by Jenna Hart
Judith leaned in and whispered, low enough for only Hadden to hear her.
"I see that you have found my daughter again. Please leave her the way you found her unless you intend to make it to the alter this time, or I'll shoot you myself!"
Hadden flashed her the most brilliant smile she had ever seen, his white teeth gleaming perfectly and bowed to her.
For all of her prim and proper appearance, he thought, the woman was courageous.
Much like his dear mother had been and much like Serena, who continued to entertain his presence, knowing the rumor mills would not be kind to her for it.
Not that Hadden minded rumors. There wasn't a member in society who would scorn or snub him, but they would make it unbearable for Serena, especially if they believed there to be any truth to the other rumors about her.
You can stop all the rumors. It would be simple. You are a duke, and you will eventually need an heir.
Fucking hell! He was losing his mind. He wanted no wife, and with his job, he could not take the chance of an heir right now.
"Serena, there are lots of young gentlemen who have requested a dance with you. Please be sure to give them your attention as well," Judith said pointedly to Serena, as she headed off to find her husband and box his ears again for creating this mess.
Lady Winter, having not had a moment the entire night to speak with her sister, came to Serena, sighing happily.
"This has been the best night, Rena," she said, sipping her glass of lemonade.
"And it seems you and Averton are getting along well," Winter said, whispering into Serena's ear.
The young man, who had brought Winter her drink, turned to Hadden and was carrying on an intense conversation, one that spoke of personal familiarity.
"I'm glad you are happy, sister," Serena said, continuing to watch Hadden as he smiled at what the young man was saying. "I do believe Emily had gone in search of you earlier. Did she find you?"
"I spoke to her. She left to retire. Her mother was not feeling well, and it seems her father had indulged in a bit too much of Papa's brandy.
" Winter laughed, and continued, "she was going to tell you good night, but she did not want to interrupt you and your guest. She said to tell you she would stop around tomorrow, and you could give her the details!"
"Right," Serena said dryly.
"I am surprised to see Averton in such a fine mood. He usually looks as if he wants to throttle someone."
Serena couldn't argue that fact.
"His brother must have that effect on whomever he encounters because he has kept me laughing all night," Winter said, pausing to watch her sister's reaction as she continued.
"Do you suppose Mama and Papa would object to him calling on me?"
His brother! That was it!
"That young man is Hadden, err, Averton's brother?" Serena asked, hoping Winter would tell her no.
"Yes, him," Winter replied, rolling her eyes and speaking softly, so soft that Serena had to lean into her sister to hear what she was saying, as Winter's eyes fixed on the young gentleman. "His name is Greyson, and I do think him very handsome, Rena."
This was not happening. Maybe tonight was just a bad dream.
Hadden and Greyson joined them. "Lady Serena, may I introduce my younger brother Greyson?" Hadden asked as he moved to stand beside Serena.
"Pleasure, my lady," Greyson said, taking Serena's hand and giving it a light kiss. "It is an honor to meet you finally!" He had the same intense green eyes of his brother.
"Please excuse us, but I promised Lady Winter that I would dance as many dances as I could with her, and I do believe they are starting again."
Greyson took Winter's hand and led her away to the dance floor, her sister's face beaming happily.
"I didn't know you had a brother, Your Grace. You never mentioned him before."
"Hadden." He reminded her of his given name, urging her to use it.
"And yes, just the one, no sisters. Don't think I could handle another brother or a sister."
"I only have one brother, Ethan. You met him a few times. And of course, only one sister." Serena stared ahead, watching her sister swirl past, laughing.
"Your brother did not care for me very much if I remember correctly," Hadden said.
"Ethan always feels he must guard and protect us, even though he is younger. He feels it is his duty." Serena shrugged. "I guess I haven't made it easy for him.
He continued listening as she gave him her confession.
"At one time, I did find myself in all sorts of predicaments where I needed help from him and Winter-mostly because I was a rather nosy child and thought I could right the wrongs I thought I had seen, which never turned out to be what they seemed."
Serena finished babbling and looked down at the floor, her embarrassment peeking through after revealing the secret of her naughty childhood.
"And it appears that there are a lot of things that we do not know about each other," Hadden said, his voice heavy with emotion.
Hadden suddenly realized that he wanted to know everything about her. The urge came out of nowhere, driving his desire to be closer to her.
He also felt a sting of emotions stirring in him.
It must be lust, he thought to himself, remembering the way she had responded to his kiss. Who wouldn't want to have her in their bed?
But that wasn't it! No, he wouldn't be satisfied with just that.
Hadden wished he could tell Serena the real reason he had asked to marry her. It would make everything more manageable, but there was no way he could do that.
He damn sure couldn't tell her why he had ended their engagement.
In his mind, Hadden tried to justify his behavior and often reasoned with himself that she had no reason to be upset because they had barely known each other.
A couple of ladies had joined her, friends of Lady Danerly's, and he stepped away to give her some space.
"Bear."
The smooth voice of Lord Lennox Sutton, Marquess of Chasen, cut through the thick air around him.
