Desire and Deceit [bxb]

21. The Scandal

Hellour ;) we getting thick ;)

...

Everyone was staring at them.

Alvin ran a conscious hand through his hair, glancing sideways at Elizabeth, who looked back at him with a worried frown on her face.

"Do I have something on my face?" He asked her through the corner of his mouth. "What's their problem with me?"

"I don't think it's just you, brother." Elizabeth smiled nervously. "Even mama is being shunned."

"What did I do now?" Alvin whispered, dread pooling in his stomach at the mere thought of bringing trouble to the Frazier household yet again.

"It might not have anything to be with you." Elizabeth tried to soothe him. "For all we know, Wilhelm might have bedded a maid back in London." She joked. "It might just be some scandalous rumour about us."

A woman's intuition is never wrong.

"Wilhelm is not charming enough to woo anyone, and surely not a woman." Alvin scoffed. "Women are smarter than men in matters of romance."

Alvin, it seemed, far surpassed any London-dweller's intuition.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to voice her opinion, but a sudden appearance of a well-dressed man with chestnut hair stopped her short.

"Miss Frazier. Mr. Frazier." Mr. M bowed his head to the lady, and nodded to the gentleman. "Greetings."

"Hello there!" Alvin exclaimed, good-naturedly. "We'd been eager to catch you ever since we peaked a look at Duke Presley's guest list and found your name there."

"Ah, is that so?" Mr. Garrett McCallum asked, glancing at Elizabeth abashedly, who had turned the same colour as the dress she had on.

"Indeed!" Alvin assured. "But look at my poor sister's dance card this evening." He pointed to the little piece of paper attached to the girl's wrist. "So forlorn! The entirety of Ton has been ignoring us today, for some unfathomable reason. She's been upset about it, but I'm telling you Lizzie, the remedy for your ailment has arrived."

Elizabeth glared at him. He grinned.

"We suspect our brother to be the culprit." He prattled on.

"Oh?" Mr. McCallum looked at them in surprise. "So you know?"

Elizabeth frowned. "Alvin is being a jester, Mr. McCallum. He knows nothing."

Mr. McCallum looked at them both with a sudden, serious expression. Alvin lost his grin, and Elizabeth frowned further. He looked around at the scattered crowd around them.

"What do you suspect your brother to have done, Mr. Frazier?" He lowered his voice.

Alvin hesitated. He had truly only been jesting. "Well, I suppose someone in our family has gotten themselves in a scandal, for us to be scrutinised this way. Wilhelm happens to be the topic of our teasing quite frequently, hence why I alluded to him having an illicit affair back in London." He explained. "But it's only a jest, I assure you. Do forgive me if it put you off, I tend to be crasser than most in our society."

"You know that I would never talk untowardly of any member of your family, Miss Frazier?"

"You are making me anxious, Mr. McCallum." Elizabeth urged. "Do tell us what has happened, for I assure you we are in the dark."

Mr. McCallum took a breath. "Mr. Wilhelm Frazier was found... seducing one of his household servants. Word got out that the servant was let go unjustly. The Labour Union is not happy." He looked at the pair of siblings who had went stock-still. A look of pity overcame his soft features. "Lord Frazier's parliament seat is being threatened."

Alvin and Elizabeth stared at the man incredulously for a moment too long, and he rushed to comfort them.

"I'm terribly sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I'd rather you hear it from someone who knows your family than find out from the newspaper." He winced. "The article was quite unforgiving, to say the least; on every member of your family, but especially on..." He looked at Alvin apologetically. "Even though it's absolutely none of your fault. It's unfair. I'm sorry."

Their little party was silent for a while after the revelation, the Fraziers taking time to soak the information of their ruin, and Mr. McCallum looking uncomfortable and pitying at the same time.

Alvin cleared his throat, smiling in vain. "Don't you be sorry, Mr. McCallum. You're a rare kind soul, uncommon to the air of London." He assured the poor man. "It's nothing new for me."

"We do so thank you for telling us." Elizabeth tried to smile, but her eyes had already started filling with tears. She stepped back and curtsied. "Do excuse me for a bit." She turned and hurried away, dodging the crowd's curious glances.

"Will you grant me some more help, Mr. McCallum?" Alvin asked, eyes downcast. "Go after her, will you?"

Mr. McCallum nodded resolutely and left.

Alvin picked up a glass of champagne from a nearby table and gulped it down in one go.

He had to find the duke. Fast.

...

OK, so Bridgerton season 3 part 1 dropped, what are we thinking about it? Can I just say, Penelope's dress and makeup has been curated so beautifully? The aesthetics are amazing!

Also, I keep forgetting McCallum's name and have to go back to chapter 1 everytime I upload! (I use codenames for side characters in my drafts)

Anyways, yall, wish Netflix would hurry up :( Vote and comment so I can be faster than that streaming website <3333