Once Upon a Wager by Julie LeMense

Author:Julie LeMense
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2014-04-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

After a sleepless night at his bachelor lodgings, Alec climbed the stairs to his mother’s house, wondering if his perfidy was obvious for the world to see. He’d shamed Annabelle. He had not meant to, of course, but that wasn’t an excuse.

He would have taken her innocence, right there in the carriage.

It hadn’t been the behavior he owed to Gareth, and certainly not to Annabelle. He would have to go to Marchmain House today, much as he dreaded the notion. He would make his heartfelt apologies, and continue on the path that had been set. He owed it to his father. He would see Annabelle well settled, even though giving her into the care of another man might prove to be the most difficult thing he had ever done.

He gave a quick rap on the door, and Edmunds answered it promptly. “My lord, your mother will be happy to know that you are here. She is in the drawing room with her guests.” It was the heart of the day, when society paid its visits and gossiped about its members. Perhaps a few of her friends had stopped by. When he crossed through the doors of the drawing room, however, Alec was shocked by the number of people there. More than a dozen were in attendance, a suspicious mixture of young men and their mothers.

“Alec, my dear,” she called out when she spotted him. “Come in and see so many of your old friends.” She was being too kind. Surely he’d been away at school when these infants were still in short pants? Yet there were older gentlemen, as well. Cartwright, and that fop Petersham, and Marworth.

Damnation, he should have guessed it before now. They were here because of Annabelle, trying to ferret out information from his mother before planning their pursuit.

At least they had the good sense, upon gauging his mood, to scatter. Benjamin, for his part, made quite a show of begging his mother’s indulgence for his abrupt departure before announcing that he was off to pay his respects at Marchmain House. At the mention of it, the room’s other occupants also took their leave, and in short order, he and his mother were alone. “I seem to have cleared the room,” he said. “Am I dressed to offend? Potter won’t be happy to hear it.”

“No, Alec, although you do look as if you are out for blood sport this morning.”

He could hardly tell her why. “I only hope that you weren’t put out by so many visitors.”

“It’s far better to have visitors than to be left alone,” Mother said, smiling as she sat back against her toile-covered fauteuil. “When your father died, I had legions of people who paid their respects. They wanted to know if I missed him, if I’d been well provided for, if I was worried I’d lose you to the war. All sorts of disrespectful questions, actually. Then rather suddenly, they stopped coming. After all, nothing is more depressing than a widow in her weeds, and they’d done their duty.

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