Page 67 of Scandal’s Daughter

Sebastian smiled at him and sat back in his chair, not caring if he looked smug. “Because she told me.”

There was an almost imperceptible tightening of Beau’s jaw, his eyes glinting in a way that Sebastian knew meant trouble. “She told you?” he repeated. “When?”

“This morning,” Sebastian replied, holding Beau’s gaze. “She also told me she didn’t want you, or Nibley. She loves me still, Beau. It’s me she wants.”

Beau snorted and shook his head.

“I know she loves you, you fool. But what exactly are you offering her? Are you actually going to face your mother and tell her you’re marrying Lady Dalton’s daughter? Because frankly I think that’s going to take more balls than you’ve got.”

Sebastian stiffened in fury and leaned across the table.

“Don’t you dare insult me when all you want is to get your hands on her money!”

Beau glared back at him, his face white with indignation. “Oh, but that’s not all I want to get my hands on,” he said, his voice low. “And she may not love me, but I assure you, she doesn’t find the idea in any way repulsive.”

Before Sebastian could think about what he was doing, about where they were and the damage it would do, he simply reacted. The idea of Beau, the ton’s most notorious rake, with his hands on Georgiana made rage, white hot and irresistible, flame through his drunken brain.

He threw himself forward and knocked Beau out of his chair, the two of them falling to the floor as Sebastian drew back his fist to throw a punch.

There were shouts of alarm and to Sebastian’s frustration he was hauled away from Beau before he could land a punch. Beau was also struggling like fury, two men holding him back as they glared at each other with the need for violence in their eyes.

“Gentlemen!” said a shocked, cultured voice to the side of them and Sebastian forced himself to look away from Beau and encountered the surprisingly angry eyes of Lord Nibley. “I think you should be ashamed of yourselves,” he said in a low tone. “Now you will both sit back down and take a drink together.”

They both stared at Nibley as though he’d grown an extra head, as the idea of sitting down with Beau made Sebastian want to hit him again.

“I don’t see how I am to blame for this little scene,” Beau replied, rearranging his cravat and still glaring at Sebastian. “I rather think I’m owed an apology.”

Sebastian snorted at the likelihood of that happening and Nibley grabbed hold of his arm with surprising violence.

“You will do this and anything else required to try to limit the damage you have already done to a blameless young woman,” Nibley hissed, his lanky frame taut with anger.

Sebastian took a breath as the sense of this filtered through his liquor-soaked brain.

Good God, what had he been thinking?

To attack Beau, here of all places? To his further annoyance he saw that Beau had already seated himself and was ordering a drink, looking perfectly unruffled. At least Sebastian thought he looked unruffled, until he sat down himself and looked closely into those blue eyes and saw the cool glitter of resentment still lurking there.

The three men sat together and drank, though this time Sebastian stuck to coffee, and tried to present a calm appearance. The atmosphere at the table however was far from jovial despite Nibley’s best efforts.

They forced themselves to remain for a half hour at which point the three men stood, shook hands and forced a smile to their faces before going their separate ways.

***

It appears The Siren has struck again as violence erupted within the sacred walls of White’s of all places!

Friends since boyhood came to blows and yet another suitor was forced to intervene. It appears bets have been taken as to which of these hot-blooded lovers will win out.

The ton stands agog as the scene unfolds before us.

Will there be murder and bloodshed and a repeat of a previous decade’s outrageous scandal? Whilst the ever-charming M of B and wealthy Lord N have both publicly declared their interest in the ton’s newest fiery beauty, the D of S has not seemed to be received with any pleasure or to have put his hat in the ring.

What exactly is the man offering and why is he so enraged by his best friend’s courtship of a woman who can surely bring nothing but embarrassment to his distinguished family?

Georgiana stared at the horrid scandal sheet with her cheeks burning.

How could they?

How could they fight over her in a public place like dogs with a bone!