Page 58 of The Lady’s Sweet Revenge

“The Marquess of Kent’s oldest son,” Lady Breckenridge reminded her.

“Oh, yes.” Harlow fought to remember anything about the man, but all she could grasp was the reason her brothers provided. And, of course, it was improper. Still, Harlow did her best. “I was told Lord Wilder looked more like the Kent’s footman than Lord Kent.”

Lady Breckenridge’s eyes went wide. “Lady Kent had an affair with her footman?”

Harlow frowned for she wasn’t sure if her brothers told her that because it was true or simply because it was an expedient way to scare her away from the gentleman. She wouldn’t put it past them to fabricate a scandal where none existed.

“Well… who can really say?”

The countess laughed, or as close to a laugh as someone as rigid as Lady Breckenridge would likely get.

“That explains a great deal about Lord Wilder.”

Harlow feigned a yawn. “Please excuse me. I grow tired earlier than before. Mrs. Garrison says it’s a sign I’m healing.”

“Then you should retire to bed. You don’t need to wait up with me. I assure you I am used to being alone.” The woman waved a hand toward the door. If Harlow were a better person, she would have stayed so the woman would need not be alone this night, but Harlow had somewhere else she wished to be.

In her room, she changed into her night rail, wishing for something prettier than the plain white garment he’d purchased for her when he was being courteous.

She went to the door and stopped still. Having grown up the youngest of six children she was usually better about seeing through a plan. But it wasn’t until that moment that she realized she couldn’t leave her room to go to Reese’s until after she was certain the countess had gone to her room for the night.

There would be nothing she could say after convincing the woman she was exhausted if Harlow was caught wandering about the corridor when Lady Breckenridge came upstairs.

Sitting with her back to the door listening for the woman’s footsteps to pass her bedchamber, Harlow waited for her chance to steal away to Reese’s bed again tonight.