Page 13 of Dare to be Wicked

“Mr Demarteau—” Lottie began, deciding the only way to deal with this was to face it head on.

“If you would excuse me, Lady Charlotte,” he said, before she could say another word. He gave her a stiff bow and strode off into the village alone.

“Well!” she exclaimed, starring after him in stunned shock.

Never in her life had she met with such rude behaviour, not even when she’d deserved it.

“Lottie, whatever did you say to the man?”

Lottie turned back to see her mama walking arm-in-arm with Harriet and Matilda.

“Nothing, Mama, I swear it. I was only telling him how wonderful Eliza was and he strode off in a fury.”

“How odd,” Matilda said, watching the man’s figure disappear into the village. “Do you have any idea why?”

“No.” Lottie bit her lip, wondering if she ought to confess her suspicions. “I… I know it seems ridiculous, but I think he dislikes Eliza, or at least that he believes she is not good enough for his brother.”

This elicited a predictable burst of exclamations from all three women.

“Whatever makes you think so?” her mother demanded.

Lottie shrugged. “Only that he glowers at her so, and whenever she comes into a room, he walks out of it. It is as though he cannot bear to be around her.”

“Is that so?” Matilda murmured with interest.

“Well,” her mother said with a sniff. “He may not like her, but his brother seems to have every intention of paying court.”

Lottie looked back at her in surprise. “Goodness. Did he say so?”

She frowned, wanting to ask why her mother was allowing it when everyone knew Eliza was to marry Cassius. The wicked little voice in her head that she disliked so much murmured though, reminding her that it did not matter why, only that if Eliza married someone else, Cassius would be free.

“He did not say he wished to court her, not in so many words. Not yet, at least, but his intention was clear enough. He has gone out of his way to make himself agreeable to both myself and your papa, and a man like that does nothing without good reason. I know Phoebe liked both him and Mr Demarteau very much when she was in Paris with Max, and formed a very good opinion of them both. She is an excellent judge of character, too, or I should never have allowed the comte within a mile of Eliza.”

“According to Cassius, Mr Demarteau is very protective of his brother,” Harriet said, her tone thoughtful. “The comte’s title is an old and distinguished one, but the family lost everything during the war. As I understand it, the comte had a difficult childhood and I believe the two brothers have gained something of a reputation with the rapacious manner in which they have turned their fortunes around, and of course, with the ownership of that scandalous club of theirs. A match with a woman of exceptional breeding like Eliza would be just what the comte needs to find acceptance in society again.”

“If that is so, why does Mr Demarteau look at her with such ferocity?” Lottie demanded.

“Why indeed?” Matilda asked, a curious glint in her eyes.

Lottie huffed and stalked off towards the shops.

“I will find out eventually,” she promised.

After perusing the shops and purchasing some new gloves for her mother, Lottie ambled back outside to the village green. It was a lovely setting, with ducks dabbling about around a small pond. The church bells chimed the hour and the low murmur of chatter drifted from the open door of The King’s Head. As the morning wore on, the day grew hotter, and Lottie found a shady spot beneath a large chestnut tree to sit and wait for the others to appear. She’d not seen Eliza and the comte at all, but she knew Mama would keep an eye on them so did not fret over it. Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree trunk, wondering what on earth she was to do. The future seemed to be a bleak place, filled with jealousy and resentment towards her sister, which was totally undeserved. After all, it was not Eliza’s fault that she’d been born first, that she had been the one to be such a friend to Cassius, so much so that they would marry because of it. Lottie gave a dejected sigh.

“Lord, is it so bad, lovely Lottie?”

Her eyes flew open and she gasped at the elegant young man standing before her.

“Ashton!” she squealed, scrambling to her feet and flinging her arms about his neck.

Ashton laughed, protesting as she knocked his hat to the ground in her exuberance. “Leave off, Lottie. Good God, but you’re a hoyden. You’ll have the entire village gabbing about us if you don’t have a care, and I’ve barely been here a minute.”

Lottie let him go and stepped back again as he bent to retrieve his hat, brushing the dust off it.

“Sorry, Ash,” she said, still beaming at him. “Oh, it is so good to see you, but where is Vivien?” Ashton was rarely seen without his twin sister, the two of them nigh on inseparable.

“Taking a nap,” he said with a snort. “She had me up talking until all hours last night with some bee in her bonnet but, unlike me, she has no stamina.”