Let Love Find You (27 page)

Still, Justin had never told him why his love had turned to contempt. At first, he’d thought it was just his gambling debts piling up—bloody rotten luck that—which Justin was furious about and refused to pay. Yet Justin had also ruined the young
man’s chances for two good marriages, letting the fathers of those young women know that his younger brother was penniless and without prospects, and if he married, he would no longer be welcome in his own home. That had been spiteful. That had been making sure the hole he’d fallen into just got deeper and deeper. It was a wonder Justin hadn’t already kicked him out of his home—and only thanks to their mother that he didn’t.

Now he hated this house he’d grown up in, overflowing with luxury, none of which would ever be his. He hated the brother he’d once worshipped. And he was beginning to hate his mother. If she hadn’t told him the truth and pushed him to ingratiate himself with his real father, he would never have got his hopes up that wealth could still be his, only to have those hopes dashed by the man’s scorn for him. He would never have got himself so deep in debt, sure that gambling was his only way to salvation. Would never have found out about yet another half brother whom his real father was so proud of he was going to leave his entire fortune
and
title all to him. Damned luck was going everywhere but in his own pocket.

His mother didn’t know about this other bastard. She’d been so sure that all he had to do was appear at his father’s door and everything would fall nicely into place for him. She should have realized that if the man had been jaded enough to have an illicit affair with her, of course he’d have bastards spread all over England. If there were others, he didn’t know nor did it matter.
This
one that his father esteemed was standing in his way to the fortune Marianne had assured him would be his.

He thought he could just get away with ruining the bastard, so their father could scorn him, too, but that hadn’t worked out a’tall. Killing him was not turning out to be so easy either. The
man was bloody well blessed with luck—or
he
was cursed with incompetent thugs, which could be quite true. Hiring brutes off the street probably wasn’t an ideal way to go about this business of getting rid of his competition.

His only other option was to kill Justin, but even though he hated his brother now, that hadn’t always been the case, so he wasn’t really serious when he said to his mother, “Why don’t I just kill off your other son?”

She stood up abruptly, walked over to him, and left her handprint on his cheek. “And your nephews, too?
My
grandchildren?
This
title is not going to be yours, and don’t you
ever
entertain that notion again.”

“I didn’t mean it,” he mumbled. “I still have one ace up my sleeve.”

“Then use it. You’re running out of time. Your father could die any day now.”

“But he doesn’t even like me! I told you he had me investigated. He calls me a loser. He said he’s not leaving me anything, that I’d just gamble it away.”

Marianne tsked. “He’s just disappointed in you, but he’s got no one else to leave all that wealth to. He’ll come around, as long as you dote on him.”

He should tell her about his father’s other heir. But he was afraid she’d cut him off, too, if she knew. Because she was depending on him to inherit his real father’s fortune so he’d stop begging her for her precious jewels.

A
MANDA COULD HAVE LAUGHED
at herself as she sat in the coach on her way to the Durrants’ town house for a musical soiree. Just three weeks ago she had worried about how to fill her days to alleviate her boredom while in the city. The last few weeks had been a whirlwind for her not just because of the balls, parties, and new-gown fittings, but because of her riding lessons nearly every day and helping Ophelia with arrangements for the house party at Norford Hall. And Kendall did finally show up for tea!

That had been quite an exciting day last week. Kendall was every bit as handsome as she remembered, and she did think about him a lot, just not constantly, but that could simply be because she hadn’t seen him for weeks and she’d been so busy. She hadn’t even thought to warn Ophelia’s butler to allow Lord Goswick past the door. Fortunately, he’d asked for Ophelia, since he was unaware that Amanda was staying at her brother’s house now, so he was shown directly to the parlor, where she
and Ophelia were having tea while they went over the current guest list.

After a charming smile in Amanda’s direction, Kendall said, “You must forgive me, ladies, for not calling sooner. I’ve just returned from France.”

“Yes, Devin mentioned your trip,” Amanda said. “Was it successful?”

“Indeed! The Thoroughbred is on his way to my stable as we speak.”

“Where is that?” Ophelia questioned politely.

“West of Kent.”

“That sounds close to the town of Norford.”

“Half a day, perhaps,” he agreed.

“Ophelia has sent you an invitation to a house party we’re having at Norford Hall next week,” Amanda said.

“If you’ll be there, I’ll be delighted to attend,” Kendall assured her. “I should be back by then.”

“Back?”

“Yes, the trip to France proved quite exciting because I learned the stallion I purchased has a sibling, a mare from the same parents, though it was sold to a chap from Scotland. But I have his address!”

Amanda and Ophelia both laughed. Obviously, Kendall was hying off for yet another horse, but Scotland wasn’t that far away. As long as he didn’t delay leaving, he should be back with time to spare for the party. And at least this new trip didn’t leave time for him to invite her for a ride in Hyde Park. She still wasn’t quite prepared for that since Devin hadn’t once suggested she was ready to try the sidesaddle again.

When Amanda stepped inside the Durrants’ town house, she was surprised to see such a large gathering for a musical
soiree. But a ballroom was at the back of the house, and the Durrants had even gone to the extravagance of filling it with several dozen tables for dinner, making it look almost like a restaurant! Only a few elderly guests were seated at the tables now. The glittering, well-dressed crowd was congregating near the refreshment tables at the back half of the room.

Amanda arrived right on time with her father. She’d learned her lesson about showing up late at the Hammonds’ ball, not that the soiree was going to have dancing. And no young gentlemen raced to her side here. But that was solely because of who her chaperone was. Preston Locke was even more daunting to approach than his sister Julie!

