Flirting With Fortune by Erin Knightley

don’t see his name anywhere.”
    “That’s because you are unfamiliar with the people of the
ton
. If you had spent every last social minute with these people as I have, you would see that Godfrey is as good as labeled. See that distinctive waistcoat? It was what he wore to Mother’s ball. Combine that with the overly dramatic version of his hairstyle and the spot-on expression on his face, and there is no way that’s not him.”
    The page crumpled in Colin’s hands before he realized what he was doing. Carefully releasing his grip, he laid the rumpled magazine on the table before crossing his arms and facing his cousin. “Who would do such a thing? Granted, the man is an ass, but how could someone make a mockery of another in such a public forum? It’s not as though he’s a bloody political figure.”
    “Not uncommon, I’m afraid. The scandal sheets regularly call out ‘Lady D’ and ‘Lord H,’ as if everyone doesn’t know exactly who they are referring to. It’s something of a game in this society.”
    “Bloody hell,” Colin breathed, running a hand through his hair. “Seems as though I am taking a greater risk with my reputation than I realized.”
    Not that it really mattered. If he didn’t find a wife with a hefty dowry in three months’ time, the world would learn of his father’s spectacular business failure and the family reputation would be in tatters anyway. No one wanted to be associated with the utterly bankrupt family of an eccentric painter. Colin harbored no illusions that his father was some sort of national hero. The moment they caught wind of the fact he had died in debt up to his nose, the condemnation would come.
    And Colin should know.
    That was exactly the way he had felt about his father when the solicitors had shown up at his doorstep last month to inform him that his father had mortgaged everything he had in the world, including the estate and everything in it, against the engraving business he’d started last year. The same business, incidentally, that Colin had vehemently advised against. And the same one that, according to the representatives for Father’s investors, had never even turned a half penny’s profit.
    Resentment built deep in his stomach, spilling out into his blood and pumping through his body with every beat of his heart. Father had mortgaged the estate—Colin’s entire inheritance and the only home his siblings had ever known—without ever even telling him. He had told him the money had come from eager investors. Never did he admit that the investors were eager thanks to the massive amount of collateral he’d put up.
    John laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You’ve little other choice, no?”
    “No.”
    “Then carry on as you must. I just thought it best to share with you what you are up against. An invisible foe is much more dangerous than the one you can see. At least now you know to be on the alert. Have a care with how you are perceived.”
    Colin nodded. “Agreed. Thanks for sharing, cousin. It’s always better to be prepared.” If he’d learned nothing else in his past two years at the Inns of Court, he’d certainly learned that. A barrister was only as good as the information he gathered. Well, that and his ability to argue his point the way a dog chewed on a bone.
    As his cousin headed to the sideboard to fill his plate for breakfast, Colin considered the letter and accompanying cartoon. The words of warning would no doubt resonate with the young ladies who read it. It had a distinctly empowering feel to it, as if the author had decided it was high time women took responsibility for their own fates. It was both bold and clever to print such a thing in a fashion magazine—after all, how many men would ever see it?
    Colin leaned back in his chair, considering what, if any, changes should be made to his approach to finding a wife. This article may very well be intended as a guide to females on how