Her Favorite Duke (The 1797 Club #2)(36)

And Meg wanted to feel compassion for the woman. But right now all she felt was a desire to escape her censure and her anger.

“You are overwrought,” Meg said firmly. “And perhaps you’ve had too much punch.”

“I am not overwrought,” the other woman muttered. “I just don’t like to see someone grab for everything in the world because she thinks she can just take, take, take. My only consolation is that this scandal is so desperate that you may never recover. And when they whisper about you, I shall be the first one to tell them what I observed with my own two eyes.”

“That is enough.”

Both women turned and Meg’s cheeks flamed bright. The Earl of Idlewood was now standing just at her side, glaring down at Miss Carlton. He was an old friend of James, Simon and Graham, one of their club of dukes. In fact, he was the only one who hadn’t yet inherited his ultimate title.

Meg knew him, of course, for he had visited her brother many times over the years. They had always been cordial. But since the incident with Graham, she had sometimes felt his eyes on her…judging. Idlewood was loyal, and she sensed he condemned her on her lack of that quality.

“Lord Idlewood,” Miss Carlton said, her gaze darting away. “I did not see you there.”

“I would wager not, or you would not have said such wretched things,” Idlewood said softly. “Walk away now and go back to your mother. I’d also suggest you start planning on how you’re to tell her.”

“Tell her?” Miss Carlton squeaked out.

Idlewood arched a brow. “When the Duke of Abernathe finds out you were attacking his sister, your invitations to many events are going to disappear. I assume you’ll need to tell your mother why. Now run along.”

Miss Carlton’s lips pressed together tightly and then she turned and walked across the room. Meg let out the breath she hadn’t even known she was holding and glanced up at Idlewood.

“Thank you,” she said. “For coming to my aid.”

He looked down at her, and there was still a dismissive air to him as he sniffed, “I could not allow the sister of one of my closest friends to be spoken to in that manner.”

Meg swallowed. “Even if you agree with the words being said?”

Idlewood’s jaw went tense and he stared off into the crowd. She realized he was looking at Simon, and there was regret on his face.

“I, unlike Miss Carlton, recognize the situation is far more complicated than a mere compromising position.” He shook his head slowly. “Are you going to tell Abernathe what she said to you? If you won’t, I will.”

Meg’s lips parted. “I appreciate your desire to stand up for me, despite your misgivings about my character. But Miss Carlton is already in a precarious position. You were right when you said that James would be angry if he heard she talked to me like that. I don’t want to be responsible for her losing any chances in Society.”

Idlewood’s brow wrinkled. “You’d let it pass?”

She nodded. “I would. I do. She…liked Simon. I certainly cannot blame her for that. Desperation makes people do things they might regret later.”

She glanced once more at Simon and found he was looking back at her at last. She was drawn in immediately. How many times had he stared at her across how many rooms just like this? And she had stared back, telling herself that he only saw her in friendship, that her own feelings were just fleeting foolishness that would fade if she tried to ignore them hard enough.

None of that had been true. Now she understood better. Now she saw the longing in Simon’s eyes, she felt it calling back to him from herself. She realized it had always been that way, their souls reaching out toward each other from whatever distance was between them. Her heart ached at the thought of it, of what they’d almost lost, of what they’d had to sacrifice. And it ached because she wasn’t certain Simon would ever allow himself to be happy because of that sacrifice.

“You do not deserve censure,” Idlewood said softly.

She looked up at him once more, surprised by his words and the gentler tone with which he said them. “No?”

“As I said, it is more complicated, isn’t it?”

She nodded and then motioned her head toward Simon. “And what about him? Does he deserve censure?”

Idlewood lowered his gaze. “Did Crestwood tell you about our encounter in the billiard room?”

She stiffened. “Simon has not spoken to me tonight. I had no idea you’d had some kind of argument. But I have eyes—I can see how you look at me, at him. There are sides being taken here, aren’t there, in your circle of friends? And you are separating yourself from Simon.”

“There were other ways for what has happened to happen,” Idlewood said. “Ways that would have been less damaging. But—”

He cut himself off and Meg stepped closer. “But?”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so harsh to him. Crestwood is abusing himself enough for both of us. For all of us.”

Meg winced. Yes, that was exactly what he was doing. Punishing himself for what he had done, for who he had betrayed. She looked at Simon again and found he was still watching her. And in that moment, she knew what she had to do. Reach out to him because he did not feel worthy of doing it first.

He needed comfort and she wanted to comfort him.