“Seth is not my husband, and I’m in a rush to get home.” She ran her fingertip over her pearl necklace. “Don’t you remember our plans?”
“Oh, I have several plans for you.” His smile matched hers. “The reins are yours,mi amor.”
As they passed an alley, they crossed the shadows of a man and a woman locked together in a messy embrace. The sounds of their coupling broke the silence of the night.
Remembering his first kiss with Jasmine, Matthew almost pulled her into the next alley to give her a repeat performance. She averted her eyes to give the couple privacy, but gave him a sly wink.
He couldn’t wait to get her home and—
“There goes society’s darlings,” a familiar voice slurred. “Amurderer and a harlot.”
Arousal evaporated. Faster than thought, Matthew pivoted, guiding Jasmine behind him. Clenching his hands into fists, he readied himself. He had heard plenty of men talk like that in the rookery. Drunk. Foolish.
Violent.
“Stay behind me,” he told Jasmine. “If anything happens, I need you to do precisely as I say.”
“What do you—?”
Her words were interrupted by the clattering of an empty bottle rolling out of the alley they had just passed. A blond man with a crooked nose stumbled after. The scent of alcohol wafted from Lord Rothwell as if he had fallen into a vat of it.
“Oi!” He jabbed a finger at Matthew. “You’re not going to turn around and face me like a man?”
“I am facing you, you lack wit,” Matthew spat. “You’re too drunk to see it.”
Following him, Vivian crossed her arms. Her dress was rumpled, and her smudged lips set in a firm line.
“Leave them alone, Rothwell,” she warned.
Jasmine tugged at Matthew’s arm. “Ignore him, let’s go.”
He remained where he was, knowing better than to give a drunken man his back.
“You!” Rothwell jabbed a finger at him. “You owe me an apology.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” Matthew snarled and spoke around him. “What a reputable gentleman you’ve found here, Lady Ravenshaw. I knew you had low standards, butthis?”
“Don’t talk to my fiancée,” Rothwell hissed. “You’ll answer for what you’ve done.”
“I’ve done you nothing but favors!” Matthew scoffed. “You have my money and my cast-off, what more could you possibly want fromme?”
“Matthew!” Jasmine hissed. “That’s enough!”
“How dare you?” Vivian’s eyes narrowed to slits and her lip curled upward, but her voice turned sickly sweet. “Rothwell, darling, he isn’t worth our time.”
She tugged at his arm, but he shrugged her off.
“Not until I’m finished!” He returned his attention to Matthew. “You’ve made me the laughing stock of theton. Do you know how many doors have been slammed in my face in the last month?!”
“Not enough for you to learn your lesson! You blackmailed my wife and attacked her in her home. A broken nose and a little humiliation is more than fair.”
“She got what shedeserved.”
Vivian gasped. “So it’s true.” Her gaze traveled from Jasmine to Rothwell, then back again. “He assaulted you?” Face reddening, she rushed forward and shoved at Rothwell’s back. “Coward! You lied to me! You said—”
With a grunt, he shouldered her off him and pushed her to the ground. She fell with a shout.
“Lady Ravenshaw!” Jasmine rushed to her aid. Rothwell stepped toward the women, fist up to strike—