The carriage door opened, and his coachman stuck his head inside. “My lord, there is someone who wishes to have a word with you.”
Brad looked out the small window and saw a familiar looking gentleman. He knew he’d seen him in the past, but at the moment, he couldn’t recall how or where. Brad left the carriage and approached the gentleman, who seemed to be wobbling a bit. Either the gentleman had been drinking or he was nervous about something.
“Are you Stephen Bachman’s brother?” the gentleman blurted out before Brad had a chance to speak.
For the first time, Brad wondered if Stephen was all right. It was possible Stephen might have ended up hurt from his activities the previous night. Stiffening, Brad forced a nod. “Yes, I’m Lord Youngtown. Who are you?”
“A friend of your brother’s,” he replied. “I overheard you talking to the gentleman in there.” He gestured to the gambling hell, and in doing so, he lost his balance.
Brad caught him before he fell. The gentleman had definitely been drinking. If Brad had to guess, he would say the gentleman was drunk. “Why didn’t you speak to me while I was in there?”
The gentleman regained his footing and straightened up. “Because they don’t like me.”
“They? You mean the other gentlemen in there?”
He nodded. “They resent me because I’m more important than they are.”
Brad’s eyebrows furrowed. More important? This gentleman didn’t look like he was any more important than anyone else. “What is your title?”
“I don’t have a title. My brother does. I’m Lewis Cotter.”
Brad knew he’d seen this person before, but he didn’t recognize the name. “Who is your brother?”
“Lord Pruett.”
“Lord Pruett? I’ve never heard of him.”
“I’m not surprised since he never leaves his estate. He’s in the country. He refuses to come to London. Says the air will make him sick.” Lewis started to laugh. “He won’t even leave his bedchamber in case he gets sick.”
Brad didn’t understand what was so funny about that. It must be the alcohol. Lewis was drunk, so everything was funny. And who knew? Maybe he was making up the whole thing about having a brother. Some gentlemen lied about things in order to impress other people.
But that wasn’t important. Right now, Brad had to find Stephen. “Do you know where my brother is?”
“He said he was going to visit Mrs. Strong.”
Brad didn’t hide his irritation. He knew his brother had no morals, but he had assumed even his brother wouldn’t have an affair with a married lady. “Where does Mrs. Strong live?”
“Her townhouse is right next to the harpy known as Lady Cadwalader. Do you know where that harpy lives?”
“Yes, I’m well aware of where Lady Cadwalader lives, though it’s in bad taste to refer to her as a harpy.”
“Even if she is one?”
Brad chose to ignore the question. “Are you sure he said he was going to visit Mrs. Strong?”
Lewis nodded and placed his hand over his heart. “You have my word.”
Though Brad wasn’t all that confident Lewis’ word meant anything, he had no other leads so he would go to Mrs. Strong’s residence. “Thank you.”
As Brad turned to go back to the carriage, Lewis cleared his throat. Brad stopped and looked over at him. Lewis held his hand out, palm up, and gave him the same expression a dog would use when it wanted something from his master’s table. Now Brad remembered where he’d seen Lewis before. Stephen had brought him over to his townhouse one time, and they had both pleaded with Brad to give them more money during one of Brad’s dinner parties. Brad had been so humiliated that he had forbidden Stephen to ever bring Lewis to his townhouse again.
“There’s nothing honorable about asking for money simply because you did a good deed,” Brad told him.
Lewis shrugged. “I’m not interested in being honorable. I’m interested in going back in there,” he pointed to the gambling hell, “and winning back the money those gentlemen stole from me.”
“It’s no wonder you’re friends with my brother,” Brad muttered. “You two are exactly alike.”
And there was only one way to handle gentlemen like that. Brad shook his head then went to the carriage.
“Since Stephen’s a likable fellow, I thank you for the compliment,” Lewis called out.