She noticed immediately that Devin was present tonight, looking polished in his black jacket and loosely tied cravat. Because he was taller than all the other men in the room, it was impossible to miss him. And because he happened to be glancing her way when she saw him, she gave him a nod in greeting. Even if she didn’t approve of his brash manner, they were on what could loosely be called friendly terms now, simply because he was her riding instructor. What wasn’t appropriate was his amber eyes giving her the once-over. It almost made her glance down to make sure nothing was out of place. She resisted. She
knew
she looked fetching in the coral silk evening gown with her mother’s rubies at her neck, and small, ruby-tipped pins holding her coiffure together.

The second thing she noticed was that Robert Brigston
wasn’t
present, while many other eligible bachelors were. She couldn’t help wondering why, but it would be inappropriate to ask their hosts when they’d invited such a wide assortment of people tonight, not just young people on the marriage mart. Besides, he might still show up.

“Let me introduce you to an old friend,” Preston suggested soon after they arrived.

“Certainly.”

He began weaving her through the crowd. But Amanda slowed her step when she saw whom he was leading her to, two of the more well-known matchmakers in the
ton
.

Understanding her hesitancy, he patted her hand on his arm. “It won’t hurt to hear what they have to say about your options, will it?”

“But I actually have prospects this year.”

“One is still a touchy subject, the other has only been able to call on you once due to his busy travel schedule. Do you actually know either of them well enough to be in love with one of them yet?”

She chuckled at the way he’d put that. “Very well, I see your point. By all means, let’s hear what the old dames have to say. Maybe they do actually know some men I haven’t already met.”

That didn’t turn out to be the case, though. Mabel Collicott, the more outspoken of the inseparable duo, expounded on three men as being perfect matches for Amanda. Oliver Norse and Carlton Webb she’d already discounted, but amazingly, Mabel’s third choice was Farrell Exter.

Amanda was amused enough to say, “Lord Farrell? You can’t really be serious. Doesn’t he have a gambling problem? Loves it but isn’t any good at it?”

“What young lord doesn’t love to gamble? He’s just bored, as most of these young men are. Once he’s married, I know you’ll make sure he toes the line.”

She shouldn’t have to do that and reminded the old dame,
“He’s looking for a fortune to marry. He makes no bones about it.”

Mabel raised a scoffing brow. “Everyone on the marriage mart hopes to marry deep pockets. You, m’girl, are the rare exception in not needing that criterion, so in point of fact, Farrell is perfect for you.”

“Perhaps you should turn that around and say I’m perfect for
him
.” To remain polite, Amanda added, “Thank you for your suggestions. I will duly keep them in mind.”

But while Mabel had been praising those three young men, the more soft-spoken Gertrude was whispering to Preston. Amanda was curious enough to ask as they left the pair, “Did Gertrude Allen have another name for us she didn’t want her friend to know about?”

“A surprising one that they apparently had a disagreement of opinion about because Mabel took an instant dislike to him. So perhaps it’s not worth mentioning.”

“But which of those two is
your
friend? Mabel didn’t tell me a single thing I didn’t already know about her three choices, which, by the by, I’ve already known for several years now and I’d already decided to give them another chance. But, to be honest, I just think of them as friends.

“Gertrude is who I am acquainted with.”

“Then let’s hear who she recommended.”

“It wasn’t so much a recommendation as a suggestion. She said I should pay attention to the sparks that fly when you and Devin Baldwin are near each other.”

Amanda gasped.

Her father, hearing her, said, “My thoughts exactly. I can’t quite figure out if Gertrude was saying I should keep you away
from Baldwin because you two have taken a dislike to each other, or if she somehow relates sparks to—er—attraction.”

Amanda was blushing. “I can’t deny he’s handsome, but he’s far too arrogant and utterly lacking in simple manners for me.”

Preston gave her a pointed look. “Then should you be taking riding lessons from him?”

She grinned sheepishly. “Yes, we’ve moved beyond the battleground to an unspoken truce. And I have to give credit where it’s due. He does know horses. I’ve made quite a bit of progress in the past week. Even Alice and Becky, who take turns chaperoning me, have noticed. And Devin’s the one who figured out how I could conquer my fear of riding. I’m grateful to him for that, so, well, I bite my tongue when he annoys me now.”

Preston laughed. “You? Holding back? What exactly started that battle?”

She tsked. “He gave me unwanted advice that infuriated me. But he
is
Cupid, after all, and for some ornery reason has decided to make
me
one of his good deeds. Which is why he’s willing to help me become a good horsewoman.”

“Ah, I begin to understand. I suppose he recommends your horse enthusiast, Lord Goswick?”

“Indeed, but only if I actually end up with a love for riding, after I master it, of course.”

Preston stopped abruptly. “You aren’t serious? I wouldn’t have taken him for a fool, but that is the most foolish notion for marriage I’ve ever heard.
He’s
the one you got that silly idea from?”

“No, you misunderstand. He merely saw that I
like
Kendall Goswick. He just doesn’t think it will be a good match if I
don’t
like riding. I’ve told you before that horses are Kendall’s passion. So it’s sound reasoning, I suppose.”

“What about this other boy you were interested in? Would you rather have Brigston? We can overlook his nervous first steps into society, if you favor him.”

“It’s too soon to say, Father. I’ve barely spoken with him. But I’m hoping both he and Kendall will come to Ophelia’s party.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to speaking with them m’self.”

She grinned and teased, “You’re not going to scare them off, are you?”

“’Course not. Well, unless you say you’d like them scared off, then I’ll be happy to oblige.”

“I have high hopes for Ophelia’s gathering at Norford. If they both come to it, I should know before the end of the house party which one I prefer. Imagine, I just might get myself married!”