“Lady Helena,” Nicholas said coldly, and her eyes widened. “Let me be direct. It has been brought to my attention how you’ve treated my sister, and I shall do everything in my power to repay you in kind.”
She glanced from one man to the other several times.
“I’m not sure I understand,” she prevaricated.
“Don’t be afraid, Lady Grey, we merely want you to see what it feels like to be judged and humiliated and insulted,” Talbot said, itching to gather all the self-loathing, remorse, and anger he’d hoarded up in his chest and unleash it on her, preferably through cruel insults.
He didn’t fully give in to the impulse, however, because deep down he was aware of two things: that they needed her cooperation, and that she wasn’t the only culprit in this.
He thus continued speaking in a calm voice, “I want you to tell all your friends about how you and I schemed to have Lady Elizabeth caught in the coat room with me because I was so desperate to marry her.”
“Forgive me, but that was not my impression,” Lady Helena said as bright red splotches on her neck betrayed her agitation. “I distinctly recall you showing me particular attention, saying I was-” She pressed her lips together to stop further words from escaping when she heard Duke Hawkins tsking three times.
“How unbecoming it is to be so openly desperate for a man’s attention, Lady Grey,” Nicholas said as he shook his head with mock sympathy, “and how unladylike. I can and will vouch in front of the entireTonthat Talbot was the onebeggingme to marry my sister. You, on the other hand, have yet to make a match.”
Lady Helena gasped affrontedly, and Talbot almost felt sorry for her as Nicholas continued tormenting her.
“Wouldn’t it be most disadvantageous if it came to light that you werethrowing yourselfat Duke Talbot? That you experienced fits of jealousy and slandered his wife, going as far as to verbally attack the Duchess at a ball, which Miss Woodhouse witnessed and will attest to?”
Lady Grey’s eyes widened. She understood very well what she was being threatened with and was clever enough to admit defeat.
To be safe, Talbot decided to twist the knife. “Don’t be cruel, Hawkins. Lady Grey will soon have bigger problems than being labelled “fast”. I’ve heard that the old Earl loves to gamble, but isn’t very good at it,” he concluded in a mock whisper as he leaned over to his friend.
Lady Helena’s trembling hand was clutching the armrest.
“Is what you are saying true? Is my father in debt?” she asked almost inaudibly, and the two men exchanged a look filled with true pity.
“He is,” Nicholas said almost gently. “It is still manageable, but I suggest you find a wealthy husband quickly, or you may end up losing everything.”
She nodded and swallowed audibly.
“Remember, don’t be afraid to exaggerate and mock my infatuation with my wife,” Talbot instructed her. “I want everyone to know the lengths I went to to secure her hand, although she was engaged to another.”
“I don’t -,” Lady Helena frowned and then shook her head, most likely having given up on trying to understand the man she hadsunk so much of her time and charm into. “All right, I shall do as you asked. Is that all?”
Since that had, in fact, been all, the two men said their goodbyes and hurried back to their carriage. Talbot felt good about the progress they had made and was in a good mood.
“Do you feel guilty for lying to her?” Nicholas asked as Talbot was about to exit the carriage.
Colin sighed and leaned back in his seat.
“What did we lie about? Her father does have a lot of debt. Despite your guilt, I know you still plan to ruin her reputation, as you should. She’d do much worse to your sister if she had the chance. This was preemption.”
Nicholas nodded with a haunted look on his face. Talbot didn’t have the luxury of more guilt.
“You know who I’ve been thinking about a lot recently?” Talbot abruptly changed the topic. “Professor Honeywell.”
“I haven’t heard that name in years. Why was he on your mind?”
“I’ve been rereading my old Eton textbooks and thinking about some of the concepts we’d discussed in class with him.”
“I remember he tried very hard to get us excited and enthusiastic about philosophy and logic, and to inspire us to debate the state of the world and come to these grand conclusions, but we resisted valiantly,” Nicholas said with a fond smile.
“We were but children,” Talbot said, “I think only now we are mature enough to fully comprehend some of the things he talked about, and apply the ways of reasoning he explained to us then.”
“Such as?”
The rest of their ride was spent in a more than enjoyable intellectual debate, and Colin felt rather hopeful about their friendship when they said their goodbyes.
