Page 1 of On the Ropes of Scandal (With Love in Their Corner #3)
Stapleton House
Marylebone, Mayfair
London, England
G ood God, I am not in the appropriate mindset for this nonsense today.
The last thing Duncan Stapleton—Lord Frampton if one was being strictly and socially correct—wanted right this minute was to talk with his brothers.
In point of fact, he’d spent last evening gaming with some of his friends, and during those hours, he drank rather more heavily than he should have, so that had given him a headache upon waking earlier this day that insisted upon lingering now.
Even worse was having his mother as well as his brothers’ wives in attendance for this family dinner—which had been enacted upon the Stapleton connection ever since Lewis, his oldest brother, had married in the summer—and quite frankly, he couldn’t help but think this particular a family meeting had been called in order to force him to do something with his life.
And to tamp down on his penchant for scandal.
“Good evening, everyone.” He threw a glance about the drawing room. Though he wasn’t happy to be there, he had to admit, with the ladies present in their colorful gowns, the gathering had a more pleasant air than when it had only been his brothers.
On the other hand, since his brothers had both met and married their wives earlier in the summer, there was never a break from having someone underfoot.
His new sisters-in-law had integrated into the day-to-day operations of the boxing salon that he and his brothers ran.
Lewis’ wife Cecilia was good with numbers and ledgers.
More and more she was lending a hand so that his middle brother Alexander wouldn’t need to continue with that task.
It was a good fit, and since Lewis had injured himself that summer in the boxing ring, he no longer entered illegal bare knuckle matches for the prize purses.
Which left that responsibility to him—Duncan—and Alexander, whose skill and talent therein weren’t as good.
Lewis grinned. “Lovely to have you, Duncan. Brandy?” He headed toward the sideboard as he spoke.
“Uh, I’d rather have tea, if you don’t mind,” he responded as he moved to the low table between the sofas where his mother and sisters-in-law sat. “I’m suffering a megrim and need something more bracing than spirits.”
His mother tsked her tongue. “All of that to say you are hungover.” She shook her head. “Why can you not behave for once?”
Duncan rested his gaze on his mother as he sat beside Lewis’ wife.
“Where is the fun in that?” Then he leaned forward and helped himself to a cup of what appeared to be tepid tea from the silver tray.
It didn’t matter that he hadn’t put sugar or cream in the beverage; he merely needed it straight and preferably strong.
“Leave off, Mama,” Alexander said, with a grin and then a wink at his wife, Lydia. “Duncan is the baby of the family. You know how young men are in the fact they can’t hold their liquor and get easily distracted by shiny things like coin.”
He glared at his brother. “Do shut up.”
To be fair, Alexander did much for the salon and served as the manager most days.
A couple times a month, he entered prize fights held in Surrey, but he wasn’t as skilled a boxer as Lewis, or if Duncan were being honest, him.
That just wasn’t who Alexander was, and there was nothing wrong with that.
Lewis taught private boxing lessons while Duncan and Alexander ran the salon, conducted lessons for men who paid for them, or they allowed clients to use the salon for their own personal training.
It wasn’t a bad life, but it was… uninteresting.
“I’m teasing you, Duncan,” Alexander said with a chuckle, as Lewis handed him a glass of brandy. “But you must admit, you’re a horrible steward of coin, and you have no good judgment when it comes to vices.”
He drained the tea from his cup. “I’m a third son. It’s practically expected.”
The one saving grace? As of yet, neither Lewis nor Alexander had announced that their wives were increasing, but Duncan wouldn’t be surprised if the news came soon, for they were both besotted with their chosen spouses.
And then what would that mean for him as well as the boxing salon?
He refused to be the only one working to make it a success merely because he wasn’t married.
Not that he wouldn’t be happy for his brothers, but such a thing would bring to light how empty and frivolous his own existence was.
As he leaned forward and refilled his teacup, he frowned. Yet the fact that he’d been summoned to Lewis’ home for dinner as well as this family meeting didn’t bode well.
God, please don’t announce a pregnancy.
“Don’t let your brothers bully you,” Lydia said as she pushed a pin back into her upswept red hair. “They both forget that they were once young men who had their irresponsible moments.” She grinned and shrugged. “You’ll come out of it sooner or later.”
