“You were saying something about this ward?” he reminded her.

“Yes. In all honesty, I do not believe she is spoilt. She does not put herself forward at all. But there is something guileless about her that is attractive enough without her supposed fortune, which Lady Harrowden said is”—Maria leaned forward with a loud whisper—“upwards of thirty thousand.”

Lucius hid his irritation. How was it his sister still did not know him well enough to realize he did not share her mercenary bent? It would do no good to remind her, though. “Thirty thousand is indeed an attractive prize,” he said.

Maria flashed a smile of victory. “How happy I am to hear you say it. I cannot like her presence in the same house with Lord Harrowden and feel someone ought to look out for her. What a shame if she falls prey to the seduction of his title. I feel sure you will tell me that, as a gentleman, Lord Harrowden will keep the line—”

“I am far from being sure of any such thing. In fact, I was just in the act of replying to a letter I’ve received from Robertson—you remember he spent Michaelmas with us in oh-nine—and he said Harrowden had nearly ruined his brother in their early days together in London. Harrowden has always dipped deep, but some nights he seemed to be particularly lucky. He was at The Cocoa Tree the night Robertson’s brother nearly lost a fortune. Harrowden was goading him into staking another bet when Robertson’s friend, Sam Buntling, asked for the dice to be changed. The insult nearly led to a duel…”

Lucius paused at that crucial moment with a cynical smile. “But surely I am boring you with what goes on in gentlemen’s clubs.”

Maria’s eyes were rapt. “You are teasing me. Go on.”

He leaned back and crossed one leg over the other. “Robertson’s friend managed to avert the duel through some adroit phrasing and a good deal of humor. Robertson’s luck turned at that point, and Buntling convinced him to walk away from the table at the right moment. It was a near-run thing.”

“So you believe Harrowden is…what? An ivory turner? It’s true he is known for flashing his wealth, although he only inherited two years ago. He has to live off something.” Maria frowned, likely calculating how this factor might hinder her plans for Lucius’s match with the ward—a fruitless endeavor if only she could be brought to reason.

Lucius’s worry was not for the ward but for her governess. “I believe he is bad business and would not be surprised if the code of conduct pertaining to a gentleman does not weigh with him in the least. Robertson added a few other details that I will not bore you with, but it would not be surprising if he were on the hunt for an heiress, given his heavy dealings as of late.”

He rubbed his chin as Briggs brought the tea and set it on the table between them. Maria prepared it and handed a cup to Lucius. He drank, wondering if his sister had said everything she had come to say and how long it would be before he could get back to his solitary peace. Why had his grandfather not bought a hunting box at a distance more than an easy drive from family?