Lady Ashford’s face pinked. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“No? My mistake, then. I could have sworn I heard something about the Duchess while I was selecting ribbons for my cousin. Dreadful acoustics in that shop. One hears the most ridiculous tales.” He paused and his smile never wavered. “Why, someone even suggested that Lord Ashford had lost a thousand pounds at cards last week. Utter nonsense, of course.”
Lady Ashford’s face drained of color. The truth of her husband’s gambling addiction was apparently not as secret as she’d hoped.
Felix offered Iris his arm. “Your Grace, I believe you promised me a tour of the conservatory. Ladies, you’ll excuse us?”
He whisked her away before they could respond, guiding her through the crowd with practiced ease. Iris focused on breathing steadily, on keeping her spine straight and her expression serene. Only when they reached the relative quiet of the hallway did she allow her shoulders to drop.
“Harpies,” Felix muttered. “The whole lot of them. Bradford, too. I saw him cornering you.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“You shouldn’thaveto handle it.” He stopped walking and turned to face her fully. His usual humor had vanished. It was replaced by something more serious. “Iris, I’m sorry.”
“For what? You rescued me quite nicely.”
“Not for that.” He ran a hand through his hair, disturbing its careful arrangement. “For before. For not fighting harder when your father arranged this marriage. I should have done something.”
The words hit unexpectedly hard.
Iris had to look away and feigned studying an ugly portrait on the wall. “You couldn’t have changed his mind. No one could once he’d decided.”
“I could have tried harder. Found you someone else, someone who would have…” He paused. “Someone who would have stayed.”
There it was. The truth they both danced around.
Her husband had abandoned her, left her to face the gossips and the Bradfords of the world alone. A year of an empty house and emptier promises.
“What’s done is done,” she said, her voice low. “I prefer to focus on the present.”
Felix studied her for a long moment. Then, he offered his arm again. “Then let’s find you a better present. I believe Grace threatened to assault anyone who looked at you sideways tonight.”
Despite everything, Iris felt her lips twitch. “She didn’t.”
“She did. Harrison had to physically restrain her when Bradford approached you. She was reaching for the fire poker.”
They found their friends in the card room, though neither was playing. Grace spotted them first and immediately rushed over. Her green silk gown rustled in her haste.
“Iris! Finally!” She pulled Iris into a fierce hug. “I’ve been plotting violence all evening. That horrible Bradford creature and those witches who surrounded you. Just say the word, and I’ll ‘accidentally’ spill wine on all of them.”
“Absolutely not,” Harrison said while coming up behind his wife.
The Earl of Brentwell was tall and lean with kind eyes that crinkled when he smiled.
“If we’re going to take revenge, we’ll be subtle about it. A little salt in their drinks, perhaps. Or we could loosen the heel of Lady Ashford’s shoe.”
Grace turned to beam at her husband. “Oh, I do love your devious mind.”
“It’s one of my better qualities,” Harrison agreed as he dropped a kiss on her temple.
Felix made a retching sound. “Please, I’ve just eaten.”
“You’re simply jealous because no one wants to kiss you,” Grace shot back.
“On the contrary, many people want to kiss me. I’m extremely kissable. Tell them, Iris.”
“I refuse to be drawn into this,” Iris said, but she was smiling.
