"What are you playing at, Leo?" Will's voice hissed behind him.

"I'm playing cards, Trotten," Leo ground out.

"Not what I meant, and you know it," Will mumbled, but sidled up next to Leo at the table anyway.

Eades didn't seem to notice their exchange, too busy with drowning himself in his glass of liquor. Cards were dealt at the table for a game of whist. Leo and Will readied themselves to face off against Eades and another bloke by the name of Atwood.

The play was quiet. Leo didn't say anything when he won the first trick. And he didn't say anything when Eades won the second. But on the third round, Leo began, "So I heard that you've some opinions on the opera last night, Eades."

Eades raised a brow before carefully selecting a card to play. "Why yes." He threw down a king of spades. "I thought it was an intriguing performance of a rogue."

"I wasn't talking about Don Giovanni," Leo said dryly.

"Neither was I," Eades quickly countered. "I thought we were speaking of you in the royal box with Lady Humphries."

Leo thought he heard Theo chuckle lowly behind him. He ought to kick the man.

"I daresay, it isn't quite fair of you to use your connections to gain favor with the lady," Eades continued, nodding toward Will and Theo.

It was quiet for a moment. Scarlett wasn't connected to the royal family because of Leo, but none of them could mention that without bringing forth further questions that could lead to secrets they couldn't tell.

Leo cleared his throat. "Who said I was trying to gain favor with the lady?"

Eades flashed an incredulous look.

"I am not part of this bet as you boys are," Leo added.

Not gentlemen. Merely boys.

Shaking his head, Eades pursed his lips for a moment before replying. "Everyone knows you are trying to gain her favor regardless. And you make to mock us, but it isn't as though you haven't joined such a wager before, Farrington."

Leo considered that. "True. But no longer."

"And why is that?" Eades asked, laying his cards down to scrutinize Leo. "Do you toy with the lady just for fun, then?"

"Toy with her?" Leo repeated, indignant. He laid his cards down as well. "You forget yourself, Eades. I am not the one who used her and then discarded her as if she was nothing."

"You speak of what you do not understand, Farrington." Eades still hadn't picked his cards back up. He was glaring at Leo with a hard glint, and his lips had flattened into a tight line. 

But Leo was far from done. Lord Eades had taken Scarlett as a mistress but hadn't even bothered to care for her in a way that she deserved. Today Leo realized that her household was clearly lacking absolute essentials, and it hadn't been that long since Scarlett and Eades' relationship had ended.

"I do not understand why you think she'd go back to you a second time," Leo said.

Eades stared blankly. And then a little sneer appeared on his face. "I think we both know why."

Leo's fingertips gripped the edge of the table, trying to keep himself balanced even though he felt his blood rising. "Clearly you are using her to win a few pounds if the only reason you want her back is because of a wager," Leo said through gritted teeth.

"But the lady doesn't know that, does she?" Atwood cut in. "So why should she not return to his bed?"

Leo felt a hand on his shoulder, either from Will or Theo. He wasn't certain if it was meant to be a warning or a reassurance, but regardless, he ignored it. Because the next words out of Lord Eades' mouth solidified the other man's fate.

"Everyone knows that Lady Humphries is merely the ton's favorite harlot. She's nothing more than a—"

Leo's hands acted of their own accord, releasing the grip they had on the table and swinging up to hit Eades in the face. His right fist connected with Eades' cheek, his left connecting with the man's nose. He wasn't sure what Eades had been going to say, but he hadn't been interested in hearing it.

Leo heard a shocked exclamation come out of Atwood's mouth as Eades dropped his head into his hands, blood running in rivulets through his fingers. Despite the anger reeling through him, a feeling of satisfaction settled on Leo as he sat back on his heels, watching momentarily.

When Eades finally lifted his head up, his eyes were sharp as they hovered over the bloodied hand that still covered most of his face. They flicked across the table toward Leo, who took the opportunity to lean forward. "I was always taught that gentlemen should never speak of ladies in such a way. I suppose that's the difference in breeding, though."

"What the devil, Farrington?" Atwood hollered. "Christ, we all know that Lady Humphries isn't truly a lady any longer."

Before Leo could react, another hand landed on his shoulder, and he saw Will taking a step toward Atwood.

"I always took you for a more intelligent man, Atwood. But apparently, you are also seeking a broken nose?" Will tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms. It was a menacing approach. Will had spent far too much time with the devil himself not to know how to appear as though darkness was in his veins. And Atwood saw it. The man heard it in the iciness that was Will's voice.

"Of course not, my lord," Atwood mumbled.

Theo sidled up to the table then, leaning on it casually as he joined in glaring at Eades and Atwood.

