Lady Jasmine turned to him with a bright smile. “You must be theruffian!”
Ruffian?
“Manners, child,” her mother chided. “We’re in public.”
“You’ll have to be careful with society mamas, Mr. Reeves. Not all of them are as direct as Lady Dorchester,” the Duke warned from the head of the table.
The Baroness spoke past Seth with a grimace, “If you’re looking for a husband for your daughter, I have three eligible sons.Gentlemen.”
“I’ve met your sons, Matilda, and the wordseligibleandgentlemencan be used loosely.” Lady Dorchester took a slow sip of her wine, savoring it on her tongue before she continued, “My daughter could do far worse than a man whose bravery was proven in battle rather than alleyway brawls on St. James’s Street.”
The woman turned as purple as her husband’s cravat, her lips in a line so tight they disappeared entirely. Lord Dorchester took his wife’s hand and squeezed, one corner of his lips lifted.
“Manners, darling. We’re in public.”
Clinking cutlery and moving plates filled the air as servers cleared the first course and brought forth plates of roasted pheasant in a cream sauce.
“Colonel Bishop, you were Captain Reeves’ commanding officer, were you not?” The straw-haired lad asked, “How does it feel to be in competition with a former comrade?”
Bishop seemed to ponder the question before he leaned in next to Cassandra in adecidedlyfamiliar motion, putting his head close to hers. Hardly a foot away, one of his hands disappeared under the table. Seth’s chest tightened as Bishop kept eye contact with him while he spoke softly into Cassandra’s ear. Her face flushed as red as Seth’s untouched wine, and her eyes went to her plate, fingers fidgeting against the edges of her fork.
What in the devil?
Did theyknoweach other?
Before turning to answer the boy, a sly smile slanted across Bishop’s features.
“Make no mistake, I do not consider Mr. Reeves as mycompetition.” His tone darkened as he addressed Seth directly, “I can’t help but notice you aren’t drinking. What’s wrong,Captain?Can’t handle your spirits?”
Seth said nothing and took a bite of the pheasant. The rich flavors of the meat tasted like ash in his mouth. Both Cooper siblings were looking at him with a curious expression, eyebrows furrowed, and in that moment they looked like twins.
“I can’t say I disapprove,” Bishop snarled when Seth didn’t give a response. “It wouldn’t do todrop your guard.”
Seth clutched his knife and fork in his hands, the metal pressing indents into his palms. The room had gone silent, and all eyes were upon them now.Nothing has changed, Seth thought bitterly. He was still weaker, lesser.Defenseless. Lord Bolderwood sat still as a stone, watching the events intently. Gritting his teeth, Seth blazed his eyes into Bishop’s and all he saw was hate. Blood rushed in his ears. It would takesecondsto knock the sneer off of Bishop’s face.Seven days! Another thought in his head screamed as a third reminded him tofocus!But both men were already rising to their feet.
CLAP!
The sound echoed in the room as Lady Dorchester stood and slammed her hands on the table.
“There areladiespresent!”
“No need to stop them, Lady Dorchester.” Duke Kendall’s booming laugh came from the head of the table, and all guests turned to him. There was a manic gleam in his eyes. “This is a contest between men! Take everything away, and we are all animals. No need to hide it! Embrace it. By all means, be cut-throat, be vile, use your opponentsweaknesses against him and destroy each other.”
His eyes lowered, appearing black in the dimming candlelight.
“It will be far more entertaining.”
Chapter Seven
“We could always kill him,” Cooper said. “With all the rounds flying this week, we could make it look like an accident. His Grace as good as begged for it.”
Seth shot the man a speaking glance from the corner of his eye before returning his gaze to the clock on the other side of the ballroom. Unsatisfied fury coursed through his veins, filling him with the need to tear himself out of this godforsaken suit he could barely breathe in, and run, or ride, or bloody-well shoot something.
“All I’m saying is that I have never cared for the man myself,” Cooper continued flippantly. “It would solve a problem for both of us, now that I think on it.”
“Murder?” Seth scoffed. “This from a man weeping about having blood on his hands last week.”
“I was not weeping!”