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“Indeed. Well, after the Season, of course,” amended Yarborough. “You will be going to Town as well, I suppose?”
“Oh, but of course. We’ll no doubt run into each other quite often, won’t we?” It was, perhaps, a bit heavy—but she was set upon making a point to yon eavesdropper. It was no lack of civility on her part that had determined her current marital status!
“I certainly hope so,” said Yarborough, his gaze roaming for a moment before settling on her bosom. “I should like to see you as often as possible.”
Ugh! But even as she forced a smile, she saw from the corner of her eye that Sorin was still listening. Perhaps it was time to give him a little taste of his own tonic. “But come, you must greet my cousin, Lord Ashford. I’m sure he will be as delighted as I am to welcome you home.” Taking the arm he offered, she sailed right past Sorin, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead. And here’s some sauce for the gander!
Sorin bit the inside of his cheek as the pair sauntered away. He’d not wanted to ignore Eleanor—far from it—but there was no possible way for them to talk safely as long as his mother was present. She knew him too well and saw far too much with her keen eyes. Already he’d been admonished for his distracted state.
Wherever Eleanor was, there his focus seemed to be fixed and there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it. Especially now, when he didn’t like the look of the fellow upon whose arm she’d just draped herself. The man’s walk was more of a swagger, and his demeanor conceited. He looked a right rogue.
“That’s young Donald Yarborough, if you’re wondering.”
Jerking around, he found his mother had come up and was now staring in the same direction he’d been looking. Damn. “Ah, yes. I thought he looked familiar. He was a childhood friend of Eleanor’s, I believe.”
“I doubt he views her in such benign terms now,” she replied drily. “I hear he is determined to find a bride this Season.”
The acid-gnawing sensation redoubled in the pit of his stomach. “He’s not the sort of man Ellie would consider.”
Her lips pursed. “You would know better than most, I’m sure, but Lady Yarborough would never forgive him if he didn’t at least try. The same will likely be true of every unattached, fortune-hungry male in London, until she marries.”
She was right, he knew. Were Eleanor as homely as a hound, her inheritance would still guarantee a certain level of desirability on the marriage market. Her fortune and beauty combined made her an irresistible target. “Which is why Charles has already enlisted my help to keep an eye on her,” he said quietly. “I’ll see that she does not fall prey to any trickery. If he is a roué, I shall soon learn of it.”
“I see. And then what?”
“I’ll inform Charles and he’ll make an end of it.”
Her soft chuckle startled him. “And when she finds out you’ve gone to her guardian behind her back and sabotaged her chances with him or any other lad for whom she sets her cap, she’ll—”
“I have no need of subterfuge. I’ll speak openly with them both.”
“Mmm, and I’m sure she’ll hear every word from the man to whom she gave the cut little more than an hour ago.”
Taking a deep breath, he counted silently to ten before answering with equanimity, “She has always valued my counsel. She’ll listen to me.”
An indelicate snort erupted from his mother. “Eleanor is no longer a child to be so easily led, my son. But I think you’ve already discovered that.”
Her penetrating look sent a guilty flush creeping up his neck.
“I knew it,” she breathed, a triumphant gleam entering her eyes. “She is the reason you’ve been avoiding Holbrook, not Ashford. I gathered as much when you failed to greet each other this morning.”
“Mother, I don’t—”
“There is no point in denying the obvious,” she interrupted, raising a wrinkled hand. “And you need not explain how it came about. Just tell me what happened to cause the rift. Perhaps I can help.”
“I do not require assistance,” he said, hot with embarrassment. “And there is no need for me to explain anything because there is nothing to explain. We had a difference of opinion. That is all.”
“Well, it must have been rather a significant one,” she said, arching a brow. “A woman does not cut a man, much less one she considers a friend, unless she has been mightily offended. Come. Tell me. What did you say to elicit such ire?”
“It was nothing, really,” he said, shrugging. “I simply inquired of her as to why she’d turned down so many proposals. She told me her reasons, and I questioned her logic.”
“In other words, you behaved like a condescending ass.”
An exasperated breath exploded from him before he could contain it. “I was not an ass!” Several people turned and frowned. He lowered his voice. “I merely made the observation that her standards, such as they are, are unlikely to be met by any mortal man.”
“And I suppose you expected her to be grateful to you for offering up your enlightened opinion?”
“No,” he snapped. “But neither did I expect her to behave in this manner. After all, it was in her best interest that I point out the unrealistic nature of her expectations.”