Both of them were quiet, but Leo didn't miss the narrowing of Eades' eyes.

"Let us go," Leo muttered, his eyes never leaving Eades. "I do believe we are done here."

With that, the three of them left White's. No one said a word to them as they left even though violence typically wasn't to be tolerated in such an establishment. Their coats were quickly delivered into their hands, and the three lords strode out into the chilled London air.

It did very little to cool Leo's temperament.

Theo's green eyes slid over to him as they walked toward their carriages. "I told you that you shouldn't have come here today."

"No," Leo replied, still clenching and unclenching his fists as he thought about Lord Eades. "I'm glad that I did. It was...enlightening."

Will sighed. "I'm merely grateful you didn't call the man out."

Leo scoffed. "You know I'm not a good marksman. Why settle something with guns when it can just as easily be settled with fists?"

"Do you really believe this to be settled?" Will asked, his opinion on the matter clear from the expression on his face.

"No, you're right," Leo conceded, mumbling, "This is far from over."

****

Scarlett's day had not been improving. She was now sitting in her parlor with her publisher, Mr. Beckett. And since his arrival some thirty minutes ago, he'd been telling her, at length, how poorly her sales were lately for Mischief in Mayfair.

"Your last article was the only one that even came close to reaching the number of sales that your column used to," Mr. Beckett explained. He was a generally likable man, but like anyone in business, he was focused on what the numbers said more than anything else.

"Yes, well, my last article was the only truly scandalous piece that I've written in some time," Scarlett pointed out. She was sitting on the edge of her chair, trying to stay poised despite the overbearing headache that continued to plague her.

"Precisely my point, Lady Humphries."

Scarlett folded her hands in her lap. "I see."

"Your writing has been more...shall I say, mild, lately?" Mr. Beckett said. He had a regretful expression, and Scarlett knew that wasn't the only thing he wanted to say. "Which might be acceptable if you didn't have a new source of competition."

"Competition?" Scarlett repeated.

Mr. Beckett nodded. "There's a new gossip column in town called The Ton's Talk. And it has a decidedly unapologetic approach to delivering the news of the ton."

"And you wish for me to match it," Scarlett surmised crisply.

"I do. I have some ideas for you, of course. Here are some tips that have been passed along." He handed Scarlett a piece of parchment and then stood. "I suspect there is something there that can be used to boost your readership once more. We need something big, Lady Humphries."

Scarlett clutched at the parchment, not even wanting to look at the things listed on there. She watched as Mr. Beckett marched to the door, giving her a succinct nod as he said, "I bid you a good evening, Lady Humphries. Do send word if there's anything further you wish to discuss."

She wanted to scowl at that, considering that he hardly seemed interested in what she had to say. If he did care, he wouldn't have taken his leave immediately upon issuing his requests. But instead, Scarlett flashed a smile. "Take care, Mr. Beckett. Let me see you out."

She began to rise, but the man waved the gesture away.

"You needn't bother, my lady," he replied with a weak smile. And with that, he was gone.

Sighing, Scarlett looked down at the list in her hands. Her eyes grew wide as her attention was immediately drawn toward the bottom where it read: Princess Victoria: who is the real father?

She sucked in a breath as she read Mr. Beckett 's notes speculating whether or not Prince George was actually the father to Queen Adelaide's daughter. A sinking feeling came over her. Of course, Scarlett knew the truth. He wasn't; Theo was. But this wasn't idle gossip. Putting such thoughts into the minds of Londoners would have significant consequences for the monarchy. Scarlett would have to let Addie and Theo know that such rumors were reaching her doorstep.

Her eyes roaming the other items on the list, Addie was shocked once again as she read: Spotted: Lord Farrington's bastard son spotted at his London residence.

Her brows furrowed as the sinking feeling continued. There seemed to be a theme regarding the ideas on this list. Though this was news that Scarlett hadn't heard before. Leo had a son?

Scarlett's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her front door opening and slamming shut. She groaned internally, wishing people would stop barging into her home without care.

But as she twisted to greet her new visitor, any irritation vanished.

"Damien!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and rushing toward him. Dried blood was caked to the skin surrounding his mouth, his nose swollen and highlighted by light bruising. "My word! Whatever happened?"

The look that her friend gave her then was beyond anything she had seen from him before. Lord Eades was fuming.

"Farrington," he spat.

Scarlett gasped, her hand pausing in midair as she was about to ring for a servant to assist them. "Leo did this?"

"He did. Still care to defend the man, Lettie?"

"I—" Scarlett began but broke off.

She didn't know what to say to that, but anger grew like a storm inside her. And Scarlett didn't think she could control it anymore.