Page 39 of A Duke's Temptation Poetess
“There was one other person,” Lady Matilda said suddenly, “who we were surprised to see on our way to Bath.”
“Oh?” Deborah asked.
“Yes,” Colin said, his concern for his sister pushing away his fantasies of Lady Clarissa. “We saw the Earl of Creshire.”
Deborah drew in a soft breath of air, barely audible. Russell’s jaw clenched. The air seemed suddenly heavy with tension. “What was he doing?” Russell asked.
Colin leaned forward, locking eyes with his brother-in-law. Given the reactions from both his sister- and brother-in-law, Colin strongly suspected that the Earl of Creshire was not a welcome guest like he had implied.
“He said that he intended to come to Deborah’s ball,” Colin said evenly.
“Lord Creshire was not one of the invited guests,” Deborah said. “I have never invited him to any of my events, and I certainly have no intention of allowing him to disturb my ball.”
Russell’s expression darkened. “If he comes here, we shall have the staff escort him out. There is no need to cause a scene, but he will not stay here if he makes you uncomfortable, my Lady. This is your home, and he has no place here unless you wish it.”
Deborah nodded. She looked lost in thought, though. “I wonder what he hoped. Did he tell you that exactly?”
“He did,” Colin replied.
“You know,” Watford said, “it is entirely possible that he said that just to vex you.”
“That is true,” Colin admitted, “but I do not trust him. He is sly and cunning. Even we did not realise what sort of man he was until it was almost too late. He may very well try something.”
“We will be ready,” Russell said.
“We must consider one thing,” Aunt Matilda said. “There is not much the Earl of Creshire can do, aside from cause a scene, and I doubt he will do that. No one outside of this room and the earl himself knows what occurred, and I doubt he would do anything to risk us revealing the truth. We have that advantage over him.”
“Villains are rarely the most rational of people,” Deborah said.
“But it is no issue, really,” Russell said. “We will tell the staff not to admit him, and if he arrives, we can give him the option to leave either quietly or to be forcibly removed from this estate. Villains may seldom be rational, it is true, but they are often cowardly.”
“Yes,” Watford said, “especially one like the Earl of Creshire, who prefers that people believe he is a good, upstanding man.”
Colin nodded. “He did not try to do anything untoward at the inn where we crossed paths.”
Deborah frowned. “We will be ready. That is the best we can do.”
“I am sorry to have caused you distress,” Aunt Matilda said softly. “It may be like Lord Watford says, just an angry man making snide remarks to upset everyone.”
“I would rather know just in case,” Deborah said quickly. “You did nothing wrong, Aunt. I would be mortified if he arrived unannounced at my ball, and I was not anticipating it.”
The dinner became sombre, and Colin felt a surge of protectiveness for his sister. At least Deborah had good people who were willing to protect her from the Earl of Creshire, if such protection was necessary. She was happily married, and Colin would do anything to ensure that his sister managed to live her life as she wanted.
And despite Colin’s own refusal to wed, he had to admit that Deborah had done well for herself. Russell was a good man, a brave man, and would not hesitate to defend his wife’s honour. Watford was brave and loyal, and Aunt Matilda was clever and fierce.
Hopefully, Watford was right, and the Earl of Creshire had only been petty with the comment. After all, he had made it in the presence of Lady Clarissa and her mother. The earl had likely surmised that Colin would not reveal the truth about their last encounter with ladies present. Colin clenched his jaw.
There was no particular reason for wanting to warn Lady Clarissa about the Earl of Creshire. He had not shown an ounce of interest in her, but still, Colin found himself considering if he ought to warn the young lady.
The meal ended, and the ladies retreated together. Colin joined Russell and Watford in the billiards room, where Colin gratefully accepted a glass of scotch. While wine was an acceptable drink, it did not quite dull his passions as much as the burning scotch somehow did.
“So Lady Clarissa,” Russell said, toying with his own glass.
“She is very beautiful,” Watford said. “Even a married man would say so.”
Russell grinned. “Nonsense. No woman on Earth is as beautiful as my Lady. She has aged like the most exquisite wine.”
“There is no point in talking about Lady Clarissa,” Colin said. “I do not know what you all believe the situation between the two of us to be, but I can assure you that there is nothing remotely romantic between us.”
