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“ T hat was rather an arousing speech,” Julian said and patted his back. “I am proud of you, my friend.”

He smiled. “That is what Evelyn said as well.”

“Well, that is all that matters, isn’t it?” Julian said with a chuckle.

“Do not act as though I am someone who cares about nothing but his wife’s opinion. Although,” he added, “this was, of course, her idea.”

“Evelyn is full of all sorts of ideas, I gather,” Julian said and glanced across the room.

Nathaniel’s eyes followed his and spotted his wife sitting in the far corner.

She smiled at him, but there was something strange around her eyes.

An uncertainty. She had been very effusive in her praise regarding his speech, but even then, he had noticed something off.

He had wondered if perhaps she disapproved of his words, but she had conversed with him twice since.

While there had been some dissension—which was common in the House of Lords—there had been more approval than disapproval, and three different gentlemen had already come up to him, saying they would like to join the cause.

They arrived, apparently, amidst dismay about the fate of the climbing boys, as Evelyn and her friends had been.

“Excuse me,” a voice came, and he turned instantly. He clenched his jaw.

“Charmaine, not now,” Julian said. “Have you not caused enough trouble?”

Nathaniel took a deep breath as Lady Charmaine pushed between him and her cousin.

“Oh, Julian, do not be so insufferable. A lady should be allowed to atone for her actions, should she not?”

She ignored her cousin then and turned to Nathaniel. “I know it was I who caused the forced marriage between yourself and Lady Evelyn, and I don’t want to beg your pardon, but it seems as though it has all worked out for the very?—”

Nathaniel turned and took a step back to put distance between them.

“She is Her Grace, the Duchess of Sinclair, not Lady Evelyn,” he said, remembering in the back of his head how he had always called her ‘Lady Evelyn,’ to vex her.

“And yes, all has worked out rather splendidly for us. We are very happy together. However, that does not absolve you from your actions. I still do not know what you wanted in the library that day.”

She grew a little red and turned to Julian. “Please, would you leave me a moment with His Grace?”

“I do not think that is a good idea at all, Charmaine, given your past actions.”

“I beg your pardon! I did nothing wrong. All I did was enter a room. I couldn’t have known there was some inappropriate activity going on there. I have something I need to say to His Grace.”

“And you can say it in front of me,” Julian replied.

Nathaniel raised a hand. The quicker he could get this over with, the better.

“Julian, I assure you I am quite all right. We are surrounded, after all, by our peers.” He motioned around the reception hall they were currently in.

One of the lords had hosted this event, as was customary after the closing of Parliament, and dozens upon dozens of peers and their wives were standing elbow to elbow.

Whatever Lady Charmaine had to say could not be as scandalous as Julian might fear. Still, his friend sighed.

“Very well. I shall take a gander at what is on offer. I am a bit famished.”

He walked away then, and Lady Charmaine turned on her smile again.

“The truth is, Your Grace, what I was doing that day was looking for you. I saw you walk into the room and—well, I know it is foolish now as you are a married man—but I shall never be able to live with myself if I do not tell you the truth…” she said, placing a hand on his arm.

Instantly, he pulled it away and looked over at Evelyn.

Two lines formed between her eyebrows as she watched them. He raised his collar and pulled on his cravat. Maybe this had been a mistake.

“Lady Charmaine, please. I haven’t got all day.”

“Very well. So, the truth is, the reason I sought you out that day was because I couldn’t stop thinking about our time together in Scotland.”

“Our time together in Scotland?” Nathaniel had already buzzed. He had met Lady Charmaine before? He felt as though he had woken from a long sleep and could no longer distinguish between reality and the land of not.

“We met before?”

She flinched a little, looked down, blinked, and raised her eyes again.

“I do not blame you for not remembering. You were always very popular with the ladies. But I thought what we had was quite special. Perhaps it was foolish of me. We met at Lady Danville’s ball.

Her niece’s coming-out ball. We danced twice.

There was a parade the next day. We watched that together as well. ”

“Oh,” he said, vaguely remembering the parade.

His head had ached so fiercely, he scarcely remembered the day at all.

He did remember waking and having a rather too-close encounter with a bucket somebody had kindly left next to his bed.

Although that wasn’t unique. In those days, he had often tumbled out of bed to find assorted baskets and buckets next to his bed, along with empty bottles and glasses.

He had never been excessive, as one might say, but he had certainly enjoyed himself. And he prided himself on the fact that any lady he woke up next to, he remembered their name. Lady Charmaine, most certainly, was not one of them.

But he remembered the parade, if for no other reason than the constant beating of drums passing by and the clanging of the percussions that had been torturous.

The ball the night before also vaguely remained in his memory, but he had gone home alone that night—that he remembered.

“I beg your pardon. I do not quite rec?—”

“Well,” she said, “that is a shame. But I remember very well. I knew of your reputation, of course, but I thought what we had was rather special. Anyhow, the reason I came to you that night was to see if you, too, remembered.”

