Page 1 of My Kind of Scoundel
Chapter One
The Olympic Theatre
Wych Street, Drury Lane
Theodore Chance dropped into the red velvet chair in a private box at the Olympic Theatre. Madame Vestris, the principal actress and manager, had addressed the audience, and her company of actors had finished singing the verse and chorus of “God save the King!”
Theo had not come to watch Madame Vestris don breeches and make a parody of a classical play, or to laugh until his sides hurt. He had come to prove a point to his estranged uncle, the Earl of Berridge. Despite being shot in his shoulder by a thug mere weeks ago, Theo was still a man to fear.
As the gaslights dimmed and the burgundy curtains parted for the first act, his sister-in-law Naomi tapped his shoulder. “Most men are here to watch the famed Miss Baker perform, though I hear she only has eyes for you.”
Theo shot his brother a questioning glare. Aramis hadbeen gossiping to his wife again. He was obsessed with the woman, forever whispering in her ear, always touching her hand. If a hard-hearted rogue like Aramis could be tamed, all bachelors were doomed.
“As I’m sure Aramis told you, I have taken a vow of chastity.” If Theo avoided romantic entanglements, he could not fall into a matchmaker’s trap. “While Miss Baker invited me to dine with her tonight, I came only to humiliate our uncle and spend time with beloved family.”
Aramis snorted. “How long do you mean to keep up this charade?”
“Charade?” Theo clutched his chest as if mortally wounded.
“The pretence that you’ve abandoned your roguish ways. Your moniker is the King of Hearts, not Virtuous Victor. Avoiding women won’t prevent destiny from knocking on your door.”
“Destiny deems I shall die a bachelor.”
A shiver chased down Theo’s spine. Over the course of a few short months, three of his siblings had married. He was next in line. Doubtless fate lurked in the shadows, gripping a noose, ready to string him up by theproverbials.
“Look what happened to us. We didn’t expect to fall in love.” Naomi stared at Aramis as if he were a god amongst men. A curious combination of lust and longing encompassed them like a halo of gold. “We never believed we could be so happy. When you meet the right person, Theo, you will know true love, too.”
Theo turned his attention to the stage and feigned interest.
He would rather rot in hell than trust a woman.
Bitter thoughts of Lucille Bowman clawed their way out of the dirt and into his heart. Painful memories were never truly buried. They lay like the undead in the darkness, waiting to grab a man by the ankle and drag him to his doom.
Being his usual intuitive self, Aramis was quick to grasp the problem. “Lucille Bowman was not the right woman for you. She toyed with your affections to frighten her father. She kept you dangling like a puppet. You were never good enough. You’re not heir to a title.”
The words hit hard—no man wished to think himself inadequate—though Theo kept his arrogant mask in place. “Don’t spare my feelings. You may as well twist the blade and sever an artery.”
“I’m your brother. I’ll not serve the truth like a sweet treat on a lace doily. You were never in love with her. The sooner you realise that the better your life will be.”
The urge to curse the woman stung like acid on his tongue. Deceit was a sin he could not tolerate. But he was the King of Hearts. Should he not be a man of great empathy? Should he not have an emotional intelligence above that of other mortals?
Perhaps he needed a different moniker.
Engaging with one’s heart made a man weak.
He should be the King of Loathing. The King of Tragedies.
“What about Miss Darrow?” Naomi said above the crowd’s sudden shriek of laughter when a donkey in a periwig appeared on stage. “Aramis said she came to Fortune’s Den looking for you last night, though she wouldn’t say why. Only a woman driven by an obsession would risk visiting a gaming hell after dark.”
Mention of the modiste had Theo grumbling under his breath.
Miss Darrow was obsessed, but not with him.
“Perhaps she came to offer an apology. She lied to me. She made me coffee and flirted outrageously, all in the name of deception.”
It was partly Miss Darrow’s fault he got shot outside her shop. He had gone to the dressmaker’s to chaperone his sister, Delphine. Unbeknownst to him, she wasn’t there for a gown fitting. It was a ruse arranged by Miss Darrow so Delphine could meet a man in the yard.
Miss Darrow had used him and treated him like a fool. She was no different to Lady Lucille. They were both conniving cats.
