“WHY is it, I wonder, that you notice the minute she leaves the room with someone?”

Nicholas swung around to meet the level gaze of Anthony Malory. “Following me, my lord?” he asked.

“No point in staying now that the entertainment is over,” Anthony replied agreeably. “And a grand show it was too. Only ten minutes gone, and off you go too. Bad effect that.”

Nicholas glared at him. “I’m surprised you didn’t follow her to make sure Fowler takes her right home. Isn’t that what a good watchdog would do?”

Anthony chuckled. “Whatever for? She will do what she wants to do, no matter what I say. And I trust her more with Fowler than I do with you”—he paused and cleared his throat—“even if he was one of the chaps after her last season. If he doesn’t take her right home, well, you can’t very well blame him, can you? You’re doing your best to give these young bucks the impression she’s still available.” He waited a moment. “Aren’t you?”

Nicholas’ eyes flared. “If you take exception to my behavior, you know what you can do about it.”

“Indeed,” Anthony said coldly, all humor gone in an instant. “If I didn’t think Reggie would make a fuss about it, I’d see you in the ring quickly enough. When she stops defending you, we’ll make that appointment—you may depend upon it.”

“You’re a bloody hypocrite, Malory.”

Anthony shrugged. “Yes, I am, when one of my own is involved. You know, Montieth, Jason may think highly of you, but Jason knows only the more positive aspects of your character. He doesn’t know what you’re trying to do, but I do.”

“Do you?”

They stopped talking as Percy came in. Anthony left the scowling Nicholas, and Percy approached his friend sympathetically. “So you’ve had another run-in with him, have you?”

“Something like that,” Nicholas bit out.

Percy shook his head. Nicholas’ problem was that he rarely had any opposition in his life. He was big enough and reckless enough that no one cared to match words with him, let alone fight him. Now he had Lady Ashton’s relatives forcing their collective will on him, and the frustration was doing him in.

“You shouldn’t take it so hard, Nick. You’ve just never come up against anyone as formidable as yourself before, and now you’ve got a whole passel.” When Nicholas did not reply, he went on, “It’ll be better once you’re married.”

“Bloody hell!” Nicholas swore. He left Percy and went to fetch his cloak.

Nicholas took a deep breath of the night air as he stepped outside to await his carriage, which was across the street. Then he took another deep breath. It did not calm him.

“Wait up, Nick.” Percy came down the stairs. “It might help if you talk to a friend.”

“Not tonight, Percy, I’m on the short end of my temper.”

“Because of Malory?” Nicholas grunted. “Oh, it’s because she left with Georgie, then, is that it?”

“She can leave with whomever she bloody well pleases, for all I care!”

“Gad, don’t eat me,” Percy protested, backing away a little. “Old George is really… not actually harmless, but… well, dash it all, she’s engaged to you. She—” He saw he was only making matters worse. “I don’t believe it. Can the unfeeling Montieth really and truly be jealous for a change?”

“Of course I’m not jealous,” Nicholas snapped. “I simply hoped tonight would be the end of it.”

Except that he had seen red, dark red, when George Fowler put his hand to Regina’s elbow. Fowler was young, he was handsome, and damn Malory for saying he had been after Regina last season!

“What the devil are you talking about, Nick? End of what?”

“This farce of an engagement. You didn’t really think I would marry the girl just because I was browbeaten into agreeing to it?”

Percy whistled softly. “So that’s what you were doing, sniffing round Mrs. H. I knew she wasn’t your type.” Nicholas shook his head. “But I thought you were trying to make your lady jealous.”

“Furious, enough to jilt me. It’s not the first time I’ve chased after another skirt with her there watching. I even gave my full attention to Selena, as disgusted as I am with her. But Regina has not spoken up about it once.”

“Maybe the girl loves you,” Percy said simply—“

“I don’t want her love, I want her hate,” Nicholas growled. Now, he told himself, not after he was used to her love, had come to depend on it and returned it. He couldn’t bear her hate then.

“Well, you’re in a fine pickle. What if she doesn’t break off with you? Will you jilt her?”

Nicholas looked skyward. “I gave my word I’d marry her.”

“Then you might end up doing just that.”

“I know.”

“Would it be so bad?”

He was afraid it would be heaven, but he wasn’t going to say that to Percy. His carriage pulled up to the curb then and he asked, “Do me a favor, Percy? Go back in there and give my future in-law a message for me. Tell him he had better have a talk with his niece about who she lets take her home.” He chuckled. “If he thinks it matters to me, he might redouble his own efforts to get her to jilt me. If nothing else, the message will irritate him. That makes me happy.” And he did look better.

“Thanks much, old man. He’s liable to take my head off, getting a message like that,” Percy said.

“Depend upon it.” Nicholas smiled. “But you’ll do it for me anyway, won’t you? That’s a good fellow.”

Nicholas laughed at the expression on Percy’s face, and waved as his carriage moved down the driveway.

It took only a moment for his good humor to flee. Tonight was proof that he couldn’t take much more of Regina’s presence. Her touch alone had brought him to his knees. Damnation! He had tried staying away from her as much as possible, but while that was more comfortable, it didn’t change his predicament. They were still, in fact, engaged.

“End of the road, mate,” broke into his reverie.

Mate? From his staid driver?

Nicholas glanced out the window and saw, not his house, but trees close at hand. Nothing but dismal black lay beyond. How had he been so preoccupied as not to know he was being taken outside London to the countryside? Or was he in one of London’s huge parks? If so, it might as well be the bloody countryside for all the traffic that might pass at night.

What the devil had Malory done, hired a thug to deal with him so Anthony could swear to Regina that he had not touched Nicholas? He could just see her uncle laughing about it with his friends.

Nicholas smiled grimly. This was one way to let off steam. Why hadn’t he thought of it himself?