“My parents had remarkably high hopes for him, as they did not for me. That did not change when my brother died. My father made it clear he could not envision me as his heir. But that has all been rectified with my brother’s marriage and the birth of my nephew. There is also another upcoming child. I amagain third in line, soon to be fourth, and thus of no account to anyone.”
“What if the second child is a girl?”
He shook his head. “It would not dare.”
Lady Mary smothered a laugh behind a gloved hand as they paused, waiting for a carriage to rumble by before crossing the street toward the park. Entering through the wrought iron of the Cumberland Gate, they followed the path that paralleled Park Lane, which drew few strollers on an overcast Thursday afternoon, unlike other areas of the park, such as Rotten Row.
Walking again in silence, Thad searched his mind for a reasonable topic, something that would not overwhelm either of them, but he did want to find out whether the woman he had seen in the office of the Lyon had, indeed, more going on in her head than teas, balls, and visits to the modiste.
Ah . . . that might be a safe topic.
“Although I still like to see them laugh. That is one reason I accompanied them to their modiste during their first seasons. It seemed to give them great joy. The modiste, that is. Not that I accompanied them.”
Lady Mary stopped, looking up at him, eyes narrow. “I beg your pardon.”
“Oh! My sisters. I still like to see them laugh. That is why—”
“Yougo with them to the modiste? Not your mother?”
“Mother is... um, as I mentioned, my brother’s wife is again with child. The spare, so to speak. So most of her time—does it seem odd to you that I would do that?”
“A little. Most men would not know a frill from a hem.” She paused. “It is certainly kind of you if their mother cannot go.”
Thad smiled, then studied the flowers beside the groomed path. “I suspect you would find a great deal about my family surprising.”
“I suspect that is true of most families. It certainly true with mine. As with your sisters, my mother did not accompany me to the modiste. Lady Kirkstone went with me. And we have had—”
She broke off, eyes down as two women approached them, their maids following at a discreet distance. Both women stared hard at Lady Mary, their gaze roaming from her delicate straw and beribboned bonnet, down over her linen day gown, pausing at her boots, then up again. They glanced up at Thad, eyes a bit wider, then one leaned closer to the other, whispering behind her hand.
Thad scowled. He had seen this behavior before, when he had been pursuing his suit with Lydia, and he knew what it meant. Gossip,on ditof the worst kind. Malicious.
Painful.
With Lydia, it had concerned her intellectual pursuits, her bluestocking nature, which so many had considered uncouth and unladylike, yet the very thing Thad had found most alluring about her. Lydia’s mind had constantly been awhirl with new ideas, new discoveries, new books. It had charmed him beyond repair.
A flash of protectiveness shot through him, a flash of memory of how hurt Lydia had been by her detractors.
Thad touched the brim of his hat, staring pointedly at the two women, one of whom he knew from his brief time on the Marriage Mart, a woman who had been particularly cruel to Lydia. “Good afternoon, ladies. Lady Elspeth. A lovely day to be out with those you care about, is it not?”
They both started, stopping in their tracks as if he had slapped them. Lady Elspeth, the taller of the two, a haughty blonde in a pale-green dress, tilted her chin up. “Lord Thaddeus. I suppose it is, if those you care about are of proper standing.”
Lord, I despise this woman.Thad took off his hat. “Indeed.” He stepped to one side and gestured to Lady Mary, who stillstared at the path. “May I present Lady Mary Caudale,sisterto theDukeof Kirkstone, a man who recently received avital appointmentfrom theking.” His careful emphasis on the words caused the two women to look at each other.
Lady Mary whispered, “What are you doing?”
“Lady Mary, this is Lady Elspeth Loxley. Her father is a kind but rather minor baronet, although her new husband is an earl. A randy gentleman but a delightful partner atvingt et un.”
Lady Elspeth bristled. “How dare—”
Thad smiled, moving a bit closer to Lady Elspeth. “I apologize, but we must resume our ramble. The day is far too fine to waste. I do hope I see that new husband of yours at Campion’s Gentlemen’s Emporium again this week. He does love the games, but he has had rather foul luck lately at roulette. It is a marvel to see.”
Lady Elspeth gave a low gasp. “You insolent—”
Thad lowered his voice, a bare whisper. “Forty pounds, my lady. He owes me forty pounds, the house a great deal more. I hope your dowry is still intact.”
Lady Elspeth’s mouth thinned to the point of disappearing, and she urged her friend forward, glancing back at Thad only once.
Lady Mary waited until they were beyond earshot, then stared up at him. “What the bloody hell was that all about?”
