The Other Side - J. D. Robb [52]
Deciding to take the bull by the horns, she asked one of the questions on the list Harry had given her on the ride over. “Gentlemen, what are the prospects for Napoleon’s legacy now that he is married to Maria Therese?”
And so the political discussion began. Everyone had an opinion on everything from Lord Byron’s bizarre antics to James Madison’s election as president on the other side of the Atlantic.
The meal passed in a haze of courses, wines, and conversation, and by the time Mrs. Dalton announced that the ladies were leaving, it was well past midnight.
The gentlemen stood as the ladies gathered their reticules and fans. They all laughed while Bettina cringed when the Countess of Fellsborough finished off the last of the wine before standing.
“Mrs. Dalton, you must give the countess the name of your vintner. I have never seen her enjoy the wine so much.”
“I am among friends, am I not?” Harry responded with just the right coy note. “I cannot decide which wine was better. My compliments to the sommelier and our hosts.”
Harry gave a graceful if overdone curtsy to both and was heard to whisper, “I wouldn’t mind some brandy.”
Bettina hoped that Mrs. Dalton did not have any in the salon.
The ladies were no sooner out of the room than the baron jumped up to relieve himself in the chamber pot behind the curtain. As soon as he sat down, another took his turn.
If Bettina had thought that the political discussions would continue, she was dead wrong. As the brandy was passed from man to man, the ribald stories grew more and more coarse. Finally Nick Bright did the favor of calling attention to the quiet Earl of Fellsborough.
“Eh, Harry, we know you are ever faithful to your lovely bride, but surely you have observed something worth sharing regarding Patricia Melton. God knows she wants your attention more than mine or even Dalton’s, and everyone knows what a lover he is.”
They all laughed, and Dalton raised a glass, not denying his rakish habits. “Tell us, Fellsborough, why do you not take advantage of Melton’s charms?”
More than anything Bettina wanted to believe that Harry was faithful and that she could trust him in this. Was the answer to be had right here? “How do you know I have not been with her?”
“Because she would crow about it to everyone she met. Because it is all a game to Mrs. Melton. She wants to ruin every marriage in England.” This from the baron who had proved his wisdom earlier. “If she is not happy, she wants no one to be happy.” He smiled. “And her sexual appetite is prodigious.” He winked again, and everyone laughed.
So Baron Helder knew from experience and handed her the truth. Harry had resisted her advances. Harry was faithful. She joined the others in laughter, and if a tear or two trickled out of her eyes, she could blame it on amusement.
“Patricia Melton should make friends with Lord Osterman,” Bettina added as the laughter faded. “They are well suited.”
The group was silent, and Bettina had the feeling she had said something untoward.
“I must needs remind you, my lord, that Osterman’s name is not mentioned in this house.”
Bettina stood and bowed her apology to the host. “I beg your pardon, Mr. Dalton. The wine confused me.” For all that’s good, Bettina thought, the earl and Osterman were supporting the same bill in Parliament. Did Dalton, with his powerful seat in Commons, favor the opposing view? How could anyone vote against financial support of the army?
Dalton went on. “He has forced his personal attentions where they are not wanted, and he is no longer welcome here.”
Oh, so it was not political at all. “I understand.” Bettina nodded, took a breath, and went on. “But I wonder how your personal concerns balance against the funding bill before Parliament.”
The mention of the needs of the army introduced the subject of politics again, and before long they were in a deep discussion as to who could be counted on to support the government’s desperate need for additional funding and who could be