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your wife; who’d marry an aging orange haired parasite with no prospects worth lying about?” Seven sharp intakes of breath hissed through an awful silence. “At least I’m the spare heir; you’re just the spare spare.”
    “I hate you.” Avery sharply swivelled his chair so he wouldn’t have to see his older brothers. “I’d like to see you fall in love knowing the only thing you’ll win is rejection; unfortunately that would require you to have a heart.”
    Hervey leaned forward his anger highlighted by firelight. “Were you born a bastard David or is it an attribute you’ve developed purely for enjoyment?”
    David de Vere’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “One should embrace the truth Hervey, especially truth that can’t be pawned off by a baby brother. I suppose your days of pawning tat are over now that you’ve trapped a wealthy shrew. She must have been desperate to marry you. I hope your reputation with the ladies isn’t a myth. I can’t imagine what else she’ll get out of the union.”
    “She married me; I’m the luckiest man in the Kingdom.”
    “I’ll wager you made a bargain with the devil.”
    Belvedere glared at his older brother, “Shut up David. You know Hervey loves the shrew.”
    “If you want me to shut up you can come over here and try to silence me. Last time you ended up on your backside with a black eye. You and Avery are a pair of crackfarts. No wonder the shrew picked Hervey; at least he doesn’t have to ask another man to buys his wedding ring. I’d rather die than live off a pawnbroker who cavorts with that devil, Lyndhurst. It wasn’t enough to sit in his musty pocket, now Hervey rides around in the devil’s carriage advertising the connection like some demented slavey. My friend, Lord Sedgwick, is not amused. He’s heard the most disgusting rumour about you and your devil-friend.”
    “Lyndhurst is a business associate. I bought his carriage because it was a bargain.”
    “You could have bought one from someone who doesn’t reek of social death.”
    “As long as it’s legal, I’ll deal with anyone for a bargain.”
    “Well you won’t starve now that you’ve won Medusa’s bed.”
    The faint sound of the front door closing brought Hervey to his feet. “Please pretend to be polite for five minutes; this is the woman I love.” Hervey’s brothers all sighed in resignation as they listened to footsteps on the stairs.
Chapter 10
    Juliana shivered and pulled her woollen cloak around her thin silk dress as she started up the stairs. It was only four hours since she’d kissed her Hervey creature and promised to rendezvous at his house by seven, but it felt like four days. He’d convinced her to trust him to deliver an enchanted evening full of mystery and magic. She had an awful feeling he was going to persuade her to dance. She’d agonised over her dress and in the end had chosen a blue-green ball gown, gold combs for her hair and a long gold chain with blue green glass beads that drew the eye to a low décolletage. Her mirror had reflected a pleasing sight. Her mother’s hazy approval hadn’t meant anything. The smiling woman would probably have given the same response if Juliana had been wearing a black shroud.
    She shivered with excitement at the thought of seeing the Hervey creature. The endless years prior to her first kiss seemed unaccountably dull and boring. Her husband only had to wink at her and the past seemed to evaporate like a spent storm cloud.
    Her thoughts were dragged back to the present as Beecher paused on the first floor landing, “Are you sure you don’t wish me to carry your basket Madam?”
    “No thank you Beecher, it’s not very heavy.”
    “Very good Madam; Master Hervey and his brothers are in the main reception room waiting for you. If you’ll follow me...” Clutching her basket in one hand and her long skirts in the other Juliana reached the top of the stairs and sighed with relief at being closer to the light. The