“What in the world would give you that idea? Why would you think that I would remember? That your visit would be welcome?”

She bit her bottom lip. “I came to the ball specifically because I hoped to see you again. In any case, I was under the impression that the ball was meant to help Lady Evelyn find a husband. I could not have known that you and she were secretly consulting with one?—”

“We were not consulting with one another,” he said, his voice rising more than was appropriate. Several people looked at him then. He took a deep breath through his nose, held it, and turned to the lady again.

“I understand that you think our time together in Scotland was memorable. But I assure you, it was not. Not to me. And in any case, why, when you saw me with Evelyn, would you then have immediately spread the news to everyone if you thought that you and I had something?”

“I understood in that moment that it wasn’t.

That I was foolish. However, I felt that it was not right for you to keep your connection to her a secret, especially when you had half the men in the kingdom thinking she was available and you were actively trying to find her a husband.

There were already rumors swirling, and when I saw that they were true, I felt it needed to be known. ”

“It was not your news to share,” he said. “In any case, why are you bothering me now?”

“I did not mean to bother you,” she said, quite a bit louder than was necessary.

Again, a multitude of eyes turned toward them.

He looked at Evelyn. The lines between her eyes had deepened.

She had to be suspicious of this. He knew very well how worried she had been about his visits to the club, and while he had been honest with her, he had to wonder if perhaps some doubt remained.

“Lady Charmaine, I would appreciate it if you left me at peace now. You have said what you had to say. I have reassured you that I do not remember our time together, for which I apologize. But really, you must let me be now.”

“Very well,” she said, her bottom lip quivering.

“I do beg your pardon. What I thought we had was special—clearly, it was not.” She turned away and rushed out of the room in a rather dramatic fashion.

He stood and dropped his head back so he could look up at the ceiling—and groaned.

That was not a duly thing to do. He knew that.

But at the same time, he was more than done at this point.

“My cousin has always been rather dramatic,” Julian said.

“Were you aware that she had constructed an entire affair between herself and I in her head?”

“I did not,” Julian said and laughed, “but I am not surprised. Charmaine thinks all manner of things are real that are not. She believes that if she wills something into being, it shall be. Thus far, she has rather failed—because, they say, she has not woken up a princess yet or married to the Prince of Wales.”

“May the good Lord help him if ever she finds herself in his company. It is fortunate enough for him that he is married already, or she would certainly set her cap on him,” Nathaniel said.

“Well, I do not think that he would agree with you that it is fortunate that he is married, given how he feels about his wife, but I understand what you mean. Should I have a word with my cousin?”

“There is no need,” he said. “I daresay that she understands my meaning perfectly well. However, I am uncertain if Evelyn understands what she just saw here, so I must tend to?—”

“By all means, go. We would not want the wicked witch to interfere with your fairytale.”

The friends parted, and he made his way across the room. Alas, before he could make it to Evelyn, who had now risen and was walking toward the window, he was ambushed once more.

“Your Grace,” Evelyn’s father said. “I wondered if I might have a moment of your time.”

“Not at this present moment. I am rather occupied, and I must speak to Evelyn.”

“It will not take but a second of your time. I know my daughter is exceedingly charming, but I daresay you have an eternity to spend together, and all I require is one minute.”

He sighed while Evelyn disappeared from view. “Very well. If it absolutely cannot wait.”

“I assure you, it cannot. I wanted to say that your speech was rather splendid. And I see you have much support amongst our fellow peers.”

“I do.”

He looked past his father-in-law to where Evelyn had gone, but no longer saw her.

“I am certain Evelyn has told you that I did my very best to rally support. I am by no means as influential as someone of your standing, but I did my very best.”

“And I am very grateful, as is Evelyn. Now,” he said, trying to push past his father-in-law, but the old man slipped in front of him.

“Good, good. Since we are all family, I think it is imperative that we help one another whenever possible, do you not?”

He turned to the man, now understanding what this was about. He hadn’t come here to congratulate him in any meaningful way. He wanted something. As he took in Evelyn’s father, he noted his small beady eyes and the sweat pearling on his brow. He rubbed his white beard, producing a scratching sound.

“Well, and because we are family—because I have done much to help you—I was hoping that you might try to help me.”

He wanted money. Nathaniel knew it without him having to complete his request. He let out a sigh. There was no point trying to appease him now or postpone the conversation. He would have to talk to him. He would have to put him in his place now. If he didn’t, this would only get worse.

“My Lord,” he said and indicated an alcove off to the side, “let us talk over there. Not everyone needs to overhear.”

The old man smiled and nodded eagerly. “Very well. Let us do that.”

And together, they walked to the alcove while Nathaniel could do nothing but glance over his shoulder and hope his eyes might meet Evelyn’s—so he could reassure her, even from a distance.

Alas, he did not see her. And thus, all he could do was follow his father-in-law and hope to find Evelyn later and put her mind at ease.