Page 44 of The Virgin Who Humbled Lord Haslemere
“Not to worry, Brixton.” Lord Haslemere gave him an infuriating grin. “Miss Harley’s hair is safe with me. As for the rest of her—”
Another ominous growl rumbled in Daniel’s chest, but before he could strangle Lord Haslemere with his own cravat, Georgiana snatched Lord Haslemere’s arm and dragged him from the entryway. “For pity’s sake,” she hissed, when the door between the two men was safely closed. “Why mustyou bait him?”
Lord Haslemere shrugged. “Entertainment, primarily.”
“I daresay you won’t find it entertaining when he tosses you down the stairs. Have you no sense at all? You don’t want to anger Daniel, my lord. I’ve seen him knock a man unconscious witha single blow.”
Lord Haslemere shot her a dark look, his mouth tight. “He’s too possessive of you. Idon’t like it.”
Georgiana turned to him in surprise. It almost sounded as if he were…jealous? No, surely not. “He’s notpossessive. He’s protective, but perfectly harmless.”
“You just told me he wouldn’t hesitate to throw me down the stairs, and now you say he’s perfectly harmless. Which isit, Georgiana?”
“He’s perfectly harmless tome. He’d certainly throwyoudown the stairs.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
He reached for her arm to escort her to the carriage, but Georgiana tugged away from him. “I can make my own way to the carriage. Keep your hands to yourself, my lord, before Daniel tears them loose from the restof your body.”
Lord Haslemere snorted. “I’m not afraid of Daniel Brixton.”
“I begin to think, my lord, you don’t have the sense to be afraid of anyone.”
“Yet for all my recklessness, as you can see, I’m still in one piece.” He gestured to himself with a wave of his hand.
Georgiana darted a glance at him as they waited for Grigg to set the step and open the carriage door. She looked away again quickly, but it was already too late.
Once glance was all it took.
Hewasstill in one piece. One gloriously handsome, disturbingly masculine piece. His dark evening clothes were impeccable, flawlessly fitted to his broad shoulders and lean body, and his spotless white gloves emphasized the long-fingered elegance of his hands.
But despite this, he was still Lord Haslemere, with his unruly auburn curls escaping from under his hat, and his cravat just slightly askew. Georgiana didn’t care for affectations in dress, but there was no denying that crooked cravat suited him.
Lord Haslemere handed her into the carriage, climbed in after her and seated himself on the opposite bench. “It occurred to me after I left you this afternoon to check White’s betting book for mention of either Lord Draven or my sister. Scandal and rumors turn into wagers quickly enough.”
“That was a good thought. Did you discover anything?”
“Apart from my sister’s name penned onto every page?” Lord Haslemere’s laugh was bitter. “Every lord in London is wagering on her torrid affair with Draven.”
“Oh, dear.” The poor duchess! It was this sort of thing that made Georgiana despise theton. “Did Lord Draven take part in any ofthese wagers?”
“No. He doesn’t wager at all, it seems. His name doesn’t appear even once in the betting book. I suppose he may have squandered a fortune at Lady Archer’s faro bank, just like half the noblemen in London, but somehow I don’t think so. Draven’s rather a recluse.”
“Now you mention the faro bank, my lord, there’s something I don’t understand. Lady Wylde said Lord Draven was once an, er…intimate friend of LadyArcher’s, so—”
“No, that isn’t what she said. She said they werelovers.” Lord Haslemere raised a mocking eyebrow at her, his lips twitching. “Surely you can say the word ‘lovers,’ Georgiana?”
Lovers, indeed.Why, the odious, teasing man.
She wouldnotgive him the satisfaction of a blush. “Whatever you wish to call it, the point is that Lady Archer may still have tender feelings toward Lord Draven, and may refuse to divulge hissecrets to us.”
“Tender feelings? Lady Archer doesn’t havetender feelingsfor anything other than the fistfuls of coins her faro bank takes in every night.”
Georgiana pursed her lips. “Such cynicism, my lord, does you no credit at all. All I mean to say is, she has more reason to be loyal to Lord Draven than she does to help us.”
“And more reason to help herself than any of us. Lady Archer is a businesswoman, Georgiana. She’ll help Draven only as long it suits her purse to do so. I intend to make it worth her while to transfer herloyalty tome.”
Georgiana fell silent. It was dim inside the carriage, and she took the opportunity to study him as she turned his words over in her mind. His features were more perfect than any man she’d ever seen. He was every bit the devastating gentleman thetonthought he was. Given his extraordinarily handsome face and the shallowness of London’s fashionable set, perhaps it wasn’t so surprising they’d drastically underestimated him.
