Free Ravishing in Red by Madeline Hunter Page B

and to the lure of a very pleasant memory. And the goal, in case you did not notice, was mutual pleasure. However, you are correct. I should not have, so I must apologize again.”
    “For all the good that seems to do!” They emerged at the garden’s edge, near the corner of the conservatory. Two bonnets on two women stayed turned away, as if ignorant that he and Miss Kelmsleigh were even in the county, let alone nearby.
    Miss Kelmsleigh pointed to the far corner of the garden wall. “I do not want an apology, Lord Sebastian. I only want you to leave. There is a garden portal over there. You do not have to go back through the house.”
    “Certainly. Good day to you, and thank you.”
    “Thank me?”
    “For the tour of the garden. For your hospitality.”
    He bowed. She glared. He smiled. She blushed. He looked in her eyes.
    She turned and ran away, toward the greenhouse.

Chapter Six
    “ I must leave early today,” Sebastian said. “I have an appointment with Castleford in the City.”
    “Duty always comes first, of course,” Morgan said. “I am glad to see that you are able to negotiate with Castleford. I fear that I was never able to hide my dislike of the man and his notorious behavior. That is why you have proven effective in government so quickly. You have an ability to treat with scoundrels such that they do not perceive your disdain.”
    “Perhaps that is because they believe I am a scoundrel too, and do not hold them in disdain. Maybe they think we are fellow travelers.”
    “Nonsense. Your wilder past was the norm for young men. You never did anything truly dishonorable. Not like him.”
    Sebastian was not going to argue about his own character, least of all to convince Morgan it had more blemishes than Morgan knew. The truth was that the Duke of Castleford did see a fellow traveler when he spoke to Sebastian, because in the past they had trod the wilder paths side by side.
    Now their association, for all its amicable appearance and practical usefulness, was that of two fighters facing off, pacing around and looking for the weakness in the other. Castleford found it inconvenient that Sebastian had taken Morgan’s place in public life. When Morgan had faced a political fight, he retreated.
    “Kennington and Symes-Wilvert are coming by anyway, so you won’t be missed,” Morgan said. “My morning will be busy.”
    “I will leave now, then.”
    Sebastian’s valet waited outside Morgan’s apartment bearing hat and gloves. Set for the day, Sebastian headed down to the street.
    Percival Kennington and Bernard Symes-Wilvert entered the house just as Sebastian was leaving. Both second sons of barons, they had been Morgan’s friends since their early school days. They visited at least once a week, always together like this, always in the morning because Morgan tired by afternoon. Both blond and ruddy and battling corpulence, they could have been brothers despite their disparate sizes. Kennington was the big pea to Symes-Wilvert’s small one in the pod they shared.
    Sebastian had never found either man interesting, but he had grown fond of them in the last year for their devotion to their old friend.
    “Are you leaving, Summerhays?” Kennington said. “We had hoped to cajole you into a game of cards.”
    “I regret I will have to decline today.” Relief tempered by guilt struck its discomforting note in him. Those whist sessions usually stretched into tedium. Kennington and Symes-Wilvert would pick over old social gossip, or quiz Sebastian on government doings, and he would dodge questions that were none of their business. Morgan would bask in the rare pleasure of having friends around.
    “We will go up, then,” Kennington said. “Perhaps we will still be here when you return.”
    “I will be sure to check. Yes, please go up. He is waiting for you.”
    Morgan’s visitors aimed for the staircase. Sebastian aimed for his horse. His meeting with Castleford was not for over an hour, and he had