“O’course,” he answered.
“Will you tell me what Jack says?” She looked over to him.
He grimaced and then shook his head. “I dinnae think that’s wise.”
Stepping closer, she looked over to where Minnie and Daring stood with their heads bent together. Thank goodness her cousin was newly married. Her mother allowed the couple to chaperone but they were so wrapped in one another they barely paid attention. “I’ll tell you what Emily shares with us tonight.”
He straightened. “What happened between them is no’ my concern.”
She cocked her head to one side. “They’ve called you all together. What if what happened jeopardized the club?”
He swore under his breath. She thought it might be Gaelic. “Ye’ve got a point there, lass.”
Moving a bit closer, she dropped her voice. “I knew the countess would do something awful. Though I never imagined that she would steal away my sister. Mark my words, she isn’t done. If we’re going to fight her, we must first understand her.”
He narrowed his gaze. “Are ye making plans?”
She pressed her lips together. The truth was…she was. The countess seemed to target the women who were still single. Neither Grace nor Ada were as strong as Diana. They also had spotless reputations and excellent prospects for marriage, unlike herself. “No plans. I just want to be prepared in case she tries to take my cousin or my sister.”
“Or ye,” Exmouth said, his voice dropping low. “Which is why ye won’t shake me no matter how hard ye try.”
One of her hands cocked on her hip. “So to be clear. You won’t share information with me nor will you leave me be. You’re just going to buzz around me like a common fly?”
“What’s that now?” Darlington asked, coming up behind them. “Is Diana insulting you?”
Exmouth straightened. “O’ course no’. She’s the picture of feminine decorum.”
She nearly laughed out loud but managed to keep it in. Those were words that weren’t used about her ever.
“Good.” Darlington stepped up next to her. “I think we’ve been seen enough for one night. Let’s go, shall we?”
Diana frowned. If Exmouth wasn’t going to share, how would she find out what transpired during that meeting?
Chapter Three
Exile sat in the dimly lit back room of the Den of Sins. The gaming hell he ran with his friends had become like a second home to him over the past few years. Its smoke covered walls a place of comradery and laughter. But not tonight. All five men stared at each other, the tension so thick, he could have cut it with the Celtic short sword strapped to his hip.
A bottle of scotch sat in the center and glasses were in front of each man, but no one drank. The crystal tumblers remained empty.
Each of the men had a nickname that was used only at the club. The Duke of Darlington sat just to his right; Daring, they called him. The man had gotten married recently and hadn’t been in the club since. Daring fingered his glass but didn’t reach for the scotch. “Why are we here, Effing? Why don’t you tell us why you ran off?”
Lord Jackson Effington looked about the room. “I think the other men need some backstory first.”
Daring gave a terse nod, his chin taut with tension. “As many of you know, Lady Abernath, my former fiancée, kidnapped Malice’s new wife, Cordelia, in an attempt to punish me on Countess Abernath’s part. She wants me outed as the owner of this club and my reputation as an upstanding duke tarnished. Apparently, Lady Abernath is willing to go to almost any length to see her goal accomplished.”
The men grumbled around him, but Exile remained silent. He knew all of this already. He also understood that Lady Abernath hadn’t done the deed herself, instead she’d hired her lover, Lord McKenzie, to steal Cordelia from her home. Exile had delivered McKenzie to a boat and made sure the man had sailed for France. He’d wondered several times if he shouldn’t have sunk McKenzie to the bottom of the Thames instead. Ewan had died attempting to show mercy to a man who’d been a horse thief. The man had repaid that kindness with a blade to the side. “The countess is clearly willing to go to lengths we are no’,” he said, just loud enough for everyone to hear. “Unless we fight harder, she’ll win.”
Bad grimaced. “I know you’re right, but it’s bloody hard fighting a woman.”
Strong women were difficult to fight, indeed.
He closed his eyes as the image of Diana danced before him. Damn, the woman had felt bloody amazing in his arms tonight. And she sounded just as good. She had a warrior’s spirit. He spread his hands out on the table in front of him. Perhaps he should consider sharing the events of this meeting with her. She might be a great help. Then again, they would be together enough without adding secret meetings of sharing information to the list of times he’d spent in her company. The woman was tempting enough. And he had to resist her in order to honor his cousin’s sacrifice. Even now, guilt stabbed behind his breastbone.
“Where is Lady Abernath now?” Vice, the Viscount of Viceroy, asked, leaning forward and snatching the scotch. He poured himself a healthy glass.
“We don’t know.” Daring ran his hand through his hair then cleared his throat. “When we rescued Cordelia, a fire broke out and Lady Abernath escaped in the chaos.”
Exile knew all of this but it still made his stomach churn. “Is there anything else we should ken before Jack begins?”
Daring hung his head. “When Malice was leaving, he rescued a small boy. It turns out that boy is Lady Abernath’s child.” His head shook back and forth and he clasped his hands in front of him. “What’s worse is, because of his age, there is a possibility he could be mine.”
Vice sucked in his breath. “Does Minnie know?”
Daring drew back, his face ashen. “Not yet. I don’t want to upset my wife if it isn’t true. The child looks nothing like me. I…” His voice tapered off.
Jack spread his hands on the table in front of him. “He could be Lord Abernath’s son. She married the man a month after you ended it with her. That tells me they were likely already involved.”
“I agree.” Daring nodded. “And Abernath did claim the boy already, so even if we learn he isn’t Abernath’s child, publicly, we never share. Lord Abernath died last month. The little boy, Harry, is already the new earl.”
The men nodded in understanding. Exile relaxed a bit. Daring was using his head at least. “It’s best for Harry if there’s no scandal about his name.”
Daring cleared his throat. “But I also know there was a third man she was sharing her bed with. The reason I ended the relationship was because I caught them together. I never learned who the man was, but I know it wasn’t Abernath.”
The room went silent. Not a chair scraped, not a glass clinked against the table. Finally Jack swallowed. “That’s what I wanted to say to you first, Daring.” Jack held out his hands in front of him. “The man you caught her with was me.”
Daring stood suddenly, his chair flying back against the wall. Exile stood too, worried he might need to intercede between the two men. The last time he’d engaged in a brawl, his cousin had died. His insides pitched but he held his ground.