At last, he had an ally or rather, a reasonably sane person to bring him to reality.
"Lennox," Hadden clasped him the back, smiling at his friend. "Didn't think I'd see you here."
"Neither did I." Lennox flashed a grin that made most women swoon.
"Heard you would be here and thought you might need some support."
Hadden chuckled. "I appreciate it. Could have used your help today."
Hadden spent the next few moments filling Lennox in on what had transpired with Charlotte.
Not only was Lennox, the Marquess of Sutton and one of the richest men in the country, but he also happened to own the largest shipping company in England.
It proved to be a valuable asset that had helped Hadden in his quest to track Charlotte and worked with Hadden on some missions for the Crown.
"I'll have some men sent out to help."
Hadden nodded.
"I'm about to head out to White's. Care to join me?" Lennox asked, tugging at his cravat. "It's too stuffy in here, and the whole bloody place reeks of marriage. The longer I stay here, the closer the wolves get, and I intended to make it out of here in one piece."
As much as he wanted to watch Serena, he knew he needed to collect his thoughts about the night's events. He was too distracted tonight to do any type of work. Perhaps a night of gambling would help him.
Hell, anything would be a welcome distraction now.
He followed Lennox, slipping out into the night.
CHAPTER FIVE
Hadden sat to the side of the table, watching as his friend placed a rather large sum of money on the bet at hand.
Not at all concerned that Lennox would be out any money, Lennox had more than enough money to lose at several hands without ever making a dent in his fortune.
Losing never seemed to be the case for him. The man was uncommonly lucky when it came to gambling.
Hadden found it rather humorous that Len
nox's opponent, undoubtedly quite aware of the marquess's reputation, believed he would be able to win against him.
The young Lord Edric Tanstow, shuffled the front of his cards to the back several times, his eyes moving back and forth between the cards and his opponent.
Hadden chuckled as he watched the young lord, confident in his victory, realize that he had just lost a large sum of money.
"I don't-" Tanstow huffed, shoving back from the table. "There's no way. I should have won that."
"Easy there," Lennox cut in, raising a black brow. "You had your chance."
"No, I should have won," Tanstow continued. "Another round. I demand it."
"That's it for the night for me," Lennox drawled, leaning back into his chair to look up at the seething young lord. "Another time, pup."
Glaring at the two men, Tanstow stormed away, muttering about another round.
Gambling had never been a vice of Hadden's. He participated in an occasional game, but never fell into the hole that seemed to swallow those who got caught up in the trappings and lure of a lucky hand.
His recent years of chasing Charlotte had occupied most of his time, leaving no room for amusements.
"Well, that's that," Hadden said, swallowing the last of his drink.
"He lost a large amount of his inheritance to me already," Lennox said quietly. "Don't think he's going to stop till it's gone." Lennox tapped a card on the table.
"Tanstow has a sister and mother who depend on him, and he's squandered away nearly everything they have," Lennox continued. "Shame, his father was a good man."
"What are you getting at?" Hadden asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
For as much as he wanted to push them away, he could feel the events of earlier trying to make their way back.
He needed to keep himself distracted.
"Thinking of making him an offer?" Hadden knew his friend well enough to know something else was bothering him, but he would have to dig deep to figure it out. "Sister, you said? Looking to get yourself a wife?"
"Absolutely not. Just an observation," Lennox added. "Don't need the money. Or headache. The only thing Tanstow has left to wager larger enough to draw my attention is three ships he's left to waste. I'm waiting on him to become desperate enough to wager those." Lennox pursed his lips. "And he will. Soon."
Turning the attention back to Hadden, Lennox pressed, "you appeared rather at ease tonight, given the company."
"I wouldn't exactly say at ease," Hadden replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Unfortunately, the person working with Charlotte is moving in the ton, and the only way to try and unmask them is to attend the various social events right now. Have to play the part."
Lennox listened as Hadden told him everything he had managed to uncover about the person suspected of working with Charlotte, but it wasn't much.
"They'll slip up soon," Hadden said, gripping his glass so hard his knuckles whitened.
"I'm not sure what they're after," Lennox wondered. "Killing Wooldridge, it doesn't make sense."
Hadden shook his head. He had often thought the same thing.
"Wooldridge would have given his wife as much money as she wanted. Allowing her to spend freely. Why would she want to kill him and risk losing everything?"
"Unless-" Lennox continued.
Hadden guessed where his friend was going. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before, so blinded by his drive for revenge.
"Unless Wooldridge knew something he shouldn't," Hadden said through set teeth. "They'd have to get rid of him and what better way than his new, young wife. They could have threatened her with anything."
There was more that need uncovering regarding the situation.
Hadden welcomed the challenge, hoping it would drive Serena's from his memory.
The morning sunlight shone brightly through the open curtains. Serena grabbed a pillow and shoved it over her head.
"Good morning," Alice sang, tying the heavy curtains back.
Serena wiggled down further into the cover, hoping to escape the memories of last night.
