The lady clasped her hand to her chest. “Did you hear that, Miss De Luca? We might have been deprived of the viscount’s company, and we do so want to make him suffer at the card table.”
Miss De Luca’s brown eyes widened as she observed them. “Thank heavens you had a spare vehicle, my lord, though I’m told you never play with ladies.”
No, he played with courtesans and widows, for he deemed them safe. Lord help the man if he had to break the oath.
Sebastian smiled. “I can make an exception.”
“Where is that pretty sister of yours, Denton?” Lady Brompton said.
Lord Bowden and Mr Thorndyke looked up from their plates of kippers and eggs, keen to hear Sebastian’s reply. No doubt both were calculating how to put Helen’s dowry to good use.
“She will be down shortly.”
Lady Brompton cast her beady eyes over Nicholas. “Are you certain there was an accident on the road, St Clair, and you were not involved in a fistfight at a coaching inn?”
Miss De Luca’s grin said she found their hostess’ blunt manner amusing. Again, the gentlemen at the table held their breaths while awaiting his reply.
“I wonder why you have such a poor impression of me, my lady.” Nicholas infused a hint of arrogance into his tone. “You do not strike me as someone who lends weight to gossip. That said, do not let the fine cut of my coat lead you to think I’m a milksop.”
“I have eyes,” she countered and pointed a bejewelled finger at him. “Is that not a faint bruise on your jaw?”
“Perhaps it’s a trick of the light.”
Lady Brompton narrowed her gaze. “I shall get a closer look when we play cards tonight. Tell me you’re not one of those dull men who refuses to wager with ladies.”
Nicholas placed his hand on his heart and bowed. “I am at the beck and call of my hostess, madam.”
The lady seemed appeased, though her attention moved to the person who had just entered the dining room. Nicholas turned to observe the newcomer, his smile dying when he faced the bastard who had robbed him of sleep and his sanity.
He tried to blink away what must be a hallucination, but Charles Holland’s bald pate glistened in the daylight, blinding Nicholas to all other possibilities.
“Ah, Mr Holland.” Lady Brompton beckoned the snake into the room, and he slithered around the table. “So glad you could join us at this early hour. I suppose your aunt is still wrangling with her tongs.”
“Aunt Agatha won’t be satisfied until her curls are of equal length.” Holland gave Nicholas a covert glance, his mouth curling into a serpent’s grin, his forked tongue appearing to moisten his lips.
“You already know Lord Bowden, of course. Your fathers were once such firm friends. Have you met Viscount Denton or—”
With his blood boiling in his veins, Nicholas did not wait to hear his name called. He turned on his heel and marched from the room, not giving a damn if he offended Lady Brompton. It was of no consequence. He intended to pack his clothes and be away from Grayswood Folly within the next twenty minutes.
It was that or swing for murder.
“Mr St Clair?” Helen’s voice caught him by surprise, and he glanced briefly left to see her standing next to him on the stairs. “Have you eaten? You seem in somewhat of a hurry.”
Unable to explain his dilemma, he said, “Forgive me. I must go.” Then took the stairs two at a time, keen to put a hundred miles between himself and the man he would invariably throttle.
ChapterFive
“Mr St Clair.” Helen called Nicholas again, but he was like a bull charging out of the gate. “Please wait. Is something wrong?”
The hall was deserted, so she hurried after him. But his strides were long and determined, and he had already stormed into his chamber by the time she reached his door.
“Mr St Clair,” she whispered, knocking quietly.
A loud bang—he had kicked or punched some inanimate object—and angry curses emanated from the room.
She had never known him lose control of his emotions, except for the night Mr Parbrook had taken liberties. Then, he had been near mindless with rage. Heaven knows what would have happened had Nicholas not appeared, her saviour from the shadows.
“Nicholas?” She glanced along the corridor before trying the door. It was unlocked, so she quickly slipped inside and closed it gently behind her.