“Ye lie.”
“I do not.” Malcolm started picking through the basket of letters. “If ye wish to anger Lady Serendipity even more than ye already have, ye best wait a few days before calling on Lady Merry.”
“The hell I will. I promised myself to see her today, and I fully intend to keep that promise. Lady Serendipity will simply have to find it in her heart to forgive me.”
Malcolmtskedlike a ticking clock. “Unwise, brother. Verra unwise.”
“What is unwise?” their mother asked as she entered the office with three cats at her heels. “Good gracious. So much correspondence already?”
“’Tis the start of the Season,” Malcolm said. “Welcome back to Mayfair.”
“Indeed.” She turned and gave Duncan her full attention. “Well? What would be unwise?”
“My intentions to call on Lady Merry today.” Duncan knew his mother would side with Malcolm. She usually did.
She frowned as though struggling to come up with adiplomaticanswer. “Ye ken she and her family may have just arrived home? In fact, they may not have arrived at all. There are still a few travel days left.”
“If she has not arrived home yet, I shall leave my card.” There. That sounded like a reasonable option. “And if she is not receiving, I shall do the same.” Although it would hurt his heart immensely if she rebuffed him. After a curt nod, he started toward the door again.
“Duncan.”
He almost groaned aloud, hating when his mother took that tone. “Aye?”
“Would it not be better to at least wait until tomorrow? Or perhaps the day after that? Ye could take her to Gunter’s Tea Shop, since the weather is too blustery yet for a nice promenade.”
“No. I am not waiting.”
“He’ll not listen.” Malcolm handed the basket of unopened letters to his mother. “Yer turn.”
She shoved it back into his hands. “Dinna be lazy. ’Tis sinful.” Then she turned to Duncan. “If ye intend to marry this girl, ye best be remembering that when ye marry someone, ye dinna just marry them. Ye join with their family as well.” She arched a rueful eyebrow. “And her family has yers sorely outnumbered. ’Twould be unwise to forget yer manners around them.”
Duncan waved her words away as he left the room and strode down the hallway toward the back of the townhouse. Barclay was waiting with his greatcoat, hat, and gloves as though the man’s ear had been glued to the office door. Duncan didn’t care as long as it served his purpose.
The mews across the lane at the back of the garden housed the Kirkston carriage house and stable. Rather than boldly ride Spartan, he would be a dignified gentleman and go visiting in the carriage that bore his crest on the door.
He snorted. Even he knew that would be a noticeable sign that he had chosen to give his attention to one of the lovelies at Broadmere House.
Gossips and tattle-tongues would go to great lengths to discover which sister he was visiting. What better way to start the Season and notify everyone of his intentions?
“Fenton, Angus. Get the carriage ready. I have a lady to see.”
The stable master and driver responded with knowing grins as they hurried to carry out his orders.
From his nearby stall, Spartan grumbled as if knowing he was being left behind.
“Not this time, old friend.” Duncan gave the horse an affectionate rub just underneath the jaw, where the horse always liked a good scratching. “When I return, I shall give ye a fine brushing, aye? And a carrot or two for good measure.”
Spartan grumbled again but sounded somewhat mollified.
“Where we be going, my lord?” After shrugging on his heavier coat, Angus climbed up into the driver’s seat.
“Broadmere House. St. James’s Street.”
Duncan climbed into the carriage, settled himself comfortably on the cushioned seat, then thumped the roof to signal Angus he was ready to go. The conveyance eased into motion with a smoothness that made him proud. Perhaps Merry would like to go for a ride around Town? He shook his head. On second thought, if she had only just arrived in London, she was probably tired of riding in a carriage. The muddy roads had added hours to his journey. Hers had surely been longer, as well.
Even though the streets of Mayfair were crowded with those arriving back in London, it didn’t take all that long to get from Kirkston Place on Curzon Street to Broadmere House on St. James’s. As the carriage rolled to a stop, Duncan noted that the front of the house was clear of carriages loaded down with trunks to be unpacked. Good. Perhaps Lady Serendipity wouldn’t be too upset with him, then.
Angus opened the carriage door and held it.
