Page 86 of The Duke's Indecent Match

As all of this was happening, a carriage rolled up, and Kalina was startled to see Mei, the matchmaker’s granddaughter, descend without her grandmother.Tiffany came forward to greet her, while her brother looked askance at the young woman’s presence and muttered something about none of them needing a matchmaker.Which prompted Lady Astrid to give him a sharp look and inform him that Mei was there for tea with the ladies, and that the world did not revolve around him.

Quickly subsiding into scowling consternation, the Duke of Bolton led the group away down the street while the ladies flowed into the house.Kalina could not help but glance at them as they went.Her husband, surrounded by his fellow dukes.She wondered if he would discuss their marriage with his friends.What he would say.

Taking a deep breath, she followed her friends into Clarence House.

Perhaps they would have some advice on how she could convince her husband to forgive her.It could not hurt to ask.

32

Nathanial

“Well then, how is marriage?”Christian asked as they strode out of earshot of the ladies.

It was all Nathanial could do not to look over his shoulder to check if his wife was still outside.

He scowled at Christian.There had been something about the way he’d asked that made it seem as though he was inquiring less on Nathanial’s behalf and more on his wife’s.

“Very good,” he said shortly.“My wife is more than satisfied; you do not need to worry about that.”

“I am not going to seduceyourwife,” Christian replied, somewhat exasperated.“I am a better friend than that.No matter how attractive she is.”

Nathanial humphed.

“Even if his actress did give him his congé,” Gregory joked.

Christian sighed, casting him a look.

“Renee and I agreed?—”

“She decided she was tired of him spending half his time at balls,” Gregory informed Nathanial, cutting Christian off.

“That our enjoyment of each other had run its course.”Now it was Christian’s turn to glare, reaching up to fiddle with the rose-red pocket square at his breast.“I cannot blame her, as I have not been able to give her the attention she deserves.”

“It does not hurt that she’d already found a new benefactor, a wealthy American who is courting her with diamonds rather than rubies,” Drake put in from the side, his lips twitching with amusement.

“I cannot help what a woman has preferences for.”Christian shrugged.“Besides, she was becoming rather tedious with her demands.”Very possibly because she had already decided to end things with Christian and had deliberately done so to make the transition easier, but Nathanial did not point that out.Christian would have already thought of it.Likely, he did not mind.

Though he enjoyed his mistresses and preferred long-term affairs over short ones, he never seemed to become truly attached to any of them.

“What else have I missed?Anything important?”Nathanial asked, causing those around him to exchange looks.

“We’ll tell you at the club,” Drake murmured, which made Nathanial’s senses prickle.Whatever they’d learned, it must be of significance for them not to want to speak of it in the street.

Which meant it had to do with their fathers.

His gut tightened.

“That matchmaker Lady Astrid brought to the house party made another match,” Matthew offered up after a moment.“Lady Nichole and the Viscount of Burberry are now engaged.”

“Well.I will have to wish the couple happy,” Nathanial said after a moment, realizing that his wishes for the newly engaged couple were sincere.Even though Lady Nichole had been one of the ladies he’d been interested in at the house party, he was not unhappy to hear of her wedding someone else.He hoped she and the viscount were very happy together.

“She’s working on a match for Lady Kari, too.”

“Not with any of you?”Nathanial raised his eyebrow.

“Apparently not.”Matthew appeared more amused than anything else.Sebastian was snorting and shaking his head again, likely at the idea that one of them might need a matchmaker at all.

So far, he had been proven right, but Nathanial doubted Sebastian would want to travel the same road as him and Gregory.He was far too proper to be sanguine about scandal precipitating his marriage.Him and Zachary.