A Most Unsuitable Earl (Regency Collection Book 3) (8 page)

“You don’t understand him.”

“And you do?”

“Yes.  I was fencing with him today, and he made it clear that I’m supposed
to have a spotless reputation from now on.”

“You’ll be fine.  You have more money than most titled gentlemen.  Have your steward talk to him.  Show him your books.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you are wealthier than him.”

He shrugged.  Whether he had more money than the duke was irrelevant.  The gentleman was going to be furious he was mentioned in the
Tittletattle
, especially si
nce he just warned him about it
.  Slapping his hands on the armchairs, he let out a weary sigh.  He rose to his feet and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.  “
If I mysteriously disappear
,
you know the duke killed me.”

Though she didn’t respond, he could tell she thought he was exaggerating.  Well, maybe if she had a smallsword pressed to her throat, she’d be more understanding.

“You have no need to fret.  I’ll make sure no one sees me,” he softly said as he crossed the room so he could reach the door.

“You’ll be fine,” she assured him.

“I know I’ll be fine getting out of here, but who knows how things will go when that tidbit about me shows up in the
Tittletattle
.”

“Ethan!” she hissed.

Before she could criticize him further, he slipped out of the library and scurried down the hall until he found the servant
s’
stairs.  In no time at all, he was back on the street, safe from discovery.  If only it was so easy to avoid Catherine’s father.

***

To Ethan’s further dismay, it wasn’t the Duke of Rumsey who first found out about the
Tittletattle’s
contents.  He had just finished praying for absolution from all his sins in case he was about to step into eternity
,
because of an ill-fated smallsword
,
when his mother tracked him down in the hallway.

“What is this about you being a pauper?” she demanded, practically shoving a copy of the gossip paper into his arms.

He reluctantly took it and scanned thr
ough it until he came across “Gerard Addison’s” submission. 
Though
Lord Edon might dress the part of a dandy, it’s only on the surface.  If it weren’t for kin buying him clothes, he’d be exposed for the pauper he really is.

“
You’ve been telling people you’re as poor as a church mouse?
” his mother asked, her hands on her hips.

Glancing around the hallway to make sure none of the servants heard her, he was relieved to see no one in sight.  He took her by the elbow and led her to the library, which was the nearest room.  Once he closed the door to ensure their privacy, he turned to her.   “I’m appalled you’d believe anything in a gossip paper.” Then, as if he couldn’t care less what was in the
Tittleta
ttle
, he tossed it on the desk and went to the chair across the room.

Undaunted by his deliberate show of indifference, she followed him, gritting her teeth.  “You will not
ruin this for me, Ethan.  The B
anns have been read once already.  The other two times will occur, and then there will be a wedding.”

“I didn’t tell anyone I was poor.” It wasn’t a direct lie since
,
technically, it was Agatha who did it.  “Besides, who is going to believe such an outrageous thing?  Look around you.  I own this townhouse.”

“No.  Your father owned it.  You inherited it.”

“And we’re still living in it.  You needed a new carriage last month, and I got you one.  Our family crest is engraved in gold.  Could I do that if I was poor?”

“You gamble so much.  One of these days, you’re bound to lose everything.”

“No, I won’t.  I’ve given up gambling, remember?” He gave her a pointed look.  “You insisted on it the night you arranged my engagement.”

“But how do I know you won’t do it anyway?”

Because the Duke of Rumsey wasn’t shy when it came to showing off his skills with a smallsword, he thought.  But he didn’t dare tell her that.  Instead, he pressed his hand to his chest and gave her a wounded look.
  “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.  I gave you my word.”

“You’re a rake.  Breaking your word is what you do best.”

“But not to my mother.  Seriously?  Have I been such a horrible son that you think I wouldn’t honor my word to you?”

She shook her head.  “Don’t play innocent with me.  You’ve been promising me you’d try to find a nice, respectable lady to marry, but I’ve had to watch you go through each Season without an engagement.”

“I never gave my word on that.  You insisted and assumed I went along with it.”

She gasped.  “You can’t turn this around so it looks like I’m in error.”

“I kept telling you I wanted to hand over my title to my cousin, but you wouldn’t hear of it.  I never made a pretense of wanting to marry a lady and pass on my title to an heir.”

He knew he should have enjoyed the moment when she realized he was right, but he couldn’t when he saw her countenance fall.  With a sigh, he stood up and
hugged her.  “I know you mean well, Mother.”

“A gentleman can’t be happy unless he has a good lady by his side,” she replied.

“I do.” He pulled away from her and grinned.  “I have you.”

Though she shook her head, a slight smile graced her lips.  “You know I meant a wife.  Your father said he fared far better with me in his life.  He was happy.”

“I know he was.”

“I want you to be happy, too.”

Deciding not to insist that a gentleman could be happy living in the country and spending his days reading books, he allowed her to have the final word on the matter.  It wouldn’t change anything.  He was still going to marry Catherine, as long as her father let him live.

“If you believed I was a pauper, I suppose the Duke of Rumsey will, too.” And he needed to go over to his townhouse to assure the gentleman that it wasn’t true.

“I doubt the duke resorts to reading the
Tittletattle
.  He’s a refined gentleman.”

