Scoundrel With A Noble Heart (sequel of Disgraceful)

Chapter 47

In the far corner of Goddard's dining room, Jacob sat consoling himself with a glass of wine. As he mulled over the recent incident, a rueful grin touched the corner of his mouth.

Though he was not a vain narcissist to believe that he had the entire female population at his feet, but he was used to having women swooning over him, so finding one who couldn't even stand the sight of him was a truly humbling experience. What amazed him, however, was the remarkable guts with which she'd shown him. This was the first time he met a woman who was not afraid to call him out. Oddly enough he felt more amused than offended by her spurn, but above all, his recent encounter with Marguerite Goddard had left him intrigued.

All his life, Goddard was known as a notorious recluse. Only God knew why a man who'd successfully amassed an obscene amount of fortune like him spent his life withdrawing into a self-imposed isolation. Goddard had no family or living relatives, so it came as no surprise when words spread that Goddard had passed all his fortune to his most trusted protégé. But the fact that the old man actually had a child raised a few questions.

He wondered if Matthew was merely working for Marguerite Goddard. Despite the fact that she was practically unknown to the public, with all the money wagered and lost in this place every night, she was arguably the wealthiest heiress in all England.

"Jake, what are you doing here?"

Matthew's familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned to see his friend breezing into the dining room.

"I'm waiting for you."

Jacob's keen gaze observed Matthew as his friend slid onto the chair next to him. A servant hurried over to serve him his usual drink. After thanking the man, Matthew turned his attention to his friend,
"Why don't you wait for me upstairs?" asked him, bringing the glass to his mouth.

"I was there, then I was asked to leave and warned not to enter your room without permission."

Matthew's hand stopped midair before the rim of the glass reached his lips.
"Good Lord! It's Wagner, isn't it? I apologize for him. I'll make sure this never happens again."

"It's not Wagner. Though he'd made quite a scene in my house last night, appearing in the dead of night and kicking doors open to look for you."

The shock of the news made his jaw drop.
"Bloody hell! I shall certainly take him to task for that!"

"Please don't. There's absolutely no need to make a big deal out of such trivial matters. By the way, it's Miss Goddard who's kicked me out."

"Maggie? You've met her?" Matthew's hand clenched around the thin wine glass. The surprising news brought out an unexpected protectiveness towards Maggie that he'd never known existed in him. Much as he liked Jacob, he was not the kind of man Matthew would ever allow to come near Maggie, bearing in mind his wild nature and his long, tainted history with women. However, before he warned his friend to stay away from Marguerite, what Jacob said next caught him off guard.

"Yes. Regrettably, we didn't quite start off on the right foot. It appears she has taken an instant dislike to me and I was unceremoniously banished from your study."

"No way! Maggie is the gentlest person I've ever known."

"Gentle? She is feisty!"

Matthew started to think that perhaps Jacob had mistaken another woman as Maggie, though it was absolutely unlikely. Any female servant in this place wouldn't dare to even lift their gazes to Jacob. But his claim that Marguerite had banished him was also difficult to believe. All this time he couldn't remember a time he'd ever seen her being unfriendly.

"There must be some mistake, Jake. I don't think we're talking about the same person. Anyway, I apologize for her."

Jacob took a slow sip, then assumed a casual tone of voice as he remarked,
"You never mentioned her."

Somewhat not feeling inclined to discuss Maggie with Jacob, or any other man, Matthew managed a neutral if unforthcoming reply,
"Well, I just don't see any reason why I should, and there's not much to tell, actually. She is just like any other woman."

Well, Jacob couldn't agree with that. Marguerite Goddard was unlike any other female he'd ever met. That little spitfire definitely wasn't a woman he was likely to forget. However, Jacob couldn't probe his friend further for more information about her, because Matthew dropped the subject almost immediately and changed the topic.
"Anyway, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"

"Always happy to help. What can I do for you?"

"I need your help to obtain an invitation to the next society ball."

Jacob squinted at him, slightly confused.
"Wait. I must have misheard you. You want to get invited to a society gathering?"

"Well, yes. And I hope it's not too much to ask, but can you obtain as many invitations as you can possibly get?"

Jacob's mouth parted in surprise
"This is unbelievable. All this time, you were anxious to avoid parties and gatherings at all costs. Why are you suddenly interested in attending one, no, many of them?"

Matthew shrugged,
"Well, I think there's no harm in expanding my social circle."

"Interesting."
Jacob regarded him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. He wasn't so naive to believe that Matthew's sole purpose was to broaden his network. There was something else behind his friend's change of heart. And he found it most intriguing. However, there was only one way to figure out his friend's true motive.

"So, what do you say?" Matthew prompted, and though he tried not to sound anxious, Jacob detected a tense note in his voice. He let a few endless moments pass before replying,
"I think I can help you with that."

To be continued