What the bloody hell was Eades doing here? Leo thought that his relationship with Scarlett had been over for months, if not longer. Well, either it was never really over, or he was hoping to rekindle it. Otherwise, why else would the man be here?

A gentleman does not randomly call on a lady for any other reason.

Well, no man except Leo. Naturally.

Leo scowled at the butler, despite the man having no control over their new visitor. Lord Eades came rushing into the room several moments after he was announced. "Scarlett, I—" he began to say, before stopping short at the sight of Leo.

The man literally took two steps back as if Leo had pushed him.

Leo had been working on copying Theo's glare, and it appeared as though it was working.

"Oh," Eades said, "You have company."

"Come join us, Lord Eades," Scarlett purred, not missing a beat. Based on the tone of her voice, she seemed unsurprised by his arrival. Leo honestly hadn't looked at her since Eades had shown up, however, keeping his eyesight on the intruder instead.

The way the man had burst into the room so informally was...telling.

Lord Eades gave a hesitant look around before taking a seat slowly on the settee. He faced Scarlett and Leo, glancing at them with dark brown eyes that matched his short mahogany hair. He wasn't a particularly tall man and appeared to be shrinking back into the cushions.

"Lord Eades," Leo drawled, greeting him with a nod. "How nice it is to see you."

He knew his tone conveyed otherwise.

"Farrington," Eades nodded back. "A pleasure, indeed."

He wasn't fooled.

An uneasy silence followed. A stalemate of sorts.

"To what do I owe this surprise, my lord?" Scarlett asked Eades finally, her hands folded demurely in her lap. She tilted her head with interest, but Leo knew she was attempting to mask the obviousness of the situation.

"I..."

Apparently, Lord Eades was not a quick thinker.

As much as Leo enjoyed watching the viscount squirm, he decided to put him out of his misery.

"I shouldn't wish to intrude upon your visit, Lord Eades," Leo said smoothly. "Even though it seems...titillating. I will see myself out. Scarlett, thank you for the biscuits." He grinned at her, making sure to forgo the use of her title as he spoke. Her eyes flashed darkly at him in return.

"You are quite welcome, Lord Farrington," she ground out.

Scarlett began to stand, but Leo interrupted the motion.

"Like I said, I can see myself out. I wouldn't want to keep you from your guest."

Leo's smile dropped as he looked back toward Lord Eades, his mouth flattening into a thin line as he did. The man coughed a little and glanced away from Leo's gaze.

"Suit yourself, my lord. Have a pleasant day," Scarlett said, smiling brightly at Leo. Too brightly.

She was trying overly hard, and Leo saw right through it. But he did not know what it meant, so he merely nodded in response before striding to the doorway.

Exiting the room, he made his way to the front entrance to her home. Scarlett's grumpy butler was nowhere in sight, so Leo was left searching the closets for his overcoat. By the time he emerged again from that tangled mess, he heard murmured voices coming from the parlor.

Leo froze. He could not tell what they were saying, but perhaps if he crept closer toward the parlor doorway again...No. No, he would not do that. As much as he wished to know the truth of the situation with Eades and Scarlett, he would refrain from eavesdropping like some school girl.

Instead, Leo swiveled around and stormed from Scarlett's home, an onslaught of cold air hitting him as he entered the London backdrop.

The day was sunny, almost mocking Leo's mood. But despite the clarity of the sky, there was a harsh chill in the air.

Leo was frustrated with himself. He truly had gone to see Scarlett out of genuine concern for her wellbeing. Flirting had not even been on his mind when he woke up thinking about her this morning.

Perhaps it was his wellbeing that he should be concerned about. He put a hand up to his forehead. No, he did not feel feverish.

The one time Leo went about caring, and he got dealt a blow like this—Scarlett was still Eades' mistress.

Leo continued walking and was about to cut through Hyde Park when a carriage pulled alongside him. Will popped his head out, and Leo groaned. He did not need his best friend chastising him today.

"How'd you find me?"

"I wasn't exactly looking for you. But you know just as well as I that we live not two blocks from here, so it isn't that coincidental. How is Scarlett today?"

Of course he knew.

"Fine," Leo grunted.

"Fancy a ride home?"

"I'm walking to White's," Leo said grumpily. He kept walking.

"Fancy a ride to White's?"

Leo stopped, turned on his heel, and walked to the carriage door. Yanking it open, Leo hoisted himself inside so quickly that Will nearly had to jump backward.

"I take that as a yes," Will murmured in amusement. He took an annoying moment to survey Leo before hitting the top of the carriage to indicate to the driver that they were ready to leave. Undoubtedly, the driver heard their conversation in regards to their destination.

"It is rather early to go to White's," Will commented finally. "I cannot imagine there will be many people there."

"I'll drink until they arrive, then," Leo said, shrugging.

Will laughed sharply, but the noise soon died away when he realized Leo was serious. His mouth clamped shut as he leaned back in the carriage seat. "Well, look at you being all dramatic. What happened?"

"Scarlett is still with Eades," Leo muttered lowly.

"What? Really?" Will leaned forward.

Leo scowled. "No, I made it up."

"Oh." The other man flopped backward again.

Rolling his eyes, Leo threw up his hands and exclaimed, "Yes, really! Jesus, Will."

Will's eyes grew wide as he stared at Leo.

"What?" Leo finally mumbled.

"You're reacting really strongly to this." Will's voice was low and soft, almost the same as when he talked to Theo's daughter. Leo should care that his best friend was speaking to him as though he were a child, but he was far too busy sulking to bother.

"So?"

"Nothing." Will's eyes lowered, his stunned expression fading away. He began to tap his pointer finger repeatedly on his leg. "Just an, uh, observation."

