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night spent carousing and a lack of sleep from the rest of his evening’s active entertainments.
    “Sedgwick, what the devil are you doing here?” he’d complained groggily, just before Alex caught him up by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him from the lady’s bed.
    “What the devil,” Jack sputtered, twisting and turning in Alex’s intent grasp. “Have you gone mad?”
    “I would ask the same of you.” Down the stairs and out the front door, Alex hauled his protesting friend.
    “Come now, my good man. Just unhand me and haveMrs. Gannett fetch us a pot of coffee. We can discuss this with clear heads. I fear I’m still a bit squiffed from last night.” Jack tried again to shrug off Alex’s grasp to no avail. “Is this about that wager I made with Clifton? I promised him you were good for it.”
    Ah, wonderful. Another vowel wagered in my name. Alex glanced up and down the street until he spied the perfect cure for Jack’s self-induced plight.
    The poor sot never saw it coming in his befuddled state. But once Alex tossed him into the horse trough, the elegant rake came up clear-eyed and furious.
    “Demmit to hell, man!” he sputtered. “What is wrong with you?”
    Alex caught him by the collar and shoved him down again. Jack came back up, spewing dirty water and curses like a Versailles fountain.
    “You bastard, unhand me.” His fists swung impotently as Alex gave him another dunking.
    But this time, Jack didn’t come up. In fact, he started to sink to the bottom of the trough.
    Against his better judgment, Alex heaved a sigh and reached in to pull his friend out.
    Even as he caught hold of Jack, his friend exploded in fury, catching Alex’s arm and pulling him into the muck-filled water.
    The two of them thrashed about, cursing and throwing fists, finally spilling out of the trough and into the street, brawling like a pair of callow youths.
    Lights came on in the nearby houses, the ladies of the neighborhood opening their sashes and doors to witness the disturbance. Gentlemen fighting over a lady wasn’t an uncommon sight in this part of London, and if anything, itgained the object of such fury some notoriety for months to come. Therefore, everyone wanted to have their own accounting of the event.
    Jack caught Alex in the jaw with a hooked shot and sent him sprawling. Mrs. Gannett applauded from her front steps, but her enthusiasm was a little premature. It was going to take more than that to stop the baron.
    He staggered up to his feet, then with surprising speed landed a facer on the unwitting Jack. Now it was the other man’s turn to find himself lying atop the cobbles.
    From there, he heaved a great sigh. “Sedgwick, what the devil is the matter with you?”
    Alex caught him by the shirt and dragged him upright. It just wasn’t done to finish a man while he was down.
    “My wife,” he said as he punched him again.
    Jack swayed on his feet from the blow. “Emmaline? What has that got to do with me?” When the next one came, he managed to dodge out of the way and had time to wipe some of the blood from his nose.
    “Don’t play coy with me, you bounder,” Alex said, coming closer and lowering his voice. “I know demmed well you hired that doxy to impersonate my wife.” He reeled back his fist to strike again, but something in Jack’s befuddled expression stopped him.
    “Me? Hired her?” He swiped at his bloody nose again. “Where would I find the blunt for such a thing?”
    Alex’s fist froze in midair, cocked back and ready to swing. Good point that, he realized.
    Meanwhile, Jack continued his protests. “Besides, I thought you hired the gel to keep Hubert at bay. Been visiting her and making like a good friend ever since she arrived to make sure no one questioned her.”
    He peered through the one eye that Jack hadn’t managed to blacken. “You didn’t hire her?”
    “No,” Jack said with every bit of honesty the knavish fellow possessed.
    Alex dropped his fist to his side.