The Scandalous Duke Takes a Bride (21 page)

“Why should you care?”

“Because Leo is my friend.”

And her friends mattered to her a great deal.

There came a time in everyone’s life when they only had their friends to lean on. It didn’t matter that that had been how most of Jessica’s life had played out. What mattered was that she’d found the best of friends to lean on and she’d support them with the same compassion they’d always shown her.

“And he has remained a devoted friend despite what the rags have printed about me.”

So had Tristan. She was surprised that she hadn’t heard from Hayden yet. Would he believe what was written? Certainly it would dawn on him that Fallon sought divorce on the grounds that she was an imposter. Would Hayden avoid her? More than anything, she had dreaded this secret getting out. How had it gotten out? There were so many questions flying through her head, none of which could be answered.

“Leo’s no better than you.” The woman was speaking in anger, Jessica knew.

“Prejudice is but one form of ignorance, Miss Camden.” She tapped her fingers along her folded arm impatiently. “Now, breakfast is being served in one hour. Shall I ask the cook to prepare two dishes?”

Jessica knew she’d won this woman over when she placed her reticule on a chair.

“There is a carriage outside waiting for my direction. I need to tell him that I’ve found temporary accommodations.”

Jessica motioned toward the door. The woman wouldn’t leave her reticule if she didn’t plan to stay for breakfast at the very least.

Releasing the tie that bound her hair, she shook out the loose braid, hoping she looked more presentable. Though she supposed she should change. No, she would not dress; Warren would not stay long when he saw the state she was in—and that would give her a fighting chance for at least another day.

Miss Camden might prove useful, too, in keeping Warren from being a complete arse. Warren was unlikely to keep a civil tongue, even if he knew the former chaperone. He would no more approve of her guest than of Jessica now that the scandal rags had muddied both their names. Maybe if Miss Camden stayed with her it would delay Warren from removing her from the townhouse for a couple of days. It was a possibility, and one that she was more than willing to test.

It was settled. She had a friend to make of this woman who on first appearance seemed to despise her. Jessica knew she could win her over.

Chapter 15

The duke and the dowager countess? Never could I dream up a more unlikely pair. Or maybe we have all imagined it and it’s always been right before our eyes, but we’ve refused to see anything beyond friendship. All men must be forgiven for their transgressions, for they simply cannot refuse the plump fruit placed directly in their path without first sampling the fare.
Mayfair Chronicles,
August 1846 “Wilson.” Hayden greeted the butler with a nod. “I would assume your mistress is in.”

“She is, Your Grace. Let me show you to the study.”

“The study?” Hayden paused to look at the butler.

“Lady Fallon already entertains in the parlor.” The man motioned toward the study.

If Warren had beaten Hayden here, he couldn’t allow the man to stay long.

“Excuse me, Wilson, but I need to see Your Ladyship immediately. The matter is urgent.”

He walked ahead of the butler before any disagreement could pass the older man’s lips and stormed through the parlor door with the grace of a bull in a museum of artifacts.

“Jez, I thought we could—” He halted mid-step upon entering the room. “And here I thought Mr. Warren was paying you a visit.”

“Hayden.” Jessica came forward, hands out in greeting, which he didn’t hesitate to take. “I wasn’t expecting you for a few hours—for our walk.” She didn’t sound convinced that he’d planned to show up at all. “What a delightful surprise to have you here now. Let me introduce you to Miss Camden.”

So this was the woman Leo had been spending an inordinate amount of time with. Hayden tipped his hat as the lady stood from the settee. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he said. “I must apologize for barging in as I did.”

“Miss Camden,” Jessica said, “this is my dearest friend, the Duke of Alsborough.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, too,” the young woman said with a curtsy. Her eyes were a deep brown, which matched the color of her hair, and her smile was quite charming.

“Where, might I ask, is Leo?”

Miss Camden’s brow wrinkled as she took her seat again. “I haven’t heard from him since he left the Carletons’.” She looked up at Hayden, and the flicker of anger and sadness was nearly enough to floor him. “Please don’t tell him I’m here. I’m not ready to see him. And it’s only fair for him to suffer a while longer for what he’s done.”

“You should join us, Hayden,” Jessica cut in, pulling him farther into the room. “I might as well explain Miss Camden’s presence.”

“I didn’t intend to intrude,” he said, wondering if his and Jessica’s conversation would have to wait till Miss Camden left.

Jessica motioned toward the settee with a smile. “Please, I insist you stay for tea.”

He didn’t argue and took a seat near Miss Camden wondering what trouble the women were brewing.

“I’ve invited Miss Camden to live here for a while. At least until Warren decides to exercise his right as the new earl and remove me from my home once and for all.”

He raised his brow at Jessica, unsure what he could say in front of this woman and not wanting to give away too many of Jessica’s secrets. “About Warren and your time here…”

“Tristan came by this morning. I already know.” She poured out his tea, sliced a thin piece of lemon, and put it in before handing him the cup. “Miss Camden and I have discussed our strategy going forward. We’ve both been shunned, you see, and have decided that misery does love company, especially when we seem to get on so well since our initial introduction.”

“Warren is likely to shorten the time frame in which you reside here,” Hayden felt compelled to remind Jessica. Surely she knew that.

Miss Camden spoke. “We think my presence will keep him from throwing us both out.”

He looked between the two ladies; they were unlikely accomplices: Jessica with her verve for life and scandal, Miss Camden with her past as a respectable chaperone. “Mr. Warren will only be kept from this house for a few days, Miss Camden. He’s rather like a bear with his scent caught on a beehive full of honey when he wants something.”

