“How did you meet then?” Colin asked. “If he is such a recluse.”
Lavender tried not to scowl at him. If she didn’t know any better, she would think he was purposely trying to uncover their ruse.
“A party, perhaps?” Alice offered. She must have sensed Lavender’s hesitation.
To her surprise, Lord Derby scoffed. “I shall not be seen at such occasions under any circumstances. I have no interest in spending time with the ton.”
“Is that so?” Mr. Henderson leaned closer, eyes glittering with intrigue. “But I know I must have seen you somewhere. I wonder where it is. It will bother me all evening if I do not figure it out.”
“I’m sure he—”
“If you’re so sure then there’s only one possible place I can think of,” Lord Derby said, cutting Lavender off.
“Oh?” Mr. Henderson perked up. “And where would that be?”
“The docks.”
The other man blinked. Everyone else looked just as confused—and Colin was simply suspicious. Lavender debated cutting in and ending this before it got any further, not trusting where the earl was going with this.
“The docks?” Colin questioned. “What purpose would you have at the docks?”
“Are you involved with the shipping industry, perhaps?” Alice asked, sipping her tea daintily.
Lord Derby drained his glass and wrung his neck. “The docks is where I participate in prizefighting.”
Chapter Seven
Lavender didn’t know what to do at that moment. The silence that descended upon the table was thick enough to slice through bread, so uncomfortably judgmental that she felt cold sweat wash her entire body.
Fighting. The man she was set to marry, whose arm she had entered the room on, had just told a room full of people that his favorite pastime was fighting. If she hadn’t already been seated, Lavender would have fainted right there.
Instead, she licked her lips and tried to think of what to do. No one spoke as if they were waiting for her to say what she felt about it. And the earl continued eating as if nothing were amiss, as if he hadn’t just thrown yet another wrench in her plans.
She stood suddenly, hands curling at her sides. She didn’t have to fake her anger. It rumbled throughout her body with such force that she had to resist from doing what she truly wanted to do. Aware that many eyes were on her, Lavender didn’t dare turn to her betrothed and tell him exactly what she thought about his announcement. Instead, she marched off and prayed he had the good sense to follow behind her.
Within four seconds, she realized that her hopes were foolish. She didn’t hear footsteps behind her, didn’t hear the scrape of the chair to indicate that anyone had stood. Silence trailed behind her as she marched to the door and struggled to fight back tears of anger.
It took every strength in her body to keep from slamming the door in her frustration. Vincent would certainly hear about this. Didn’t he look into this man before he agreed to their betrothal? Surely this should have been a topic of conversation at some point in their discussion?
Lavender stalked away, rage trembling with such force through her limbs that she had to distance herself from the dining room door, not trusting herself not to do anything foolish. She had to think of a way to fix this. Her reputation amongst her peers was in jeopardy and, if she wanted to reach the very top, this wasn’tthe start she needed. Indeed, after all her preparations, her dreams could not go down the truth like this.
She heard a door open. Lavender stilled, listening to the ensuing silence with her heart in her throat. Did Alice come after her? She loved her friend dearly but she wasn’t in the mood to face the humiliation she’d just suffered.
Footsteps started towards her. Lavender blinked back her tears of anger and tried to school her expression into something more civil. Putting on her usual mask to hide the lady underneath.
“Lavender,” came a breathless voice behind her.
Lavender turned in surprise. It wasn’t Alice nor the earl. To her surprise, it was Colin Asher.
He was breathing a little heavily as if he had raced after her in the spur of the moment. His blond hair looked a little more tousled than usual, his thick brows knitted together in concern. He approached her in two quick steps, not hesitating to grasp her by the shoulders.
“Are you all right?” he asked her, scanning her face. The concern on his face was enough to warm the icy knot that had formed in the center of her chest.
“I suppose the easier thing to say would be that I am quite fine,” she sighed.
Instead of laughing, like she’d expected him to do, Colin only frowned harder at her, his lips set in an unamused line. It was unusual to see. Colin was always on the verge of laughter, finding humor in every situation. There was no better person to see her in this state than him, she thought. Like her, Colin was the only child of a wealthy merchant. Unlike her, his father was still alive and kicking.
They’d been friends for so long that Lavender thought she’d seen him in every state. But the look on his face right now wasn’t anything she’d witnessed before.
