A sly grin opened her face and her eyes lit up. “Well, you, at least, had behaved like a gentleman. So far.”
His eyebrows arched. “So far?”
The grin faded into a resigned sigh. “Leopards. Spots. It’s early in the evening. I still do not trust any of you with Cecily. Please stay away from her.”
“What about staying away from you?” He had not intended to ask it, but he was beginning tolikethis woman.
Her blue eyes widened a moment, then narrowed as she shook her head. “We are not children anymore, Lord Newbury. Do not waste your time toying with me.” She patted his arm. “I have to get back to my corner.”
Thomas took the scolding in stride—it was not the harshest he’d heard this evening—and he watched Rose move easily among the crowd that had gathered. She held her head high, her shoulders back. Her hair, not quite blonde and not quite brown, was caught up in a graceful chignon, with a few soft curls accenting her hairline and framing her face. Emerald-tipped hairpins dotted through the strands, highlighting streaks of red that gleamed in the candlelight. Her slow, even stroll emphasized her plush figure, and Thomas thought a man could get lost for days in those curves. Rose ignored the stares and disapproving murmurs as she headed for the row of chairs occupied by the chaperones, and Thomas’s eyes narrowed.Why would she be sitting with—
“What are you about?”
He was being poked again. Thomas looked down to find his mother using the end of her fan as a weapon. “Why are you making a scene?”
“It was not a scene. They saved me, Mama,” Beth said quietly. She and Robert had gathered next to Thomas as he had watched Rose depart.
Emalyn’s face lost color. “What? What are you saying?”
Thomas looked at Robert, who nodded.Time to tell them both.Thomas spread his arms and indicated that should move a little closer toward the nearby sphinx, where a little more privacy could be had and the splash of the champagne fountain would muffle most of their words.
As they gathered, Thomas looked back toward Spinster’s Row, where Rose had settled next to a tiny, dark-haired beauty, who was obviously peppering her with questions. He realized he would give a guinea to overhear that conversation, and he very much wanted to know why Rose, with her sweet face and sharp wit—not to mention those luscious curves—had been relegated to a row of women considered unmarriageable.
Emalyn tapped him with her fan, and he looked down to see that her expression had turned demanding. “Talk.”
Thomas rubbed the bridge of his nose, then spoke in a low voice. “Ever since it became known exactly how much Beth’s dowry is we both have been hearing rumors.”
Emalyn’s lips tensed. “In the clubs.”
Robert shrugged one shoulder. “And the hells and boxing salons and the bro—”
“Wherever men gather,” Thomas interrupted, with a quick glare at his brother. “I know Father meant for it to demonstrate his respect for Beth, to attract the highest ranks of the peerage, but it’s also had the unfortunate result of drawing all kinds of impoverished heirs out of the woodwork.”
Emalyn nodded. “He knew that might happen. He also believes in Beth’s good sense and our ability to watch out for her.”
“I’m not a complete idiot,” Beth muttered.
Thomas looked at Robert again, and his brother nodded. “No,” Thomas said slowly. “You are not. But some men only show their true colors in Covent Garden, not Mayfair.” He paused and dropped the last of it. “And you do weigh less than eight stone.”
Emalyn’s eyes widened. “Are you saying—”
“One moment of darkness, one moment of inattention,” Robert said, “and she’d be ruined. A torn bodice, a ripped sleeve, a soiled—”
Emalyn wielded her fan again and Robert flinched. “Enough. I think we’re all familiar with the concept of ruination.”
Thomas took Beth’s hand. “We know you are wary and aware. And at the first sign of inappropriate attention, you could raise all manner of disruption. But what we’re hearing is not about men who are interested in your reputation. That doesn’t concern them. This isn’t about seduction. This is about...” No. He wouldn’t use the word. Thomas cleared his throat. “This is an attempt to force marriage on you through ruination. Your cooperation isn’t required.”
“But I still would not have to marry them.”
Silence. Beth looked from her brothers to her mother. “Mama?”
“You could always go to America.” Robert was rewarded with another flick of the fan.
“How do we help her?” Emalyn asked, scowling at her middle son.
Thomas held out his hand. “Let us see your dance card.” Beth handed it over, and Thomas scanned it, then turned it so that Robert could also see all the names.
Emalyn pulled their hands down and peered. “Hmph. These are all reputable young gentleman.”
