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Chapter Seven
“Your arrogance will be our downfall. Now, because of you, Worthington is questioning if I am suitable for Lady Noel. You must not pursue Lady Margaret after this evening,” Ravencroft muttered low enough for only Dracott to hear.
“I will only back away from her if you do the same with Lady Noel.”
“Never,” Ravencroft hissed.
Dracott bit out a laugh. “Do not tell me you care for the lady?”
Ravencroft never answered him. Dracott shifted his gaze off Maggie to look at his brother. Ravencroft sat with his hands clenched on the arms of his seat, his gaze directed at Lady Noel. Oh bother! The tender expression in his brother’s gaze meant only one thing. Ravencroft had fallen for his mark, which only placed the outcome of getting out of Lady L’s clutches more difficult to navigate. The bitch would notice Ravencroft’s vulnerability and act upon it.
“Why did you have to fall for the lady?” Dracott whispered.
Ravencroft scoffed. “You are a fine one to speak. Lady Margaret has you so enamored you failed to notice that someone has spotted you. Lady L will learn by morning how close you are to her subjects for her revenge.”
Dracott tensed, searching the theater for his brother’s threat, only to see no reason how he had blown his cover. “Who? Where?”
“She is long gone. Who do you think Worth chased after, causing your slight mishap with Lady Margaret?”
Dracott was clueless as to who Ravencroft talked about. Lady L might think herself invincible, but she wouldn’t risk showing her hand this early in the game. The bounty on her head alone spoke of her need to stay hidden. Dracott swung his questioning gaze back to his brother. Ravencroft regarded him with a look of sorrow and sympathy. No. It was impossible. He had secured her release before he and Ravencroft slipped away to his brother’s estate. He had made sure of her escape himself.
Dracott shook his head in denial. “No.”
“I am afraid so. Your little concubine has found herself once again in our mistress’s clutches.”
Dracott hissed. “She is not my concubine, nor any other man’s. And that bitch is not our mistress.”
Ravencroft arched an eyebrow, chuckling. “I always found humor with your denials on the subject of your infatuation. I wonder if Lady Margaret would feel the same once she realizes how she will need to compete with the ghost of your affection.”
Dracott gritted his teeth. “Leave Maggie out of this discussion.”
“I will for now because she is not the issue at the moment. However, your little display from earlier has drawn unwanted attention our way. Do not think your little protegee will not betray you. At this very moment, you can bet she is whispering to Lady L about your arrival in London and the exact description of your appearance.”
“Damn,” Dracott swore.
He understood Sabrina’s desperation if she found herself under Lady L’s thumb again. She would betray anyone for her agenda, and he couldn’t blame her in the slightest. Everyone, even his own mother, believed his infatuation with Sabrina. However, it was only a cover to keep her protected. The only feelings he held for her were in a brotherly concern. They had placed themselves in many scandalous situations to make his position clear as her protector. She remained an innocent, even if it appeared otherwise. And Ravencroft knew this. He only slandered Sabrina to bait him. Why?
He intended to question Ravencroft, but the play finished its first act and everyone rose, applauding the actors. “We will finish this discussion later.”
Ravencroft nodded his acceptance and stepped forward to greet his fiancée. Dracott watched his brother with skepticism. He had observed his brother over the years and had seen how Ravencroft hardened his heart against any emotional attachments. It still shocked him how his brother allowed him to be a part of his life. Now, to see Ravencroft acting besotted with his intended, it left Dracott to wonder if his brother played an act or if he was genuine with his feelings. Only time would tell.
Dracott searched for Maggie but didn’t see her. The box had grown crowded with members of Evelyn’s family. Soon he found himself pushed near the door. He sighed his frustration. The evening wasn’t progressing as he had wanted it to. If he didn’t hope to steal a few minutes with Maggie, he would’ve left. Worthington had made his intention clear by keeping her away from him.
A hand slid against his palm, and warmth invaded his soul at her slight touch. If holding Maggie’s hand was their only connection for the evening, it made lingering around worth it.
“There is an empty box with the curtains drawn down the hallway,” Maggie whispered.
Dracott needed no other encouragement to sneak away with the enticing minx. He swiped his gaze around the box to see how no one paid them any attention. Maggie tugged on his hand, and he followed her like the besotted pup he was.
The hallway was crowded full of couples visiting with one another, wallflowers hugging the walls like they did at the dances, and a pack of gentlemen debating their skills with dice. They were all oblivious to Maggie leading them away from the Worthington box. When she drew them around the corner and stopped near a closed door, he checked to make sure no one followed them.
Maggie turned the knob, stepped in, and waited for him to follow her inside. He would cross a line if he stepped over the threshold, one he could never cross back over from. However, the vision before him removed all doubts about the course he wished to travel. A path straight to Margaret Worthington’s heart.
Maggie waited for Crispin to join her. She risked losing her pristine reputation by tempting him into stealing away with her, and she no longer cared. His honorable intentions from earlier made any doubt she held about his character vanish. Her family might not trust him, but she did. Her mother’s endless prattle while repairing her dress had set her on edge. It had been only with Evelyn’s admiration over Dracott’s actions that her mother had seen reason.
However, her mother had still kept her apart from Crispin during the play. Then Reese had banished Crispin to the back of the box, along with Ravencroft. This had caused Noel to gripe to Maggie throughout the play about how she had ruined her evening. All because Maggie supposedly wanted to draw attention to herself with her selfish need to cause gossip with her actions. Noel blamed Maggie for everything when actually the blame lay with Graham and his need to chase after everything in a skirt. A point she would make clear to her mother during the second act.
For now, she only wished to entice Crispin into a few kisses.
