This had better work. Jonathan opened his eyes as the coach came to a stop in front of his townhouse on Half Moon Street. Every muscle ached, and he wanted nothing more than to drink a bottle of scotch and collapse into his bed. But he had his future wifeGod willingto deal with first. He left the coach before her, ignoring her scowl. Then he waited patiently, holding out his hand to help her exit the coach, but she didn't budge."Audrey""I am not getting out. You may tell the driver to take me home." Her haughty reply would have made him chuckle at any other time, but tonight he was too bloody tired for her games."You are going to make me carry you, aren't you?""You will do no such thing. I'm going home." He couldn't see her face, but he could hear the pout in her tone.He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he leaned into the coach and grabbed her by the waist. She was such a delicate, curvy creature; he had no trouble lifting her out, despite her furious protests."
Gerald Langley rose from the floor of the hallway of his club, his head aching. He coughed and brushed plaster dust off his body. The world around him was in a state of destruction. The dining room was littered with spilled trays of food, chairs were overturned, and the acrid smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air. The house was silent; not a single member of his club was still around. The cowards. He rose to his feet, stumbling a little as he called out for his butler. There was no answer. Even the servants had fled? He would fire each and every last one of them for their disloyalty."Clayton," he bellowed. "Where the bloody hell are you?"He stumbled down the hall into his private study. This house was the headquarters to his club, the Unholy Sinners of Hell, but he often stayed here when he didn't wish to go to his townhouse in Mayfair. Lately he had spent more and more of his time here thanks to that bitch Lady Society. He'd been so close to ending that problem once and for
When Jonathan rose from bed just before dawn, Audrey was already awake. It was typical for her to rise early, but the mad escape from the hellfire club had sent a current of unease flowing through her that had left her more alert than she otherwise would have been. She blamed that unease for her body moving toward Jonathan throughout the night, until she ended up almost curled around his body as he slept. She'd woken to his scent and the warm press of his skin to hers. He'd managed to curl one arm around her, holding her to him, and she'd been unwilling to push away because it had felt too wonderful.But now, with the cold absence of his body, she found the strength to scramble from the bed and dress. She rang for a maid, who helped her do up her corset and the buttons on her gown. She could still hear Jonathan moving about in the other room, and she took a moment to hastily scrawl a note to him."Keep your end of the agreement. Our lessons must begin soon."Then she went in search
"I've never seen you like this."Jonathan turned toward Godric, not sure what he meant. Whenever he looked into his older brother's face, it was like looking into a mirror except for his hair, which was far lighter than that of his older sibling. They even shared the same green eyes. How had neither of them realized they were brothers for nearly twenty-five years? The answer was painfully simple, he supposed. Godric was the Duke of Essex. Why on earth would Jonathan have even considered the possibility he was related to a duke? Or any noble house, for that matter?"Like what?" he said at last."In such a fit of the blue devils."Jonathan stared at the gardens through the wide window of the drawing room. "I don't wish to discuss it." He'd gotten used to talking to Godric about almost everything, but admitting to his failures? That was not something any man wanted to talk about."It's Audrey, isn't it? Lucien mentioned last night that you were undecided about her.""I'm not undecid
There were few things more frustrating than sitting through a long carriage ride with a fretful lady's maid. After listening for two hours to Gillian worry about the house party, Audrey breathed a sigh of relief as the coach finally stopped at Rochester Hall, her sister's country residence. If only Gillian could take a breath, Audrey knew everything would be all right. She had plans to make this week perfect for Gillian and James.Audrey tipped her head back, admiring the lovely ancestral home of her brother-in-law, the Marquess of Rochester. The Palladian architecture of Lucien's estate was beautiful, the wide columns, the pale ashlar stone. The house looked as if it had withstood a century with ease and would stand several more. It wasn't the first time Audrey had been here. She'd visited often over the last ten years, but it felt new each time she arrived. There was a magic to Rochester Hall that was undeniable. It was a place where dreams and dynasties collided. And now her sister
Jonathan watched Audrey stride away from the succession houses and was torn between laughing and growling in frustration.Pineapples. What poppycock.The sprite was avoiding him and using the ruse of fruits to do it. He was tempted to go after her, especially seeing the way her hips swayed back and forth in her delightful colored skirts. He'd teased her endlessly about such gowns, but one had to admit the woman knew how to dressand how to torture a man with thoughts of stripping her out of those clothes.Once she was out of sight, he left James and Gillian and returned to the house. He needed help, and there was only one person he felt he could turn to. He found his intended counselor reading in the library."Charles." Jonathan shrugged out of his coat and joined Charles at a table. It was midmorning. He and James had arrived early at the grand country estate, but Charles had traveled a day ahead of them, and as such had already settled in.The Earl of Lonsdale glanced up from the
Audrey stared at a row of pineapples in the garden table, thinking. Not about the tart, prickly shaped fruit but about Jonathan. He was here, despite the fact that he shouldn't be, and she had no idea what to do about it. Why was he here? He avoided social gatherings whenever possible, except for dinners with his closest friends. Why hadn't he written to her in the last week? And why did he have to look so wonderfully handsome and virile? The flurry of questions made her head ache.While the house party was of a decent size, enough so that they would not need to interact too much, it was still possible that they would be forced into close proximity on occasion. And she would be here for a week. She couldn't hide in every alcove or duck out of every balcony door when he came toward her; that simply wasn't possible.It isn't in me to retreat. Yet that was exactly what she felt like doing.With an irritated sigh, she turned around and walked into the hard, imposing body of the very man
"What happened to you?" Lucien straightened in his chair, alarm filling his gaze. Jonathan had just entered Lucien's study and gingerly touched his jaw. By the feel of it, he was going to bruise."I may have had a tussle with one of the other guests.""Oh?""Nothing serious," Jonathan said with a wry grin."Nothing serious? You're turning blue on the chin.""I may have been teaching a certain little sprite to defend herself. She may have gotten the better of me."Lucien laughed almost as heartily as Charles had."I didn't tell you so you can be amused at my expense," Jonathan grumbled."I'm sure you didn't, but dammit, man, you cannot deny it is amusing." Lucien leaned back in his chair and propped his boots up on the edge of his desk. "Anyway, I hope you didn't come here for advice on seducing Sheridan women. Audrey is very different from Horatia. Very. My love is sweet, shy, and gentle.""And Audrey is none of those." Well, that wasn't true; she certainly had her sweet momen