Page 76 of Ravished

Gideon grinned. "You obviously did not get enough of a Town polish to realize that my mother is trying to give you a gentle hint. You are supposed to leave the table now so that the gentlemen can drink themselves into a drunken stupor in private."

Harriet scowled. "I trust you are not in the habit of drinking too heavily, my lord. My father never approved of drunkards, and neither do I."

"I shall endeavor to keep my wits about me so that I may perform my duties as a husband tonight, my dear. This is, after all, our wedding night, if you will recall."

Across the table Harriet registered the unsubtle meaning behind the remark and turned a delightful shade of pink. Gideon's mother, however, was not the least bit delighted.

"Gideon. What a perfectly outrageous thing to say." Lady Hardcastle glared furiously at him. "This is a polite household and you will behave yourself. One does not talk about such things at the dinner table. You know that perfectly well. Your manners have disintegrated completely during the past six years."

"Damn right," Hardcastle muttered. "You're embarrassing the chit. Apologize to your wife."

Harriet grinned cheekily at Gideon. "Yes, St. Justin, please do so at once. I do not believe I have ever heard you apologize. I cannot wait to hear this."

Gideon rose to his feet and gave her a courtly bow. His eyes glinted. "My apologies, madam. I did not mean to offend your delicate sensibilities."

"Very pretty." Harriet turned to his parents. "Was that not nicely done? I have great hopes that he can eventually be taught to move in Society without causing undue chaos."

Gideon's mother stood up abruptly, mouth set in stern lines. "I believe Harriet and I will withdraw to the drawing room."

Harriet rose gracefully. "Yes, we had best be on our way before St. Justin says anything else outrageous. Behave yourself while I am gone, my lord."

"I will do my best," Gideon said.

He watched as his mother led Harriet out of the dining room. When the door closed behind them, he sat down again.

A deep silence descended on the room. Hawkins stepped forward with the port and poured a glass for Gideon and his father. Then the butler departed.

The silence lengthened between the two men. Gideon made no move to break it. It was the first time he and his father had been alone together in a long while. If Hardcastle wished to speak to him, Gideon decided, he could damn well make the effort.

"She's interesting," the earl said at last. "I'll grant you that. Not at all in the usual style."

"No. She's not. It is one of her most attractive features."

Another silence filled the room.

"Not quite what I would have expected," Hardcastle said.

"After Deirdre, you mean?" Gideon tasted the rich port and studied the elegantly chased silver candlesticks in front of him. "I am six years older now, sir. And for all my faults, I rarely make the same mistake twice."

Hardcastle grunted. "You mean this time you had the decency to do the right thing?"

Gideon's hand tightened around the stem of his glass. "No, sir. I mean that this time I found a woman I could trust."

The silence swept back into the dining room.

"Your lady certainly seems to trust you," Hardcastle muttered.

"Yes. It is a very enjoyable experience. It has been a long while since anyone has trusted me."

"Well, what the devil did you expect after that business with Deirdre?" Hardcastle snapped.

"Trust."

Hardcastle slammed his palm down on the table, causing the wineglasses to jump. "The girl was pregnant when she died. You brokeoffthe engagement just before she shot herself. She told her father you cast her off after forcing yourself on her. What were we all to think?"

"That mayhap she lied."

"Why should she have lied? She was planning to kill herself, for God's sake. She had nothing left to lose."

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