How to Manage a Marquess by Sally Mackenzie Page A

into you.”
    Oh, hell, the queen of the London gossips. She was likely eavesdropping so intently she didn’t see me. How much did she hear?
    Nate brushed some feather bits off his face and looked down into the woman’s gossip-hungry, beady little eyes.
    â€œI hope the Duke of Hart is well?” she said. “It’s so unusual to see you without him, Lord Haywood.”
    â€œHe’s quite well, Lady Dunlee. Thank you for your concern.”
    â€œHmm.” She turned her attention to Alex. “Everyone was so surprised when the duke stayed in Loves Bridge after he’d dealt with the Spinster House issue. And then he—and both of you—attended the wedding of an assistant steward and a vicar’s daughter! Well, I’m certain you can imagine how tongues started wagging then. I mean, the girl is the Earl of Penland’s niece, but she’s the third of the lot to get married. No one knows why Penland even bothered with it. He missed the last Hutting girl’s nuptials. Do you know why he was there this time?”
    Fortunately she addressed that question to Alex.
    â€œI have no idea, Lady Dunlee. You will have to ask Penland.”
    Her eyes swiveled to regard Nate. “The oldest Miss Hutting is still unmarried, I believe.”
    â€œYes.” He was not going to make it easy for the old crone.
    Lady Dunlee waggled her brows. “Could there be a wedding in her future? A marriage to a certain duke, perhaps? That would be quite the coup. Think how jealous Miss Rathbone and the other London girls will be when they learn that some unknown country miss has snatched the Duke of Hart from them.”
    He wanted to wrap his fingers around Lady Dunlee’s neck and squeeze until her annoying voice was silenced for good. It would be a public service. The ton would thank him.
    Alex laughed, which drew the nasty gossip’s eyes in his direction.
    â€œOh, Lady Dunlee,” Alex said, “haven’t you heard? The woman moved into the Spinster House a couple weeks ago. She plans to live husband-free for the rest of her days.”
    â€œOh?” Lady Dunlee sniffed. Clearly, she did not like Alex’s insinuation that she was unaware of any gossipy detail. “I doubt that will last, not if she has a duke sniffing around her skirts.”
    â€œThe duke is not ‘sniffing around her skirts.’” Nate clasped his hands behind his back to keep from shaking the woman. “And Miss Hutting will not change her mind. In two hundred years, not one spinster has left the Spinster House to marry.”
    â€œOh?” Lady Dunlee smiled much as he imagined that damnable Spinster House cat would before it dispatched a mouse. “And what about the new Duchess of Benton, hmm?”
    Perhaps just this once he could be forgiven for being less than courteous to a female.
    Alex rode to his rescue again. “Well, Lady Dunlee, it took the new duchess twenty years to come round to marrying Benton. In twenty years, you’ll be”—he paused for effect—“too old to care.”
    Lady Dunlee’s feathers trembled with indignation. “Well! I hope you do not mean to imply that I’m advanced in years, Lord Evans.”
    â€œOh, Lady Dunlee, I don’t mean to imply anything.”
    Nate raised his hand to hide his grin. Lady Dunlee looked at Alex with suspicion. She must realize he was insulting her, but the affront was too subtle for her to take exception. Or perhaps she was too vain to fathom that anyone would dare criticize her.
    She sniffed dismissively. “I doubt I’ll have to wait even one year to wish the duke happy. I saw him at the Endover ball last night. He had the distracted look of a man in love”—she smirked—“or in lust.”
    Nate struggled to keep his expression bland and his voice level. “Have you forgotten the curse, madam? The Duke of Hart is only thirty. He’s not about to risk his