He released her hand and turned to the audience while she took a pensive pose to his left. She saw Denshire in the middle of the front row with his friends, looking amused at the story. “The heiress’s money came from trade,” Lucas declaimed, “but any reasonable lord can overlook that!”

More laughter.

“But much harder to overlook are the stipulations of the marriage contract. What, the vastly wealthy grandfather is tying up all that lovely money in trusts controlled by his granddaughter and her trustees? Isn’t it a man’s God-given right to spend his wife’s money? There’s a reason why the Quality don’t like dealing with merchants!”

That produced another ripple of laughter. Lucas’s timing was excellent. “Lord D. considered withdrawing from the betrothal over the matter of the trusts, but it would make him look ungentlemanly, and besides, an heiress in the hand is worth a flock of heiresses in the bush. He didn’t doubt that his manly charms would persuade her to loosen the purse strings when he desired funding.”

Kendra discreetly studied the audience. All her friends were wearing black armbands in silent support of her position. Simon and Suzanne were sitting together and holding hands, looking innocent, as were the Kirklands. Rather large and dangerous-looking men were lounging by the two exit doors. She recognized the husbands of Lady Julia and Athena Masterson, both of them former army officers. Denshire would not get past them if he tried to leave.

She didn’t know two of the men sitting with Denshire, but she recognized Hollowell, who had searched Thorsay House on Denshire’s behalf. There was a furrow between his brows, but Denshire still looked more interested than nervous. He’d probably drunk too much champagne to recognize himself in Lucas’s narrative.

Tone light, Lucas said, “The marriage started well enough. There was a measure of fondness, and a warm wife is a fine thing on a cold English night.” There were more titters. “After a respectable interval, Lady D. presented her husband with a fine, healthy son. Even better, she was happy to live in the country with the child and leave her husband to indulge in the more sophisticated pleasures of the great metropolis.”

His voice deepened melodramatically and he hissed, “Then once again the Sssserpent of Money entered the Garden of Matrimony!

“Lord D.’s man of business informed him that his own fortune was alarmingly depleted. It was time to charm the necessary funds from his very rich wife. He loathed going to her with hat in hand, but the first time, she reluctantly opened her very deep purse.

“But the next time he went to her, the hussy proved annoyingly stubborn. She seemed to think the money was hers just because her grandfather had left it entirely and legally to her.”