“Yes, it was a fine dinner, and the pudding will be finer still, I expect,” Race said. “I’m still waiting for a taste of that liquor you brought back from your travels.”
“Later, when we’ve finished eating,” Leo said. “As I warned you, it’ll blow your head off.”
Race chuckled. “We’ll see about that.”
“I wasn’t talking about the meal, though. I meant the riding excursion went all right.”
Race gave him an incredulous look. “You think so? Those young ladies are clearly experienced riders and yet you provided them with a pair of slugs.”
Leo made a dismissive gesture. “Oh, that. No, I meant you and Miss Bur—Miss Isobel. What did you think of her?”
“Well, for a start you lied about her.”
Leo frowned. “In what way?”
“You said she was ‘quite attractive.’ ”
“She is.”
“She is not—she’s beautiful.”
Leo shrugged. “Same thing.” He felt uncomfortable revealing, even to his oldest friend, how powerfully attracted he was to her. Race knew too much about his disastrous past with women.
“She’s also charming and lively and—”
“Yes, yes,” Leo said impatiently. He didn’t want to hear his friend listing Isobel Burton’s finer points. He was all too well aware of them. “The point is, do you think you could seduce her?”
“What?” Race leaned forward but had to bite off whatever he’d been about to say because the waiter brought theirpuddings out and fussed around until Leo waved him off. “What the devil do you mean by that?” Race said across the table as soon as the waiter had gone.
“You’re supposed to be the expert on women here. Do you think she might be looking for a protector?”
“No, I damn well don’t! Why the devil should you imagine such a thing?”
Leo stirred his pudding thoughtfully, deciding what to say. “I didn’t imagine anything,” he said finally. “Her father claimed it in a deathbed letter to me.”
“What? Herfatherdid?”
Leo nodded. “Shocking, I know. But in the letter he was adamant. He was most explicit, describing Miss Isobel’s immoral tendencies in detail, even giving examples. But”—he shook his head—“I know I haven’t known her for long, but I just can’t see it. She’s a handful, no doubt about that—spirited, rebellious and with a strong mischievous streak—but I can see no sign of immorality in her.”
But he was reluctant to trust his own impressions. With just a look or a smile—or even a scowl—Isobel Burton effortlessly sent his own mind spinning.
“Me neither.” Race took a large mouthful of wine. “That’s appalling. To malign his own daughter—baseborn or not—in such a way. Why do such a thing?”
Leo shook his head. “I don’t know. I never really knew Sir Bartleby—he was an acquaintance of my father’s, but his own reputation was unsavory—and yet he advised me, in the strongest terms, to get rid of Miss Isobel and remove her from Miss Studley’s company.”
“Because he thought she would lead Miss Studley astray? But if he believed that, why didn’t he get rid of her himself?”
Leo inclined his head. “Exactly.” And why leave Isobel without a penny so she was forced to depend on her half sister? “In any case, if it’s influence we’re talking, it seems to me that Miss Studley is equally as stubborn as her half sister.”
Race pushed his bowl away, picked up his glass of wine and drained it. “So what are you going to do?”
“About the letter? I don’t know.” Leo drained his own glass. “But whether or not it’s the tissue of lies it appears to be, the fact remains that Miss Isobel cannot enter society with her sister, and both girls are still insisting they can, so my plan remains unchanged.”
“To leave them with your aunt to come to terms with their situation?”
Leo nodded. “I have estate matters to attend to, and I want to leave for my country property the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, will you come out riding with me and the girls again tomorrow? I’m trialing some horses for them.”
“Happy to.” Race rose from the table. “Now, where’s that liquor you promised me? I think I need my head blown off.”
