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Authors: Laurie McBain
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mischievously before saying casually, "I'd like to borrow your team of blacks. Nothing can beat them." His blue eyes twinkled irrepressibly as he watched the frown settle on his brother's face, then the golden eyes caught the imp of mischief in the blue eyes.
Alex's lips parted in an answering smile. "If I had thought you were serious I would have guessed that you'd driven your team while standing on your head. But I'm glad that you've decided to pay me a visit. I had imagined myself having to cross the Channel in search of you on one of your crazy antics. But seeing how Napoleon wishes to win this war, he would waste little time in dispatching you speedily back to England."
"Oh, come now, Alex, I'm not as bad as that Just having a little fun," he complained happily.
"Well, just don't get yourself thrown out of Almack's," Alex warned, forgetting that he himself was in danger of that very happening, and of his own scoffing attitude.
"You've come pretty close yourself, and if rumor has it, then—"
"—then you will be careful and remember that I've warned you," Alex interrupted his brother's rebuttal.
"Well, what did you want to see me about? Not about that, I'll wager," Peter replied, a trifle put out.
"I'm leaving for Westerly tomorrow," Alex answered succinctly.
"Leaving London! You can't possibly be serious, Alex. Why; whatever will you do down there?" Peter demanded incredulously.
"This is beginning to sound like a Shakespearean comedy! Does no one leave London these days?" he sighed, then turning a hard golden-eyed stare at Peter, said, "I might add that I'll be seeing to the estate that keeps your pockets well-lined"
Peter had the grace to look slightly ashamed at that remark, but puzzlement still showed in his eyes as Alex continued.
"London is full of mincing fops, unlicked cubs . and needle-witted mamas shoving their daughters into the highest bidder's bed and I'm sick of the lot of them," he declared with contempt in his voice.
"Sure it's not Mariana that's made you turn tail?"
“I don't believe I heard you correctly, Peter. Would you care to repeat that remark?" Lord Trevegne asked in a tone so quiet and menacing it made Peter's blood run cold. He feared he had pushed his brother's temper too far this time, and felt sick as he thought of the other men who had also learned too late of Lord Trevegne's deadly temper and were now laid to rest in the bowels of the earth.
"I'm sorry, Alex. Please forget I ever said that. I know you'd never run from anything. I'm just a beef-head sometimes, but it's just that I know how much you loved her, and she did last longer than anyone else. I never did understand why you dropped her. She's a real beauty, and now they say she's got old Linville almost at the altar, so I thought maybe you minded even though you've said you were through with her," he stammered.
Lord Trevegne gave a sigh of exasperation, patience beginning to become frayed about the edges by this well-intentioned, yet aggravating interest in his welfare.
"You play with fire, Peter. I know you well enough not to take half of what you say seriously, knowing how impetuous you are, but others do not realize that you often say things you find yourself regretting later. So take care Peter, or you shall find yourself in very deep waters," Alex reprimanded him coldly. "But to answer your question. I was never in love with Mariana, nor have I ever been in love with any woman. At least not enough to ask her to marry me. I should be bored with her before the honeymoon was over. I'm tired of having them fall at my feet, or more aptly, into my bed, either because they think they're in love with me, or because of my title and estates—which I believe they love even more," he said cynically. "Mariana and I enjoyed a brief affaire de coeur, and now it's over—maybe a little sooner than it would have been, but that was merely precipitated by a disagreement which could not be eradicated. So we had a parting of the
Alex's lips parted in an answering smile. "If I had thought you were serious I would have guessed that you'd driven your team while standing on your head. But I'm glad that you've decided to pay me a visit. I had imagined myself having to cross the Channel in search of you on one of your crazy antics. But seeing how Napoleon wishes to win this war, he would waste little time in dispatching you speedily back to England."
"Oh, come now, Alex, I'm not as bad as that Just having a little fun," he complained happily.
"Well, just don't get yourself thrown out of Almack's," Alex warned, forgetting that he himself was in danger of that very happening, and of his own scoffing attitude.
"You've come pretty close yourself, and if rumor has it, then—"
"—then you will be careful and remember that I've warned you," Alex interrupted his brother's rebuttal.
"Well, what did you want to see me about? Not about that, I'll wager," Peter replied, a trifle put out.
"I'm leaving for Westerly tomorrow," Alex answered succinctly.
"Leaving London! You can't possibly be serious, Alex. Why; whatever will you do down there?" Peter demanded incredulously.
"This is beginning to sound like a Shakespearean comedy! Does no one leave London these days?" he sighed, then turning a hard golden-eyed stare at Peter, said, "I might add that I'll be seeing to the estate that keeps your pockets well-lined"
Peter had the grace to look slightly ashamed at that remark, but puzzlement still showed in his eyes as Alex continued.
"London is full of mincing fops, unlicked cubs . and needle-witted mamas shoving their daughters into the highest bidder's bed and I'm sick of the lot of them," he declared with contempt in his voice.
"Sure it's not Mariana that's made you turn tail?"
“I don't believe I heard you correctly, Peter. Would you care to repeat that remark?" Lord Trevegne asked in a tone so quiet and menacing it made Peter's blood run cold. He feared he had pushed his brother's temper too far this time, and felt sick as he thought of the other men who had also learned too late of Lord Trevegne's deadly temper and were now laid to rest in the bowels of the earth.
"I'm sorry, Alex. Please forget I ever said that. I know you'd never run from anything. I'm just a beef-head sometimes, but it's just that I know how much you loved her, and she did last longer than anyone else. I never did understand why you dropped her. She's a real beauty, and now they say she's got old Linville almost at the altar, so I thought maybe you minded even though you've said you were through with her," he stammered.
Lord Trevegne gave a sigh of exasperation, patience beginning to become frayed about the edges by this well-intentioned, yet aggravating interest in his welfare.
"You play with fire, Peter. I know you well enough not to take half of what you say seriously, knowing how impetuous you are, but others do not realize that you often say things you find yourself regretting later. So take care Peter, or you shall find yourself in very deep waters," Alex reprimanded him coldly. "But to answer your question. I was never in love with Mariana, nor have I ever been in love with any woman. At least not enough to ask her to marry me. I should be bored with her before the honeymoon was over. I'm tired of having them fall at my feet, or more aptly, into my bed, either because they think they're in love with me, or because of my title and estates—which I believe they love even more," he said cynically. "Mariana and I enjoyed a brief affaire de coeur, and now it's over—maybe a little sooner than it would have been, but that was merely precipitated by a disagreement which could not be eradicated. So we had a parting of the
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