Brushed by Scandal by Gail Whitiker

woman who needs constant attention. Sadly, he is just the latest on a very long list of conquests.’
    ‘I know, but that doesn’t make it any better,’ Anna said ruefully. ‘And it certainly doesn’t excuse what he did.’
    ‘Love makes its own excuses. It has ever been thus.’
    ‘Perhaps, but what disturbs me the most is that he truly
believed
she loved him.’
    ‘He will get over it,’ Barrington said with a smile. ‘He is a young man and all young men must fall in love with at least one unsuitable woman in their life. It is a rite of passage. Useful in teaching us what to watch out for when we
do
finally go looking for a wife.’
    Her smile was a reluctant twisting of her lips. ‘I wish I could be as convinced of that as you, but when I see him suffering…’
    ‘Women pine for love not found while men suffer from love already lost. It is our Achilles’ heel, if you will. And for what it’s worth, I suspect Rand was more in love with the idea of
being
in love than he was with the actual act of loving,’ Barrington said, hoping to ease her guilt. ‘By all accounts, he liked to read to her and she enjoyed listening to him.’
    He saw a tiny smile lift the corners of her mouth. ‘Peregrine has a lovely speaking voice. Not as mellifluous as yours, of course, but I expect he would have done well on the stage.’
    She liked his voice.
There was really no reason the compliment should have meant anything to him, but it did. Strange the things a man clung to. ‘Regardless, I think it little more than a case of boyish infatuation. Lady Yew is a beautiful woman. She was probably flattered that a good-looking man so much younger than she would find her attractive and offered more encouragement than she should.’
    ‘For all the good it did either of them,’ Anna said with an edge to her voice. ‘But I
am
sorry, Sir Barrington. You told me that collecting information was what you did and you obviously do it very well. I will not be so foolish as to doubt you again.’
    Barrington inclined his head, wondering why he felt as though she was saying goodbye. ‘With luck, there will be no occasion for us to find ourselves in a situation like this again.’
    Then she smiled and, with her very next words, confirmed his suspicions. ‘I suppose not. In fact, given what we know of each other, I doubt our paths will have any reason to cross again.’
    * * *
    As expected, the baroness’s introduction to London society was a complete success and doors that had been closed to her in the past were suddenly thrown open with abandon. Society embraced her with the fervour of a shepherd welcoming home a long-lost lamb and gentlemen flocked to her side, eager to secure favour.
    Because she was seen to be such good friends with Lady Bessmel and the daughters of the Earl of Cambermere and the Marquess of Bailley, her name constantly appeared high on the list of society events, both intimate and grand. Not surprisingly, Anna’s brother and father were frequent visitors to Julia’s afternoon salons, though the earl was very careful not to do anything that might result in scandal being attachedto her name. He never stayed longer than was appropriate, or tried to take up too much of her time. But it was noted and remarked upon, after several society gatherings where both were in attendance, that the widowed Earl of Cambermere was evidencing a marked partiality for the company of the beautiful Baroness von Brohm.
    Naturally, Julia was delighted with all the attention, but Anna noticed that she, too, was careful not to indicate a preference for any one gentleman over another, perhaps because she was still clinging to the memory of her late husband. But she was a gracious and entertaining guest, and though her list of contacts grew by the day, she never forgot that it was Anna’s kindness that had originally launched her into society.
    As such, she decided to hold a dinner party in Anna’s honour, inviting, along with the rest of her