Page 5 of Not his Marchioness (Daughters of the Ton #2)

Rhys burst through the doors at Gents, one of London’s newer clubs. Another he had not gained membership in. However, he had been admitted recently under a guest voucher, thanks to his friend. It was a probationary membership, but still better than nothing.

He was instantly met by the familiar chatter, the heavy scent of cooking from the kitchen, and tobacco smoke wafting out of the smoking room. The sharp clack of billiard balls from the next room caught his attention, followed by a jubilant shout.

He smiled. Gideon. He’d know that voice anywhere.

He passed the reception desk, where the young man stationed there simply nodded—he was a familiar face by now. In the billiards room, he found Gideon leaning over the table, one eye squeezed shut as he lined up a shot.

“Yes!” Gideon crowed as he sank the ball. “Higby, I told you I was going to take you for all you’re worth. Now, open your purse.”

Jeremiah Higby, a tall, blond fellow with a sour expression, scowled but did as asked, tossing a few coins onto the table. “You cheat.”

“Am I?” Gideon asked innocently. “Have you got proof of that?”

Higby snarled under his breath, brushed past him, and stormed out, his elbow knocking into Rhys as he went.

“Watch where you’re going,” Rhys hissed.

“If there’s anyone here who needs to watch himself, it’s you, Ravenscar,” Higby muttered, disappearing through the door.

Once alone, Gideon rolled his eyes. “What an insufferable jackanape. Some gentlemen simply cannot stand to lose. Now, shall we have a round?”

“I think not,” Rhys replied. “He may be an insufferable curmudgeon, but he’s right. You do cheat.”

“How can I possibly cheat at billiards? It is an impossibility.”

Rhys raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, he pointed to a half-finished glass of whiskey sitting on the table. “Yours?”

“Yes,” Gideon confirmed.

Without another word, Rhys downed what was left and set the glass down with a satisfying thud. “I’ll have another.”

“Put it on my tab,” Gideon said with a grin. “Now, come. One game, no cheating.”

Gideon winked. “Number one, I never cheat my friends. And number two, you know all my tricks. So even if I tried, I’d fail.”

The two set up the table, and Rhys took the first shot… and missed. Gideon watched him closely, then sat down with a quiet thump on the bench along the wall.

“All right, then. What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“Nothing’s amiss,” Rhys replied too quickly.

He bent down, fussing with the cue chalk to delay the inevitable.

“You looked miserable when you walked in. Then, you missed the opening shot. That’s unlike you. And let’s not even mention the way you downed my whiskey.”

Rhys sighed. “I may have found myself a bride.”

“A bride?” Gideon echoed, surprised. “Is this about that nonsense your solicitor told you about? About the House of Lords?”

“Yes,” Rhys uttered, his face grim. “As I have come to discover, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

I spoke with my steward, and now two of the gentlemen interested in the horse-breeding venture are pulling back because of that ridiculous rumor involving the Prince of Wales’s cousin. A second cousin, at that.”

“I know,” Gideon said. “It was one of the Lords who brought it up. My father told me when he returned from Parliament yesterday. I don’t know how anyone could spread such rot.”

“The truth rarely matters when the lie is more interesting. And a lie will be halfway around the world before the truth can even put on its shoes. They care about the semblance of truth. If it seems possible, it’s easier to believe than to investigate.”

“And so?” Gideon prompted.

“So I thought, how can I maintain my current lifestyle while placating all these fools?”

“And… you’ve found an answer?”

“Yes,” Rhys replied. “Lady Charlotte.”

“Lady Charlotte?” Gideon chuckled. “The Scarlet Lady?”

Rhys exhaled through his nose. “Yes, her. And precisely because of that ridiculous nickname—and everything else that’s been written about her—I think she’s the ideal match. I would gain a wife respectable enough for the Lords, and she could save herself from complete ruination.”

“And have you spoken to her about this?”

“I have. I saw her earlier today.”

Gideon leaned forward eagerly. “And? Don’t keep me in suspense. What did she say?”

“She was hesitant,” Rhys admitted. “She had doubts.”

“You don’t say,” Gideon said dryly. “An arrangement with one of the realm’s best-known rakes, just to avoid marrying another rake? Hardly seems like an improvement.”

“It is,” Rhys insisted. “She will have freedom as my wife. A title. A house. Carriages. And I’ll be able to rebuild my reputation. It will be a mutually beneficial alliance.”

“The two most scandal-prone people in England, reforming each other?” Gideon scratched his chin. “It could work. It would make for a good story, at least.”

“Better than any alternative I’ve come up with,” Rhys affirmed. “She saw my point in the end, but… she hasn’t decided. She said I would regret it, which I probably will. And so might she. But I see no better option for either of us.”

Gideon lowered his hand from his chin and narrowed his eyes. “Then you’ll need to give her a little push. If she’s still on the fence, you can’t risk her changing her mind.”

“A push? And how exactly am I meant to do that?”

“Announce it,” Gideon answered, shrugging as if the answer were obvious.

“Or better yet, let me handle it. I’ll feed a story to one of the scandal sheets—that the Marquess of Ravenscar has offered marriage to Lady Charlotte.

A whisper in the right ear, and it’ll spread like fire.

I’ll say that the two of you were secretly engaged, and Lord Emery’s interest was an attempt to break you up. Instant romance.”

“I already suggested something along those lines to her,” Rhys said, unwilling to let his friend take full credit.

“Then we’re in agreement. It’s a grand story.

Two rebels, misunderstood by Society, finding each other.

It’ll sound like true love and redemption.

Once word is out, she won’t be able to refuse.

Not without inviting a second scandal on top of the first. And that’s something she absolutely cannot afford. ”

Rhys hesitated, then gave a single nod. “I suppose.”

“Excellent.” Gideon rose from his seat. “Leave it to me. By the time the sun sets tomorrow, you’ll be officially engaged.”