Lewis cleared his throat. “We’d like that to happen sooner.”
Why was his oldest brother such a prick?
He eyed Lewis with a frown. Of them all, he resembled their deceased father the most. Though their father was a famous bare-knuckle boxer who made the Stapleton name familiar in those circles, they had all been taught how to box and fight.
Lewis still labored beneath the responsibilities of being the earl…
with nearly empty coffers, which was why they’d opened the salon to begin with.
“Thank you, Lydia. That’s appreciated.” He took a healthy swig of the tepid tea.
“What’s this about, then?” he asked as he included his brothers and mother in his glance.
“Since dinner is quite pedestrian, and the whole family is here, I can’t help but think I have somehow curried disfavor with all or some of you.
Out with it so we can all move forward.”
Before his head ached even more, possibly due to the fact that he felt largely unappreciated in the family.
Even though it was through his efforts at promoting the salon that the business brought in more profits each month, and it was his ability to charm and secure monetary backers for the prize fights as well as investors.
Neither brother had outright thanked him for that work.
They can both piss off.
Lewis drained his glass then set it on a nearby ivory-inlaid table. “Of course you aren’t here for dressing downs or lectures.” When their mother frowned, he quickly added, “Well, we do need to address your latest scandal.”
“I’m afraid you’ll need to be more specific,” Duncan shot off without thinking. “I usually have more than one happening at any given time.”
As Cecilia gasped, Lewis narrowed his eyes. “The opera singer,” his brother said, without preamble. “Is she under your protection?”
“Uh, she is not. In fact, when I offered, she said she might be a singer, but her dignity prevented her from accepting such a position from a man with pockets nearly to let.” He couldn’t help his grin.
“Damn, but she was a looker, though, and she had no qualms warming my bed.” And he did have two glorious nights with her about a month ago.
Why the rumors were only just coming to light, he couldn’t say.
“For shame, Duncan,” his mother said, with shock in her voice. “That is nothing to be proud of, and women like that should be avoided at all costs.”
“Then you haven’t listened to some of my friends.” Of course, that skirted a line, but he didn’t care. “You already know what sort of man I am. Nothing has changed in that regard.”
“Yes, and that is the problem,” Lewis said as he rubbed a hand along the side of his face.
Of all the brothers, his light brown hair was the shortest. “Now that the family is changing and since Alex and I are both married, as well as for the good of the salon, we are hoping to keep scandal away from the Stapleton name.” He blew out a breath.
“To be blunt, your affairs are usually scandalous, and you are more often than not with your pockets to let, so vendors come to me to pay your bills. Things need to change.”
Finally, they’d reached the meat of the matter.
After he’d drained his second cup of tea, he rested the cup in the sauce on the table.
“If you hadn’t cut off my funding, that wouldn’t be an issue.
” Thank God he’d paid for his rooms at The Albany six months in advance or else this conversation would have a whole different outcome.
And he refused—refused!—to beg an income off his brother.
Lewis glared. “You know why I had to do it. Yes, the salon has been steadily gaining support since we opened in June, but it’s not yet enough to pay the debts Papa left me, and now both Alexander and I both have new responsibilities that require more coin.”
And there it was. The hinting that he was a drain to the family coffers. “So I’m the rubbish one because I have maintained by bachelor status?”
Lydia chuckled. “Well, according to polite society, bachelors are leeches.”
He ignored her.
“Be that as it may…” Alexander snorted. “Here’s the truth that my wife was hinting at.
You are a rake, man. The gossipmongers adore you, for you never fail to, well…
fail spectacularly with the ladies, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind—single and married—as well as equally irate husbands to some of them. ”
“Ha.” Duncan shrugged and kept his emotions hidden.
He leaned back on the elegant sofa, and then rested an ankle on a knee, hoping he appeared more nonchalant than he felt.
“Can I help it if those men didn’t know how to properly satisfy their wives?
Or, additionally, that ladies find me charming?
What kind of man would I be if I disappointed them? ”
Lewis snorted. “A man less apt to catch the pox or some other dreaded disease that could kill you.”
Both his mother as well as Cecilia gasped, while Alexander’s wife, the new Lady Wexford, chuckled.