Scoundrel of My Heart (Once Upon a Dukedom #1) - Lorraine Heath Page 0,75

herself on the banks of the Thames, with a little aid from him. Who hadn’t been squeamish about his wound, who had taken charge and seen him cared for. Who would now carry on with her life as though he’d never been in it.

When his sister came to the end of sharing her adventures, he explained about his club.

“I want to see it,” she insisted.

“You’re married. Membership is only for those who are not.”

“I don’t want a membership. I want only to peek inside, stroll around perhaps.”

He shook his head. “It would have to be when it wasn’t open, and then it’s simply a building with rooms.” It was the membership, the manner in which they interacted that created the atmosphere that was leading to its success, and he needed to ensure they all remained comfortable, trusted that they and their . . . escapades . . . were safely kept within those walls.

“Your refusal to let me see it leads me to think wickedness goes on there.”

He merely sipped his scotch.

She smiled. “You rapscallion, you. It’s the sort of place that would have given Mother the vapors, isn’t it?”

“She might have disowned me if she’d ever learned of it.”

“I miss her.” She glanced out the window. “Sometimes I even miss Father, which I know is so wrong.” She looked back at him. “And Marcus, what can you tell me of him?”

He’d known she’d ask, didn’t want her to worry, but she deserved to know some of it. “I believe he’s getting close to finding what he’s been searching for, but he’s had to leave London for a while.”

She nodded, no doubt expecting what he’d shared. “I wish he’d give up this damned quest of his.” She pointedly arched a brow. “Yes, I’ve taken to using profanity on occasion. Comes from not being a lady for a while.”

“Society will welcome you back now.”

“Rather reluctantly, but it helps to have married into a powerful family. Speaking of that family, we’re having them over for dinner tomorrow evening. I do wish you’d join us. You know the nobles, of course, but you’ve yet to meet Ben’s brothers and sisters. I would very much like for you to.”

“I’m not certain it would be wise.”

“My family doesn’t judge,” Beast—the moniker seemed more appropriate than the Ben that his sister used—said. “They’d welcome you.”

“Please,” Althea said softly. “It would be nice if our family could return to some semblance of normalcy. The dinner might help achieve that end. And you did miss the wedding.”

Guilt was a powerful motivator. While she and he had never been particularly chummy, what they’d gone through together had created a stronger bond between them, brought them closer, especially as she’d been the one to tend to his hands that working the docks had torn up every day. “I’d be honored.”

She smiled brightly. “Wonderful! You’re going to love them, and they’re going to love you.”

He very much doubted love would be involved, but he was glad to see his sister exhibiting such optimism. She’d endured a lot—a broken heart, poverty, working in a tavern, and dangerous circumstances—to come out on the other side strong and knowing exactly who she was.

“You’ve not returned to the Fair and Spare since that second night,” Wilhelmina said slyly, before taking a sip of tea in Kathryn’s garden.

She had invited her friend to visit for the exact reason that Wilhelmina had just stated, because Kathryn hadn’t been to the club and was hoping to catch a bit of gossip about it, about him. She wasn’t going to go chasing after him. He’d made his position clear enough when he’d left that morning without even bothering to thank her for her care, without so much as a farewell. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t interested in gleaning some information regarding him and his club. “My curiosity was satisfied.”

“I very much doubt that.”

She decided a change in strategy was needed, because she wasn’t going to ask questions directly. “Tell me about the fellow with whom you were drinking red wine.”

Wilhelmina emitted a tiny mewling as her cheeks blossomed into a deep shade of crimson. “He’s merely a gent I met there.”

“Merely?”

Her cheeks burned redder. “He makes me laugh.”

Kathryn didn’t want to consider that Kingsland had never made her laugh, that she didn’t even know what his laughter sounded like. Deep, she was rather certain, but did it invite one to join in? He was always so serious, not one for dancing on the beach, or even taking a