‘Why pretend concern where none exists?’
‘For appearances’ sake?’
She laughed, a low, throaty sound that did the strangest things to his equilibrium. ‘I am past doing things for the sake of appearances, Mr Devlin. Though you cannot be expected to know, I come from a rather unusual family. We are the equivalent of Lady Tavistocke and her gondolier … without Venice and its canals. And before you find yourself tarred by the same brush, I suggest you make good your escape.’
‘My escape?’
‘From my company. I did warn you last night.’ It took Alistair a moment to tie the two together. ‘Is that what you meant when you said we should not suit?’
‘In part. Look around if you don’t believe me,’ she advised. ‘But be subtle, if you can.’
Alistair casually turned his head—and saw a group of dowagers quickly avert their eyes. Standing just behind them, an earl and his countess abruptly resumed their conversation, and as he secured two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, he observed the top-lofty Mrs Howard draw her daughter away. ‘Good Lord, is it always like this?’
‘No. Sometimes it’s worse.’
‘Then why do you come?’
‘Because Mama insists upon it. She is anxious for me to marry so that my sister can do the same. Hence the required conversation with Mr Compton.’
Alistair snorted. ‘The man has four unmarried sisters at home. What kind of welcome do you think you would receive in an establishment like that?’
‘None, but the fact I would have my own establishment is reason enough for my sister to believe I should make the effort.’
‘Nothing would be reason enough to encourage George Compton,’ Alistair said. ‘As for your reception here, surely there are places you could go where you would be made to feel more welcome.’
‘Actually, I don’t do so badly. My uncle and Lord Holcombe did some business together last year and ever since, Lord and Lady Holcombe have been very welcoming towards us.’
Alistair watched Victoria raise the glass to her lips, his gaze lingering on the tempting curve of her bottom lip. ‘So your uncle owns the Gryphon Theatre?’
‘Yes. Does that surprise you?’
‘Only in that if your mother is unhappy with the amount of time you spend at the theatre, I cannot imagine how she reconciles herself to the fact that her brother owns one.’
‘With great difficultly, but as it happens, Uncle Theo is Papa’s brother.’
‘But his name is Templeton.’
‘My uncle did that out of kindness to Mama,’ Victoria explained. ‘He was performing with a small repertory company when my parents met. Naturally, being the daughter of a minister, Mama was horrified that her future brother-in-law was on the stage, so hoping to make relations between them easier, my uncle assumed the surname of the first character he ever played. It made matters better at the time, though once he started buying up large chunks of property in London, I don’t think anyone cared.’
‘So your uncle is an actor.’
‘Was an actor. He gave up performing not long after he married my aunt.’
‘Who, I believe, is also an actress?’
‘Yes, but she seldom appears on stage any more,’ Victoria said. ‘They are both more involved in the production end of things now. Pity, really, since they were both exceptional performers.’
Alistair stared at her in bemusement. A stunning young woman, eldest daughter of a gentleman, speaking not only without embarrassment about the black sheep of her family, but with admiration …?
‘Devlin, where on earth have you … oh, I beg your pardon.’ Lord Collins came to an abrupt halt. ‘I wasn’t aware that you and the lady were engaged in a conversation.’
‘Then you’re the only one in the room who isn’t,’ Alistair drawled. ‘Miss Bretton, I believe you are acquainted with Lord Collins?’
‘Indeed, I’ve seen him at the Gryphon quite often of late,’ Victoria said with a smile. ‘I believe he has a fondness for Miss Chermonde.’
To Alistair’s delight, Collins actually blushed. ‘The lady and I are … acquainted, yes.’
‘Then a word of advice, my lord,’ Victoria said. ‘As my uncle is aware of your … acquaintance with Miss Chermonde, I feel it only fair to warn you that, if you do anything to adversely affect the quality of her performance, he will take you to task. My uncle demands a great deal from the members of his troupe and if an actor or actress delivers a substandard performance, he will be looking to know the reasons why. And I should tell you that in his younger days, he had quite a reputation as a pugilist.’
Collins’s blush receded, leaving his face starkly white. ‘I appreciate the warning, Miss Bretton, but I can assure you I would never treat Miss Chermonde with anything but the utmost respect and I intend to shower her with gifts that will keep her very happy indeed.’
‘Good. Just please do not feed her oysters,’ Victoria said with a sigh. ‘She will ask for them, but they make her sneeze and that ruins her voice for a good day and a half.’
‘Then there will definitely be no oysters,’ Collins said stiffly.
‘Thank you. Well, I had best take my leave. Good evening, Lord Collins. Mr Devlin.’
Alistair bowed. ‘Miss Bretton.’
Collins gave just a brief nod and waited until she was safely out of range before saying, ‘Trumped-up little baggage! Imagine telling me what I should and shouldn’t do with my own mistress. I should have told her it was none of her business!’
‘But you did not,’ Alistair said with a broad smile. ‘In fact, your response was uncommonly meek for you, Bertie.’
The other man flushed. ‘It was not meek! I was merely being polite. But you see what I mean about her being outspoken. And about how people treat her.’
‘I saw a few old tabbies turn up their nose, but if she was that unacceptable, she wouldn’t be here. They don’t get much stuffier than the Holcombes.’
Collins sighed. ‘You know Theo Templeton’s her uncle, right? Well, he’s also reputed to be worth a bloody fortune. No one knows where the money came from. Some say it’s his wife’s, others say he won it at cards. Either way, he’s as rich as Croesus and doesn’t give a damn what society thinks about him.’
‘What has any of that to do with Miss Bretton?’
‘Last year, when Holcombe ran into financial difficulties, Templeton bailed him out, no questions asked,’ Collins said. ‘Everyone’s dying to know why, of course, but Holcombe isn’t talking and neither is Templeton. But it’s the reason Holcombe won’t hear a bad word spoken about Templeton or about any member of his family, if you know what I mean.’
Alistair did. ‘You’re saying Templeton’s kindness to Holcombe is the reason Victoria Bretton is accepted in society.’
‘In part. Her immediate family are mindful of the proprieties, but her aunt and uncle are not and neither is she. She has gained a reputation for being blunt and there are those who predict she will suffer for it. In which case, having Holcombe on her side is a definite advantage. There’s not many who’ll gainsay a marquess.’
Alistair stared into his empty glass. No, there weren’t. He’d dealt with his fair share of toad-eaters in his life and his father was only a viscount. There was even more grovelling the higher one climbed on the social ladder.
But Victoria’s uncle wasn’t even