Page 30 of Distracting the Duke

“There must have been a more…conventional way to eject her. Have you never thrown unwelcome females out of your bedchamber before?”

Marcus raised his eyebrows at this. “You mean you have?”

“Of course. It’s my open honest face and classical good looks, you know. I’m fending off women all the time. It gets quite tiresome.”

Marcus gave an undignified snort. “Are you, by Jove? Pray, enlighten me. What should I have done?”

“Insulted her, of course. Told her she’s ugly, has a fat bottom, knock-knees, pigeon toes. But say it as if you mean it. Women can spot insincerity at a thousand paces.”

“But Clara has none of those things. She’s practically perfect.” He grimaced. “Except for her character.”

Snetty leaned forward, serious. “In that case, my dear chap, you should make her your mistress before her good looks fade and there’s nothing left but her undesirable character. I presume Miss Soper’s personality is not at fault?”

“Hmm? Oh, no, she’s very biddable.”

“And very pretty.”

“Exceedingly pretty. But that’s all by the by, Snetty. I need her guardian’s permission to court her, and I’m hardly likely to get that if I’m obliged to shoot the fellow.”

“If you kill him, you remove the obstacle,” Snetty ventured.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve no intention of killing anyone. I won’t drag my family name further into the mud by adding murder to the slate. But it’s a hell of a coil. If I’d been feeling better, I would have found a solution by now.”

“To which problem? It seems you have several.”

Marcus raked a hand through his hair. “The duel. I wish I could understand why Weston called me out. His hold on his temper is as frail as a child’s. Something must be gnawing at the fellow. If only I could find out what it was.”

“Therein lies your solution. One of them, at least. Come back to Town with me. We’ll visit my club, sound out a few fellows, and see what we can dig up on our Mr. Weston. If we can find his Achilles heel, it may well lead to a retraction of his challenge.”

That sounded like a brilliant idea. Which, coming from Snetty, was nothing short of remarkable. “Very well. I’ll send a note to Lawton Court to buy myself some time.” He absently studied the ornate cherubs on the mantel clock. “But what about Clara? Wherever I look, I see that damned woman gazing back at me with those dark doe eyes of hers.”

“Mistress, definitely. If you have an itch, you should scratch it.”

“That won’t go down too well with Eleanora.”

Snetty stared thoughtfully at his wineglass. “You’ll just have to be discreet. There’s a chance Miss Soper won’t mind. Or if she does, she might not say anything.”

Marcus winced. “She doesn’t say much at all. But I don’t think I could cuckold her with her own guardian. She seems so fragile. I dare say if I tried to kiss her, she’d just faint clean away.”

“I wonder what she’d do if I tried to kiss her…” Snetty murmured.

“Slap you, I should hope, for your damned impertinence,” he said, affronted. “Honestly, not funny. You’re too good a friend to interfere with my courtship. Or must I duel with you, as well?”

His friend pursed his lips. “Maybe you should change your choice of wife and take Lady Clara instead. If she’ll have you after your appallingly ungentlemanly behavior. And anyway, even if you do marry the adorable Miss Soper, how do you know I won’t end up having a torrid affair with her?”

Marcus snorted again. “She’s far too innocent to get involved in an affair.”

“She won’t be in the least bit innocent after she’s been in your bed a few times.”

Marcus looked at him, aghast. “Snetty, do you really intend to challenge me for the hand of Eleanora?”

His friend grinned. “I’ve an idea. We can play cards for her.”

“Now I know you’re joking. Gambling with cards is anathema to me, as you very well know.”

“No money involved, of course,” replied his friend cheerfully. “If I win, I may pay my addresses to Miss Soper. If you prevail, then you can and I won’t interfere. Although,” he added thoughtfully, “I believe you’d be much better off with Lady Clara. You need someone who will stand up to you.”

Marcus groaned. “That’s exactly what I don’t need. Isn’t life hard enough, living up to the expectations of my title, without having to deal with a termagant of a wife? I want my children to have a loving, agreeable mother, and I don’t want their parents continually at loggerheads.”