Lottie glanced at Carter who squeezed her hand. “Lottie’s mother is Mrs. Danforth.”
All three men stared at her. “Yes. There is a strong resemblance,” Mr. Collins said. Then he looked over at Carter. “You are a brave man, Carter.”
Lottie felt as though she would faint and squeezed Carter’s hand so hard, she was afraid she would break his bones. Then Lord Derby picked up his cup and saluted them. “And a very lucky one, from what I can see. Best wishes to both of you.”
The other two men picked up their cups as well and wished them happiness. And that was the end of the conversation about their marriage and her mother. Lottie was still shaken by the time their food arrived and only picked at the meal, still waiting for some lewd comment to be made.
But they all ate their meal, conversed about various subjects and parted ways.
Shortly after dinner two days after their foray into town, Carter sat at his desk in his office, going over his books. He’d been quite pleased by the response—or lack of response—they’d had with the people they’d met the last couple of days.
True to her word, Lady Edwards-Hughes sent around a note inviting him and Lottie to dinner the following week. As much of an optimist as he was, however, he still felt as though he were waiting for the next shoe to drop.
On Saturday, he planned to bring Lottie, along with Pamela, Addie, and Berkshire to the Assembly, and then church the next morning. He wanted to announce their marriage to one and all so Lottie would not fret all the time.
Milton tapped lightly on the door and opened at his bidding. “Sir, your brother, the Viscount Hastings has called.”
Carter closed the book he’d been working on and stretched his cramped muscles. “Charles is here? Splendid! Show him in.” His brother must have taken the last train from London, so he would make sure to have a room prepared for him.
Right behind Milton, Charles strode into the room. Carter was so happy to see his brother that he almost missed the derision on his face. Almost.
“What brings you here, Charles?” Carter waved to the comfortable chairs near the fireplace where they both settled.
Charles tugged on the cuffs of his jacket and leaned back, his foot resting on his bent knee. “I hear tell in London that my younger brother got married.”
“You hear correctly. I hope you have come to wish me happy.”
“Actually, dear brother, not exactly.”
Carter felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. “And why is that?”
Charles hopped up and leaned his arm on the fireplace mantle. “Because I am hoping I heard wrong. Did you or did you not marry Mrs. Danforth’s daughter?”
The happiness at seeing his brother faded into rising anger. “I married a lovely woman named Miss Charlotte Danvers.”
“Don’t play with me, brother. Did you marry that whore’s daughter?”
Carter rose slowly, his heart pounding and his fist anxious to do some pounding on his brother. “I said I married Miss Charlotte Danvers. Who her family members are has nothing to do with my wife.”
“Are you out of your mind, Carter?” Charles began to pace. “Do you have any idea what being associated with her will do to the fami
ly name? Before you jumped into marriage with the chit did you think about that at all?”
Since Lottie was upstairs in the sitting room next to their bedchamber going over swatches of material for new drapes and bed coverings, the last thing he wanted to do was have her hear his brother. He walked over to the office door and closed it.
“Whom I choose to marry is my own business. When you and Lizzie got caught half undressed in Lord Munthorpe’s library and had a hurry-up wedding, did I criticize you?”
Charles turned and placed his hands on his hips. “I did not marry a light-skirt.”
Before he even had a chance to think about it, Carter swung his fist at his brother and sent him flying, landing on the sofa. “My wife is no light-skirt. She is a gently-reared woman, the product of an exclusive girls’ school in France.”
Charles rubbed his chin. “If you are so very proud of your wife, why did you not invite your family to the wedding? And when were you planning on telling Mother and Father? After the first child arrives in about six months?”
Carter leaped on his brother and they went down, knocking furniture out of the way. They rolled around on the floor, the sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberating throughout the room.
“Stop!” Lottie stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips, watching the two men in horror. “What is going on here?”
Carter gave his brother one last punch to the jaw before climbing to his feet. He wiped the blood streaming from his nose. “Lottie, go back upstairs. This doesn’t concern you.”