Page 48 of How to Start a Scandal

He was summoned almost immediately into the Earl’s study, before he could allow himself the luxury of second-guessing his decision further.

There was a lot you could tell by the items a man surrounded himself with. Those who had paintings of every family member since the dawn of time had a tendency to look down their nose at anyone less aristocratic than they. Men who kept an array of liquors readily available, lined up in various shades of amber in cut-crystal decanters, had a penchant for alcohol.

Then there was Lord Hollingston who had simply books. A considerable number of books. The shelves covered the walls from the thickly padded carpet to the scrollwork on the ceiling above.

‘Lord Dalton, forgive my delay in greeting you upon your return.’ Hollingston rose from his seat behind the large desk. ‘Thank you for requesting to see me.’

Seth crossed the room and shook Hollingston’s hand. ‘I confess I came with a purpose today.’ He hadn’t realised how hot his palms had become until they were encased in Hollingston’s cool, dry hand.

An uncomfortable unease crept into Seth’s awareness. He hadn’t anticipated being so nervous.

‘I assumed as much.’ Hollingston’s eyes crinkled with a smile. He went to a side table with one small decanter upon it, splashed a finger of liquid into a glass and handed it to Seth. ‘I’m afraid all I have is brandy.’

Seth would take straight fire at this point. He accepted the glass with an appreciative nod. ‘Brandy is fine, thank you.’

The Earl poured a second glass and sat in the large chair behind the desk. ‘Please have a seat.’

Seth settled into proffered chair, which gave a wretched groan of ancient springs beneath his weight.

What the devil?

Seth cleared his throat to mask the creak of the springs still grumbling underneath him. ‘I’m here to ask if you might consider allowing me to court your daughter.’

Hollingston furrowed his brows. ‘You want to court Violet.’

‘I do.’ And it was true. Seth had wanted to court Violet for the better part of his life. Only, he had known she could do better. He still knew she could do better. But he would be damned if he let her attend lessons with a courtesan because she felt she wasn’t good enough.

Hedgehog leapt on to the desk at that very moment in one deft move and splayed out on the polished surface. Hollingston untied the green bonnet from the cat’s head, tossed it aside with disdain and rubbed at the fur between the feline’s ears. ‘Why?’

‘I beg your pardon?’ Seth asked.

Hedgehog’s vibrating purr occupied the silence between them. Hollingston continued to stroke the little beast. ‘Violet is my fifth daughter and her dowry is not as substantial as a first-born debutante who is seeking an eligible earl.’ He lifted his gaze from the cat to Seth.

‘Money is of little concern to me,’ Seth replied.

Hollingston lifted his brows and frowned, tilting his head as though considering such a response. ‘My daughter has been uninterested in marriage for years. Are you aware of this?’

‘Perhaps she hadn’t met the right eligible Earl.’ Seth had said it in a bid to sound confident, but the words came out with an arrogant edge. He was certainly the furthest thing from the right eligible Earl. How the devil was he supposed to convince her father he was?

Hollingston speared him with a glare. ‘You broke her heart the night of her debut. Do not think that has been forgotten.’

Seth shifted on the chair and it gave out a squeal. He immediately stilled. ‘I haven’t forgotten either.’ Seth considered his next words carefully. ‘I have apologised for my shortcomings to Lady Violet and explained my flawed frame of mind then. I was a troubled youth.’

Hollingston snorted.

‘A very troubled youth,’ Seth amended. ‘I’m not that man any more and have been trying to prove it since I returned.’

Only he was still flawed. With different demons. It would be best to put an end to this now, to simply walk out. But thoughts of Violet—her laugh, her smile, her kiss—stayed his concerns and left him rooted in the squeaky chair.

A door closed somewhere on the first floor. Hedgehog leapt from the desk and darted from the room.

Hollingston chuckled. ‘We all come second to Felicity.’

‘I believe Lady Violet’s opinion of marriage might have altered,’ Seth continued.

Hollingston leaned back into his large chair. ‘Oh? Why do you say that?’

Why else would Lady Violet be attending lessons with Lottie if not to seek out a husband? Seth nearly asked the question aloud, but the questioning look on the older man’s face stopped him.