Brad glanced over his shoulder. “It wasn’t a compliment.” Without another word, he got back into the carriage and instructed his coachman to take him to Mrs. Strong’s residence.
By the time he got there, his stomach rumbled. He’d forgotten to eat something before he left his townhouse. He pulled out his pocket watch. Good heavens. It was already ten thirty. No wonder he was hungry. He slipped the pocket watch back into his pocket and forced aside his hunger. Eating would just have to wait.
The coachman opened the door to the carriage, and straightening his cravat, Brad got ready to confront Stephen. He slipped out of the carriage and bounded up the steps of the townhouse. Lady Cadwalader happened to be leaving her own townhouse at that exact moment.
She glanced in his direction and gave him a disapproving shake of her head. “Lord Youngtown, you ought to watch your brother better. Not all of us want to be privy to his indiscretions.”
Brad’s face warmed from embarrassment. Lady Cadwalader knew Stephen had been engaging in an illicit affair with Mrs. Strong last night? No wonder Lord Devonhurst was upset. If Lady Cadwalader knew, then all of London was informed of it. Lady Cadwalader did a better job of spreading gossip than the Tittletattle did!
“I assure you that I’m going to handle things with my brother,” Brad replied.
“Make sure that you do,” she replied.
She turned her nose up in the air then proceeded to her carriage.
Brad finished walking up the steps and knocked on the door. Please forgive my brother, he would tell Mrs. Strong’s husband. He’s a simpleton. You see, when he was an infant he fell on his head. He hasn’t been right ever since.
No. That wouldn’t work. Not only was it ridiculous, but it wasn’t true.
Taking a deep breath, Brad knocked on the door a second time. As soon as it opened, he introduced himself to the footman. The footman, in turn, led him to the drawing room. Brad scanned the room, surprised by how feminine it was. There were flowers, bows, and other frilly decorations all over the place. The settee, chairs, and rugs were in various shades of pink. Worse, the room wasn’t symmetrical at all. Nothing was balanced about it. Was Mr. Strong really happy with this arrangement or did he let his wife do whatever she wanted?
“I’ll let Mrs. Strong know she has a visitor,” the footman said.
Brad frowned. Mrs. Strong? What about Mr. Strong? Surely, Mr. Strong would rather speak with him. But before he could call out to the footman, the gentleman was already gone.
With a sigh, Brad went to the settee and sat down. Goodness! The settee was so soft he nearly sank in it. He stood back up. How could anyone be comfortable sitting on that thing?
He went over to a chair and tested its firmness. Good. It was much better. He sat in it, and almost at once, his gaze settled on the three vases full of flowers that were on her desk. He shifted his gaze, but the more he tried not to look at them, the more his gaze kept going in that direction.
Perhaps if this room wasn’t so headache inducing to begin with, he might be able to focus on something else. As it was, he couldn’t not notice them. He hated it when things were oddly numbered. It made everything seem disorganized. Even numbered objects brought harmony and peace to a room.
Making sure no one was coming into the room, he quickly got up from the chair and moved one of the vases so that it was at the window, which was behind his chair. He then moved the two vases on the desk so they were equally apart from each other. That was better.
He hurried back to the chair. He managed to sit in it just as the butler came into the room with a tray. On the tray were a teapot,
a cup, and several small dishes with an assortment of ingredients in them.
“What would you like with your black tea?” the butler asked. “I have peppermint leaves, sugar, cinnamon, black peppercorns, ginger, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds.”
“Uh…” Brad studied the seven small dishes with various flavors he might add to the tea. What kind of person gave the visitor so many options? He would much rather just pick between two. But he couldn’t even narrow it down to that many.
“You can always take the black tea as it is,” the butler told him. “You don’t have to add anything to it.”
Brad nodded. That seemed to be the best way to go. “I’ll just have the black tea.”
The butler poured him a cup and held it out to him. “Mrs. Strong will be with you shortly.”
