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Lord St Clair had turned very red in the face, then hissed so no better than he should be Gareth hadn’t been exactly certain to what his father had been referring, and the baron had been drunk, in any case But it had left him with one powerful certainty—

Eventually, the other shoe was going to drop When Gareth least expected it, or perhaps, now that he’d grown so suspicious, precisely when he most suspected it But as soon as Gareth attee in his life, to move forward, to move up…

That hen the baron would make his move Gareth was sure of it

And his world was going to co down

“Mr St Clair?”

Gareth blinked and turned to Hyacinth Bridgerton, who in favor of his own thoughts “So sorry,” heher the slow and easy smile that seemed to work so hen he needed to placate a fe”

At her dubious expression, he added, “I do think from time to time”

She smiled, clearly despite herself, but he counted that as a success The day he couldn’t ive up on life and move to the Outer Hebrides

“Under normal circumstances,” he said, since the occasion seemed to call for polite conversation, “I would ask if you enjoyed the musicale, but somehow that seems cruel”

She shifted slightly in her seat, which was interesting, since e to hold the her the better for her restless energy; he, too, was the sort to find hiainst a tabletop when he didn’t realize it

He watched her face, waiting for her to reply, but all she did was look vaguely uncomfortable Finally, she leaned forward and whispered, “Mr St Clair?”

He leaned in as well, giving her a conspiratorial quirk of his brow “Miss Bridgerton?”

“Would you mind terribly if we took a turn about the room?”

He waited just long enough to catch herover her shoulder with the tiniest of nods Lord Sohtly in his chair, a

nd his copious forht up next to Hyacinth