Page 46 of The Pleasures of Passion
He’d also voiced skepticism that she would rise to the occasion and follow Niall to the Continent, but still, he’d made the vow. And Father had never broken a vow.
That you know of.
Niall drew himself up. No, blast it! He refused to believe it. Just look at how Bree had refused to answer when he’d demanded to know what was in the letter. Didn’t that prove she was lying?
Or . . . protecting her dignity. Because if she really did believe that he’d fought a duel over some mistress, it was no wonder she was wary around him. And hehadcalled her an adventuress.
He winced. He’d said things he shouldn’t have, accused her of things he wasn’t even sure she’d done. What he’d seen of her today warred with the image of her he’d built up in his head through the years.
And if she were telling the truth about the letter . . .
She couldn’t be. He must stop letting her words lodge inside his brain. Not when he had no way of confirming them.
Or—did he? Fulkham might know more about her marriage and what had precipitated it. Failing that, perhaps he could get the truth out of Sir Oswald.
That thought sobered him. He still had a mission. She probably wouldn’t tell anyone tonight that she’d jilted him. Surely she wasn’tthatreckless. So he could still go to the card game later and see what he could find out.
Perhaps that would be enough to give Fulkham something to go on. Or perhaps by tomorrow she would have come to her senses and realized she had to continue with this.
Either way, he still wanted to see what he could learn from Fulkham about her marriage. And he needed to discuss the new fellow, Whiting, with the spymaster before the card game, too.
With a clear goal in mind, he sought to not think about her and her accusations and focus on the mission. He changed clothes for the evening, then headed to St. George’s. Unfortunately, Fulkham wasn’t there, but Quinn Raines was in the otherwise empty reading room, dining on a sandwich while he scanned the evening paper.
Excellent. Why not start there? At least Niall could take his mind off Bree for a while. And Raines might have a different perspective on Sir Oswald’s compatriots than Fulkham.
Being the director of his father’s bank, Raines was Fulkham’s prime suspect, although Niall thought that seemed too obvious. Yes, the man would be more than familiar with how to counterfeit a banknote, but would he really be so foolish as to risk his own reputation and that of his bank to do so?
Then again, Fulkham based his suspicions on the fact that Raines made a conscious effort to avoid him. That wouldn’t mean anything in anyone else, since the undersecretary of the foreign office would intimidate just about anyone. But Raines dealt with foreign banks regularly. One would think he’d relish a connection to the foreign office.
Niall called for a bottle of wine from the steward, then took a seat opposite Raines. “So, I hear you’ll be part of the card game at the Star and Garter tonight.”
Raines gave a start and set aside his paper. “I will indeed. You too?”
Niall nodded. “Sir Oswald invited me.”
“Ah, yes. I heard you became engaged to his daughter. You won the prize that many a bachelor has been eyeing.”
The odd trace of bitterness in his tone made Niall bite back a hot retort. “Even you?”
“Hardly. My interest lies elsewhere.” His face clouded over. “For all the good it’s doing me.”
That surprised him. Raines was an attractive enough fellow, despite the swarthy looks that came from his mother, the daughter of a Spanish count. Raines might not be English nobility, but his family held great consequence in the city. Another reason Niall wasn’t inclined to think him a counterfeiter.
“Do I know the lady lucky enough to hold your attention?” Niall asked. “Perhaps I can put in a good word.”
Raines stiffened. “I’d rather not say. Her family is unaware of my interest just now. Best to keep it that way for the moment. You understand.”
“Better than you think. And let me give you a word of advice. Don’t keep it secret too long.” Because what if, God forbid, Niall’s caution years ago had cost him his lady? What if Breehadbeen telling the truth? “That always ends badly.”
He must have allowed a bit too much emotion into his voice, for Raines cocked his head. “Sounds like the voice of experience.”
“You have no idea.” Swiftly, Niall changed the subject. “So, this game tonight. You’re Whiting’s partner?”
“Temporarily. While he’s been in town, his cousin has been his partner, though Pitford usually partners with Sir Oswald. Now that Whiting’s cousin abandoned him for Lyons’s ball, I told Whiting I’d step in, although I generally partner with Dunsleigh. You’ll have the advantage of me, since I assume you’ve played with your future father-in-law before.”
“Actually, no.”
That caught Raines’s attention. “Odd. He’s very clannish. Doesn’t let too many new fellows into our circle.”
