Chapter 23

Ashton froze instantly. Had he been so reckless that she noticed what he did secretly? He had done it in the slightest way possible. He managed to reply in a cool tone as well.

"I thought I saw someone, but I was quite mistaken." The less he spoke about it the better. Fortunately Selene didn't push him further. He was glad they reached the manor shortly afterward. The Wyndham family retired to their room. The lunch reception was still a few hours away. He withdrew to a quiet living room, allowing himself to have some privacy for a while. His mind was consumed by the earlier moment. The fact that Selene was aware of it disturbed him. He recalled the moment at the parade.

He was waving to greet the people when he felt someone was staring at him. Actually everybody was staring at him at that time. He was the main spectacle at the moment, the reason people were coming and waiting. What else should they be doing?

But it was different. It was like being watched over, being looked beneath the surface that he got all his senses alarmed. Instinctively he sought those eyes, and he knew instantly when he found it. It was her. Somehow he found her at once, in the midst of hundred faces.

How could this be possible?

The thought made him feel uneasy. He walked to the bar set and poured himself some liquor to ease the feeling.

She was exceptionally beautiful. No wonder she stood out from the crowd like a diamond among stones. She would even stand out among the ladies in a ball. She was a seductress. Like any other of her sort, she possessed that charm.

He sipped the sparkling liquid slowly, then sat on a couch. He recalled their last meeting months ago. When she confronted him in the studio, for a brief moment, unexpectedly he felt a tinge of guilt and doubt. Had he been so mean and unfair to her? Had he misjudged her so badly?

As he thought about it further, he decided a vixen like her can never be trusted. The women of her family were known for their perilous beauty and their irresistible charm. They had lured the best men in the country. Her mother had kept her father, the Duke of Livingston thus far. She was no different, she had her way to charm Magnus. And today, she had drawn his attention in the most unexpected time. He didn't know why suddenly he caught on a whim to stare at her longer than it supposed to be.

He took another sip. He had a woman of great beauty awaited to be made his own, for the right reason. Soon he would have the right to claim her. Selene had everything he desired in a woman. Her light blonde hair, smooth as silk, so pale it was almost white. Her heart-shaped face, ever so beautiful, one would pause for a while to admire her. And her body, tall and thin and willowy with long legs, absolutely graceful. He had no reason to think about another woman this time, especially when his betrothed was around, here in his house.

Magnus entered the room in languid pace, interrupting his thought. His cousin headed to the bar, entirely ignoring him as if he was just some sort of furniture. Magnus poured some brandy for himself, didn't bother to greet him or congratulate him for the betrothal. He downed the golden liquid in one long swallow.

"Where the hell have you been, sirrah??! I should make a shit out of your absence to the Wyndhams!!!" Lord Carlton burned in rage as he paced toward Magnus in long strides.

"Pardon. Did I miss something today? I don't see anything worth my time."

"You useless chap!! Can't you show a little respect for this family..."

"Enough, Carlton. Today is a joyful day for us and we have guests here. I don't want to see you make a fuss."

Lady Cecily silenced her husband with an elegant wave. She had just walked into the room. The lady approached Magnus, patted and stroked his back gently with motherly love.

"You shouldn't miss the lunch reception, darling. Promise me you're not going anywhere before it's done."

Watching the little family scene, Ashton felt a inevitable sting of jealousy. Long time ago, he once expected Aunt Cecily to be a source of comfort after his mother's death. Later he found that she offered him nothing but a cold politeness, and her attention to him was more dutiful than sincere. There were times in the past when he really envied Magnus. Magnus had everything that he could never have, everything he could not buy with his power or his vast riches.

"I don't know... I'm afraid I cannot promise you, Mother." Magnus replied indifferently.

Lord Carlton grumbled in suppressed anger.

"Bloody hell, you have nothing worth doing thus far... For God's sake, make yourself useful, for at least once in your life. I'm not asking you to go to war and defend your country, I'm just asking you to stay for a reception!"

