cup?”
“No, thank you. You know I don’t drink the vile stuff, but I will have a brandy, if you don’t mind.”
It must be bad. He’d never seen Andrew drink brandy in the middle of the day during their wildest years. But the odd thing was, whatever was written in that paper didn’t worry Chandler like it should. He should be furious at even the prospect that Millicent had talked about his late night call on her, but he wasn’t.
“Not at all. Help yourself, then stop pacing, sit down, and let me wake up while you tell me what has you stewing.”
“The damned gossipmongers are after me again.”
“You?”
Relief washed down him. Thank God it wasn’t anything about him and Millicent.
“You sound surprised.”
“No, it’s just that we’ve been in their columns for years.”
“What have you done this time?”
“Nothing, of course.”
“Good, then. Don’t worry and have a tart. I know you like these.” Chandler picked up one and took a generous bite.
“It’s that bastard Lord Truefitt. He says I’m hanging out for an heiress because I’m in financial trouble.”
Chandler choked on his tart and spilled his tea into his saucer. He coughed and set the teacup down on the table.
“Damnation,” he muttered.
“Damn right,” Andrew answered.
Millicent was responsible for that being written. She had mentioned to him that she’d heard of an earl who was in financial trouble and suggested he might be the one stealing from the houses, but she had refused to tell him the earl’s name. Now he knew why.
She thought Andrew might be the Mad Ton Thief. Damnation!
Andrew poured himself a generous amount of the liquor from the decanter, and turned back to Chandler. “The bastard is trying to ruin my chances with Miss Bardwell.”
Chandler cleared his throat again and said, “Wait a minute. You’re seriously pursuing Miss Bardwell?”
“Well—er—I’m not sure it is serious, you understand. That’s not the point.” Andrew took a generous sip of his drink and went back to the rosewood sideboard and poured another splash into the glass.
Andrew was stammering like a street ragamuffin caught stealing a loaf of bread. That was so unlike him. “When did this happen?” Chandler asked.
“The column is in today’s paper.”
“No. This talk of hurting your chances of a match with Miss Bardwell. Have you made an offer for her hand?”
“Of course not. And I don’t know that I will. It’s just that if I wanted to—” He paused. “That’s not important. It’s one thing to write about a gentleman’s escapades with the fairer sex, but quite another to write about his pockets. That’s going beyond the pale, I have half a mind to hire a Runner to find out who this Lord Truefitt is and give him a taste of scandal. I don’t know where he gets his information, but I doubt he’ll be writing anything after I get through with him.”
Chandler would speak to Millicent and tell her that both he and his friends were off-limits to scandal sheets.
“Hold on, Andrew, what exactly does it say?”
“It all but says I’m ready for the poorhouse, that’s what it says.”
Wanting to calm his friend, Chandler said, “Here, let me see that.”
Chandler took the paper and read the first few lines of the column and looked up. “I don’t think it is as bad as you think. In fact, I think it’s a play on words.”
Andrew walked over to Chandler and looked over his shoulder at the paper. “What do you mean?”
“I think it’s one of those things that has a hidden meaning.”
His friend gave him an incredulous look. “The only thing that is hiding is your comprehension. What the devil are you talking about?”
“No. I think what he’s really saying here is that the three of us don’t spend the time together that we used to.” Chandler continued to make up his answer as he talked. “Fines and I were just talking about that last night.”
“Well, we don’t spend the kind of time together that we used to, but what has that to do with what this newspaper says about money no longer being my friend?”
“I’m sure the money aspect was only used so it would fit with the quote from Shakespeare, but the true meaning is that they aren’t seeing the three of us together anymore.”
“Hmm. You really think so?”
Chandler pretended to study the paper again, knowing he’d have a long talk with Millicent about this later in the afternoon.
“Yes, yes, after reading it again I’m sure of it. You’ve heard how popular Truefitt’s column has become since he’s been