Free A Taste of Honey by Lindsay Kiernan Page B

reference to his mother.  “Tell me you're joking.”
    “Your mother's charges are sought after by many men,” Kent said, trying to rationalize his choice as a matter of searching out the most prized possessions.
    “You're absurd!” Garrett laughed; amazed that Kent could even imagine attempting such a thing.
    “Any man who marries one of her girls is looked at with awe.  Even a few Dukes might try to vie for those two women.  It is a unique set of competitors that I have never fought against before.”
    “Precisely why you shouldn't try.”
    “And this year your mother has picked two very beautiful creatures, twins even.”  Kent spoke of the two women as if they were fine appetizers on a platter, waiting for him to choose which one he should devour.
    “Winnie told me that she had chosen a set of twins this year.  But trust me, my mother will never let you court either of them, she hates you,” Garrett reminded him.
    It was no secret that Mrs. Brentley was not one of Kent's admirers.  Some women Kent was able to wrap around his finger.  With a bit of charm and a flash of his smile women of all ages seemed to melt.  However Mrs. Brentley had known him since he was a young boy and she knew that he was always getting into some kind of mischief.  She had let her son become good friends with him only because she had hoped that Garrett would have a good influence on the boy.  By the time both men were adults, she had fixed Kent as being the worst sort of man but it was too late to pull them apart.  Mrs. Brentley was even angered by the fact that the large amounts of alcohol that Kent consumed daily had not bloated his figure.  He was as lean and healthy as any other young man despite his less than healthy habits.  The only woman who might have liked Kent less was Garrett's sister, Winnie.
    Feeling strangely defensive for his mother's charges, Garrett looked his friend over.  “Did you see much of them at the ball?”
    “Yes, everyone waits and watches for your mother to unveil her newest charge for the year.  When they turned out to be a beautiful set of twins every man in the place ran forward to fill their dance cards.  They looked so similar that the men who did dance with them weren't sure which sister they had spent time with except that one keeps a small flower in her hair to help tell them apart.”  Kent began his fifth drink by offering a glass to Garrett, who again refused.  “But I was intrigued by them from the great distance that I had to keep to avoid your mother.  I just need to get one of them separated from the old hag.  Then I can court her and marry her.  The whole affair shouldn't take more than a couple of months.”
    “Why not choose someone easier to get?  I'm sure that there are some matrons who do not know to keep their charges away from you.”
    Giving another of his devil-be-damned smiles Kent shrugged his shoulders lightly. “If I'm going to give up the bachelor's life, why not choose one of your mother's famous charges?  At least I could go out with one last bang,” Kent said.
    Standing to leave, Garrett tried again to warn his friend away from his goals.  “I don't know if going up against my mother to get to those girls is your best choice.  There are too many men to fight through to get to them.  They could prove to be quite a challenge.”  Before the words had left his mouth Garrett wished to take them back.  He knew how Kent loved a challenge, and besting men richer and more powerful than himself, seemed to be his goal in life.
    “I'll be married to one of them by the end of the season,”  Kent declared slapping his hand on the desk to finalize his decision.
    “I can see that you will be very busy over the next few weeks, we can visit another time,” Garrett said as he excused himself from the room. 
    “Busy?” Kent asked, perplexed at the notion.
    “You need to work on a strategy if you are going to get one of the twins to marry you without my