Page 149 of A Devious Secret

Chapter Twenty-One

With a drink in his hand, Stephen sat in the corner of White’s as he attempted to pass the time before it was a respectable time to call upon Gemma. He had a few fitful hours of sleep since he was wrestling with his thoughts of what he could say to Gemma to convince her to marry him. She completed him in a way that he never thought possible.

A part of him was always going to struggle with the loss of his crew, but Gemma gave him hope that he was more than the sum of his past mistakes. He was better with her by his side, and he would be a fool to let her go.

The door of the club opened, drawing his attention, and he saw Lord Winsley step into the main hall. His eyes proceeded to roam the hall until they landed on him.

To his surprise, Lord Winsley approached his table with a solemn look on his face. He came to a stop next to the table and asked, “May I sit?”

Stephen wanted to refuse him, to send him on his way, but something compelled him to nod his approval. He found he was curious to see what Lord Winsley wanted.

Lord Winsley glanced down at his drink. “Do you usually drink this early?” he asked disapprovingly.

“I am biding my time until I can call on Gemma,” Stephen replied with a glance at the window.

Lord Winsley looked displeased by his remarks. “Do you intend to offer for her?”

“I do,” he replied.

“If you do, I am of the mind that she will accept,” Lord Winsley said. “For the life of me, I can’t figure out why she favors you.”

Stephen decided to speak frankly with the infuriating lord. “I love your daughter and I hope we can start a life together.”

Lord Winsley grew silent. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

Unsure of why Lord Winsley was even conversing with him, Stephen decided it would be best to ask, “What is it that you want?”

With a sigh, Lord Winsley replied, “I don’t want to leave this world without reconciling with Gemma, but I am at a loss as to what I should do.”

Stephen could hear the sincerity in his voice, but he had a few questions of his own. “If that is the case, why aren’t you attempting to speak to Gemma?”

“She won’t see me,” Lord Winsley said with a frown on his lips. “I went by her townhouse earlier and the butler informed me that she would no longer receive me.”

“Why not speak to your sister, Lady Montfort, for assistance?”

“I could, but I do believe that I have a greater chance of Gemma listening to you,” Lord Winsley responded.

Stephen tightened his hold on his glass. He had no intention of making this easy on Lord Winsley. “You said some awfulthings to Gemma last night. Why should she speak to you ever again?”

“I may have overreacted.”

“May have?” Stephen asked. “You threatened to disown her.”

“I did, but I was just angry.”

“You should learn to control your temper, then,” Stephen countered. “You were out of line with Gemma.”

Lord Winsley glanced over his shoulder before asking, “May I speak frankly?”

“I would prefer it.”

“I don’t like you, and I do not think you are worthy of my daughter,” Lord Winsley said. “You are far below her station and will be an utter stain on our family’s reputation.”

Stephen took a sip of his drink, preferring to remain silent. He already knew how Lord Winsley felt about him and arguing with him would do little good about it. Besides, Lord Winsley had already done a good enough job of tainting his own reputation.

“But…” Lord Winsley paused, “Gemma wants you in her life, and I will need to come to terms with that.”

“That is most generous of you,” Stephen said dryly, “but Gemma has made it clear that she doesn’t want you in her life anymore.”