Brad accepted the cup but waited until the butler left before he took a sip. It did little to satisfy his stomach, but it was better than nothing. He wished the butler had brought in something to eat. Ever since he was a young boy, he’d eaten his morning meals at 9:10. It’d only been recently that his whole schedule had been disrupted.
A beautiful lady who looked to be in her late twenties came into the room, shut the doors, and strolled over in his direction.
Alarmed, Brad put the cup down and stood up. “Why did you shut those doors?”
She chuckled and approached him. “You don’t want the servants to overhear our conversation, do you?” Before he could answer, she gestured to the tea. “My butler informed me that you chose not to add anything to your drink. That’s unusual. Most gentlemen would choose at least one ingredient.” She shrugged then sat on the settee. “It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t mind if I’m always on the bottom.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“The tea is a test I use. You’d be surprised by what a gentleman’s preference in tea reveals about himself. You’re a gentleman who prides himself on stability, predictability, and order.” She gestured to the desk. “I notice one of the vases have been moved. It’s right in the middle of the windowsill.” She gave him a teasing grin. “You’re not much for adventure in bed, are you? You also like control. It’ll be a refreshing change to let the gentleman do all of the work for a change.”
Brad gasped. “Do you think I’m here to…to…” He couldn’t bring himself to complete the rest of the sentence.
“I figured that you’d heard about what happened early this morning and wished to make me your mistress. I’m so good at what I do that I don’t have an opening for long.”
His eyes nearly popped out of his head. “What about your husband?”
“I’m a widow. My husband is dead.” Now it was her turn to gasp. “I thought you were here to apply for my services as your mistress.”
“No. I have a wife.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise as if she didn’t understand what that had to do with anything.
“I’m happy with her,” he added.
“Oh.” She paused then asked, “If you’re not here to make me your mistress, then why are you here?”
“I’m looking for Mr. Bachman. A gentleman told me he came by here last night.”
“Yes, he did. He wished to have me as his mistress again.”
So this was the mistress Stephen had been paying up to the point when Brad cut off his allowance.
She rose from the settee and went to the window where he’d put the vase. “If it weren’t for Mr. Bachman showing up the way he did last night, I’d still be Lord Manning’s mistress this morning. But after the whole debacle, I can’t be with either one of them. It’s my fault.” She picked up the vase and took it back to the desk. “I have a weakness for Mr. Bachman. He’s so young and inept with ladies that I felt compelled to help him. Last night, he came with a lot of money and offered to pay me three months’ wages. I was tempted to take it, but Lord Manning offered stability. He’s not nearly as adventurous or enthusiastic as Mr. Bachman is, but he does have a lot of money. A lady in my position prefers stability.”
Brad cringed. “I don’t need to hear anymore. I just want to know where my brother is.”
“You’re Lord Youngtown?” She scanned him up and down then winked at him. “You’re not at all like he described you. You’re a very handsome gentleman, and you handle yourself very well. Are you sure you wouldn’t want to take a mistress? It would be nice to have someone like you for a change.”
She made a move toward him, and Brad ran over to the doors so he could open them. All he needed was for Mrs. Strong to cry scandal. Poor Ava would be devastated if such a thing happened.
He turned back to Mrs. Strong, relieved to see she hadn’t chased after him. In a low voice, he asked, “Where is my brother? Is he still here?”
“No, he’s not. Lord Manning took him out of here around six this morning. It wasn’t my intention to let your brother have another evening with me, but he can be really sweet when he wants to be. Anyway, Lord Manning came here, and he wasn’t the least bit pleased when he saw us together. I was shocked Lord Manning came by at such an early hour. I didn’t think he would be so indiscreet. I ordered him out of here. He took your brother with him.”
“Do you know where he went?”
She offered him an apologetic smile. “He didn’t say. I would go to his residence and ask him if I were you.”
“Where does he live?”
