(COMPLETED)
Before the Duke of Wardington, before marriage, and before the games of marrying off his three sons and their friends, there was simply Lord Martin...
There's only one sort for a rogue and that's more rogues.
So... when Martin and his f...
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"What was that about?" Martin asked, joining Frank as the other card players left the room. He and Frank had just finished fattening their own pockets in a side room at Swifter's and would be staying for dinner. Since the club was solely for gentlemen, they didn't have to worry about running into any women... or newspapers for that matter. Martin grinned, keeping the joke to himself.
Frank was strangely silent, just as he'd been since coming to London. For a moment, Martin thought that perhaps he missed his father, who'd died half a year ago, but then Martin banished the thought. It had to be something else. He'd missed his friend, and more so now that they were men. Martin had gone off to Oxford while Frank had gone to Cambridge, both choosing the school of their fathers, which meant they hadn't seen much of each other in the country. Only during breaks.
"Frank."
His friend's gaze lifted from his glass. "Hm?"
"Talk to me."
Frank sighed, and then shook his head. "I'd have never been able to hide it from you anyway."
Martin narrowed his eyes. "What are you hiding?"
"Don't give me that look! See! This is why I never tell you anything. You'll never let me have any peace about it."
Martin crossed his arms. "Why not tell me what it is that I'm condemning you about? It will make my judgement easier."
Frank frowned. "I'm to marry Lady Causey."
Martin lifted a brow, then looked away, needing time to think. And then he rose, needing space to pace and think. Frank and Sally hated one another. "Was this the reason you decided to not join us when we went to be introduced to Ellen the other night?"
Frank nodded and sighed. "It was in my father's will. I've no choice if I wish to gain my family's assets. The ones that aren't anchored down to the title."
A list of those very assets began to flash though Martin's mind. He stopped himself and nodded. "I agree. The assets are important." Then he shook his head and grinned. "You thought I'd be angry about this? Many men are forced into marriages or marry for money. Why, the latter is the way of the peerage. Money breeds money. Isn't that what they say?" Feeling lighter now that he knew the situation his friend was under, Martin took his seat, ready to make Frank feel better. "Who knows, perhaps Sally will bring the energy she brought to the game tonight to the bedchamber." Martin grinned.
Frank didn't. "I don't wish to marry her. And there's no set date, so I plan to keep this engagement going on for however long I can. Years if I can."
Martin settled further in the chair. "We both knew that it was possible that we'd never get the chance to fall in love. How many dukes are there in London? Ten? Eleven? You and I are not common men."
Frank looked at him and sighed, agony coming over his face. "You don't think I know this?"
Martin crossed his arms and watched the pain in his friend's eyes. Then he sighed. "You fell in love." Not a question. A statement. "Who is she?"
