Page 68 of Marriage Most Scandalous
She put down the muffin she’d been eating and said coldly, “A gentleman would have phrased that much more delicately.”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “A gentleman wouldn’t have mentioned it a’tall. Give it a rest, Maggie. You know I don’t fall into that category anymore.”
She sighed and followed his advice to drop the subject. “If Douglas was willing to take you into his confidence, does that mean you’ve patched things up with him?”
“No.”
He said that too abruptly, and his expression turned inscrutable again. She had a feeling that no amount of prying would get him to reveal his thoughts on the matter.
She asked him pointedly, “What about Juliette?”
“What about her?”
“Did you find out why she set the duel in motion?”
“No,” he replied. “And frankly, I’ve concluded that her motive is never going to come to light, so there is no point in pursuing a dead end.”
“You must be joking!”
“Maggie, the longer I stay here, the more certain I am I’ll end up killing someone, and for no purpose. It won’t bring Giles back. It won’t erase the last eleven years.”
“So Denton doesn’t know either?” she pressed. “You asked him?”
“Yes, I asked, and no, he doesn’t know why, or he simply won’t speak of it. It’s hard to tell which it is with him, since he is hiding something that causes him a great deal of guilt. By the by, do you know where he is?”
“London,” she said tonelessly.
Margaret’s sense of panic was growing stronger. She was running out of reasons for Sebastian to stay, had only one last wild card that she could play, but she doubted it would work.
He appeared frustrated by her answer, had probably wanted to say good-bye to his brother. Would that be enough to keep him here a little longer?
“When did he leave?” he asked.
“This morning. Juliette left for London at dawn. Denton followed an hour or so later, whether to bring her back or finish the fight that sent her off, no one knows.”
“Does she usually hie herself off to London when they fight? Or is she just making sure she doesn’t run into me again before I leave?”
“She has been known to spend a week or two in London after they have a really loud fight, but since no one mentioned anything more than raised voices, you might have the right of it.”
“Someone should let her know then that I’m gone.”
So much for that delay. “I take that to mean you plan to leave immediately?”
“Indeed.”
She chewed on her lip. For a wild card, it was rather pathetic, but that sense of panic prompted her to play it anyway. “I need to ask you... a favor.”
“Maggie—”
“Hear me out,” she cut in. “I know you probably feel you’ve done me enough favors, but I really wasn’t expecting you to leave this soon, and it’s going to put me in quite a pickle if you do.”
He was already frowning. “Why?”
“The dowager duchess’s party. If we don’t both show up for it, she’ll never forgive me.”
“So?”
“So the quickest way to court social ruin is to get in her bad graces. Getting a divorce won’t be nearly as ostracizing as earning Alberta’s disfavor.”
