“I hope you don’t mind if I arrive with a lovely young lady on my arm,” the marquess said with an oily smile Nicholas wished he could slap off the man’s face.
Nicholas waved a dismissive hand. “No, of course not. You’re welcome to bring a guest if you so choose.”
“And shall I meet this lovely fiancée of yours?” the marquess asked, his voice riddled with amusement.
He still does not believe me,Nicholas thought. Why was he so skeptical?
Because it’s untrue, you dolt!
“Is her attendance mandatory?” Nicholas asked, forcing the irritation from his voice.
The marquess laughed. “Not at all. I just assume given she’s your fiancée, she’ll be attending is all. Though I must admit, meeting the future bride of any man says much about him. Would you not say so?”
“I could not agree with you more,” Nicholas replied. “And I’m sure she looks forward to meeting you, as well.”
Lord Tulk stood. “Good. This party of yours should prove to be great fun.” He stuck out his hand, and Nicholas shook it.
After walking the marquess to the door, Nicholas returned to the study, dropped into the chair behind his desk, and wiped his hand on his breeches. No amount of soap would remove the foulness of touching a man like Lord Tulk.
With a grunt, he pushed himself from the chair and walked to the window. The sky was a blanket of gray that matched the knot in his stomach. He had just made a promise to a dangerous man that he would be unable to keep.
Feeling dejected, Nicholas made his way to the staircase where the portrait of his father hung. The man’s deathbed confession five years earlier, followed by the arrival of the mysterious letter from Mr. Thompson, had placed Nicholas on the path he walked today. Since then, he had brought down four out of the five men who deserved all they had endured and more.
It was time to live up to his moniker. Yet, he had one more thing he had to do first—convince a naive and lovestruck schoolgirl to play his future bride.
Chapter Five
Jenny tugged at her braid as her friends gave her a final look. She had selected a yellow dress with light-blue ribbons weaved into the puffed sleeves and around the bottom hem. A small dab of perfume, a hint of rouge to add color to her cheeks, and a blue ribbon around her neck finished the look. Now all she needed was to await the final verdict.
Unity and Theodosia stood together as they often did, whilst Louisa followed Ruth as she circled Jenny.
“I think she looks wonderful,” Louisa said. “I see nothing out of place.”
Ruth came to a stop in front of Jenny. “She does not lie. But why embellish?”
Jenny frowned. “Embellish? What do you mean?”
“Perfume and rouge? Are you not concerned about attracting him too much?”
The subject of the rumors surrounding the earl had come up again. It was about time she put any skepticism to rest.
“All the rumors about him are just plain silly,” she said with a firm nod. “He’s never been married, so he has no wife to murder. The idea that he killed his father—or a mistress for that matter—is simply ludicrous. If Julia had paid heed to the gossip surrounding the duke, she would not be a duchess today. And Diana will soon become a marchioness. Why? Because she chose to ignore the stories surrounding Lord Barrington. He does not perform rituals or dabble in the dark arts, now, does he? So why should I believe the rumors surrounding Lord Dowding?”
“Certainly, the references to murder are unbelievable, but what about his deception of others? Or how he uses people for his own gain?”
“Ruth is right,” Theodosia said. “What if he’s out to use you? Does that not concern you?”
Jenny laughed. How could Lord Dowding possibly use her? A month ago, she would have been worried. “I’m a young lady now. What business do I have listening to rumors? I simply don’t believe any of it.”
Ruth sighed. “Which rouge did you use?” she asked with a sniff. “You look as if you wiped your cheeks with beets.”
“It cannot be as bad as that!” Jenny said. She hurried to the mirror. “I borrowed Louisa’s red carmine. You don’t think it’s too dark, do you?”
“Here,” Ruth said, handing her a small tin. “Try this. It’s a rose-pink safflower and would be far better for your complexion. Bright red cheeks went out of style years ago when women were covering their faces in white paint. Subtlety is much better now.”
Sighing, Jenny washed off the redder rouge and applied the pink. It really did make a difference, gave her a more natural look. And she wanted nothing more than to impress the earl.
“I heard Abigail say that he once deceived a woman into an engagement,” Unity said. “Later, he left her in tears at the altar. I hadn’t wanted to tell you but thought you should know.”