man, no, not met. I just happened to see him on three different occasions. He
wanted to meet me, but I wouldn’t allow it. He found out from Lord Anston who I
was. He said he knew you.”
“What is his name?”
“I don’t know. Well, his first name is John. He made me laugh, and he laughed at
things that came out of my mouth. He was marvelous with George.”
“I know at least half a dozen Johns. No hint of a last name? Or anything about
his family?”
I shook my head.
“All right, get on with it, Andy. It won’t get easier with waiting. Spill it.”
“All right. About two months ago, the earl came to the house. He told me that
his father had been one of Grandfather’s dearest friends, that he himself had
admired and respected Grandfather for nearly all his life. He was kind to me,
always sincere and direct. He was never cloying or oozing that false sympathy
that drives me to the brandy bottle.”
I paused a moment and smiled when I felt him chuckle. “He made me feel that he
understood the sudden emptiness, the god-awful pain of it all. But he didn’t
treat me like a helpless female in need of a man’s care.
“We talked of Grandfather, for even though Grandfather had been his father’s
close friend and not his, still, he told me, he and Grandfather had been friends.
He said that Grandfather had made his entry into the ton easier by sponsoring
him at White’s and the Four Horsemen’s Club.”
Peter frowned. “I never heard Grandfather mention the Earl of Devbridge before,
either the former or the current earl. The Devbridge family name is Lyndhurst.
Lawrence Lyndhurst. I’ve heard his name mentioned in passing, but I’ve never met
him, never heard talk of him. Doesn’t that seem rather strange to you, Andy?”
I nodded. “Yes, it did, and so I asked the earl why we had never met before. He
said that after Grandfather married and retired to Yorkshire that he and
Lawrence’s father had lost track of each other. Then Lawrence met Grandfather
when he was a young man here in London.”
“It’s strange,” Peter said. He must have felt me tense because he patted my back.
“It’s all right. We’ll work this all out. Tell me more.”
“He asked me to marry him three weeks ago. Listen, Peter, I’m not right out of
the schoolroom. I’m twenty-one years old, a woman grown. I’ve given this a lot
of thought. Grandfather believed I had a good brain. Please, you must try to
understand. I’m not being silly or flighty or pathetic, none of those things. I’ve
given it a great deal of thought. I know that Lawrence can offer me the kind of
life I want and need.”
Peter pulled away from me. He rose, towering over me, a method of intimidation I’d
learned that men used whenever they were losing ground, particularly to a woman.
“That is no answer,” he said. “Dammit, Andy, what do you want and need?another
grandfather?”
I jumped to my feet, then climbed up onto Grandfather’s leather chair. It made
me at least a foot taller than Peter. “That was uncalled for,” I said, leaning
toward him, my nose nearly touching his. “What do you know of my wants and needs?
You only see me as the little twit who worships you, but you don’t know me as a
person, Peter, as a woman, a grown woman.”
“That’s absurd, and you know it.”
“Ha,” I said. “You’re a man. You’re free. You decided you wanted to fight
Napoleon. Even as Grandfather’s heir, you hared off, putting yourself in harm’s
way, not worrying that anyone would criticize you or condemn you for pleasing
yourself.
“Can you even begin to imagine what would happen to me if I decided that I
wanted to travel, say, with just a companion? Goodness, I would be locked away
in Bedlam or utterly condemned by friends and foes alike. It isn’t fair. Just
look at you. You’re appalled that I could even say such a thing, much less want
it.” I stopped and sucked in a deep breath.