“We are not about to take tea together, I am afraid.” Speaking quickly as the butler stepped outside, he nodded as Lord Trevelyan made his way towards the door, standing in front of it so that Lord Wilson could not easily make an escape. “We are here, in fact, to speak to you about another matter. A matter which concerns Lady Almeria also.”
Lord Wilson’s gaze traveled towards the two ladies.
“I do not want to say anything which will have society whisper about me.” His chin wobbled. “I know very well that Lady Yardley writes the London Ledger. I have no desire for my sins to be published for all of society to chew upon.”
Sins?Marcus blinked in confusion, rubbing one hand over his chin. He had no knowledge of what the gentleman referred to, and despite Lady Yardley’s profound reassurances she had no intention of doing anything of the sort, Lord Wilson seemed most reluctant. He refused the offer of a brandy, and only sat down in a chair after much encouragement – and thereafter, only sat on the very edge of it, his eyes looking towards the door as though he was eager to make his escape at any available moment. Marcus watched him carefully, for this was not at all what he had expected. He had thought Lord Wilson’s demeanor would be one of confidence, that he might come swaggering into the room, delighting in all Lord Penforth had done in proving himself to have so much power Instead, he seemed gravely concerned for some reason – and what sins was it that he was speaking of?
“You are aware of why we wish to speak to you, I am sure.” Lord Trevelyan took a step towards Lord Wilson, clasping his hands behind his back. “You saw both myself and Lord Coppinger one night some time ago. It isthatnight which we wish to speak of.”
Lord Wilson threw up his hands and made to get out of his chair.
“And I have told you, I have no desire to speak of my sins! Why you thought it would be encouraging to have Lady Yardley present, I can have no idea! I shall take my leave.”
“I can assure you I have no intention of putting anything in ‘The London Ledger'.” Lady Yardley rose from her chair. Even though she was not an overly tall woman, she radiated confidence and authority, for she put one hand on Lord Wilson’s arm and led him back to his chair, and the man went as though he were an obedient child. “Now, Lord Wilson, you know that I am an honorable woman and that I always state quite plainly what it is that I have written in the Ledger, whether it be rumor or truth. Therefore, you may have my word that I will not write a single thing about this conversation in my little publication.”
Lord Wilson scowled, though he did remain in his chair.
“Then why are you here?” Lady Yardley immediately gestured to Lady Almeria and Marcus watched as the gentleman’s eyes flicked towards her. Thereafter, there came a frown billowing across his forehead. “I do not understand.” Rather uncomfortable, Lord Wilson let his gaze travel from one side of the room to the other. “I have no comprehension of what it is that you wish to discuss, and I find myself somewhat ill at ease.”
“As well you should be,” Marcus answered, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at the man, refusing to believe his words. “What you have done in siding with Lord Penforth has brought both myself and Lord Trevelyan a great deal of trouble. It is clear to me that Lord Penforth cannot be called a gentleman and therefore, I am deeply astonished to hear that a gentleman such as yourself, with such a strong family name and excellent reputation, would be so willing as to follow him.”
Lord Wilson blinked furiously, then ran one hand over his forehead.
“I do not understand.”
Believing this to be entirely fabricated, Marcus rolled his eyes and snorted loudly.
“There is no need to pretend, Lord Wilson. Lord Trevelyan and I were both present the night you saw us speaking with Lord Penforth in that gambling den. We saw your face as you saw ours. I have no doubt that you heard Lord Penforth’s declaration and, given that we have had no choice but to obey for fear of what he would do to our reputations, we have found ourselves greatly distressed. What say you to that?”
Lord Wilson’s eyes opened wide, and he stared at Marcus as though he had told the most unbelievable tale. After a moment, he shook his head.
“Do you think that I am a friend to Lord Penforth?” His voice was quiet, rasping gently. “I can assure you, gentlemen, that Lord Penforth isnotthe sort of gentleman I wish to associate myself with. It is unfortunate that I have to, certainly, but that is only because we have all been as foolish as each other.”
Throwing a look to Lord Trevelyan, Marcus’ lips twisted.
He will deny everything. There is no good in speaking with him.
“Might I interject?” Lady Almeria’s gentle tones broke through the blossoming silence. “Are you stating, Lord Wilson, that you are not warmly acquainted with Lord Penforth?” Lord Wilson nodded fervently. “And might I ask, are you at all aware of Lord Penforth’s threats to Lord Coppinger and Lord Trevelyan, to which you are now associated?” Lord Wilson gasped aloud. His hands grasped the arms of his chair and his eyes flared wide, fixing themselves to Lady Almeria. “I presume you are not.”
Lady Almeria looked to Marcus, who immediately began to frown. Had he somehow been mistaken about all of this?
“A threat?” Lord Wilson pulled out a handkerchief and rubbed it liberally over his face. “You believe that I have somehow been involved in a threat against you? That I have been doing Lord Penforth’s bidding?”
Marcus’ belief that this gentleman knew precisely what Marcus had been threatened with quickly died away. No gentleman could have such a raw response as this and be lying, he was sure of it.
“Perhaps I was mistaken.” He offered a brief smile to Lord Wilson, then looked to Lord Trevelyan. “Forgive me, we were both sure that you had aligned yourself with Lord Penforth.”
“I have done no such thing.” Lord Wilson scowled. “The reason I was near Lord Penforth that night, the reason for my presence in that place at all, was simply because we all had to make our payments, and we then intended to take our leave. We thought we should all go together, you see, for fear that some of us might have been attacked, had we gone alone.” Lord Wilson was speaking urgently now, leaning so close to the edge of this chair, it looked as though he might fall from it at any moment. “I am greatly distressed to hear that you believe I was involved in a matter pertaining to that gambling den and Lord Penforth. Not only I, but some other fellows also!”
There came a few moments of pause as Lord Wilson looked around the room, his head twisting one way and then the other as if he fought for them to believe him.
“Might I ask if you could explain your situation from the very beginning?” Lady Almeria tilted her head a little, smiling. “You need not tell us in particular detail if you do not wish it.”
Again, her voice offered a moment of pause. She smiled warmly and even Marcus felt himself breathe a little more easily. Her calm tones seemed to encourage Lord Wilson, for he closed his eyes, took a breath, and nodded.
“It is to my shame, my Lady.” His face flushed. “I am utterly ashamed of what has taken place, and of how stupidly I have behaved. One evening, at the start of the Season, some gentlemen friends and I were involved in a game of cards. This soon led to a trip to the darker side of London and it was there, unfortunately, where we all lost a great deal of money.”
“To whom?” Marcus asked, but Lord Wilson merely shook his head.
