Read Online My Lord Hercules by Ava Stone - Free Book Online Page B

He nodded instead. “Thank
you. I do appreciate your seeing me.”
    “ Anytime,” she said,
sincerity evident in her voice. “You should visit more often, my
lord. I’m certain Mary or Bess would love see you as well
sometime.”
    Her daughters of very
marriageable ages. But as Harry already had a girl of his own, he
merely smiled once more. “That is kind of you.” He started for the
door. “I should head over to Gifford House to see what Alice
remembers.” Or perhaps speak with her husband instead, as Giff had
mentioned seeing Wood the day before. He might have the best idea of where
to find the reprobate.

    After making his way to Gifford House,
Harry was promptly shown in to the earl’s study. If Giff was
surprised by Harry’s sudden appearance, he didn’t show
it.
    “ Sit, sit,” Giff said,
gesturing to the seat before his desk. “To what do I owe this
honor?”
    Harry dropped into an overstuffed
chair, then leaned forward to meet the earl’s eyes better. The
entire journey from Woodsworth House, he’d gone over and over in
his head how to start this conversation. For as noble as Giff was,
he did happen to be Wood’s oldest friend, and Harry would really
rather not be tossed out on his ear. “I need to find
Wood.”
    “ He doesn’t owe you any
blunt, does he?” Giff sighed.
    “ No, though I need to find
him just the same.” Harry raked a hand through his hair.
    Giff frowned as he leaned back in his
chair. “What’s he done this time? I’ll try to shield the girls from
it, if I can.”
    Wood did not deserve a friend as
honorable as Giff, not by a long shot. “I don’t know that he’s done
anything, I just need to find him.”
    The earl’s eyes narrowed on Harry as
though he were trying to make sense of him. “What’s going on,
Casemore?”
    “ I just need to ask him
about a girl.”
    “ About Miss Miranda?” Giff
pushed to his feet and stepped around his desk. “I suppose I don’t
need to tell you Pippa is quite concerned about your connection to
that particular girl.”
    Why should Pippa care one way or the
other about Miranda? “I beg your pardon?”
    “ She has deduced that your
Miss Miranda is the girl from Gioco’s.”
    Harry’s mouth dropped open. “How the
devil did she figure that out?”
    Giff heaved a sigh. “I’d wager St.
Austell helped her deduce that, though I’m equally sure half of
London has come to the same conclusion. It wasn’t that difficult,
old man. After all, you did help a girl find her way out of the
hell, and then you suddenly began courting a girl who very much
resembles the first. You aren’t exactly known for paying court to
proper girls on a regular basis, you know?”
    No, he’d never had the desire to do so
before now. “I’m going to marry her,” Harry said, hoping his name
would protect Miranda, though fearing it would only confirm her
identity to everyone in Town.
    “ I figured that as well. I
can’t imagine you’d let just any girl drive your phaeton.” He
smiled then. “As long as she makes you happy, Casemore, don’t worry
about what anyone else says. Another scandal will come along in a
week or so, and the incident at Gioco’s will long be
forgotten.”
    “ Pippa has no reason to
worry on my account.”
    “ Alice told her that very
thing, as she’s somewhat experienced in worrying about
ne’er-do-well brothers.”
    And that quickly, they were back to
the subject of Woodsworth. “Do you know a chit named Theresa
Birkin?”
    Giff tipped his head back to look at
the ceiling as though trying to recall the girl in question. “I do.
A mousy little thing. Ran into her several times during the
Season.”
    “ You did?”
    “ Didn’t you?” Giff asked.
“She always seemed to be everywhere Alice and the others
were.”
    Harry shook his head. After Pippa
married St. Austell, there was no reason for Harry to continue
attending marriage mart functions, so he’d gone back to his usual
pursuits. “I don’t think so.”
    “