Page 77 of A Devious Secret

“I suppose, if you must,” he grumbled.

She led them out of the parlor and down a hall that was lined with family portraits. As they came to the rear door, a footman opened it and proceeded to follow them outside.

Gemma went to move her hand, but Henry caught it. “I prefer when you are close, my dear,” he said as he returned it to the crook of his arm.

“Have you had a chance to visit the House of Lords?” she asked.

Henry tsked. “A woman should not ask such things,” he said. “It is much too serious of a topic for the weaker sex.”

“What would you care to talk about then?” she asked, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

He led her towards a bench and assisted her as she sat down. Then he claimed the seat next to her. “I’m afraid I have some distressing news.”

“Is that so?’ she asked, uninterested.

Shifting in his seat to face her, he replied, “I wish to speak to you about Mr. Wycomb. He is not the man that he has led you to believe he is.”

“I would prefer not to discuss Mr. Wycomb with you.”

“You must, because he has been deceiving you this entire time,” Henry said.

Gemma pressed her lips together. “I doubt that. He is a good man.”

“No, it is true,” Henry pressed. “After our meeting yesterday, I was so distraught by you spending time with Mr. Wycomb that I hired a Bow Street Runner to investigate him.”

“Henry,” she gasped. “You didn’t? That was wholly unnecessary.”

Henry placed his hand on her arm and said, “You are innocent in so many ways and you cannot possibly understand the debaucheries of men.”

“Regardless, you had no right to investigate Mr. Wycomb—”

“He frequents gambling hells,” Henry said, cutting her off.

Gemma’s eyes grew wide. “You are lying!”

“The Bow Street Runner confirmed that he visited the Scarlet Lady a few nights ago, and he even spent his time flirting with one of the women serving drinks.”

Gemma stared at Henry in disbelief. “I don’t believe you.”

“You have been tricked, Gemma,” Henry said. “Mr. Wycomb is no better than your father. He may claim the part of an honorable gentleman, but he uses the darkness of light to show his true character.”

“That is impossible.”

“Why?” Henry asked. “Because you are friends?”

“I would like to speak to this Bow Street Runner.”

“I can arrange that, but he won’t tell you anything other than that I have already revealed.”

Gemma had no reason to suspect Henry was lying, but it went against everything she thought to be true about Stephen.

Henry leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. “Mr. Wycomb has no interest in you,” he said. “He just wants to lift your skirts.”

“Henry!” she exclaimed. “Don’t be crass.”

“I know this must be difficult for you to hear, but there is more,” Henry said as he removed a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. “When Mr. Wycomb was a first lieutenant, he engaged in a duel over a woman, seriously injuring the other officer, and participated in a court-martial.”

“He couldn’t have been found guilty if he continued to serve in the Royal Navy.”