Page 25 of To Love a Libertine (Once Wicked 1)

“She has no reason to lie and nothing to hide by doing so,” Eden again fibbed. “She and Lord Tavistoke are friends, nothing more. Do you really believe Lord Montgomery would tolerate his presence if he suspected otherwise? Do you think he would name him a friend or have him stand as godfather to his child?”

“I never boast to know why men behave the way they do, and you would be wise to never assume anything regarding their motivations, either.” Catherine’s eyes were hard. “For all you know, Lord Montgomery may be a besotted fool and his wife a shameless cuckold with an innocent face.”

“I can say with complete confidence that neither description is the least bit accurate,” Eden insisted, bristling. “She made a mistake. She accepted Per”—she faltered at her stepmother’s piercing glare—“Lord Tavistoke’s offer initially because she feared her own feelings for Lord Montgomery. Fortunately for them all, she changed her mind before it was too late.”

“Whether or not it was too late is still highly debatable,” grumbled Catherine. “I take it the woman approves of a match between you?”

“I should like to think so,” Eden said meekly. “She invited me to visit her again next week.”

Catherine’s eyes narrowed. “You realize if you accept his suit, there can be no turning back? I doubt whether any decent man would have you after such an association, no matter how well you guard your virtue. I don’t like it. Not one bit.”

That was stating the obvious.

“I concede your opinion of him is not entirely undeserved,” Eden replied with as much calm as she could muster. “His past is certainly not an unblemished one. That said, his recent behavior speaks to a much different attitude. You yourself have often said that with age comes wisdom. Is it so hard to believe he might have changed, that he might have grown beyond his prior, self-centered ways?”

“Yes,” snapped the older woman. “Since we’re quoting clichés, allow me to reiterate a common one: a leopard cannot change its spots. Eden, the man is a reprobate, and he will likely remain a reprobate until he dies of the pox or gets himself run through over some sordid affaire!”

“You condemn him without even knowing him!”

“I don’t need to know the man personally to arrive at a wise decision regarding his character,” huffed Catherine. “His past actions speak for themselves. If his heart was in some way wounded by Lady Montgomery’s rejection, it was probably long overdue. Sauce for the gander, in his case. I would say he got exactly what he deserved.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Eden countered, the knowledge she’d gained burning within her. “Have you no compassion at all?”

“Ha! You might ask him the same question regarding the legion of bastards he’s fathered over the past decade.”

“That has nothing to do with—”

“It has everything to do with you!” thundered Catherine, setting off a fit of coughing.

Darting over, Eden handed her the glass of water from her bedside table and held it for her as she drank. Alarmingly, her stepmother’s hand burned with fever. “Please don’t stress yourself so. We can discuss this another time—when you are well. Have you sent for the doctor?”

“We will address it now,” insisted Catherine, this time keeping her voice low. “I may be ill, but my reason is in no way incapacitated. And I have no need of a doctor. It is a cold, not the plague.”

; “I cannot disagree with your judgment of his past behavior, but I can disagree with your harsh judgment of him as he is now. I beg you to allow him to prove his worth.”

Her stepmother regarded her with narrowed, assessing eyes. “Very well, I’ll allow him to call upon you—but only under the strictest supervision. Don’t think your disappearance with him yesterday afternoon went unnoticed.”

Eden’s heart began to pound.

“Don’t excite yourself; I know nothing happened,” replied Catherine testily. “I shall be worse than a shadow to you, girl. Don’t think for a moment that I won’t be watching his every move. I fully expect this leopard to expose his spots. And when he does, I will be there to point them out.”

“Th—”

“Don’t you dare thank me now,” her stepmother grated, coughing again. “I shall look for your gratitude when it is due—when your blindness is cured. I know you, Eden, better than you know yourself. You’re stubborn and willful, and you won’t listen to me or anyone else. You’ve always learned your lessons the hard way. In this instance, however, the stakes are too high to let you make a mistake.”

Falling back against the pillows, Catherine closed her eyes. “Rather than have you ruin yourself by attempting to see Tavistoke behind my back—and don’t even try to deny you’ve considered it,” she added, lifting a knowing brow, “you will do this on my terms. You will be chaperoned at all times. All correspondence will be monitored. If he behaves in anything less than a gentlemanly manner, he will no longer be received.”

Her spirits sank. What would her stepmother say when he came asking permission to court her on Monday?

“One day, when you’re older and wiser, and happily settled with a decent husband, you will be grateful for my having taken a hard stance on this now.”

“You assume he won’t pass muster. What if he proves worthy?”

Catherine laughed weakly. “Should he actually manage such an impossible feat, I shall of course consider his offer, if he ever comes to scratch. But in the event he does not, I insist you continue to entertain other offers. I have had several gentlemen express interest in you, and I plan to introduce you to them as soon as possible, before everyone begins making assumptions about you and that…that…” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Lord Tavistoke.”

Eden could only offer a meek nod. It was that, or get into another argument and possibly lose what tenuous ground she’d gained. How would Percy ever overcome her stepmother’s prejudice?