“Perhaps time will cure her of it,” the viscount said. “It has cured me of considering lining them all up and challenging them to duels. That, and Cassandra pointed out she would be left quite alone after I was shot up.”
“I rather think neither duels nor time are what is required. We must give Cassandra her revenge. She must have revenge on the gentlemen of the pact, and on that awful Lady Montague.Shemust be the belle of London andtheymust become pariahs. Only then will her anger be appeased and we will see what lays beneath it.”
The viscount leaned back in his chair. “Do I dare inquire how you mean to accomplish it?”
“Leave it to me,” the dowager said. “Though it may take some time. I am likely to be under your roof for at least a fortnight.”
Chapter Fourteen
Edwin stared intothe fire, then swept up his grandmother’s letter and read it again.
My dear awful grandson,
As you know, I made my way to Surrey in all haste after becoming apprised of your base actions. Approaching Trebly Hall, I was set upon by highwaymen. Fortunately, Miss Knightsbridge was nearby and able to rescue me by way of two shotguns and very good aim. I am lucky to have survived the ordeal and remain in her debt.
To do what I can to repair the situation you and your idiot friends have created, I will spread this tale far and wide and make clear to all of my acquaintance that you are to be believed when you own your crimes. I expect to hear the welcome news that you are widely denounced sometime in the coming weeks. Miss Knightsbridge, I will affirm, has been blameless in all of it and has been the hapless victim of plotters (you) and gossipers (Lady Montague).
I am of a mind to bring Miss Knightsbridge back to London and sponsor her personally. At the moment she refuses, but I think I will wear her down eventually. As for you, Miss Knightsbridge is in the habit of blowing off your head while she practices her aim at shooting. This may sound dire, but I am of the mind that one does not experience that sort of rage unless there are other feelings lurking underneath. You had better hope so, in any case. You would be very fortunate to win such a lady, though I have my doubts about whether you deserve her.
I expect your father and the other dukes have heard of this fiasco by now and so I will not be surprised to hear you are living in Cheapside sooner than expected.
Regards,
Your disappointed grandmother
Aside from the stinging retribution, which Edwin felt was well-earned, he could not but help wonder if his grandmother was right.DidMiss Knightsbridge harbor any feelings for him?
He did not know, but as the days passed he knew he would not marry another, even if he did have to spend his days in Cheapside, warming his own toast in front of a fire.
What a lady! To think, she’d fought off highwaymen to save his grandmother. It was extraordinary.
If ever there was a woman who ought to have influence and power, it was she. If ever there was a woman who could crush his future happiness, it was also she.
*
The dukes hadgathered at White’s, all rushing to London when word reached them of what their sons had been about.
“Those blasted ne’er-do-wells,” the Duke of Gravesley said.
The Duke of Wentworth stared at his gouty foot, that appendage more swollen than ever. “Viscount Trebly is an honorable man, I am surprised he has not shot them all.”
“The dowager writes to me that my son is willing to marry the girl, but she won’t have him,” the Duke of Carlisle said.
“Marriage would fix the thing up,” the Duke of Dembly said hopefully.
“But she won’t have him,” Carlisle answered.
“We owe the viscount a debt,” Gravesley said. “We must do what we can to appease him.”
“What can we do, if she won’t have Hampton?” Dembly said.
The dukes considered this conundrum in silence, until one of them muttered, “The scoundrels.”
“Hear, hear,” the rest answered.
They were quiet for some minutes, until Carlisle said, “The dowager had an idea, though it is rather…extreme.”
*
