“Cousin Francesca.” Hand over his heart, Osbert shook her hand, then bowed and shook Honoria’s.
“Just saw Carnegie move off.” Osbert glanced back, then stepped closer. “Not a nice man.”
“No, indeed,” Honoria agreed. “I was just telling Francesca…” She gestured vaguely.
“Quite.” Osbert nodded, then decided Carnegie was too dark a subject for discussion in such company; the way his face suddenly lit made that clear. “I say! I’ve just been hearing about the latest production at the Theatre Royal.”
Osbert was never vague about anything to do with verbal performance. He kept them entertained for the next ten minutes with a vivid account of Mrs. Siddons’s latest triumph. Amused, Francesca listened, aware Gyles was watching, aware of what he would be thinking, yet despite his dismissiveness, he didn’t disapprove of Osbert.
Indeed, Osbert had become her cavalier. He attended the majority of functions they did and was always ready to put himself out to amuse and entertain her. If she ever needed an escort, and Gyles was not to hand, she would take Osbert’s arm without a qualm. And if she was starting to suspect that Osbert claimed her company at least in part as a defense against the mothers who still had him in their sights, she was happy to keep that suspicion to herself.
Osbert was too much of a dear to throw to the lions.
“Well, well-how the mighty have fallen.”
Gyles drew his gaze from his wife, and fastened it on Devil as he lounged beside him. “You can talk.”
Devil glanced across the room at Honoria, and shrugged. “It comes to us all.” He grinned wickedly. “Am I allowed to say ‘I told you so’?”
“No.”
“Still in denial, are we?”
“One can but try.”
“Give it up. It’s hopeless.”
“Not yet.”
Devil snorted. “So-what’s the real reason you’re standing here propping up the wall?”
Gyles made no attempt to answer.
Devil shot him a measuring glance. “Actually, I wanted to ask-what are the chances of your cousin Osbert inheriting these days?”
“Few and diminishing.”
“And when might those chances vanish?”
Gyles frowned. “Midsummer. Why?”
“Hmm-so you’ll be up for the Season?”
“I expect so.”
/>
“Good.” Devil met Gyles’s gaze. “We’re going to need to push harder with those bills if we’re to succeed.”
Gyles nodded. He looked at their wives. “It’s occurred to me that we might be missing an opportunity to persuade some of our peers to our cause.”
Devil followed his gaze. “You think so?”
“Francesca understands the salient points as well as I.”
“So does Honoria.”
“Well, why not? While in town, they spend the better half of their days talking with the other wives. Why shouldn’t they steer the conversation-introduce the notion, plant seeds and nurture them-all in a good cause?”