Lord Penforth smiled brightly, his expression rather jovial, but Marcus could think of nothing other than planting him a facer.
“I must speak with you.” Marcus took a breath, steadying himself. “It is about Lady Almeria.”
Instantly, Lord Penforth’s eyebrow lifted.
“Lady Almeria,” he repeated, as Marcus nodded. “You wish to talk to me about my acquaintance with her, no doubt feeling it is your brotherly duty.”
Marcus blinked, suddenly confused.
“I am not her brother.”
“Oh, I am well aware of that, but you are very close, are you not? It is almost as though you were her brother, which must indeed be your reason for wishing to speak to me about her. Are you concerned that I have some dishonorable intention?” Chuckling lightly, he waved a hand in an airy manner. “I can assure you; I am not that sort of gentleman.”
Everything Marcus wanted to say suddenly disappeared. He had been about to state thathewas the one in love with Lady Almeria and had been the one sending the bouquets. Now, however, he felt himself a little lost. If Lord Penforth saw him almost only as Lady Almeria’s sibling, perhaps he ought to use that to his advantage, to make it quite clear that he would not stand for any ill treatment of the lady… which included any mistruths. Drawing himself up, he lifted his chin.
“You are quite right to suggest that I have some concern, Lord Penforth.”
The gentleman spread his hands, a look of innocence passing across his features, his eyes a little wide, his expression open.
“But why should you say so? I have done no wrong as regards Lady Almeria.”
The anger which threaded itself through Marcus’ veins suddenly burned with a furious fire and it was all he could do not to exclaim furiously that the man had told nothing but a lie, had behaved falsely, and was not worthy of Lady Almeria’s attentions. Taking a slow deep breath, he let it out again just as slowly, and then tilted his chin, looking Lord Penforth straight in the eye. Saying nothing, he let the moment settle into swirling tension, fully expecting Lord Penforth to buckle under the pressure and admit that he had, in fact, done something wrong as regarded the lady.
The longer he waited, however, the more apparent it became that the gentleman was not about to do anything of the sort. Lord Penforth’s face became almost insolent, his eyes narrowing, but a small, dark smile pulling at his mouth as he practically dared Marcus to say precisely what it was that he had done.
I cannot hold myself back any longer.
“I know for certain that it was not you who sent the bouquets.” The words demanded they be released. “You have built your acquaintance with Lady Almeria on nothing other than a lie.”
The gentleman lifted one shoulder.
“Yes, I have.” Much to Marcus’ horror, Lord Penforth appeared entirely unfazed by the fact that Marcus had found him out. He shrugged and then yawned most rudely and conspicuously, as though to say that what Marcus had stated was entirely dull. “No other gentleman has come forward.”
“It is not as though you gave them any reasonable time to do so!” Marcus threw up his hands. “The gentleman in question was considering what he ought to do. He is a quiet sort but has a great deal of affection for Lady Almeria. He deserved a chance to-”
Lord Penforth laughed and put one hand on Marcus’ shoulder.
“My dear fellow, you are talking about me, it seems!” He laughed again, but Marcus’ skin pinched with cold. “I have a great affection for Lady Almeria. I am also a gentleman, quite reserved, as I am sure it has been said of me, many a time, in society. If those are the only two things which you consider as regards to the gentleman who comes to court Lady Almeria, then might I suggest that you consider me in much the same favorable light as you consider this other fellow?” He tipped his head, grinning. “Mayhap you might offer me his name so that I can recognize my rival.”
Marcus tightened his jaw but kept his expression clear of the anger which was burning through him.
“I have no intention of revealing this other fellow to you,” he stated unequivocally. “Given that he sees me in much the same light as you have done - as more of a brother to Lady Almeria - he approached me with great care, speaking of his feelings and expressing himself to me most cautiously.” This was, of course, a complete fabrication, but Marcus was not about to reveal to Lord Penforth that he,himself,had been the one sending flowers to Lady Almeria. “Given that I thought him most suitable, I therefore encouraged him to act in the way he thought best. He was about to tell Lady Almeria of his heart - I believe he was to do so on two occasions in fact, but was unfairly and unduly interrupted on both. And you then stole the final truth from his lips by telling Lady Almeria a lie. You are not the one who sent her those bouquets and I expect you to make that quite clear to her.”
Lord Penforth considered this for a few moments, looking back at Marcus, who held his gaze so fixedly that his eyes began to water. After a few moments, however, Lord Penforth sighed and shook his head.
“And if I do not?”
Marcus threw him a dark look.
“If you do not, Penforth, then I shall tell Lady Almeria myself.”
A slow smile spread across Lord Penforth’s face, stealing away some of Marcus’ confidence.
“But how shall you prove it? Will this supposedly shy, retiring fellow be willing to simply stand forward and tell Lady Almeria the truth? Will he and I have an argument in front of her, declaring that we are both as equally involved with these bouquets as the other? However is she to decide?”
Marcus clenched his hands into fists, barely controlling his fury. Lord Penforth was nothing but arrogance itself; selfish, inconsiderate, and entirely unwilling to look at anyone but himself. He did not care for Almeria, not in the way that she deserved. Marcus was sure of it.
“I shall tell you how.” Taking a step forward, his jaw clenched, teeth gritting, he practically spat the words at Lord Penforth. “I know where he got his bouquets from. With you and with this other gentleman, I shall go there directly – with Lady Almeria also. I shall ask the shopkeeper directly which of the two gentlemen came into the shop and sent those flowers, along with the specific request to keep his name from her. What shall you do then Lord Penforth?” Much to Marcus’s delight, Lord Penforth’s face fell. His smile was gone in a moment, his eyes slowly darkening. There was no contentedness, no self-assurance in his face any longer. Instead, he looked distinctly frustrated. “You will tell her, Penforth.” Marcus continued, “And you shall do so within the next few days, or I shall do it for you.”
