One Night Scandal

“Exactly. She will need to be near family now.”

And with the rest of her family here, she would go to her mother. It made perfect sense. Only he’d been too foxed for any logic to sink into his alcohol soaked mind. “I need to go to her.”

“And how are you going to convince her to return? What argument will you use that you haven’t already employed?”

Nicholas finally sat down in the chair next to Jennette and thought about her words. What would convince her to return? He’d offered to break his engagement. He had offered to marry her. He’d even told her that he loved her. What more was there?

“I honestly don’t know,” he admitted.

“When I decided to leave England I was running away from everyone. I was terrified that I had ruined Blackburn and my family. I didn’t want anyone to discover where I had gone.” Jennette bit down on her lip.

“What does this have to do with Sophie?”

“She is running as I did but only because she wants to protect your reputation. And possibly the reputation of her brother and sister.”

Nicholas knew far too well that her family’s reputation was important. It was the only reason he hadn’t confronted her father. But in retrospect, that might have been a bad decision. Perhaps he should have gone to Lord Westbury and asked permission to marry Sophie.

He leaned his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. The brandy made his head spin and he needed it to stop so he could think properly. “I don’t give a damn about my reputation. I’ve told her that numerous times.”

“She loves you. She doesn’t want to see you hurt because of her.”

“I know,” he muttered. But he still didn’t know how to get her back. He’d tried everything he could think of. “I don’t know what to do, Jennette.”

“I believe the first thing you should do is break your engagement.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Of course it is,” she replied.

“My father has threatened to harm Emma’s reputation if I do anything to break off the betrothal.” He knew Sophie would be furious if he ruined his daughter’s future because of her.

“What can he do?” she asked quietly.

“Emma might be my daughter”—he paused for a breath—“or she might be my sister. I have no way of knowing. But he will make that public knowledge if I break it off with Miss Littlebury.”

Jennette stood and crossed the room to the window. Drawing back the curtain, she stared outside for a long moment. “You do realize that your father is dying and in eight years when Emma makes her bow, no one will remember what he said. If you continue to tell everyone that she is your daughter, no one will believe him. Most will simply believe he is going mad with his death imminent.”

Nicholas thought about her statement. Would her suggestion really work? There would be talk, but in eight years would anyone of importance remember the scandal? He knew it wasn’t his decision to make.

“You have to convince her that no matter what, you are not giving up on her. Blackburn would have moved to America with me if that was the only way I would have agreed to marry him. You must prove to her that no matter what the issue is, you will be her husband.”

His lips lifted for the first time in several hours. “Are you certain she went to Venice?”

Jennette shrugged. “I can’t be positive. Victoria said Somerton would be gone for a couple of days. If I had to guess, he might know exactly where she went.”

Of course! He should have known Somerton wasn’t off working for the government again. He’d promised Victoria he would quit. Somerton would have insisted on taking Sophie to Portsmouth.

“Very well. I will wait for Somerton.”

Chapter 23

Anthony returned to London with only one thing on his mind. He strode up the steps to the house he despised and then waited for the butler to open the door.

“Good evening, my lord.”

“Is he in?”

“Yes, in his study.”