Page 78 of Earl, Enemy, Husband?

The acid in her voice was enough to strip skin from bone. ‘What rubbish. I will never be yours. I am married. And all you have done is set yourself up for ruin after I helped you as I promised.’

Tears filled her beautiful eyes. ‘You are so unkind to me, Graydon.’

How could he ever have loved this woman? She had not an iota of sense.

‘Unkind? I’ve just spent a king’s ransom to rescue you from utter foolishness. Be sure, Eloise, this is the last and only time I will rescue you from your folly, old friends or no.’

George hurried up to them; he looked breathless.

‘George will see that you never set foot in one of those hells again.’

George winced and glanced back over his shoulder. ‘I need to talk to you.’ He frowned at Eloise. ‘Alone.’

‘Oh, George.’ Eloise sighed, not one to be left on the sidelines for too long. ‘Isn’t it wonderful? Graydon has rescued me, just as I said he would.’

‘You don’t deserve it,’ he said harshly. ‘Be thankful and take yourself off.’

She looked shocked. ‘George! Won’t you escort me home?’

‘You have your maid. She will escort you. Go; I need to talk to Graydon.’

Graydon stared at George. The completely besotted idiot had never said a cross word to Eloise in all the time he had known him.

With a huff of annoyance, Eloise stuffed the vowels he had handed over into her reticule and flounced off.

Graydon gave him a hard look. ‘I want to talk to you also. About last night’s card game.’

George winced. ‘Not that, though I admit I owe you an apology for that.’ He waited for Eloise to be out of earshot. ‘I did something terrible.’

An unpleasant sensation stirred in the pit of his stomach. ‘What?’

George grimaced and glanced around. ‘I brought your wife here in her phaeton. I had no idea you would be here with Eloise.’

Graydon searched the carriage drive. ‘Where is she?’

He grimaced. ‘I’m pretty sure she saw you kissing Eloise.’

‘I was not kissing Eloise. She…’ The implication settled in his mind. ‘Where is she?’

‘I left her, to warn you. She was driving with Lady Deirdre. Such a lovely girl, Lady Deirdre; so sweet-mannered. Such delicate—’

Graydon was already striding in the direction of the Row with George trotting along beside him nattering on about… Oh, hell. The man had fallen for the Hart girl. ‘For God’s sake, George, stop mooning after some female. Where the devil is my wife?’

‘We had just turned around when I saw you. I hoped she would not see you, but then after I saw that—’ he waved an arm ‘—with Eloise, I saw her turn around the carriage. That’s when I hot-footed it over here.’

Graydon’s stomach pitched.

‘Look,’ George said. ‘There is Lady Deirdre, with her maid. Your wife must have dropped her off at the gate.’

Lady Deirdre smiled at George as they came close. George was blushing! Graydon gritted his teeth. With all the charm he could muster, he smiled at the young woman and bowed. ‘Lady Deirdre, good afternoon. I understand you were driving with my wife a short while ago.’

The girl dipped a little curtsey. ‘Lord Blackdown. Indeed, I was. She recalled another engagement, but she would be happy to take me up again another day.’

‘Ah, I see. Thank you. I hope you will excuse me.’ Leaving George to fawn over the young woman, he bowed and strode for home.

All seemed calm when he entered the house. ‘Is Lady Blackdown around?’ he asked Powell as he handed over his coat, gloves and hat.

‘Upstairs in her chamber, my lord.’