Free His Reluctant Lady by Ruth Ann Nordin Page A

was
playing chess with Perry. “It was probably him. You know how much
he protested the wager, saying it was morally reprehensible to bet
on a lady.”
    Somehow he doubted Lord
Roderick had anything to do with this, even though he argued at
great length about it. He glanced at the paper Davenport was
reading, his face as white as a sheet. “I take it he has a copy of
the Tittletattle ?”
    “ Yes, but you can find
another one on that table if you wish.”
    He turned and saw the stack
of scandalsheets. His eyes widened in surprise. There seemed to be
a copy for every member of White’s. He went over to the table and
selected a copy, further surprised when he realized the wager made
the top headline. Beneath it read, Lord
Davenport has made a bet with Lord Pennella. The wager? The hand of
Miss Giles. Whoever marries her gains the loser’s
estate.
    His eyebrows furrowed as he
read it again. The wording was much too similar to what he used
when he revealed the matter to Lady Richfield at Hyde Park. His
gaze went to the name of the person who reported it to the Tittletattle . Gerard
Addison. What were the chances that Lady Richfield and Gerard
Addison were the same person? Considering how soon the gossip
appeared in the Tittletattle and the way it was worded, it was more than a
coincidence. He glanced around the room to make sure no one
suspected him of telling Lady Richfield about the wager.
    Ethan came over to him. “You want to
play some cards?”
    He folded the Tittletattle . “I thought
you didn’t gamble anymore since Catherine’s father forbade
it.”
    “ I don’t but I still like to
play cards.”
    “ All right,” he replied,
tucking the Tittletattle into his pocket.
     
    ***
     
    “ You have a visitor, my
lady.”
    Agatha glanced up from her writing, her
eyebrows furrowed. She wasn’t expecting anyone. “Is it my sister?”
she asked the butler, setting her writing in her desk drawer then
rising to her feet.
    “ No. It’s Mister Robinson.
He said you were expecting him.”
    “ No, I’m not.”
    Before she could tell the
butler to send him away, Mister Robinson appeared in the doorway
and said, “I have an important message from Mister Addison.”
    Her heart stopped as she
glanced at the butler. Her gaze went back to Mister Robinson who
stepped halfway into the drawing room and crossed his arms. So he’d
seen the tidbit in the Tittletattle and realized she was one of the contributors. She
couldn’t tell if he was upset or amused. His expression seemed to
be a mixture of both. Tapping her nails on the desk, she debated
the best way to proceed. If she wasn’t careful, this wasn’t going
to end in her favor.
    “ I assured your butler and
footman that you’d want to see me,” Mister Robinson added with a
penetrating stare, “given the circumstances.”
    Taking a deep breath, she managed to
smile at the butler. “You may leave us.”
    The butler bowed and left.
    She waited for a few tense seconds
before she strode to the door and shut it, ensuring their privacy.
When she turned around, Mister Robinson was only a couple inches
from her. Gasping, she jerked back, her backside hitting the door.
“A warning would be nice,” she said.
    He leaned forward, his arms on both
sides of her, sufficiently trapping her. She pressed her back
against the door, but he was still too close to her. Despite her
apprehension, she made eye contact with him. If she was going to
face the consequences of her actions, then she’d do so with her
head held high.
    “ You found out my secret,”
she said, hoping she sounded braver than she felt.
    “ I told you about the wager
between Lords Davenport and Pennella in confidence,” he softly
replied, his voice alarmingly void of emotion. “Do you realize how
much trouble you’ve caused?”
    She couldn’t tell what he was thinking
by studying his face. Clasping her hands behind her back, she
squeezed her hands to help relieve the tension in her body. “What
will you