A few quiet moments later, they pulled up to the gentlemen's club. Leo squinted as he looked at the building, the unusual London sun reflecting off of it. The gleaming white facade was certainly a contrast to the din that was waiting to welcome Leo from within. The overbearing columns that ran between the shiny glass windows gave the building that air of respect that helped make it the most exclusive club in London.

Will got out of the carriage, standing next to Leo on the curb.

"You're coming in with me?" Leo looked at Will with surprise.

His friend lifted one shoulder up in a noncommittal gesture. "I'm already here. Might as well."

"Where were you going when you ran into me?"

Will clapped a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Doesn't matter."

Leo frowned a bit at that. But if Will wished to throw away his plans to drink with him, then he wasn't going to complain. Emilia might have a word to say about it when he got home later, but that wasn't Leo's problem.

Warmth enveloped them as they walked through the polished black door and into the darkened entrance. They were greeted cordially by the attendant, Marcus, who knew them by name.

"Lord Trotten. Lord Farrington. Let me take your coats."

After handing his outerwear over, Leo followed the direct path to their usual spot, weaving through the leather armchairs and gambling tables. It wasn't very bright in the room, despite the hour of the day, and most of the light came from the crackling fire in the corner. The fireplace and accompanying hearth took up most of the far wall.

Leo and Will barely even had the chance to sit when a gentleman approached them. Leo suppressed a groan. This fool would not lighten his mood.

"Remington," Will said lowly.

Lord Remington ignored Will—which was indeed a poor choice considering Will's status in society—and looked to Leo instead.

"Are you here for the bet, Farrington?"

Leo wasn't interested in making any bets today. He only desired to sit in the corner with silence and drink to keep him company. "No," he answered succinctly.

"Really? You do not intend to make a play for Lady Humphries this time?"

Leo twisted his head sharply to look at the man. "What do you mean?" Out of the corner of his eyes, Leo saw Will lean forward as well.

"The bet is back," Remington said with a gleam in his eyes. "Who do you think she will pick this time?"

Leo's stomach dropped, and he jumped up, striding toward Remington until he had backed him into the hightop bar that held teetering bottles of liquor. "Who placed the bet?"

"Lord Symons after the Trotten ball last night." He nodded toward Will. "Symons said that he was the only one that she danced with, so he reckoned he could win her as his mistress."

"Because he practically forced her onto the dance floor," Leo spat.

The other man shrugged and threw his hands up. Leo backed up a step, realizing he was overtaking him.

"I do not know, Farrington," Remington said. "I only know what he said when he put it in the betting book."

"Show me," Leo grunted before following the men to the leatherbound book near the fireplace. It held all sorts of odd bets from over the years, from horse races to other womanly pursuits. Remington opened to the page where Lord Symons made his gentleman's wager.

If it could be called that.

Putting his finger on the parchment, he dragged it down the short list of names that had already paid into the wager, and the total amount was already considerable. Leo's finger came to a stop at the last name.

Lord Eades.

Leo turned slowly to look at Will. "This is why he was there. At her house," he growled. Swiveling back toward the book, Leo snatched the pen lying next to it so he could add his name to the list, but he wasn't quick enough. Will smacked the writing utensil out of Leo's hand.

"What the hell was that for?" Leo spun around, glaring at his friend.

"Can I talk to you?" Will said through gritted teeth before pulling Leo by the shirt sleeve to the chair where they had initially been sitting, leaving Remington behind.

"What?" Leo asked again after Will pushed him down into a leather seat.

"You don't want to do that," Will said evenly.

"I beg to differ," Leo shot back.

"You did not attend to Scarlet today because you wanted to bed her or win some stupid bet. And you weren't upset when Eades showed up at her home because he was going to beat you at something. You were there for an entirely different reason. You were ticked off for an entirely different reason."

Leo scowled and crossed his arms. "I do not follow."

"It isn't about the bet anymore, Leo. You want her. You care for her."

He scowled deeper, not knowing what to say in response. But his silence only allowed Will to open his stupid mouth and talk more.

"You do not need to put your name down for some ridiculous wager to get what you want."

"Well, it worked pretty well for Eades last time," Leo grumbled, sinking further into his chair.

"It had nothing to do with it," Will said. "It isn't like Scarlett had any idea about the bet. Thank goodness."

"Then what does it hurt?" Leo asked. "These other blokes need to back off."

"And you think they will after they see your name there." Will nodded, coming to some sort of an agreement. Leo saw it in Will's eyes. With Will and Theo off the market, Leo was easily the most sought after gentleman for marriage, affairs, or even backyard trysts. Plus, it wasn't precisely a secret that Leo had been growing closer to Scarlett for a while now.

And other men generally did not mess with Lord Farrington, whose connections spread to the most influential people in British society.

"Leo, have you considered that perhaps Scarlett does not mind the attention? I mean, she chose to be Eades' mistress. Perhaps she is looking for someone else now anyway."

"You did not see her face when Symons approached her last night, Will. She was very adamant that she wasn't interested in dancing with anyone, and then the bastard dragged her onto the dance floor anyway."

Will shook his head before mimicking Leo and sinking down into his chair. He motioned to the bartender to bring them drinks. "Well, I'll leave it up to you. But I should hate for Scarlett to find out."

Leo pulled at the ends of his strands of hair, still simmering with frustration. The competition for Scarlett's affections just increased tenfold, and he didn't like the idea of her being on the receiving end of unwanted attention like with Symons. And the only way he knew how to beat them...was to join them.

"Don't worry," Leo grumbled to Will. "She won't know about the bet."

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