their
thighs. He had a decent enough mistress after all, but he wanted children, he
wanted a family, and he intended to get it. One way or another he would find a
suitable bride who wasn’t destined to become an uppity old hag before she was
twenty-five!
Just
for the hell of it, he strolled over to ask Lady Adele to dance first, as the
oldest daughter of a duke she obviously expected it. And he would have a better
chance to look over the rest of the crop from the dance floor. The room was
just as he anticipated. Filled with almost identical girls, similar stature,
similar dress, and hopeful expressions painted on their faces, except of course
when they saw him and quickly averted their eyes lest he invite them to dance
too. Apparently, even his enormous wealth and lofty title couldn’t compensate
for his looks. Lady Adele’s smile was frozen in place. It might have been a
grimace, it was hard to tell.
“My
father is here tonight Your Grace,” she said with emphasis, as if she expected
him to be pleased at the notion he could offer for her right away.
He didn’t answer, just
merely raised a brow. That made her frown; he imagined her scowling pouty face
over breakfast every day for the rest of his life and cringed. No doubt once
she had secured his title she would affect a permanent case of the megrims and
retire to her chambers to avoid him.
“Are you well Your
Grace?” she asked suddenly at his darkening expression. He’d been about to
answer when a petite golden haired angel walked into the ballroom, she stood at
the edge of the dance floor, and when his gaze connected briefly with hers, she
smiled at him. His heart lurched.
“Who is that?” he asked
abruptly, nodding toward the adorable angel.
“My little sister,
Cuthbertina, this is her first Season.”
Vincent’s
gaze swept from Lady Adele to the angel and back, there was barely a trace of a
family resemblance. Could this be Cubby? Suddenly his heart began to race as a
plan took shape, and he smiled down at the stick figure in his arms. “You will
introduce me,” he informed her, and propelled her across the dance floor toward
the heavenly creature before she could demure.
***
Lord
Rothersford stared at him as if he’d gone mad. There were those who thought he
was. It was the scowling dark brows that got to them, he didn’t try to hide or retrain his thick heavy black brows or tidy his wild
mane of jet black hair. He was a duke, therefore he
could and would, do as he pleased. And what pleased him now, was Cubby. He
focused his predatory amber eyes on the man before him and waited.
“I cannot allow Cubby
to go to the altar before Adele and Susan!” Lord Rothersford exclaimed.
“In that case, I bid
you good day!” Vincent rose to his feet and strode for the door. Counting down
as he did so under his breath. Five four three two…
“Very
well!”
He was back in the
library, where he’d listened in on the girls only an hour earlier. He wasn’t
about to waste any time, he knew which one he wanted, and he wasn’t going to
allow some young buck to snap her up first. Cubby had mentioned that she found
Lord Myerson handsome. When he’d requested an immediate audience with Lord
Rothersford, everyone was apparently expecting him to offer for Adele.
Vincent
turned with a sardonic grin that made even Lord Rothersford shudder. But he
didn’t make Cubby shudder. And soon he would be between those soft pink thighs.
Then he would ensure he made her shudder in a very pleasing way. He’d held her
softness in his arms tonight as they danced, just a taste of what she had to
offer him. He could hardly wait to sample the rest.
Chapter Two
Vincent glanced across
the carriage at his bride. It had all been accomplished in a matter of days
with a special license. There was gossip, he knew there would be. Why had he chosen
the younger sister, had there been inappropriate behavior…had he somehow
compromised her…had Lord Rothersford forced