The Footman and I - Valerie Bowman Page 0,33

his throat. “Since Sir Reginald Francis is here and—”

“Sir Reginald?” Bell interrupted. “I haven’t seen him. What’s he doing here?”

“That’s a question I’d like to know the answer to also.” Lucas leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared directly at Clayton.

“I couldn’t help it,” Clayton replied, lifting his chin. “I always invite Sir Reginald. He’s thick as thieves with the Prince. I hardly want to get on the bad side of their ilk.”

“But you might have warned me before I had to serve him at dinner,” Lucas replied.

Worth whistled. “That must have been something.”

“I admit,” Clayton said with a wince, “Theodora and I wanted to see if Bell’s theory was correct. Would you truly be overlooked when dressed as a servant, Kendall? And you were. Sir Reginald never even glanced at you. By God, it was amazing.” Clayton clapped his hand against his knee.

Bell tugged at his sleeve. “I told you so.”

“Indeed, you did,” Lucas replied. “But what if Sir Reginald had looked at me?”

“Then you would have lost the bet the first night, old man,” Worth said, hopping off the keg, and slapping Lucas on the back. “That’s the entire game.”

“I suppose I may have had the chance to talk him out of it like you apparently did with Lady Julianna,” Lucas replied.

“A fine attempt,” Worth replied, “but I still refuse to tell you what I said to her.”

Lucas shrugged.

“So, Sir Reginald is such a blowhard he didn’t even notice you serving him dinner, Kendall,” Bell continued, shaking his head.

“Didn’t even notice him when Kendall spilled wine on his would-be fiancée,” Clayton added.

“Whose would-be fiancée?” Worth asked, his brow furrowing.

“Sir Reginald’s,” Clayton replied. “Apparently, he’s set his sights on Miss Wharton.”

“Miss Wharton?” Bell echoed. “The termagant?”

“There’s another termagant here?” Worth asked. “I thought Lady Julianna was the only one at this party.”

“Miss Wharton isn’t a termagant,” Lucas blurted. “She was simply trying to dissuade Sir Reginald and I, for one, cannot blame her.”

His friends’ heads all swiveled to look at him. And from the looks on their faces he might as well have just declared that he was sprouting two heads. It reminded Lucas of the night at the Curious Goat when they’d hatched this insane plot to begin with.

Clayton cleared his throat. “I believe I speak for all of us when I ask, how exactly do you know that, Kendall?”

Lucas pressed his lips together while he quickly thought of and discarded several replies. Now he’d gone and done it. There was hardly a graceful way to explain how he happened to know that Miss Wharton had only been pretending to rant at a servant two nights ago at dinner.

“I spoke with the lady, afterward. She…apologized,” he offered.

“Apologized?” The look on Clayton’s face was that of pure shock. “You mean she sought you out?”

Lucas nodded. “Yes, she came down to the kitchens after dinner and apologized to all of us.”

“But how do you know she’s trying to dissuade Sir Reginald?” Bell pressed.

Lucas tugged at his neckcloth again. By God, this was becoming more complicated by the moment. “She told me.”

“What?” Worth nearly shouted. “The lady actually told you she isn’t interested in Sir Reginald’s suit?”

“That’s right,” Lucas replied. It was too late now. He’d begun down this road and he needed to see it through.

“But she still thinks you’re a footman, correct?” Bell clarified, frowning.

“Correct,” Lucas replied.

Clayton shook his head. “Why in the world would she discourage his suit? She’s without a dowry and Sir Reginald seems to be the only one interested.”

That wasn’t something Lucas intended to answer. “Be that as it may, she told me herself.”

“When she apologized to you for yelling at you in the dining room?” Bell asked.

Lucas nodded. “That’s right.”

“I still would like to know how she happened to mention to a footman that she wasn’t interested in a gentlemen’s suit,” Worth prodded.

Lucas took a deep breath. Very well. He might as well out with it. “We’ve become…friendly. I see her in the library in the mornings.”

All three men’s brows shot straight up.

Worth found his voice first. “A lady being friendly with a footman?” Worth nearly snorted. “Well, isn’t that perfect?”

“It’s not perfect, it’s awful,” Lucas mumbled.

“Why? I thought you were looking for a lady who would be nice to servants,” Worth continued.

Lucas shook his head. “I was, but now that we’ve actually spoken a handful of times, how in the world am I ever to meet her as Lord Kendall? She’ll recognize me.”

“Oh, I see. That does