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Northville snorted. “I just received word from the viscountess that Natalie had retired to her room with a megrim, but when a maid went to check on her, she wasn’t there. If she wasn’t with you, where was she?”
Well. Shit.
He blew out a long breath. Where to even start?
Upton silently got up from his seat, coming to stand next to Ethan. He said a silent thank you to his friend for standing at his side.
Fulton, however, took a seat, pulling a cigar from his pocket and lighting it. “This should prove to be very entertaining.”
Ethan scowled at the miscreant. “Natalie is with Rush. Fulton can show you the way, I’m sure.”
Fulton’s amused look turned black. “You’re involving my brother in whatever pile of shit you’ve landed in this time?”
“We’re all involved,” he barked back before turning his attention to Northville again. “Gyla approached Natalie today while she was on an outing with Kingsley. Who, by the way, seems to be in league with our favorite foreign count.”
The entire mood changed, Fulton also surging to his feet. “Fuck.”
Northville’s expression turned dark. “Explain. The man is a force, to be certain.”
Quickly, he did just that, sharing everything Natalie had told him. “I know she’d be safe with you, but I didn’t dare explain any of this to her mother, so I asked Rush to bring her to the Smiths’ home.”
Upton made a low, guttural noise in the back of his throat. “You didn’t keep her at your home?”
He knew that Upton didn’t approve of his relationship with Natalie. His friend didn’t approve of marriage in general. Awkward, considering he was a duke. “She’s safest with Rush and Gris for now. But by my estimation, she’d be safest of all were she wed.”
He eyed Northville, wondering how he’d take the last bit.
But the man’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “Are you proposing a match with her?”
“I am.”
He gave a quick nod. “We’ll discuss the terms first thing in the morning. In the meantime, I’ll leave her in Rush’s care. You were right not to trust her mother, that woman would sell her soul for a town house in Mayfair.”
As the man was discussing Ethan’s future mother-in-law, he declined to comment but silently agreed.
“And what are we to do about Gyla?” Fulton asked.
Northville eyed him. “You and I are officially going to lay chase. After Triston’s meeting with him by the Est India docks, I’ve been scouting nightly, and I know where two of his other clubs are, as well as the rookery he owns, and we’re going to see if we can’t flush him out. It’s time I made a move. He can’t threaten my family without repercussion.”
“And Kingsley?” Ethan clenched and unclenched his fist. He had a score to settle with that man.
“Call him out if you wish. The king is his cousin, however, so once I’ve passed along the information, my guess is that Kingsley will be dealt with appropriately.”
Ethan gave a quick nod. He wasn’t certain the king’s punishment for Kingsley would be enough, but he had other matters to attend to first. Now that he had Northville’s permission, it was time to talk with his future bride. He had a proposal to remake and a lady’s heart to win.
Natalie sat on the bed at the Smith family home, tapping her foot as she tried to decide what to do next.
Gris, one of Rush’s many brothers, had been very welcoming and his wife had even lent Natalie a night rail, but as the night passed, she wondered if she’d made the right choice. Ethan had told her to stay here, but what would happen when her mother discovered her absence?
She stood, pressing her hands to her stomach, and began to pace the small but comfortable bedroom she’d been given.
Should she write to her mother? Would she insist that Natalie come home? Of course she would.
And Ethan didn’t want her home because then her mother might very well plan another outing with Kingsley.
Still… Even for her, this was beyond bold.
She stopped pacing and straightened. There was likely no going back from this. She’d done it. She’d asserted herself so thoroughly and completely that she would not be able to return home.
