Page 50 of The Baron Takes a Bet
“What an idiotic thing to do,” he said. “Surely he would have guessed that you would have the entire thing annulled.” Gavin shrugged. “You are having it expunged, aren’t you?”
“If I could find my lawyer,” Gavin mumbled, his gaze lifting across the club’s main floor.
“It’s rather interesting, isn’t it?” Silas said. “Inheriting a wife. I never knew it was possible.”
“Yes, well, that and a prosperous estate and a dozen or so journals. I don’t suppose I have much room to complain.”
“Journals?” Derek repeated. “What journals?”
“I don’t know. Some ledgers the old man kept for a hundred years.”
Derek’s brow cinched together.
“Wasn’t there a bit of a rumor about the baron being some sort of writer of the erotica?” Derek leaned back. “Supposedly, it was a well-known secret amongst the ton.”
Gavin rolled his eyes. So he wasn’t the only one to know about it.
“Every peer with a journal thinks he’s a modern-day Marquis de Sade,” Silas spoke absently. “But I’m sure it’s nothing more than a few personal experiences.”
“Oh, and I should want to read that,” Gavin said sarcastically as he gazed off around the room.
Dozens of gaming tables stood in a wide-open space. The club was quiet for an afternoon, but there were still a handful of men here and there, playing cards or reading the paper. Gavin knew one or two gentlemen personally, while another young man seemed familiar, though his face kept disappearing behind the shoulder of another.
But that wasn’t what he was focusing on.
Against the back wall were two sets of doors. The left set followed a hallway that led to the billiards and private card-playing rooms. The ones on the right led to several dozen apartments where members could sleep off their drunken stupor or be entertained by one of the nightingale ladies who frequented the club each night.
Though he had entertained the idea, the moment Gavin’s eyes landed on the doors that would lead him to a wench, hefrowned. He could go over there and meet his needs, but he knew already that his appetite wouldn’t be stated.
He took another bite of his roll and returned his attention to his friends. Both were staring at him in the most agitating way.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Silas said, his gaze falling on Trembley.
“You seem not yourself, Gavin,” Trembley said. “There’s a weight about your shoulders such as I haven’t seen in some time.”
“There’d be a weight on you as well if you suddenly found yourself married with two dependents, one of which is trying to send my wife into an early grave.”
The termmy wifeseemed to vibrate in the air, and Gavin inwardly groaned, preparing himself for one of Trembley’s lectures. Only, as he waited, no one spoke.
“It can be burdensome,” Trembley said slowly. “But there is a satisfaction that comes with being responsible for those who depend on you.”
Gavin glanced at his oldest friend with astonishment.
“Good god, you sound like your father,” he said as Silas let out a chuckle, while Trembley only appeared slightly annoyed. “I’ve no need to find satisfaction in any of it. My peace will be restored once the season is over. As soon as Holly’s sister is married, the farm that forms her brother’s inherence is restored to functionality, and our marriage is annulled, I should be squarely back where I was before my uncle’s meddling.”
“And where was that?”
“Alone.”
Gavin was sure Silas and Trembley were exchanging expressions. He had tried to make his tone light, but it had come out rather miserable. Though he had tried to make the best of his day, it seemed his dark mood would not release him.
After a moment, Silas spoke.
“An annulment might not be as clear cut as you assume, unfortunately. Speaking from experience, the public can be wildly invasive. Take it from someone who’s lived that life.”
“You were divorced though. An annulment is completely different.”
