Page 88 of The Lyon Whisperer
Oh, how she admired the man. “Meaning you gave him a good wallop?”
One corner of his mouth curved upward. “Not exactly, I tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned on me, swinging. He got me pretty good in the jaw. I returned the favor, catching him in the nose. We went at it until the ruckus we caused drew the attention of the headmaster.
“When he arrived, he sent his daughter home in tears and demanded an explanation. Nobody admitted to seeing a thing, and neither Tully nor I said a word. He disbanded the crowd and marched us to his office where he lectured the two of us on proper decorum as befitted Eton boys.”
She was appalled. “You never told him you defended his daughter?”
Chase spread his arms wide and sat beside her, very close this time.
“No, but I gathered he deduced Huxley was to blame for the state of undress of his daughter. He told us—while glaring at Huxley—if anything like that ever happened to his daughter again, regardless of who was involved, he would see us both expelled. Then he told us to wait.”
“For what?”
“Our parents.”
“I see.”
“My father was deployed. That meant Uncle Harry came in his stead.” Chase grinned and shook his head. “He actually congratulated me on showing a bit of spirit. Huxley’s father was a different animal entirely, and that is where this story really begins.”
He eyed her. “You see, Huxley’s father, then the Earl of Tully, did not like learning his son had been caught at his misdeed, nor that he’dnotbested the son of a mere mister.”
“How utterly despicable.”
“I came around the corner in time to witness the tail end of their discourse on the matter. I saw Huxley sniveling and begging his father not to believe the headmaster’s rendition of what happened. He insisted he’d bested me—to no avail. The man backhand Huxley so hard his head snapped backward and spittle flew. For a moment, I actually felt sorry him.”
“I can understand why.”
“During the split second our eyes met, he must’ve seen the pity on my face. After that, his hatred of me was only outweighed by his fear.”
“Because you witnessed his humiliation at the hand of his father.”
“Exactly. He avoided me, even as he whispered behind my back and tried to pit people against me. I have never worried overmuch about my popularity.”
She arched a brow in challenge. “Not even now? Dealing with the powerful lords of theton?”
He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “They don’t have to like me, they just have to listen.”
“If you get the required votes, will you no longer concern yourself with my behavior?”
“No,” he all but growled.
She sighed. “Of course not. How does any of this relate to Lady Millicent.”
“Millicent was supposed to be Huxley’s revenge. He somehow learned of my courtship. He set out to seduce her and succeeded.”
The nerve of the man, claiming the exact opposite. As if she would take the word of a perfect stranger over that of her husband.
“He came to me and informed me he’d…er…”
“Had conjugal relations with her?” she put in helpfully.
He frowned at her briefly. “Yes. He then said I was welcome to her, among other things.”
She blinked. “But you refused to marry her because she had been unfaithful?”
“Not exactly. What I wanted never came into play.”
“How do you mean?” she asked, deeply curious now.
