His friends were going to be insufferable once this was all done.“Maurice, I ...”He paused, drawing in a deep breath.“I can’t believe I fell in love with a Duke.God has a strange sense of humour.”
“You love me?”
“I tried so hard not to.For years, I studied everything about pedigrees and breeding theories just so I could prove I was equal to you in knowledge, not understanding that I wanted to be equal to you on all fronts.”
“Sebastian, you are more than my equal.You are my everything.”
“Don’t say that.I could never live up to that standard.”
Maurice kissed him hard.“Stop that.I don’t want you to change.I’m in love with you, brazen, sarcastic, handsome, you.My orphan stable master, the greatest horseman in England.Do you know what an honour it is to have you willingly share my bed?Every week, I get letters with obscene offers for you.”
Sebastian laughed, knowing Maurice meant money and the double entendre was probably unintended.“And you just couldn’t let me go?”
“Never.”Maurice wrapped his arms around Sebastian, holding him tight.There was nothing for it, but to kiss Maurice and pour all his love and anxiety about the future into the kiss.Eventually, they would have to get up and get cleaned before going to sleep, but until then, Sebastian would shower Maurice in kisses, saying all the things he wasn’t quite able to say.
Chapter 15
September 1814
The big day had arrived and Maurice was nervous.Today Maurice would win his bet with Prinny and he’d bring home the Derby winner Smolensk to give to his Sebastian.Sebastian had travelled to Doncaster two weeks ago with the four zebras and a couple of the stable lads to help the zebras settle into their new environment.
Maurice had spent the intervening time getting married—shock, horror—and today his new bride, Lady Victoria, the Duchess of Edenwick, would accompany him to the St Leger.If either of them were that way inclined, it would’ve been a good match.Victoria had many of the same qualities that Maurice liked about Sebastian, and in the past two weeks since they were married, they’d become friends.They both needed more friends, and he enjoyed seeing Victoria grow more confident.Her Ginny was a petite softly spoken Scottish woman with strawberry blonde hair and pale blue eyes, while Victoria was elegant rather than classically beautiful, and often had a stern expression.
“Your Grace, will you ride in the carriage today?”Sebastian raised one eyebrow and Maurice immediately wanted to kiss it.It’d been two weeks since they’d seen each other, and damn it, there were too many people around for him to greet him exactly how he wanted.
“Yes.”
“And your bride?”
Maurice flinched.“I’m sorry.”
“Why?It’s the perfect way to announce your marriage.No one will be looking at your stable master driving the zebras when they have a new Duchess to gossip about.”
“If the world was fair, you would be at my side, Sebastian.”
Sebastian’s nose crinkled up.“But the world isn’t fair and yet we’ve found a way to make it work for us regardless.”