"I said, enough, Carlton." Lady Cecily sent her husband a murderous glare. Lord Carlton looked away and muttered under his breath.

"Look at how handsome and gallant you are, my little boy..." the lady shifted her gaze to Magnus again and smoothed his long hair.

"I bet the ladies will be surrounding you all the time, begging for your attention. You don't want to disappoint them, do you?"

Magnus stiffened at the terrifying images.

"I think I have better things to do."

"Miss Regina Markham will be here. You both haven't been introduced."

Magnus bit his tongue to hold back a tart reply. He knew his father's plan to match him with the haughty miss. Her father was the Chairman of the House of Lords. Lord Carlton had been very ambitious about expanding their family influences. He had succeeded in setting up some beneficial alliances. Ashton's betrothal to Selene Wyndham was one of them. As now he was planning for more, Magnus should be playing his role.

A hot, scathing anger burst inside him. He glanced with disgust at his mother, who had been coaxing him all along, pretending to be on his side yet all she was doing was to put him into the trap. She was no different than his father. They never bothered with his feelings or his thoughts. He was simply a pawn. Well, Ashton was indeed a pawn, but they treated him better. Far better. They matched Ashton with a goddess and gave their son a girl with a horsey face and protruding teeth.

He set his glass on the table and walked out of the room in long strides.

Darling! Where are you going? Wait!!!"

Lady Cecily came after him with an elegant swoosh of her heavy skirt.

Lord Carlton stared at them until they were disappeared to the corridor then he turned to Ashton.

"Something has fully occupied him lately. He is nowhere to be seen most of the day. He goes early before the dawn breaks and comes back late at night. Where does he possibly go everyday?"

Ashton made as if he was unaware about the fact. Any comment would only fueled his uncle's fury.

"I have no idea."

"I suspect he is still seeing the peasant girl."

Until now, Lord Carlton and his wife didn't know the true identity of the so called peasant girl.

"I don't think so. I had them watched over, they had stopped seeing each other after I warned the wench."

"And how long since the last time you had them watched over? Has it occurred to you that they planned only temporary split? After you stopped spying them, I suspect they had resumed the affair."

Ashton considered the possibility. He had the pair watched over for six weeks. During the period of time, he was certain they had already separated. But it had been a long while, almost four months ago. Probably they had got together again this time. He thought about another possibility.

"My man once reported that he was engaged in a swordplay practice with a war veteran, but I didn't observe further where the old soldier resided as I considered it harmless and irrelevant to the matter that time."

"Swordplay practice?!" Lord Carlton laughed harshly. "He is never serious about anything. There's nothing he can do persistently other than chasing skirt. I bet he already stopped training with the old man after half a month or less."

He continued in impatient tone.

"Look, I don't care if he wants to screw the wench until he's got enough of it. He can make her his mistress later, after he is securely married. What I worry about is he getting crazy about this little wench and doing stupid things. He may elope with her or impregnate her. If he does, we will suffer from severe consequences."

His uncle was a real autocrat. Since Ashton and Magnus were little boys, Lord Carlton demanded complete obedience and flawless result from them as his apprentices. He was their mentor in almost everything. His domineering manner was something Magnus could not endure, yet Ashton survived. He had no choice. His uncle was the only man he could rely on when he was a child, the only man whom he looked up as a role model for all his life, and he was certainly better than his eccentric father. Uncle Carlton had taken care of the family and the estate during his father's absence, before and after his father's death. He knew he owed his uncle that much and he knew exactly what he wanted to hear from him.

"You need not to worry, uncle. I will take care of it."

"As soon as possible, Ashton. Your aunt and I will bring the Wyndhams on a full day tour tomorrow. I'll make up reasons for your absence. You have full day without disruption. I want this matter to be taken care of without delay."

It had always been like that since he was a child. An immediate action for an urgent matter. So today, just like the old days, he replied with the only answer his uncle would take.

"As you wish."