directly behind the chaperone. Well, wasn’t that interesting. Did Lady Charlotte know her cousin would come looking for her so soon after their escape from the main parlor? He didn’t think so since Lady Ariel watched over them with an eagle’s eye.
With the conversation enlightening but hardly leading to the answers he’d hoped to uncover—he frowned down at the board—their game had ended far too quickly. It was time for them to return to the rest of the company.
Miss Camden looked her cousin over with a critical eye and carefully studied the folds in her dress to make sure everything was in order. He could not contain his bitter smile. Miss Camden might think she knew men like him, but she would be wrong in her assessment. There was no arguing over his reputation, which was well deserved considering his past, but he saw now that she would judge him no differently than the rest of society had. It was a shame that so many people were shortsighted, but he supposed their misconceptions revolved around his children.
“Lord Castleigh,” Miss Camden said. “You can’t simply abscond with my cousin as the mood takes you. Had you asked for her company, I would have been willing to escort you both from the parlor to a more private setting.”
Tristan made eye contact with Leo for a moment before his friend’s gaze landed on the chaperone again. He only half listened to what the ladies said as he tried to figure out his friend’s involvement with the chaperone. Was Leo giving him an escape route? That was the plan they’d discussed briefly at the duchess’s ball, wasn’t it? Divide and conquer two of the ladies present?
Lady Charlotte looked at the chessboard, then looked at him with a grin that was far too knowing; she’d trounced him in more aspects than one. His only excuse was that he was distracted by their conversation, so much so that the game hadn’t even come to mind as he tried to puzzle together the young lady before him.
“Pooh,” she said. “We’ll have to arrange to play another game now that I’ve angered Genny. And I was winning.”
She stood, and he followed suit. Would they escape the chaperone without being scolded for their boldness? When was the last time anyone had scolded him?
Lady Charlotte turned toward the door without so much as glancing at her cousin again. “Do escort me back to the rest of the company, my lord.”
He followed her out into the hallway. Once they were in the corridor, the door clicked shut after Lady Ariel, leaving Miss Camden and Leo behind. Tristan turned, an amused grin tilting up his lips. What a rascal Leo was.
“What do you suppose they’re up to?” Lady Ariel asked, eyes wide.
“Catching up,” Tristan said, in defense of his friend, whom he knew did not deserve the same disreputable reputation as he.
“They are better acquainted than I ever imagined,” Lady Charlotte said.
“They go back a number of years.” Tristan took each of the ladies’ arms and walked toward the rest of the company. “Your cousin has been absent from society for a long time.”
“How do you know she was absent?” Charlotte’s brows lowered questioningly.
“A lucky guess, and you have just confirmed that suspicion.”
On entering the parlor, they went largely unnoticed by the other guests. The only exception was Lady Hargrove, who came up and snatched her daughter off Tristan’s arm, whisking the young lady across the room so fast that he still felt her warmth on his arm as he nodded to her from across the room.
“I’m afraid Lady Hargrove is hard to win over.”
Tristan looked at the one lady still on his arm. “I believe I have more fodder on her than anyone else in the ton.”
Lady Charlotte’s eyes widened, not with surprise but with interest.
“Has anyone ever told you that you are the very definition of trouble?” He stood near the doorway a while longer with her, knowing he could not monopolize her company with so many eyes and ears
With the conversation enlightening but hardly leading to the answers he’d hoped to uncover—he frowned down at the board—their game had ended far too quickly. It was time for them to return to the rest of the company.
Miss Camden looked her cousin over with a critical eye and carefully studied the folds in her dress to make sure everything was in order. He could not contain his bitter smile. Miss Camden might think she knew men like him, but she would be wrong in her assessment. There was no arguing over his reputation, which was well deserved considering his past, but he saw now that she would judge him no differently than the rest of society had. It was a shame that so many people were shortsighted, but he supposed their misconceptions revolved around his children.
“Lord Castleigh,” Miss Camden said. “You can’t simply abscond with my cousin as the mood takes you. Had you asked for her company, I would have been willing to escort you both from the parlor to a more private setting.”
Tristan made eye contact with Leo for a moment before his friend’s gaze landed on the chaperone again. He only half listened to what the ladies said as he tried to figure out his friend’s involvement with the chaperone. Was Leo giving him an escape route? That was the plan they’d discussed briefly at the duchess’s ball, wasn’t it? Divide and conquer two of the ladies present?
Lady Charlotte looked at the chessboard, then looked at him with a grin that was far too knowing; she’d trounced him in more aspects than one. His only excuse was that he was distracted by their conversation, so much so that the game hadn’t even come to mind as he tried to puzzle together the young lady before him.
“Pooh,” she said. “We’ll have to arrange to play another game now that I’ve angered Genny. And I was winning.”
She stood, and he followed suit. Would they escape the chaperone without being scolded for their boldness? When was the last time anyone had scolded him?
Lady Charlotte turned toward the door without so much as glancing at her cousin again. “Do escort me back to the rest of the company, my lord.”
He followed her out into the hallway. Once they were in the corridor, the door clicked shut after Lady Ariel, leaving Miss Camden and Leo behind. Tristan turned, an amused grin tilting up his lips. What a rascal Leo was.
“What do you suppose they’re up to?” Lady Ariel asked, eyes wide.
“Catching up,” Tristan said, in defense of his friend, whom he knew did not deserve the same disreputable reputation as he.
“They are better acquainted than I ever imagined,” Lady Charlotte said.
“They go back a number of years.” Tristan took each of the ladies’ arms and walked toward the rest of the company. “Your cousin has been absent from society for a long time.”
“How do you know she was absent?” Charlotte’s brows lowered questioningly.
“A lucky guess, and you have just confirmed that suspicion.”
On entering the parlor, they went largely unnoticed by the other guests. The only exception was Lady Hargrove, who came up and snatched her daughter off Tristan’s arm, whisking the young lady across the room so fast that he still felt her warmth on his arm as he nodded to her from across the room.
“I’m afraid Lady Hargrove is hard to win over.”
Tristan looked at the one lady still on his arm. “I believe I have more fodder on her than anyone else in the ton.”
Lady Charlotte’s eyes widened, not with surprise but with interest.
“Has anyone ever told you that you are the very definition of trouble?” He stood near the doorway a while longer with her, knowing he could not monopolize her company with so many eyes and ears
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