Page 79 of A Wanton Adventure
Probably in any other situation, Sebastian would have said yes, but he wanted to spend more time with Diana. “I can’t.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.”
Sebastian nodded as Tremont entered the room from the corner of his eye. He should go find Diana now that the man wasn’t hovering around her. The pompous man and a gaggle of younger lords made their way over to the billiards table he and Easton stood by.
“Nothing is official yet, but I imagine before Christmas, we will be betrothed or wed,” Tremont told the men.
He glanced away from the group, and his eyes met Sebastian’s. He knew without a doubt Tremont suspected something was going on between him and Diana. Sebastian didn’t give a damn. He raised his glass to the lord, mockingly, before taking a large sip. Tremont scowled and turned away. His heart thundered. Would he really lose Diana to this ass?
Easton chuckled quietly. “You don’t like him.”
“Long story,” Sebastian said. “Are you sure you don’t have time to meet Lady Hensley?”
Easton drained his brandy. “I wish I could but I’m leaving now. I’ve stayed too long already. Send your missive for theCalverts to my hotel. I depart for Damascus in two days if you change your mind.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The next afternoon,Diana and her aunt joined her mother and her friends for tea. She was exhausted from her mother’s dinner the previous evening. It had run late into the night. Once she made it to the hotel, Sebastian visited her, but their lovemaking had been quick. A tenseness had emanated between them.
Sebastian had been upset that Tremont and her mother had monopolized her time. She’d barely been able to speak with anyone, not just Sebastian. She’d wanted to talk about it, but he’d been unwilling to share his thoughts. The longer they stayed in Livorno, the more distant they seemed to become. Diana hated it.
A mad idea sprang up in her mind. Could she and Sebastian become more than an interlude? Would he ever want more with her? The idea was preposterous but how she wished it could be. The way he touched her, spoke to her, and cared for her made Diana want so much more.
“Diana?”
She flushed, horrified she had no clue what her mother’s friends were discussing. She glanced at the three ladies she barely knew, then her mother, and lastly her Aunt Winifred. Her aunt said, “Lady Beaumont asked if you enjoyed writing for the papers.”
Diana smiled at her aunt, grateful, before turning back to the other ladies. “I do. I’m not sure I have any interest after I return,but the success means the Historical Society for Female Curators will have the funding needed to grow.”
Lady Beaumont wrinkled her nose. “I heard about the club and that Lady Hawley created it to spite her husband because of an affair. Not that she should care who he is involved with, as she’s rather scandalous. She should be happy her husband is so private about his discretions. She is not.”
Diana gasped at the woman’s bluntness. Her mother and her friends tittered. Her aunt frowned in disapproval at the woman.
“I can assure you the club isn’t a game to Lady Hawley.”
The tone Diana used seemed to upset the women as they pinched their lips together. Her mother said, “Come now, you don’t really expect us to take your club seriously. Lady Hawley hasn’t behaved in an appropriate manner for at least a decade. Your main patron is the owner of a scandalous gentlemen’s club with an unsavory heritage. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two are involved in a more intimate fashion.”
Her mother smirked as a scowl filled Diana’s face. Diana had no doubt her remark was meant to wound her. Her mother was a master at squirreling out secrets. She likely suspected there was something between her and Sebastian. Diana ignored her last point and said, “I can assure you they are both very dedicated to seeing the Historical Society for Female Curators succeed.”
Her mother’s friend Lady Hartley said, “My husband said it was a bunch of ladies playing at being scholars. The club would be lucky if it lasted a year.”
“I will bet you a hundred pounds the club will survive through next season,” Aunt Winifred said to the woman.
Lady Hartley gasped. “I can’t bet that much money.”
Her aunt turned to her sister. “How about you, Lisette?”
Diana’s mother’s eyes flashed with anger and maybe resentment that her sister had so much money. “No, I have no interest in your bet. It’s a waste of time.”
Aunt Winifred smirked, but Diana’s mother changed the subject before the discussion could go any further. “Ladies, I think we need to end our visit. I have some matters to discuss with my daughter.”
Her mother’s friends rose. Lady Beaumont beamed at Diana’s mother. “I hope to visit you in England soon, Your Grace.”
Her mother smiled demurely. Once her friends were gone, she frowned and took a sip of tea. “Diana, you shouldn’t be so supportive of that Devons man. Think of your future marriage and Robert.”
“I have only good things to say about Mr. Devons.”
Her mother studied her. Her lips twisted with distaste.
