Regency Collection 2013 Part 1. Louise Allen

you might be able to make love to a lady when semi-conscious, Randall—’ it was the tall man again, his voice contemptuous ‘—but the rest of us lesser mortals would find it a challenge. Lord Allerton appears to have a justifiable grievance. I would suggest you apologise.’

      ‘Apologise? To that coal-hewer’s son? Look at him, he is obviously a brawling drunk—see the bruises on him!’

      ‘You should see the other fellow.’ Jack could not resist the cheap jibe. ‘Lord Dovercourt’s rather ordinary looks have not been improved by the loss of his front teeth.’

      ‘Dovercourt?’

      ‘Indeed. He was foolish enough to repeat some of the offensive remarks you have made about a certain lady.’

      ‘For heaven’s sake, Randall, apologise. And I suggest you give your word not to make any further remarks about the lady to boot,’ the tall gentleman suggested disdainfully.

      ‘To hell with you and your meddling, Gledhill, I’ll do no such thing.’

      ‘Coward,’ Jack said softly.

      ‘I’ll not be insulted by the likes of you!’ Randall was white to the lips now. Even his friends were looking doubtfully at him.

      ‘Well, it certainly appears to be very difficult to achieve.’ It was also increasingly difficult to keep his hands off the man’s throat. ‘I have never attempted to insult a lily-livered coxcomb before. I had no idea it would be such an effort. Apologise or name your friends.’

      ‘I’ll not fight a coal merchant. Gentlemen do not duel with riff-raff.’

      ‘You can fight me here and now,’ Jack offered, regarding his clenched right fist with its grazed knuckles thoughtfully. ‘You can name your friends. Or you can walk out of here leaving five sober witnesses to your cowardice. Which is it to be?’

      It seemed to Jack that the four onlookers were holding their breath, then, ‘Damn you. Fellthorpe, Dunsford—will you act for me?’

      They nodded, muttering their agreement, looking none too happy about it. Jack realised he had landed himself in a fix with no one to ask to second him, then Lord Gledhill stepped forward.

      ‘I’ll act for you, my lord. Webster?’ The remaining man nodded curtly.

      ‘Aye. Bad business, best kept amongst ourselves. Give Gledhill your direction, my lord, we will call on you tomorrow.’

      Randall swept out of the room without looking back, his seconds on his heels. Jack nodded to Gledhill. ‘I thank you for that. I am putting up at the Bull and Mouth. May I offer you gentlemen breakfast in the morning?’

      ‘You most certainly may. Noon? I suggest you give us a few moments, Allerton, before you reappear.’ He smiled. ‘Enjoy the ball.’

      ‘Phew.’ Jack looked round the empty room, assessing the various frail pieces of furniture, and sat down on the chaise. That had been achieved with less public fuss than he had feared; now all that remained was to attempt to get out of this alive—and without killing Randall either. Putting a period to his lordship’s existence might be tempting, but exile abroad most certainly was not.

      Jack scooped up a few bonbons and absently put one in his mouth while running through what he now had to do. His will was in order, that was one mercy. Then he must write a letter to his mother to leave with his seconds, just in case.

      Then … ‘You bastard!’

      Chapter Thirteen

      ‘Lily.’ He was on his feet in a small shower of sweetmeats. ‘Lily, what on earth are you doing in here?’

      ‘This.’ The slap across his face rocked him back on his heels. ‘I could think of all kinds of perfectly good reasons why you should not wish to marry me, but I did at least think you would have the courage to tell me if you did not consider me good enough for you, my lord.’

      She looked magnificent, her green eyes blazing, her cheeks full of colour, her breast heaving, but Jack was in no mood to admire the effect.

      ‘Lily, for God’s sake—’

      ‘Do not blaspheme,’ she stormed, putting him squarely in the wrong. ‘How you must have laughed up your sleeve when I told you I wanted to marry a lord! Why could you not have told me then, before I made any more of a fool of myself than I already had? Or were you too afraid I would make a dead set at you?’

      ‘I was not using my title in London. I had every hope of remaining undetected. If I found a suitable investor, I would have had to admit who I really was, but do you think I wanted it advertised all around the place that the Earl of Allerton was so poor as to have to seek money in that way?’

      ‘Which way? Asking rich cits and merchants like my family to be investors in your mine? How humiliating for you to even have to speak to that class of person. How lowering to be reduced to propositioning us for our money. How you must have looked down your nose at my trustees. And how high and mighty you are with your tumbledown castle and your out-at-elbow coats, my lord. The likes of Lord Randall would marry me.’

      ‘But then I am not the likes of him, I am glad to say.’ He wanted to shake her, kiss her, hold her … Infuriating woman, meddling everywhere. ‘Lily, how on earth do you come to be here?’

      ‘I was listening from behind the screen.’ She gestured angrily at it. ‘Do not try and change the subject. You turned me down because you consider me vulgar and underbred. You might at least have told me the truth and then I would not have had to humiliate myself—’

      ‘You humiliate yourself?’ Jack found he was losing his temper and suddenly did not care. He had just put his life on the line for this woman he loved and all she could do was storm at him. ‘You make me a patronising offer like Lady Bountiful; you inform me that once your money has turned the situation around I will be able to buy myself a title; you instruct me in how to grovel to a corrupt system to buy favour; you map out my future career in politics for me; and you expect me to accept with gratitude. Well, let me tell you, Lily France, I would never take that from you, not because I am an earl, but because I am a man and I have my pride and I have my honour. I would not be your petticoat pensioner if I was at my last crust.’

      She stared at him in fulminating silence, then, ‘How did you get in here, to this ball?’

      ‘I wrote to her Grace, reminding her that she was my mother’s godmother and begging the privilege of an invitation, as I found myself unexpectedly in town.’

      ‘You are well connected, my lord.’ Lily made it sound like an insult. ‘I am sure her Grace will be delighted to have received a man who looks as though he has just staggered out of a tavern brawl, and who promptly starts another one in her ball room.’

      ‘I did not start a brawl here and I imagined—obviously foolishly—that you would be glad that I floored Lord Dover-court on your account, even if it was in a tavern.’

      ‘What you do in taverns, my lord, is entirely your affair. Good evening. You can leave by that door over there. At least you will not be seen.’

      ‘I have no intention of leaving, Miss France. I came here to enjoy the ball, and I fully intend doing just that. Might I suggest that you take that door yourself? It would not do to appear to be engaging in clandestine assignations, now would it?’

      Something very like a growl emerged from Lily’s throat, then she turned in a swish of skirts and stalked back towards the screen. An impression that had been niggling at the back of Jack’s mind surfaced. ‘Lily?’

      ‘What now?’

      ‘Have you changed your hairstyle?’

      ‘Oh! You … you man, you!’ She seized the nearest weapon, a bowl brimming with bonbons, and threw it with remarkable accuracy at his head. Ducking in a shower of fine