“He does because he wants to know who will make a suitable husband for his daughter.
  Or rather, who won’t make a suitable husband.
”

She patted his arm and smiled.  “But you
will
make a suitable husband
.”

“No, I won’t, and you’ve just confined a poor young lady to a life with me
.”

“You’re a suitable gentleman, Ethan.  You’ve always taken good care of me, and because you take care of me, I expect you’ll do the same for your wife.”

“You
only see
what you want to see,” he replied
.  “
All right. 
I must make arrangements to see the duke.”

“Say no more.  I’ll leave you alone.”

After she left the room, he turned his attention to
w
hat he’d say when he confronted
Catherine’s father.

The Duke of Rumsey’s eyes bore into Ethan, and though sweat trickled down his back, Ethan refused to break eye contact. 
The duke remained sitting behind his desk, and since he hadn’t offered Ethan a seat, Ethan stood across fr
om him.  But Ethan wouldn’t yield
and run from the library. 
If he was going to be dealing with the duke for the rest of h
is life, he needed to pretend the duke
couldn’t intimidate him.  And considering the weight of the duke’s stare, that was no easy feat.

“How did news of your impoverished status make it into the
Tittletattle
?” the duke asked.

Ethan shrugged. 
“How does anything make it into the
Tittletattle
?”

“Do you think by answering my question with a question that you’re being clever?”

“No, Your Grace.”

“Are you telling me that the
Tittletattle
makes
up stories about you
?”

Ethan paused because this was a trick question.  If he said yes, he’d expose himself and Agatha.  If he said no, he’d admit he was poor.
  “Quite frankly, I don’t think the
Tittletattle
should exist.  All it does is
create problems.” There.  That should throw him off the trail.

“
You didn’t answer me
.”

Ethan inwardly groaned.  Why couldn’t the gentleman forget the blasted question?

“I want to see your steward,” the duke finally said.

“No.”

“No?”

“No!” Ethan took a deep breath and strengthened his resolve.  “Either you believe me or you don’t, but I already told you the truth.  I am not a pauper.”

The duke didn’t blink, and though it took all of Ethan’s willpower, he didn’t either.  The duke clenched and unclenched his jaw a couple of times before he finally spoke.  “This is how it’s going to be?  I’m going to ask you questions, and you’re going to be disrespectful enough to either ignore me or refuse my request?”

“With all due respect, you didn’t request to see my steward.  You
demanded
to see him.”

He tightened his hold on his armchair.  “And if I had asked?”

“I’d still say no.”

He closed his eyes.
   Ethan thought he saw some
smoke come out of the duke’s
ears but figured that had to be his imagination.  The duke, after all, wasn’t a dragon, even if he
acted like one.

“My finances are my business,” Ethan said.  “If I owed you money, it’d be one thing.  But since I don’t—”

“You are going to marry my
daughter, and you have the nerve
to be belligerent with me?” the duke yelled, rising to his feet.

Ethan jumped.

The duke hurried around the desk, and Ethan backed up to the door, relie
ved it was open.  I
f the duke killed him, there would be witnesses.  To his surprise, the duke came within a few inches of him and stopped.  “
My daughter is the most important thing in my life, and despite my wishes, I have to hand her over to you
.  As her father, I have a right to know that
in addition to
your
corrupt
lifestyle, you’re not going to submit her to poverty!”

Ethan swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.  “All right.”
Her father made a good point.  If Ethan had a daughter and thought she was about to end up with a pauper, he’d
demand to see the steward, too.

The duke
visibly relaxed.

Figuring that the sooner he relieved the duke’s fears, the better, Ethan cleared his throat.  “Then you’ll be going with me to my townhouse?”

“I wouldn’t dream of traveling anywhere with you.  I’ll go in my own carriage.”

Why wasn’t he surprised?  Deciding not to comment, Ethan turned and followed her father out of the library.  On their way to the front door, the footman opened it and Catherine and Lady Roderick stepped into the townhouse.  They were laughing and
holding a few
expensive
packages.  N
o wonder the duke worried over his daughter
’s fate
.  She was a spendthrift!
  Well, that was no matter.  He had more than enough money to keep her happily spending money for the rest of her life.

The ladies stopped when they saw the two gentlemen.  “Father, what is he doing here?”

The disdain in Catherine’s voice didn’t go unnoticed.  Ethan was ready to make an equally disdainful reply but decided against it since her
father stood right next to him.

“I have some pressing matters to tend to,” her father said.  “I won’t be gone long.”

“You’re leaving with him?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Only for a short time.  It’s
only
business.”

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Ethan
greeted the ladies then
went to his car
riage.  Once he was settled in
his seat, he let out a weary sigh and closed his eyes. 
He honestly didn’t know who upset him more.  While this whole ordeal was his mother’s fault, the duke and Catherine weren’t helping matters at all.  Granted
, he could understand
that
they weren’t happy.  That was to be expected.  But couldn’t they at least make an effort to be nice?

In his mind, he got a glimpse of his upcoming marriage.  His wife would see h
im as nothing but a rake and would shun him
.  His father-in-law would be looking over his shoulder, ready to examine every little thing he did or didn’t do.  And his mother would undoubtedly be hinting at an heir.  He grimaced. 
His future was going to be a nightmare
.