After she told him, he thanked her and left. This was turning out to be far more complicated than he thought it’d be. The more he found out about last night, the less he wanted to know about it. Not only had his brother spent a considerable portion of the evening gambling, but he also ran off to another gentleman’s mistress and spent the night with her. Brad could only imagine the commotion that happened afterwards.
This was worse than the lies Stephen told someone at the Tittletattle. Brad could only hope that Lord Devonhurst was the only gentleman who was going to quit talking to him after all this spread through London.
Chapter Twenty
Ava didn’t know what to do with her time, so she decided to get dressed in the gown she was going to wear for the social engagement that afternoon with Ladies of Grace. Then she decided to visit her aunt, brother, and sister. Her aunt was listening to Timothy and Dinah as they played on the piano in the drawing room. As soon as they saw her, her aunt and sister ran over to her.
Her aunt gave her a big hug and said, “My, my, you look beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you looking as lovely as you do now.”
“I don’t, either,” Dinah agreed. “It must be the gown. Was it expensive?”
Her aunt jabbed Dinah playfully on the arm. “It’s not the gown that’s making your sister prettier than she’s ever been. I think it’s love.” With a grin, she asked, “Are things going well between you and Lord Youngtown?”
Ava was sure her face turned a bright shade of red. “Things are going very well.”
Much better than Ava had thought possible on their wedding day. Thankfully, her fears had been for nothing. After last night and this morning, she had a reason to hope that Brad would someday love her. And as long as she had that possibility to look forward to, she was very happy.
“I thought so,” her aunt said with a chuckle. “You have the look of love on your face.”
Dinah smiled wistfully. “I hope that one day I should have such a look on my face. It would be nice to have a love match.”
Timothy let out a groan. “Are we going to spend the entire afternoon talking about love? If so, then I need to leave the room.”
Laughing, Ava assured him, “No, we’re not going to spend the entire afternoon talking about love. Besides, I have to be somewhere at two. I only came by for a little while.”
“Oh?” Her aunt took her by the hand and led her to the settee then sat beside her. Dinah sat in the chair next to Timothy. “Where are you going?” her aunt asked. “Is your husband taking you somewhere?”
Ava shook her head. “Not at two.
He might take me out later today, but at two I have a social engagement to attend.”
“Will you be visiting Opal?” her aunt asked.
“Not this time.” Ava waited until the butler set down the tea in front of her to continue. “I’ve been invited to attend a social engagement with Ladies of Grace.”
“Ladies of Grace?” Her aunt put her fingers to her lips. “The group sounds familiar.”
The butler left, and Ava poured tea into the cups. “That’s probably because the group is influential in London. Miss Wilmington is a part of it. The Duke of Silverton’s daughter, Lady Eloise, is a part of it, too.”
Her aunt accepted the cup that Ava handed to her, a worried frown on her face. “The Duke of Silverton’s daughter?”
Ava nodded and got up to give her brother and sister their own cups. When she returned to her seat, she said, “Yes. I think establishing a relationship with Lady Eloise’s group could mean good things for Brad. I heard the duke is very good at investments, and he’s selective with the company he keeps. Being a member of Ladies of Grace would give Brad an advantage that he wouldn’t have otherwise. That is, of course, if I’m allowed into the group. Just because I will be meeting with them today, nothing is guaranteed.”
“Are you doing this to make new friends for yourself?”
Ava took a sip of her tea as she thought over her aunt’s question. It was funny that she hadn’t considered what she could personally get from the group. Miss Wilmington had been nice to her. She thought they might get along well enough. She was sure the other ladies in the group were just as kind. If she gave the matter serious thought, though, she didn’t think it would matter if she joined the group or not. Not for her own sake, anyway.
“No, not really,” Ava replied. “I have Opal, and she’s worth a hundred friends. I’m doing this mostly for Brad. I think it would make him happy if I was in the group. He could mingle with the Duke of Silverton and the gentlemen associated with him.”
Married In Haste Page 15
