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“Actually, I care a great deal for animals,” he shared.

“Horses?”

“All kinds. Horses, dogs, cats. Even this morning, I—”

“Do you hunt, Pershore?” Barnet asked, barging his way into the conversation.

“Yes,” Jasper admitted. “I’ll hunt. As long as the meat is eaten, I see no harm in it.”

“I agree. There’s nothing more fulfilling than eating the meat of an animal you bested.” Barnet laughed.

Jasper noted for the first time that the sound rang false. He was putting on an act. Curious, but Jasper did not wish to get involved.

However, when the gathering shifted from the dinner table to the parlor, the duke cornered Jasper and handed him a full glass of whiskey.

“To celebrate your upcoming nuptials?” Jasper assumed.

Barnet drained his glass and refilled it. “If only…” He shook his head. “I assume word is spreading, like it or not.”

“That she is with child?” Jasper winced. Why had he said that? “I apologize—”

“Is that all that is being said?” Barnet smiled tightly. “Could be worse. I would rather everyone think that.”

“So she is not with child?”

“She is, but the child…”

Jasper tipped his glass into Barnet’s. “I understand. Gossips are such terrible people. They seek out information and never bother to first discover whether it be the truth. Nor do they consider whether sharing such information is in the best interests of the parties involved.”

“Spoken like a man who has been scorned by gossips himself. Let us drink and forget our troubles.”

“Hear, hear.”

Perhaps Barnet was not so bad after all.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jasper spotted Lady Anna. She was perceptibly trying to hide her eavesdropping, but her red cheeks gave her away. Humph. Was she one of the gossips? She had taken a keen interest in his activities when he had longed for solitude during his visit at her house. Yes, he admitted he had behaved badly. It had been his first appearance in society after the disaster in Sweden. He had not been ready. That his mother had tried to force a lady on him right from the start…

His attitude had been appalling. It was no small wonder that Lady Anna had seemed to find him unpleasant at first. That she spoke to him proved that she cared a great deal for her mother. Their mothers had such hopes for them, Jasper knew. He did care for his mother’s opinion, which was why he was striving to be kinder to Lady Anna now. And the lady was warming up to him in return, to some extent. Well, maybe a little.

So Lady Anna was beautiful. And he had heard about her charity work. She was supposedly learned and kind and considerate. Had his poor behavior aggravated her so that she had been that harsh toward him? Or had his actions brought out her true behavior and her mask had slipped?

Did he wish to solve the mystery of the beautiful lady?

Perhaps.

Actually, yes, he did.

CHAPTER12

Beyond flusteredat overhearing the gentlemen besmirching gossips, Anna needed a distraction. She approached Emily and Lord Tipton even though she had hoped the two might have some time to truly get to know each other.

Emily glanced over and smiled, her eyes bright. “Oh, Anna. Lord Tipton was just telling me how much he loves to read. Why do not you go and fetch a story and read it to us all?”

Lord Tipton smiled, his teeth perfect. Anna did not think she ever saw him smile before. “Please.”

“A grand idea,” the duke said as he walked over. He draped an arm around Lord Tipton’s shoulder.

Poor Lord Tipton looked positively uncomfortable, and Anna nodded and ducked out of the room. She was far too uneasy to recall a story from memory, and she would not risk making a fool of herself in front of them.