Mistress Read Free Page A

knows very well that our connection is finished unless he chooses to apologize for the quarrel he caused,” she said smoothly.
    “One never uses the word
impossible
when one is discussing Masters,” Herbert said. “But in this instance, I think it is permissible. It’s safe to say that no one in this room tonight can conceive of the earl apologizing to a lady who has humiliated him in front of the whole of Society.”
    Iphiginia was horrified. “But I have done no such thing, Mr. Hoyt.”
    “No?”
    Iphiginia fanned herself rapidly. She felt much too warm. “I merely indicated that he and I were no longer in charity with each other.”
    “And that it was all his fault.”
    “Well, yes.” Iphiginia swallowed. “It certainly was all his fault. But I did not seek to humiliate him in front of his friends.”
    Herbert gave her an odd look. “Come now, my dear. Let us be honest here. You have hinted that you and Masters had a violent quarrel, one that shattered your close
friendship
. You cannot tell me that you were not looking for a bit of revenge when you descended on Society. Everyone believes you to be searching for a suitable replacement for him.”
    “That is not true.” Iphiginia cleared her throat. “I mean, the earl does owe me an apology, but I never intended to, uh, obtain one from him.”
One did not get apologies from dead men
.
    “Whatever your intention, you have made certain that everyone understood that you were the one who severed the connection. They believe that you actually had the temerity to give Masters his congé.”
    It had all been part of her scheme to transform herself into an instant rage in the eyes of the
ton
, but Iphiginia could hardly explain that to Herbert. “As to that slight misunderstanding—”
    “Misunderstanding?” Herbert gave her a pitying look. “For the past fortnight, Society has not been able to decide if you are the most daring lady in London or simply a candidate for Bedlam.”
    “I am beginning to wonder myself,” Iphiginia muttered under her breath. She must have been mad to get herself into this situation.
    “You know that the
ton
has been waiting on tenterhooks to see how Masters will respond to your notion of vengeance.”
    “I have told you, Mr. Hoyt, that I have absolutely no interest in vengeance. There was a small tiff between us, that’s all. It requires an apology, nothing more.”
    “So now it’s a minor tiff, is it? Heretofore you have termed it a major quarrel.”
    “These things get enlarged out of all proportion under the influence of gossip, do they not?”
    “They certainly do, m’dear.” Herbert patted herhand reassuringly. “But fear not. I shall remain by your side, ready to assist you if Masters turns unpleasant.”
    “A reassuring thought.”
    But it was not reassuring at all. Masters had somehow come back from the dead and there would be the devil to pay.
    Herbert’s reaction to the situation confirmed everything Iphiginia had learned thus far about the notorious earl. Society thought him deliciously dangerous and unpredictable.
    There were rumors of a duel years ago in which he had very nearly killed his opponent. Worse yet, it was whispered that he might have actually been responsible for the murder of his former business associate, Lynton Spalding. It was certainly a fact that after Spalding’s death Masters had assumed control of the profitable investment pool his associate had once managed.
    Many claimed that the lucrative pool was not the only thing Masters had seized following Spalding’s demise. It was said that he had indulged in a long-standing affair with Spalding’s widow, Hannah, and that the affair continued to this day even though she had remarried and was now Lady Sands.
    No one would ever know the truth about those incidents or any others because Masters never spoke of them. Indeed, he had a rule against discussing his past and another against explaining his actions. He was an intensely private