Page 24 of Sinful Persuasion of a Lady in the Making
“Lord Hartwood’s behavior became… erratic after their deaths,” Alison explained carefully. “He began to associate with the wrong types of people. He gambles, he drinks far too much. There are rumors of brothels and other hideous things.”
“But you don’t think they are true, do you?” Jenny asked, feeling her pulse at her temples. She didn’t want to think of Lord Hartwood as a brute, but perhaps Luke was right, perhaps she had been fooled by him.
No. I saw the true Lord Hartwood. I’m sure of it.
“I don’t know whether it’s true,” Alison said, shrugging. “But what I do know is that his sister shied away from society for many years—and most people speculate that it is thanks to the embarrassment of his behavior. And itistrue that Lord Hartwood is very rarely seen at balls and soirees, but he is often rumored to have been seen in less honorable establishments.”
“I don’t believe it,” Jenny said, shaking her head fiercely. “I can’t believe it of the man I met tonight. He was so kind and caring. Whereas the other gentlemen I danced with were nothing more than louts.”
“Be careful what you are saying,” Luke warned without looking away from the window. “You danced with several eligible gentlemen. Your focus should have been onthem, nothim.”
“Gentlemen!” Jenny scoffed at the word, then turned to look out of the window.
The coach trundled along the cobbled street to their townhouse, where a lantern had been lit just outside, creating a pool of light over the steps to their front door. Luke got out first, then held a hand out to help Alison down, and then finally Jenny. He stormed into the house, leaving the door wide open for the ladies.
“But Luke,” Jenny called as she turned to close the door, “can we not talk about this?”
Luke spun around in the corridor, halfway to the parlor door.
“There is nothing to discuss,” Luke snapped, his voice loud and angry. “You are not to see him again, and should you happen upon him at some ball or other, you are to ignore him. Is that clear?”
“But why?” she urged, yet again. “So his reputation is not—”
“We are having a hard enough time fitting in as it is,” Luke said, a finger raised in the air. Jenny stopped, still but for her thudding heart and the rapid rise and fall of her chest. “Should you cavort with the likes of Lord Hartwood, we will be made even more a mockery than we are already.”
Jenny glanced at Alison who lingered, shifting her weight from foot to foot.
“And you agree?” she asked.
Alison whispered back through gritted teeth. “I think you should both keep your voices down, or you will wake the babe and the nursemaid, too!”
She glanced at Luke, who at least had the decency to look sorry for that as he twisted the handle to the parlor. He indicated for them all to go inside, and they followed his direction.
He sat on his usual seat and buried his face in his hands.
“I cannot believe how much of a disaster this has turned out to be,” he moaned, his words muffled. “At your first-ever ball. I am only frightened for you, Jenny. Nothing more.”
“But you display your fear as anger, and it is that which is the disaster, not the fact that I danced with someone of which you do not approve.”
“It’s more than not approving,” Luke said. “If you continue down this path, you will ruin what we have so carefully built here.”
“Jenny,” Alison said, patting the couch by her side. Jenny sat awkwardly, perching right on the edge and ready to leap up should the moment require it. “Luke does not say what he does to hurt you. Quite the opposite. We are worried for you, that is all, and Luke is afraid. You are right—you are already at a disadvantage and seeing Lord Hartwood can only possibly make that worse.”
“For goodness sake,” Jenny said, raising her hand and letting it fall noisily onto her thigh. “We danced, that is all! It’s not like we were caught romping in the gardens, and nor have we arranged to run away for a secret wedding.”
She glared pointedly at Luke then, knowing her words would have stung. That is exactly what he and Alison had planned, before their situation had changed.
“That is true,” Alison said softly, looking down at her hands. “It was only a dance.” She looked back up at Jenny then, smiling. “But remember this. It was only one of your very first dances. Believe you me, I had to dance with many frogs before I found my true love.”
“Frogs?” Jenny asked, blinking her surprise at the word.
“The Earl of Belmont—”
“Lord Hartwood is nothing like the Earl of Belmont,” Jenny snapped, interrupting her brother’s words. She turned her glare on Alison. “And he is most certainly not a frog!”
She flew from the room, letting the door slam behind her and not caring if she woke the baby. She ran up the stairs and into her room, flying to her bed and burying her face in the blankets.
The door creaked quietly open.
