Page 14 of Her Duke in Shining Armor
“Not now,” Wyndrake said ominously. “But you will. A word of advice Oberton, it would do you well to mind your words when you are speaking to gentlemen who can destroy you.”
“You are no gentleman,” Aaron said mirthlessly. Wyndrake had pushed too far and Aaron unleashed the first bullet in his gun. “What do you say about the sudden disappearance of the St. Giles scandal?”
Instead of going pale, Wyndrake’s jaw went stiff, “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Seeing that he had unsettled the man, Aaron snorted, “Walls have ears and men talk, Wyndrake. Your secrets are not as secret as you might think. Now, if you will excuse me, I have more important matters to contemplate.”
Walking away with that victory in his pocket, Aaron moved to a shadowed table that was flush against a corner. The waiter reappeared and deposited his glass of scotch before him. Nodding his thanks, Aaron faintly noted the hesitant resurge of conversation in the room while he nursed the drink. His mind was pondering the various ways he could approach Lady Eleanor again.
“If you don’t mind me saying,” a man said as he slipped into the other half of the booth. “That was incredibly foolish of you, but it was something all of us have been egging to say.”
“Julius Wilcox as I live and breathe,” Aaron smiled over the rim of his glass at his old Eton schoolmate. The son of a minor baron, Julius Wilcox had broken out of the expectancy of going into business and had gone on to be an officer with the River Thames Police. His rise in the ranks had been meteoric and now he was almost the Superintendent of Ship Constables at the young age of seven-and-twenty.
“My God, I thought they had sent you to spy on illicit trade by the Scots,” Aaron said.
“Eh,” Julius shrugged. “They had, but they soon realized they had a room full of bacon brains at the headquarters and needed some sense back at the base.”
“And you have that in spades,” Aaron smiled. “How is Lady Darcy?”
“My betrothed is beautiful and as patient as ever with me trying to get out of the fray and into the office so our children will not have only a widowed mother as a parent,” he grinned. “So, what is this about the Lady of Brisdane…or should I sayDisdain?”
Of course, he would ask me that.
“A continuation of some mockery,” Aaron’s voice was tight. “At Lord Greyson’s affair, Wyndrake offered me five-thousand pounds to subdue the lady, who has more common sense on her little finger than the lot of them, and ‘reel her in.’”
Julius’ brown eyes widened, “The hell you say? Is she a filly?”
“I said the same thing,” Aaron groused while finishing off his scotch. “Thehellis that I know Lady Eleanor, our families are acquaintances.”
“So?” Julius prodded. “What is the problem?”
“She hates the air I breathe…”and I cannot say I am any different, Aaron admitted sourly. “Our first meet went south when I told her she was a tomboy and then, years later, I told her she was spoiled.”
The constable’s lips twitched, “That would irk a lass.”
“And then,” Aaron griped. “I must have lost my mind because at the same ball, I sent her a dancing card with my name on every slot and I still cannot understand why I did it, and that was after we had a scathing argument on the terrace. She annoys me, Wilcox.”
A stifled laugh came from his friend that earned Aaron’s narrow glare, “Ahem, sorry…Oberton, what exactly is your connection with this lady?”
“I told you,” Aaron said. “A connection forged with the three twines of loathing, anger, and resentment.”
“But if you had mirrored herloathing, anger, and resentmentyou would have never defended her that way,” Julius pointed out. “That speech was nearly heroic, and I had begun to think you were infatuated with the lass.”
Beckoning another waiter over Aaron’s words were dry, “Infatuation is a stretch.”
“Intrigue then,” Julius said after ordering some whiskey. “I know you Oberton, you don’t suffer fools or pretentious people. You are drawn to intelligence and if this lady has it in spades, perhaps you’re not as thrown off by her as you think.”
“I am.”
“Do you truly hate her?” Julius asked.
“Yes.”Maybe it is an annoyance and not pure hatred.
“Do you?” the constable asked.
“Possibly.”
“Are you sure?” Julius pressed.
