rea

is is, or should I say, was, his." He swept his cheroot over the bun

desire, is it, Sebastien?" Shar

mirrors

ey as keenly as the nex

dered a gentle

he tension out with his breath. He stared at the duke, unwilling

invitations and a step higher in standing due to his willingness to splay himself before the field." The duke snapped his fingers for a drink.

n that you do not. I‟ve long since ceased to cry in my b

ear a reflection upon me." A nearly exact reflection, if one needed a l

d. Nothing would remove the taint though. Nothing would remove the

ite the gent

before he was noticed. "A gentleman wouldn‟t have had the Plumley ch

wish. "I merely follow you

und the bowl of the brandy glass. "Yo

e dropping it into his half-empty glass. It gave a hiss

hit, and then what will you do, Sebastien? Kn

he pretended to, he would know

tillated and teased them? Yes

Yes. Deflower them? No. If he needed to indulge, he went to women who

herry like you

the largesse from the toads who thought they knew how to play cards, but he suddenly di

old. "After all, you know

n you think. I know what you long for." He took a drink, one ed

yo

Respect.

‟s arm in a bored manner. "Don‟t all of us

ve you al

you could grant me, Your Grace. Such pesky laws concerning entailment, articles of succession. And bastard

t the K

s aimless movements. "And why would the King grant me anything, least of all a ti

ss fingers purpose, and he prided himself on leaving unnoticed destruction in his

tle, you hav

ine. "Or be born to it-little eno

retire." He rose. "I gro

aces where the men in this club would never go or

. Do

a man who valued emotional control, it was out of character.

rnament will begin that will progress through the summer. Ten tasks. Each with a monetary re

x into the chair, but h

agitated. "The King has

o all events for one year. Membership to all the right club

on his face, but he desperately

le, money, a wellborn bride, a platform to start. All ingredients that can launch a det

s charged with anger and something wild. Po

"I have money. What use do I have of a title, a seat,

t your mot

froze again. "

y. To the winner o

im. Worse than before. Steaming and coil

ing for which he had ever begged. The duke had purchased it from

to keep his bas

. But then the duke

nd. He tapped his fingers on the chair‟s arms, thinking, coldly plotting. The duke smiled

for a bunch of bastards or third-born sons?" The shifting of the light on the duke‟s eyes confirmed his guess on the par

Sarah

em interesting. He wasn‟t quite sure he had ever heard her string two words together, no less two sentences. No worthy suitors, at least to Lord Cheevers‟s exacting sta

? Or have you finally inc

rdened. "Yes, it is

a formidable faction desp

s promised-open society

the King

h other. Sponsorship was everything.

rd Gra

offers to buy the property

a sign of weakness now to even bring it up. A show o

competition if he was offering his trump. That a

ed...what he could do with it.