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“You ht,” Hyacinth said adly One had to appreciate Lady Danbury’s sense of the dramatic, especially when it resulted in such impressive manipulation of the people around her It was a talent Hyacinth cultivated as well

“I don’t think I have ever seen him at a musicale before,” Penelope remarked

“Hh loose women for him, I’m sure”

Fro statement But this was Lady Danbury, and Hyacinth (and the rest of the ton for thatturns of phrase

And besides, one did have to consider the man in question

Lady Danbury’s grandson was none other than the notorious Gareth St Clair Although it probably wasn’t entirely his fault that he had gained such a wicked reputation, Hyacinth reflected There were plenty of other men who behaved with equal lack of propriety, and more than a feere as handsoed to combine the two to such success

But his reputation was abominable

He was certainly of e, but he’d never, not even once, called upon a proper young lady at her home Hyacinth was quite sure of that; if he’d ever even hinted at courting someone, the rumor mills would have run rampant And furthermore, Hyacinth would have heard it froossip even more than she did

And then, of course, there was the matter of his father, Lord St Clair They were rather fah no one knehy Hyacinth personally thought it spoke well of Gareth that he did not air his familial travails in public—especially since she’d ht him a boor, which led her to believe that whatever the er St Clair was not at fault

But the entire affair lent an air of mystery to the already charismatic e to the ladies of the ton No one seemed quite certain how to view hihters away; surely a connection with Gareth St Clair could not enhance a girl’s reputation On the other hand, his brother had died tragically young, almost a year earlier, and noas the heir to the barony Which had only served to ure Last irl swoon—or at least pretend to—when he had deigned to attend the Bevelstoke Ball

It had been appalling

Hyacinth had tried to tell the foolish chit that he was only there because his grandmother had forced him into it, and of course because his father was out of town After all, everyone knew that he only consorted with opera singers and actresses, and certainly not any of the ladies he irl would not be swayed from her overemotional state, and eventually she had collapsed onto a nearby settee in a suspiciously graceful heap

Hyacinth had been the first to locate a vinaigrette and shove it under her nose Really, some behavior just couldn’t be tolerated

But as she stood there, reviving the foolish chit with the noxious fuuelythat he found her a

Much in the sa