“At midnight,” Pieter supplied. He suddenly dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck, as if embarrassed himself. “Ah, Georgie. You’re a grown woman now. I know it. And God knows I’ve never been able to talk you out of anything once you’ve set your mind to it. Yer just like yer father in that respect. I just hope you know what you’re doing with him, that’s all.”

So do I.

He stepped aside, and she let out a relieved breath. “His carriage should be at the corner,” she said quietly.

Pieter nodded. “Just make sure you’re back before the household rises.”

Georgie gave him an impetuous hug, and he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

“I hope that bastard realizes what he’s got,” he grumbled.

Mickey’s huge bulk was instantly recognizable atop the plain black carriage that was waiting at the corner. Georgie climbed in, and in her agitated state, the ride to St. James’s seemed to take only moments. She felt daring and adventurous. Glad to be alive. The carriage slowed to make the turn into the stable yard at the rear, but as it drew level with the front of the club, the door opened and a bouncer appeared with a struggling figure caught roughly by his collar. Amid furious shouts and obscenities, the man was forcibly ejected.

“And stay out,” the manservant called out after him. “The Tricorn don’t welcome those who can’t pay their debts, sir.” The last word was issued with a curl of the lip and a dismissive sneer that made the title an insult.

The man stumbled down the front steps, reeling drunkenly, and to Georgie’s dismay he staggered heavily against the side of the stationary carriage. She let out a little shriek of alarm as his body hit the side panel with a thud. The man wheeled around, using the carriage door as support, and Georgie gasped as she caught sight of his face.

Josiah’s cheeks were mottled a furious red, his eyes bleary and unfocused. For one awful moment, he squinted into the carriage and she shrank back against the seat, terrified he’d recognize her. He issued a stream of invectives that shocked even Georgie, then slammed his palm against the wooden side and wheeled away into the night.

She released a shaky breath. Good God, Josiah had looked awful. Almost demonic. She’d had no idea he frequented the Tricorn Club. And what on earth had he done to get himself expelled so disgracefully? The doorman had said something about not paying his debts. A wave of fury assailed her. She’d just given him five hundred pounds! Had he squandered it all already?

The carriage entered the stable yard, and Wylde was there, opening the carriage door. Georgie practically fell into his arms. “I just saw my cousin! Your doorman threw him out.”