“Will you join me for dinner?” he asked with a smile that made his eyes sparkle with the light that had captivated her through the mask he had worn that night. Without the mask, he was exceedingly handsome.
“Yes, please,” she said with a demure smile.
“Dinner for the lady as well, and a bottle of wine instead of the ale.”
“As your lordship desires.” The landlord gave him another low bow and left.
“You never did tell me your full name, sir,” she said, smoothing the fabric of her gown over her knees. He was clearly a peer, which she had thought at the time.Perhaps she needed to rethink her plan?
He was busy pouring himself a whisky. Returning to the fire, he gave her a bow. “Reynard Fairbanks, Earl of Lannister, at your service, Madeleine...?”
“Kinsella,” she supplied, her brain running at a hundred miles an hour.Lannister! She should have guessed!His charm and good looks were as legendary as his financial woes. But she’d never had occasion to meet him before, and she hadn’t connected the diminutive of his name that he had given her,Rey,with his full name and title. Despite his apparent wealth, she knew his pockets were notoriously to let.
He would be unlikely to be able or willing to shoulder responsibility for a child conceived in a momentary flurry of lust. He was charming but completely lacking in the moral fiber that made the duke a far better bet for financial stability and reliability. It was also well known that the two men were not friends. She didn’t think he would, but if the duke proved recalcitrant, Lannister might be able to help her bring him up to scratch. A lady in her circumstances needed to cover all eventualities.
“Miss or is it Mrs. Kinsella? I am delighted to meet you again,” he said, kissing her hand with gallantry.
She smiled. “Miss.” She frowned prettily. “But I would be better to be a Mrs., for you find me in a fix, my lord. I can rely on your discretion?”
He raised an eyebrow, and she saw a flash of cynicism in his eyes. Yes, her instinct was right. Robert was the better bet here. “You can,” he said.
Can I though? That might be the fly in my ointment.“Your word as a gentleman?”
He frowned slightly and said soberly, “Yes, my word as a gentleman. What is it?”
She took a breath and plunged in. “I am returning from a visit to the Duke of Troubridge’s estate. I had hoped to have speech with him on a matter of some delicacy, you understand, but he wasn’t there.”
“No, he’s in London. Why did you wish to have speech with him?” Then his eyebrows contracted as if he had just made a connection. “Good God, you’re his mistress!”
She flushed faintly. “Yes, I am, or at least I was until recently. Before you and I—”
“Quite!” he said a little grimly. “I’m not in the habit of poaching on another man’s preserves. If I’d known—”
“We had parted company before. It was for that reason I attended that party. I wanted something to cheer me up, as I was quite melancholy.”
“Hm. It would be typical of Troubridge to break things off before he entered into a contract to wed. Why are you telling me this?”
“I have discovered that I am in a certain condition.”
He jerked, spilling his whisky. “And you believe I am responsible—”
“No, you misunderstand me. I had not realized at the time—I was quite distraught, you see—but my courses were late, very late. I had missed them altogether the previous month, before we ah—engaged in our little liaison.”
“The duke. You believe the duke is—the father of your child?” The words came out a trifle strangled. The man looked strangely distraught for one who had dodged a bullet.
“Yes,” she said softly and dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.
“But you haven’t told him?”
“I was endeavoring to do so, but he wasn’t at home. I spoke to the duchess instead.”
“You what?” Lannister rose, spilling more of the whisky. He put the glass down on the mantelpiece in a distracted manner and ran his hands through his hair. His agitation was so odd, she just gaped at him.
“You spoke to Sarah about this?”
“Yes, you know her well enough to use her name?”
“She is a fr—. Never mind!” he waved distractedly, pacing the room. “Good God, what she must be suffering. As if it weren’t bad enough that clod hit Ashford and caused a scandal over nothing!”
