“A mean-spirited beast, am I?”
“Oh dear, never say youarecensuring us. Such hypocrisy when your most famous wager was about two raindrops falling down the pane of glass in a particular bow window,” she said with biting sarcasm. “Howpre-historicyou are. I cannot fathom why society wonders at your unmarried state.”
He stared at her as if she were the rarest creature plucked from thin air and dropped in front of him. To Theo’s surprise, his mouth twitched, and amusement darkened his cobalt eyes. Unexpectedly she was assailed by an odd sort of awareness.
“You do not want to make an enemy of me, Lady Theodosia,” he murmured.
The silence stretched out, broken only by the faint chime of the drawing-room clock.
“I cannot contrive how I would accomplishthat. Surely you mistake the matter that has you so out of sorts.”
“Is Lady Perdita a patron of your establishment?”
Theo’s heart jolted. Perdie had not owned to being intimately acquainted with a duke! Especially one as formidable as Hartford. “Forgive me, Your Grace, I must maintain the strictest of confidence the identity of the ladies who visit my home, I am sure you understand.”
“I came here expecting to find a bounder,” he said. “A Gentleman who had taken ruthless advantage of my sister, one who encouraged her to lie to her family and act in a most secretive manner.”
His sister?Theo’s thought raced. “Your Grace, no gentleman is living on this premises, nor do I accept male visitors. You…you are a first. That is the reason you so flustered my butler he left you on the doorsteps.”
He took a long swallow of his brandy before replying, “My sister has been lying and visiting here for over a month. She has lied to me, her mother, and her fiancé. If your club is above scrutiny, I wonder at the deception.”
Theo clasped her hands before her. Many of the ladies who joined their close society did not reveal to their families the true nature of their indulgences here. Theo understood. “Given the nature of our…activities and the harsh and oftentimes ridiculous expectations society can have of us ladies, I…I suspect Lady Perdie believes you might not approve.”
And each member had vowed to uphold their society’s confidence unless they believed someone else might also need the haven.
“And this is the kind of behavior your society encourages and condones?” he asked bitingly, not removing his gaze from the wagering board.
Theo almost snapped and asked what fascinated him so about the wagers. Though she admitted a few were scandalous, most were just fun and harmless. “Your Grace, Lady Perdie would have only joined because she felt something is missing in her life,” Theo said softly. “Our members are few, but we are remarkably close-knit, and the common bond that usually draws us together is that we are not fully happy with the life we are living. Here is just a place to have deeper friendship and be true to our hearts.”
“Young ladies lie and manipulate their families to be a part of your exclusivity.” He faced her, and the cold accusation in his eyes stung. “I suppose you charge them a fee as well.”
He spoke with such quelling hauteur, Theo flushed. “You mistake the matter; I’ve never asked anyone to directly lie, Your Grace.”
“Ah…I now understand the distinction you use to justify lies and deception. I’ve never heard about this club of yours, not even a hint in the scandal sheets. How do you suppose your members retain this anonymity you must have demanded?”
The air between them crackled with challenge.
“Secrecy is a part of our membership, and only by referral can someone join us. But I have never asked anyone to lie. They can tell their families or husband they are calling at my home.”
His expression remained inscrutable as he considered her, and Theo got the awful feeling this man might consider her the enemy. The very notion of it was frightening, for he had the power to ruin her. It was one of the reasons she’d kept her lady’s society a secret, for the very idea of it would offend those who thought themselves morally superior, but hypocritically behind closed doors had offensive conduct the women in their lives disparaged. Then some would loathe the idea of ladies simply existing in a space that did not uphold their ridiculous expectations of what they deemed lady-like conduct.
“You must have been happy to land the sister of a duke in your cap. Take your ambitions elsewhere,” he ordered.
She tried to ignore the thumping of her heart. “I had no notion Perdie was the relative of a duke. I have no ambitions concerning our friendship, Your Grace!”
Those dissecting eyes settled on her once more; this time the silence was thoughtful. Finally, he replied, “Her association with…with your home ends today. You will terminate Lady Perdie’s membership effectively.”
Theo gasped. “Your Grace, surely now that you know what happens here, it is permissible for Perdie—”
“It is not.”
A surge of frustration went through Theo’s heart. She hadn’t thought the duke a sanctimonious prude! The memory of how unhappy Perdie had been in those first days rose in Theo’s thoughts. Perdie had been forlorn but had not spoken about what troubled her thoughts. The young girl had eventually relaxed her guard and revealed a warm and carefree soul with an aptitude for fencing and Greek. Earlier she had seemed so relieved to have unburdened her cares. It showed she had no one at home to confide her fears, hopes, and expectations.
“Your Grace,” Theo said, keeping her tone warm and moderate, hoping to reach a clearly hardened heart. “I carefully guide the ladies who are members of my club without being overly restrictive.Nothingwe do here is wicked or wanton or disgraceful. We partake in wagers, but as you can see, theyareharmless. We have a reading club. A fencing and boxing club, more for exercise than anything else.”
He did not need to know it was a bit more vigorous than that and aimed at teaching ladies how to defend their virtues from lecherous and persistent rakes! “Above all, what we have here isgenuinefriendship. I believe it will hurt Lady Perdie to terminate her membership. She finds a friendship she can trust in me, and I find in her a younger sister and a friend. Please, if you will reconsider that she joined for a reason before you act in haste.”
“I expect the termination to happen by tomorrow.”