A Viscount to Remember: Regency Romance (Brides of London) by Joyce Alec

Author:Joyce Alec [Alec, Joyce]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2019-08-22T16:00:00+00:00

10

“This is ridiculous!”

Daniel stared down at the betting book, horrified to see what was written there in large, bold letters.

The bet was just as the two gentlemen had said.

“I did not write this!” He glared all about him, as though the gentlemen within the establishment were the ones responsible for this assault on his good name. “I did not stand here and write this bet on these pages.”

The gentlemen of White’s began to mutter amongst themselves, leaving Daniel feeling both foolish and angry. The handwriting was in large, flowing letters but was not at all like his own hand. The bet stated that he would be able to accompany any young lady of his choosing during the fashionable hour in the afternoon and then a different young lady to a social occasion he decided. This was to prove, apparently, that he was as eligible and as welcomed by the beau monde as ever before—although there was no mention of the individual that Daniel was meant to be betting against, as had been disclosed by the two gentlemen.

Nor was there any record of any other gentleman placing bets on his name, for if there was no one to defeat, then there was no need to do so. They would simply be betting for him to fail in his task and, from how it appeared, not many gentlemen believed that to be the case.

Clenching his jaw hard, Daniel ripped out the piece of paper from the betting book, drawing gasps of both shock and horror at his action. The betting book was almost sacred and to desecrate it so was a great sin in the eyes of the gentlemen who frequented here. Daniel did not care. All he wanted to do was rip up the paper in front of everyone here, proclaim that he had not made any such bet, and demand that if anyone knew who had written this in supposedly his hand, then they had best inform him at once.

“Ho there, Williamson!”

Daniel turned around at once, seeing the surprised look on Lord Townend’s face as he slowly began to amble towards Daniel, his eyes on the paper.

“What is it you are doing, old boy?” Lord Townend asked, his voice amiable but his eyes stern. “Ripping out pages like that—well, it’s just not done.”

“Someone has written a bet in my name, Townend,” Daniel retorted, his eyes narrowing into a sharp glare towards his friend. “You do not have any thought as to whom it might be now, do you?” He had not meant to add an accusatory tone to his voice, but it was there nonetheless and Daniel saw Lord Townend flinch, as though he had pained him in some way.

“If you mean to imply that I had something to do with this, then you are mistaken.” Lord Townend’s voice grew rather hard. “What bet is it that you are speaking of?”

Frustrated, Daniel thrust the paper towards Lord Townend, who took it carefully, flattened it just a little, and then began to read.

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