Gabriel shrugged. “George did. Yesterday. He was in on the discussion with Dillie’s sisters.”
“Hell and damnation! And now her sisters know?” He shook his head and groaned. “They’re not looking for my help. They want me to marry Dillie.”
Graelem’s hands were fisted at his sides as he approached Ian. “Can you blame them? You were in Dillie’s bed.”
“What’s wrong with you? She wasn’t in it at the time. I filed a complete report with the Prince Regent. Read the damn report. George can verify every word of it. I’m not marrying Dillie.”
Graelem’s expression remained ominously dark. “She never mentioned a word about you to her sisters. What does that signify?”
“Nothing, because there’s nothing to tell,” Ian insisted. Thank goodness, she hadn’t blabbed the rest of it. If a Farthingale sneezed, the entire clan, from as far south as Portsmouth to the far north Scottish Isles learned of it within the hour. Farthingale news traveled faster than a North Sea wind. Farthingales did not keep secrets. Farthingales had diarrhea of the mouth.
Graelem wasn’t halfway convinced. “Game over, Ian. Have a seat.”
Ian could have told him to go to hell, that he was through with this conversation, but Graelem was big. Strong. And Gabriel was also frowning. He could take on one Dayne, but that would still leave the other.
He pulled back one of the chairs and sank into it. “As I just said, read the bloody report. Dillie and George saved my life last November, as you well know since the two of you have been investigating the matter. What is not relevant, and no doubt why no one mentioned it, is that George stitched me up in the only available bed at that moment. Dillie’s bed.” He glanced from one to the other. “Again, Dillie wasn’t in that bed with me. Satisfied?”
Graelem’s hands balled into fists. “Not nearly. What else haven’t you mentioned?”
He wasn’t insane. He wasn’t about to let them know he had been naked in her bed. Or that Dillie had seen him naked. He wouldn’t get out of White’s alive if that little detail ever slipped out. “The point is, even a pretend match between me and Dillie is a bad idea.”
He couldn’t mention the kiss either. Or the one that had happened two years ago.
He turned to Gabriel. “Dillie has already had one dismal encounter with Lady Withnall. The old harridan will never let up if her name is ever associated with mine. You saw how Dillie responded at Daisy’s tea. She’s an innocent. Lady Withnall is a wolf on the prowl. She’ll eat Dillie alive. So you see, putting us together in any way is a bad idea.”
He sensed Gabriel was wavering, so he pressed on. “Are we done now? Good. Go back to your wives and tell them not to meddle in Dillie’s affairs.”
Though Graelem’s eyes were still blazing, he finally cracked a smile. “Spoken like a confirmed bachelor. Tell Laurel what to do? Not if I value my life—or my husbandly rights. No way in hell. I’m keeping my mouth shut and letting Laurel do whatever she feels she must do to protect Dillie.”
Ian rolled his eyes. “And you, Gabriel? Are you as big a coward as your cousin? Does Daisy rule your household?”
“I’m utterly whipped and proud of it. Submission has its rewards.”
Ian groaned. “Bloody hell. I don’t wish to hear any more. It’s obvious you both lost your testicles when you acquired wedding bands.” He polished off his glass and rose to leave. “There is a reasonable compromise to be had, however. I’ll keep an eye on Dillie and Ealing. She did save my life, after all. I owe her. But I’m not going to court her.”
***
Hellfire.
Ian grabbed his cloak and had just walked out of White’s when Gabriel came chasing after him. “Hold on, Ian. We have to talk.”
Ian turned to face him on the busy street. The sky was darkening and a cool breeze swirled around them. Ladies and gentlemen passed by with heads ducked against the wind, hands on their hats and fisted about their cloaks to hold them down as they hurried to their destinations. Had he been a little faster, he could have drawn his own cloak and disappeared into the crowd, just another gentleman hurrying down the street before the April skies opened up. “Didn’t we just finish talking?”
Gabriel nodded and drew him aside. “We’ve been friends for a long time, been through some very bad times together. Friends look out for each other. You like her, don’t you?”
“Who?”
Gabriel arched an eyebrow. “Dillie, of course. But she scares you.”
Ian tensed. “If you knew me as well as you claim, you’d know that nothing scares me.”