Having barely slept, she felt the effects in full force now. Her mind ran wild through the night, refusing to turn off, replaying the evening over and over again.
"So much for salvaging my dignity," Serena muttered, before dragging herself out of bed to dress for breakfast.
"What's that," Alice asked as she readied Serena's dress, smiling and humming her way around the room.
"Oh nothing," Serena sighed. No point in dwelling on it now. It was over and done.
She handled the entire situation poorly.
She knew her reputation was beyond her control, unfortunately, but her dignity, now that was the one thing Serena could do something about.
Kissing and allowing Averton's hands to roam over her body was surely not what one would call preserving one's dignity.
When given the perfect opportunity to snub Averton in front of everyone, she failed miserably.
"I've heard you were the talk of the ball last night, that the duke made his appearance, and he couldn't keep his eyes off of you," Alice told Serena as she pinned Serena's hair up into a simple coif on top of her head.
"Wherever did you hear that?" Serena asked, already knowing the answer.
Everyone knew the servants had their information network that often shared and spread gossip between the aristocratic houses in which they served.
"I have my ways." Alice finished Serena's hair and moved on to help her dress.
"I also heard His Grace is as handsome as ever," Alice said, grinning.
Serena blushed. "Yes, he is still very handsome, but no less at fault."
"Right," Alice said.
She had been with the Danerly household long enough to have weathered her mistress's broken engagement from start to finish.
The duke's ending of their engagement had caused quite the stir, but Lady Serena handled it with dignity and grace. What had soured Alice's opinion of the situation was the rumors that accompanied such an ending.
Serena finished dressing and made her way down to join her mother and sister for breakfast.
Noticing her papa was missing, Serena asked where he was.
Her mama explained that the marquess had an important meeting to attend to, but that he would return later in the afternoon. Judith would see to any potential callers wishing to visit today.
"I would say you were a success last night," Serena said, smiling at her sister.
Regardless of everything that had transpired, it pleased Serena that her sister would most assuredly make a good match.
"I did enjoy it," Winter replied, taking a bite of eggs. "I don't believe I had a moment's rest, between the dancing and conversations."
"Yes, a wonderful turnout," Judith added. "I dare say, though, I was surprised to see Averton."
"Me as well, but you did invite him, Mama," Serena added, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "It would be impolite to accept an invitation and then not show up."
"I should say that man has no idea of the appropriateness of manners, and another lesson in manners may be due."
"He seemed particularly inclined to talk to you last night, Serena." Judith looked over at Serena, raising her blonde brow as her daughter continued to eat.
"A mere formality, I'm sure," Serena sighed.
"His brother is quite nice. Very agreeable," Winter said, her cheeks blushing at the mention of the duke's brother.
She could see her sister was uncomfortable, and she knew the mention of the handsome younger brother of the Duke of Averton would be a welcome distraction for their mother.
"I agree. Perfectly well-behaved young man. It seems that he must have inherited all of the family manners."
"Lady Stratdale requests an urgent audience with you, Lady Danerly," Hershel announced, entering the breakfast parlor. "I've sat her in the morning room."
"This early?" Judith set her napkin down and shook her head as she went to meet their guest. "W
hat could that woman possibly want?"
"She does insist it's urgent, my lady," Hershel said, following behind the marchioness.
"Why do you think she's here?" Winter asked, setting her fork down. Lady Stratdale had never visited before.
When her sister's engagement ended, it was said Lady Stratdale personally made it a point to let everyone know that the duke ended the engagement so that he could marry her daughter.
There was no way to prove any of this, of course, so Serena's parents had given her the benefit of the doubt, having never had any wrongful dealings with Lady Stratdale before.
Not that anyone believed that Averton would ever consider marrying Lady Cecily Stratdale, but it did not help the case against Serena.
Serena continued eating, shrugging her shoulders at her sister's question.
"Serena!"
"I've no clue," Serena said. "Perhaps she just wants to thank Mama for inviting her last night."
"Yes, that's it," Winter said. "She was so grateful she came straight away, as soon as she awoke."
Serena knew what her sister was getting at and what she wanted her to do.
"Oh, very well. Come on!"
Winter followed her sister out of the room, both women taking particular care not to make any noise. The drawing-room was a few doors away, and they could easily listen without being noticed.
Serena placed her finger to her lip, signaling her sister not to make any noise.
"I am sorry to have to tell you this, Judith, but as a mother, I thought you should know right away…before it spreads."
"Why I! I don't know what to say to this!" Judith's hand clutched her neck. "How are you certain?"
"It was brought to my attention by a person who witnessed the encounter firsthand," Lady Stratdale said.
Serena heard the smugness in her voice, and whatever she had previously told her mother that distressed her, obviously pleased her in doing so.
Lady Stratdale continued, "and what with the other unseemly gossip about dear Serena, as I said, I thought you should hear about Serena's rendezvous with Bearingston. I do not think she can afford another scandal, particularly one involving him, if she ever plans to find someone to wed her, at least anyone respectable, that is."