“While I won’t pretend I’ve not compromised my standing in society, I did always have an amicable relationship with Mr. Warren. I very highly doubt he’ll be able to toss us out without feeling great remorse, especially considering he’s always been kind to me in the past.”

Her attitude toward a man Hayden loathed was somewhat surprising to him. “You think rather highly of him.”

“As I said, we had no reason to be on disagreeing terms before now.”

Hayden crossed his ankle over his knee and looked back and forth between Jessica and Miss Camden. He addressed them both. “Your confidence is inspiring.”

What he did not like was that having Miss Camden around put a dent in his plans for marriage.

“I’ve already made arrangements to visit some houses around Town this week. I would love it if you could join us, Hayden,” Jessica said confidently.

This was not how he envisioned today unfolding.

“Of course, darling.”

“Perfect.” Jessica sipped her tea. “Shall we go for our walk?”

He nodded and stood. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Camden. I’m sure we’ll see each other again in the coming days.”

While Jessica gathered up her shawl he put on his hat. They exited the parlor arm in arm. He was thankful to have her alone for a short while, as there was much to discuss about their future.

“I’ve always known you were crafty, but this takes on a whole new level of deviousness,” he said as they left the house.

“You’ve known me long enough that this shouldn’t surprise you.”

“Have you thought about my proposal, Jess?”

“In all honesty, I haven’t had time to put much thought into it.”

Hayden clenched his jaw. “Are you intentionally insulting me?”

She glanced at him from beneath her hat. “Hayden, you know how much I value our friendship.”

He set his mouth to a grim line. “And what of the latest on-dit to hit the paper?”

“It was inevitable,” she said unapologetically.

“So you aren’t even going to refute it or try to explain how something of this nature found its way into the paper?”

“We both know exactly how this information was leaked. I didn’t want to believe it possible, but I did see Miller that night you walked me home. The night…”

The night he’d slept over. It was odd, but he had the impression that she was trying to push him away now that the truth was out. Did she think that he could turn his back on her? There wasn’t a force in all of nature that could keep him from her side.

She pulled him to a stop before they entered the park and searched his eyes with worry evident in her gaze. “Does the truth bother you?”

“I’ve seen you in your darkest moment and didn’t for one second think I should run from it. There is nothing in this world that could change how I feel about you.”

Jessica nibbled on her lip, as she was wont to do.

“I had Miller dispatched from London,” Hayden continued, “and you failed to tell me the most important piece of information he held against you. You should have told me before now; I’d never have judged you for it.”

“It’s not as though I’m going to shout from the rafters of the theater that I’m the product of my father’s indiscretion. In fact, it’s a very long, convoluted story I’ll share with you one day, because it’s possible those details will also slip into the rags for further consumption. I’m to be made a laughingstock, it seems.”

Hayden clasped one of her hands between his. “You could have been honest with me. You’re the one so focused on our friendship, and you couldn’t tell me this one piece of information? Just think for a moment about how I felt having to read it in the paper.”

“What would you have done with the information, Hayden? Stopped the Mayfair Chronicler? Pressed your suit for marriage?” She pulled her hand from his. “It was my secret, and I would have taken this one to my grave, had I been given the opportunity. But apparently, I’m not given my fair say in anything that is personal in my life.”

Hayden looked around them. Unwanted glances swung their way. This conversation was far too animated and intense to be having outdoors. He’d have had this conversation in her parlor had Miss Camden not been present, but it looked as though the woman was going to be a constant companion to Jessica now. He wasn’t sure how he felt about having someone wedged between them. Perhaps that was another reason Jessica had asked the woman to live with her, no matter how temporary the situation might prove to be: not only would they keep Warren at arm’s length but him, too.

He’d given her too much space. He should have hied her off to the church and had them married instead of giving her time to think through the changes in their relationship.

“Why are you avoiding answering me?” he asked.

“I can’t be occupied with thoughts of fancy, Hayden. You should understand better than everyone that I have to focus on fixing the damage that’s been done. I refuse to let society run over me with any additional ammunition.”

“You are treating this as a game.”

“It
is
a game, Hayden.” Her gaze was deadpan serious and brooked no argument. “But they forget that I hold far more secrets than the Mayfair Chronicler.”

“You’ll lose fighting the battle out with society that way.”

There was a flash of defeat in her eyes, and he didn’t think he was the one to put it there. And then he realized she just wasn’t ready to admit that defeat.

“If there was something I could do to change this, I would.” Hayden rubbed his hand along his jaw.

She shook her head as she grabbed his arm so they could continue walking through the park. “Our focus should be on Miss Camden, not us; she’s in a far worse situation than me.”

“And what are your plans for the young woman?”

“I haven’t any plans for her. While she may yet prove to be a buffer to stop Warren from removing me from my house, she’ll also play my companion until Leo comes looking for her. It appears they’ve formed an attachment that could be … life lasting.”

“Leo mentioned her to me some time ago.”

Jessica looked at him with so many questions in her expression. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wasn’t my place to tell his secrets.”

“Point taken,” she said, though the tone of her voice indicated that she wasn’t happy to be left in the dark on this tidbit of knowledge. “I can’t imagine she’ll be here more than a week. In fact, Leo is bound to be searching for her as we speak.”

A deadline. It might not be Hayden’s, but he’d use it to his advantage.

“Then that’s all the time I’m giving you, Jess. Once Miss Camden is on her way to wedded bliss with our friend, I’ll come for you and I won’t take no for an answer. You’re not fool enough to choose social ruin over marriage to me.”