wanted at least to know what he was getting into before he bound himself to her.

Lady Eccleston arrived