Page 5 of The Lady Needs a Rogue
“He is spending the evening at his club. I’m afraid he was not in the mood for anything more... vigorous.” Lady Chastity aimed a pointed smile his way.
“Have you made Miss Mason’s acquaintance?” Lady Drayton spoke up to offer the usual introductions, if only to cut through the sudden, awkward silence.
Lady Chastity cocked her head toward Macie, regarding her as if she were a curiosity to be observed. “TheMary Catherine Mason?”
“Is there another?” Macie quipped.
“I suppose not. I’ve heard about you... and your photographs. How very scandalous! I love it.”
Macie smiled, warm and genuine. “A woman with a camera creates quite the stir in our society. I must admit, I rather enjoy the notoriety.”
“How very original!” Lady Chastity sounded genuinely impressed. “I’ve heard tales about town... they’re saying you will soon set your camera aside to join the title hunt. Tell me it’s not true.”
The title hunt.So bloody pointless. The very words nearly set Finn’s back teeth on edge. For her part, Macie appeared decidedly unenthused about the prospect of a well-connected marriage.Good for her.
“Pity there’s no way to hunt the title without taking the man attached to it as well,” Macie said with a slight smile. “The chase would be ever so much more fun.”
“The fun comes later,” Lady Chastity said with a wink. “My Archibald spends many an hour at his club. I only need to endure his presence when he wishes to be seen with an ornament on his arm.”
“My, you should not be so bold,” Lady Drayton admonished.
“It’s quite fine,” Macie replied. “I find this all rather fascinating. Lady Chastity, perhaps you would allow me to make your portrait while I am in London.”
“While doing something naughty, I hope,” Lady Chastity said with a sly smile.
“I am thinking of images in a gothic mansion,” Macie said, her tone more vibrant now. “Beauty and the Beast, with the house cast as the beast.”
“How very exciting! I would enjoy that. Truly,” Lady Chastity said. “But I would not want to keep you from your... other pursuits.”
Macie’s brows knit together. Her face was as expressive as her voice, especially those emerald eyes of hers.
“Other pursuits?” she asked.
“The title hunt—if you are indeed in pursuit, you will definitely have some competition,” Lady Chastity said. “I’ve heard Lord Darington is the catch of the season.”
“I cannot say I’m at all concerned.” Macie accented her reply with a bland shrug.
Finn bit back a chuckle. Lady Chastity had spoken as if she’d shared vital intelligence, but Macie had shown no blasted interest. By thunder, the tales of Mary Catherine Mason’s aversion to noble arses and pompous dolts were true.
“I do understand,” Lady Chastity went on. “Sometimes, it is best to play hard to get. After all, your father does own that wonderful store on Jermyn Street, doesn’t he?”
“He does.” A little frown played on Macie’s mouth. “While we’re at it, Papa also has stores in Cardiff, Liverpool, and Scotland.”
Lady Chastity flashed a knowing smile. “Well then, that should be sufficient to get your hands on an earl, at the least.”
As the buxom countess continued to dispense her pearls of title-hunting wisdom, their hostess appeared to struggle against her rising irritation. Lady Drayton’s complexion had paled to a marble-white while her mouth had thinned to a tight slash. As her pinched gaze lingered over the younger woman, she looked to be battling an urge to press a hand over Lady Chastity’s ever-moving mouth.
Even Finn—a man with no experience in the subtleties of matchmaking or scheming, for that matter—could see the society matron had her eye on Macie’s family fortune. Was it his imagination, or was Lady Chastity thoroughly enjoying the chance to frustrate the haughty crone’s efforts to pair her scarecrow of a son with Macie?
The matron wobbled slightly, and she gave her head a little shake. If much more blood drained from Lady Drayton’s face, she would require his services to hold her upright, even without a puddle of wine to slip on. “Miss Mason and her brother have to come to London to restore the old mansion on the hill,” she said, her tone steadier than her expression as she deliberately changed the subject.
Watching Lady Chastity sabotage their host, wittingly or not, had been amusing, but Finn’s interest perked up at the mention of the stately house that had long fascinated him. “Jon has inherited Bennington Manor?”
“No.” Macie smiled. “Our grandfather’s home now belongs to me.”
Lady Drayton regarded Macie as though she had grown another head. “Andrew Bennington bequeathed his home to... a woman?”
“And why wouldn’t he?” Macie pinned her with those captivating, dagger-throwing green eyes. “I am his granddaughter. He knew how I love that old house.”
