Silk and Scandal by Regina Carlysle

most charming smile. “I am searching for Lord Grayson. We have some business.”
    Bushy gray brows rose as Wills gestured to the reading room. “In there, nose buried in The Times, no doubt.”
    Thanking the man, Nicholas made his way in that direction and spotted Lord Henry immediately. He was settled in a deep leather chair, a cup of steaming tea at his elbow, perusing not The Times but The Public Ledger. The Ledger was a business publication filled with information on shipping and the prices of foreign merchandise on the London market.
    As he moved closer, the gentleman must have sensed his presence. Gazing over the top of the paper, he smiled at Nicholas.
    “Well, Your Grace,” Henry said. “Fancy seeing you here, as I was just reading about your coup.”
    “My coup?”
    Henry gestured to a chair. Nicholas obliged and ordered a cup of strong coffee from a manservant. Relaxing in the comfort of deep, soft leather, he crossed his riding boots at the ankle and regarded the older man with a lift of his brow. “My coup, Lord Henry?”
    Henry laughed. “Yes, dear boy. I have just been reading with interest the financial success you’ve had with your last shipment of goods from China. My, what adventures you must have had there.”
    “It is an exciting place, but still, it is good to be home.”
    Turning serious, Henry looked him in the eye. “Once again, The London Museum thanks you for the generous gift. As a member of the board, I am sure I speak for all of us.”
    “Ah, the silk and jade artifacts.”
    “Quite. It is a superb collection and very generous.”
    “I was delighted to make the donation.”
    Nicholas’s coffee was served, the aroma adding to the scents of leather and tobacco that permeated the room. He took a bracing sip of the brew. Sighing with pleasure, he leaned back and studied the man who would, if matters worked out, become his father-in-law. Though Eliza was a model for everything feminine, her resemblance to Lord Henry was readily apparent. Both possessed proud, aristocratic features and blue eyes that could turn fierce at a moment’s notice.
    “I am sure your time in the Orient was fascinating,” Henry was saying.
    “Yes, it was. I shall be sure to tell you all about it one day, yet there are other more fascinating things which I should like to discuss with you.”
    When Lord Henry gave him a knowing look, Nicholas smiled and continued. “More precisely, sir, I wish to discuss a rather fascinating young woman.”
    “Ah, I see. I assume you speak of my daughter. Once again, I must thank you for what you did for Eliza last week.” Henry shook his head. “The mere thought of losing her, too, quite simply terrified us both. In fact, Lady Grayson took to her bed after the accident occurred.”
    “No accident.”
    Henry’s hand fisted on the table, and Nicholas noted the flush of red on his cheeks. “Quite right. No accident, but the evil doings of Stanhope. If only I could prove it was he, yet for all anyone knows he hired the deed done. Blast it! Will our family ever be rid of him?”
    “Not if Eliza does not learn to curb her loose tongue.”
    “Damnation! I know what she is about and I have warned her repeatedly not to taunt him further with her accusations. You must understand, though. Eliza’s feelings run very deep.”
    “Tell me. I would know her better.”
    “Not much to tell really, but the truth. Having convinced all of us that this was a love match, Edward married Charlotte. How could it have been otherwise? Charlotte was a sweet, darling innocent, who had her choice of any young buck of the Ton. A diamond of the first water, as is Eliza.”
    A diamond of the first water. Oh, yes. Most definitely.
    “How did Eliza feel about their marriage?”
    “Quite thrilled actually. She wanted Charlotte to be loved, to have her heart’s desire, and Edward seemed to be just that. Almost immediately after the marriage, Lottie changed. A strange shyness overtook her personality,