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“I see.” Jonah looked back up at the trees. “I like being in love with my wife. That led directly to being in love with my child. Both of which have consequences. I could never leave them and sleep in my club.”

Fiennes paused and then added, “I think I may love her cousin.” He could hear pained wariness in his own voice, but damn it, he had to say it aloud.

“Miss Fenella St. Trevelyon?” Jonah leaned over and bumped his shoulder into Fiennes’s. “Bea told me this morning how much she likes her.”

“I asked Ella to marry me, but I had already arranged things with Fulvia, and last night, when Fulvia started spouting Shakespeare, I realized that I couldn’t break our engagement or she’d be ruined.”

“Are you telling me that you are currently betrothed to two women? From the same family?”

Jonah was chuckling, which Fiennes found irritating.

On the other hand, the laughter lines around his friend’s eyes were honest ones—they had appeared after marriage. Jonah had returned from war a pale version of himself, but his duchess had changed everything. Changed Jonah into a man who laughed.

“I am,” Fiennes confirmed. “Informally, in both cases. Neither woman has accepted my proposal. In fact, I never spoke to Fulvia about marriage, although I made an offer to her father. I have not signed the contract offered by the viscount.”

“Two fiancées! Three, if you count Lady Regina, and I think we definitely should count her, shouldn’t we?”

Jonah was guffawing now.

“Enough,” Fiennes told him. “I want to marry Ella, not Fulvia. What am I to do? Fulvia almost ruined herself last night, rescued only by my announcement. If I break it off, people will blame it on her performance.”

“Your conundrum boils down to the idiotic rules that govern civilized behavior. Fulvia was an astonishingly good Juliet. Bea talked about it all the way home. Why should acting in a Shakespeare play make a woman unladylike? Moreover, why should a man sacrifice himself and his future happiness to hang on to the hollow title of ‘gentleman?’ ”

Fiennes had no interest in debating civilization’s absurdities. His question was narrow and direct. “Am I right? Will Fulvia’s performance ruin her if I call off the betrothal?”

“To marry Bea, I would have left the dukedom and become a farm laborer. Why do you care if polite society judges you ungentlemanly?”

“I’m not the only person at risk. Fulvia is sixteen and foolish. If I throw her over, she may not find a spouse.”

“That’s actually a good point. Wait a month and throw her over. Her father will sue you for breach of promise.”

“Nothing signed,” Fiennes reminded Jonah. “He can try.”

“If you marry Ella, he’ll be a member of your family.”

Fiennes sighed. “I’ll pay him off, but I can’t wait a month.”

“Why not?”

“St. Trevelyon lost his townhouse at cards last night. To Clod Tyrwhitt, no less.”

“The devil you say!” Jonah responded.

“St. Trevelyon’s a devil, all right,” Fiennes said grimly. “The family has two weeks to move out. Ella is an unpaid servant in that household, and I won’t have her there any longer. I offered to give her a house, but she refused.”

“Well, you are betrothed to her cousin. I see her point.” Jonah frowned. “I just remembered that Bea said something about Ella crying in the ladies’ retiring room. Did you warn her before you made that announcement last night?”

“No,” Fiennes said. “I had to act directly after the performance.” Tension sent a stab of pain down his neck.

“Idiot,” Jonah said. “It would have been better if you’d warned her. Have you thought of asking Ella what to do?”

“I didn’t have time to consult with her.”

“Ask her what you should do,” Jonah said. “You’re going to be married. Even with my slim experience, I can tell you that consulting with your wife-to-be is always a good idea.”

“I can go over there today,” Fiennes said, accepting his advice. “I’ll be damned if I leave Ella in that situation one more day. She’s exhausted, and I don’t care if I have no right to help her.”

“See what she says. But what’s a scandal, after all? I married Bea pretty damn fast, in case you didn’t notice. Had a baby in rapid order. If you don’t pay attention to gossipmongers, they shut their mouths after a while.”