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He made the sanctuary of his room and shut the door behind him, pacing back and forth as he waited for the bottle to arrive. He longed to take to the ring, to hammer out his frustrations on a few sparring partners or in a proper match. But he knew if he did, he was like to do true damage to his opponent and get himself banned from the ring for good.
A knock interrupted his musings, and he spun to face the door. “Enter!”
The bottle of spirits was welcome. The faces of Samuel and Ralph were less so. “What do you want?”
“What do we... Arthur, you came in here like an angry bull. You didn’t even notice when we called to you. It’s beyond obvious something’s wrong, man.” Samuel spoke up.
“We’re your friends, Arthur. Whatever’s troubling you... surely a listening ear won’t hurt.”
Arthur took a deep breath, then nodded curtly and stood aside to let them in. Ralph opened the bottle and poured out three glasses before handing him one. He waited until Arthur had calmed enough to take several sips of the burning liquid. “Now then, what has you all in a bother?”
How could he say it? How could he not?
The word emerged in a low stream of bitter pain. “Nora.”
“Well, that’s simple enough to guess. It would be a woman. But what about her?” Samuel’s voice was low and soothing, and it made Arthur want to slap him.
He throttled the impulse and dragged the next words from the bottom of the spiky well of pain at the core of his being. “She has a child.”
Twin exclamations. “She what?”
“She has a child.”
Ralph blinked. “And you’re sure of it?”
“Yes. I saw the proof.” He had not seen the child, but did he need to, in the face of the letter she had given to him?
“Should have guessed.” Samuel made a disgusted sound. “Aren’t all maids like that? Sleeping with anyone who catches their fancy, then trying to pretend they’re pure as snow when they’re trying to seduce an honest man. There’s no trusting them.”
“Hear, hear.” Ralph nodded. “They let themselves go for one night in Bath, and then they spread misery for everyone else for years after, trying to ruin everyone’s lives.”
The world froze again, this time with a feeling of being punched in the gut, as the words registered.
‘They let themselves go for one night in Bath…’
‘Men who seduce innocent young ladies at balls in Bath…’
A father that Nora had equated with the ton. The reason he had never understood for her distrust of men of the ton. The words she had spat at him.
And a memory, nearly forgotten, of a night some years ago. The end of the Season, and an unexpected attendee at the final event of that Season…
He set the glass down before he could shatter it as everything came together. “You.”
Ralph and Samuel both blinked at him. Samuel frowned. “Arthur? I say you’ve gone rather pale. Are you all right?”
Arthur brushed the words aside as he took a single slow step forward, his gaze fixed on the other occupant of the room. “You.”
Ralph frowned. “Arthur, old chap, are you…”
His control broke then, and he lunged forward, striking the other man square in the nose before he seized Ralph’s jacket and slammed him backward. “It was you.”
“What are you on about?” Ralph tried to fight free, his nose pouring blood, but Arthur tightened his grip until the other man near choked, ignoring Samuel’s attempts to pull him back.
“You said ‘they let themselves go for one night in Bath.’” His voice was low, vibrating with all the tension of his tightly leashed emotions. “You ruddy bastard. I never said anything about Bath... how did you know that Nora’s child was the result of an encounter in Bath? I never said it.”
“I don’t know what you’re….” Ralph stopped as Arthur tightened his grip in warning.
“Really? Even were I to dismiss your words just now as coincidence... was it three years ago or four that you spent the Season in Bath? But you returned to London early. I remember it because David and I helped you get a ticket into Almacks for the final ball of the Season.”
