Free How To Please a Pirate by Mia Marlowe Page A

his lordship
would have to do a good bit more to compromise Mistress Jacquelyn
than kiss her.” She tapped her pointed chin with her finger.
“Looked to me like they were just dallying a bit.”
    “Dallying? Daisy, where did you hear such
language? As if Miss Jacquelyn would stoop to willingly consorting
with a pi—“ Hyacinth stopped herself, her face reddening. “He was
kissing her to beat thunder and she had to run off to get away from
him.”
    “He wants a paddling,” Lily said with a
pout.
    “He shouldn’t be paddled.” Hyacinth shook her
head. “He should be horse-whipped.”
    “No, that wouldn’t be fair. I think Miss
Jacquelyn liked his kisses,” Daisy said, her lips screwed to one
side as if she were considering the evidence. “In fact, it looked
like she was kissing him back, too. For a while, at least.”
    Gabriel smiled at this most astute
observation. Daisy was obviously the brains of the outfit. He
guessed her to be around ten. He turned his gaze to the next two, a
pair as like as bookends, with thin blond braids dangling to their
waists.
“How about you?” he asked the twins. “Lily thinks I need my bottom
tanned. Hyacinth wants me horse-whipped. Daisy may be willing to
give me the benefit of the doubt.” He tossed that most amiable
niece a quick wink and she beamed back at him. “Would you two like
to express an opinion?”
    The twins faced each other and Gabriel could
almost see the silent conversation that went on between them. Then
they turned back to him, solemn as judges, and shook their heads in
unison.
    “That’s Poppy and Posey,” Daisy said
helpfully. “They don’t talk much. Except to each other.”
    “Well, let me see if I have you all
straight.” Gabriel pointed a finger at each girl as he ticked off
the names. “Hyacinth, Daisy, Posey and Poppy—”
    “No, that’s Poppy and the other one’s Posey,”
Daisy corrected.
    Gabriel squinted at the twins. They were
identical to the last eyelash. “How can you tell?”
    “Poppy is the oldest, of course,” Daisy said
as if that information was stamped on their faces.
    “Of course. A grave oversight on my part.”
Gabriel nodded at the twins. “I crave your pardons, ladies.”
    The pair blinked at him and shot him
gap-toothed grins.
    He cocked a brow at them and waggled his
finger to Daisy, motioning her forward. “And just how do you know
which is the oldest?” he said in a stage whisper.
    The twins giggled.
    “Poppy always stands on Posey’s left.” Daisy
cupped her hand at her little bow of a mouth and matched his
whisper. “Mrs. B says it’s how they started out and like to be how
they’ll end up.”
    “And they never switch places just to fool
people?”
    “Oh, they try sometimes,” Daisy admitted.
“But then they think they’re so clever, they can’t keep from
smirking a little and it gives the whole thing away.”
    Gabriel added sharp eyes to Daisy’s sharp
mind in his tally of her attributes. He was already imagining his
difficulty in trying to find a man to match her when she came of
age. Most men shied away from women with too much in their
noggins.
    Until he met the confounding Jacquelyn Wren,
he’d have counted himself in their number.
    “They’ll probably get better at switching
places as they get older,” Daisy said. “But by then, I’ll figure
out another way to tell them apart.”
    “No doubt,” Gabriel said, already lightheaded
from a vision of twin debutants. A squall on the horizon if ever
he’d seen one.
    Why hadn’t his brother Rupert left at least
one son?
    The smallest sister toddled over and patted
his knee with her pudgy hand. Little baby-fat dimples indented each
knuckle.
    “You forgot me,” she accused.
    “No, I didn’t,” he said. “You’re Lilac.”
    “No, I’m not.”
    “Lavender?” He pulled a face to make her
laugh.
    She squealed with pleasure. “I’m not
Lavender. My name is—.”
    “Wait a moment.” He snapped his fingers. “I
have it. Your name