hand to pay off Rosabella’s debts when he received her accounting, Garth found himself at Mark’s front door in Golden Square, confronting his friend’s cheery butler. ‘His lordship isn’t available to callers.’
Garth forked over a crown. ‘Nonsense, Steed. He’ll see me.’ He pushed inside the door.
‘Wait here,’ the butler said, pointing to a carved wooden chair against the wall. ‘I’ll enquire if he is up.’
Garth followed the man down the hall, practically stepping on his heels, and was through the dining-room door before the man could speak.
Mark was eating breakfast, dressed and ready for the day. ‘Off to the Home Office?’ Garth asked, sitting down and helping himself to a piece of toast.
Mark glared at him, then nodded at the butler. ‘That will be all, Steed.’
The man withdrew and closed the door.
‘How’s the chin?’ Mark growled, setting his paper aside.
Garth touched his jaw. ‘Never better.’ He reached for the coffee pot.
‘Why the hell didn’t you bring my wife home when you found her?’
Still brooding about that. Still suspicious. Garth leaned back against the chair and grinned at the surly face of his friend. Mark had grown possessive since his marriage and Garth couldn’t resist the urge to needle him. ‘You mean you wanted me to manhandle your wife kicking and screaming into my carriage? Or perhaps you wanted me to seduce her into coming back to London with me?’
Mark straightened. ‘You put one finger on my wife—’
‘I was more concerned about not allowing anyone else to put their fingers on her. Not that she showed any interest,’ he added hastily as Mark started to rise. He had no wish to drop Penelope in the soup. He didn’t care a fig about the girl. She was a stupid little chit who didn’t recognise a good man when she found one. They never did from his observation over the years. But he didn’t want to see his friend hurt so he kept his own counsel about Bannerby.
Mark sank back on to his seat. ‘It’s a bloody mess. She refuses to say why she went there in the first place. Or who she was meeting.’
‘I don’t think she was meeting anyone. She turned up with Maria Mallow. You know what a troublemaker she is. Where were you?’
‘On a mission for the Home Office. I had to escort a woman to Yorkshire. She had information about these troublemakers at the mills. I had to talk to some people she knows.’
‘A woman?’
Mark absently rearranged the cutlery set out before him. ‘Yes, a woman. Damned if I like the idea, but she’s well placed with the ringleaders.’
‘You don’t think Penelope saw you with this woman?’
Mark’s head shot up. ‘Of course not. Do you think I’m an idiot? I took every precaution to ensure the mission was secret.’
‘Maybe she doesn’t like you keeping secrets. After all, aren’t you two supposed to be in love?’
What the hell was he doing, asking that sort of question? He didn’t believe in love. Damn Rosabella and her sentimental talk. He put up a hand when Mark opened his mouth to reply. ‘It’s none of my business. I came to ask for help.’
The door opened. ‘Mark? Oh!’ The lady of the house gasped. ‘I didn’t know you had company.’
Penelope looked from Mark to Garth and he was surprised to see the shadows in her pretty green eyes. And there were circles beneath, like bruises. All was not well. No wonder Mark looked so morose.
‘It’s only Garth,’ Mark said. ‘Come to ask a favour. I was about to tell him to go to hell.’
‘Didn’t you tell me once you owed Garth a great deal?’ she said quietly. ‘Wasn’t that the reason you insisted I accept him as your friend when we married?’
Good Lord, was she supporting him against her husband? Now there was trouble in the making. Garth shot to his feet. ‘Consider all debts paid in full.’
‘Wait,’ Penelope said. ‘There is something I have been wanting to tell you, Mark.’
Her husband shook his head, his mouth in a grim flat line. He was clearly dreading what she would say next.
‘If it wasn’t for Garth being his usual horrid self, I might have made a very serious mistake in Sussex. He didn’t just try to convince me to go home, he stood between me and another man.’ She twisted her hands together. ‘I was angry at you leaving me alone, Mark, and I might have done something I regretted for the rest of my life, but I didn’t, because of Garth.’
The tension in