He turned from her portrait and started down the stairs.
And he had been sincere last night when he had said her future husband would be a lucky man. And now that future husband would be him. He felt himself harden in his buff breeches with the thought that in the future he would have the liberty—nay, the obligation—to spend inside her as many times as he could muster.
And he thought he might muster a great many times with her.
Now, what was her name? It wasn’t Caro, but that was close, wasn’t it? Caroline. Lady Caroline Haskett.
But, wait. She wasn’t twenty years of age. It had been at least a decade since he had agreed to help Edmund out and dance with his sister at her first ball.
And wasn’t there something wrong with her? He couldn’t remember any details, but he had never seen her at any other ball during any other Season. Edmund never spoke of her.
No matter. There was nothing wrong with her lips, her breasts, her skin, her wet quim. Even more importantly, there was nothing wrong with her desire for him.
She would make a beautiful Countess of Burchester.
As he entered the breakfast parlor, he was momentarily arrested by the two pairs of green eyes that lifted to his, but both under much bushier eyebrows than Caroline’s—Edmund’s black ones and the marquess’ white ones. Phineas looked around the room. No Lady Caroline.
“Good morning,” he ventured.
Both men gruffly wished him a good morning back.
Ah, the Haskett men didn’t know about the tryst. Hmmph. Was that disappointment coursing through his veins? A wise man would have been relieved the colossus Edmund Haskett knew of no reason to bash him about, but Phineas Edge had never made any pretense of being a wise man. And in just the last minute or two, he had very much taken to the idea of being forced to marry Edmund’s sister.
Phineas sat down and waited for breakfast. And for Lady Caroline.
But she did not come. It was the same group of men who had been at dinner last night, but now Phineas found the company tedious, the men’s voices grating. Surely, as hostess, Lady Caroline would make an appearance?
He interrupted a discussion of the marquess’ dogs. “And your daughter, Lord Sudbury? Will she be joining us for breakfast? Or for the shooting, as some ladies do? I hope she is not still indisposed.”
The old marquess wiped his mouth with his napkin. “You are kind to inquire, Lord Burchester. Lady Caroline is well but has asked to stay in her room today, and I have granted her leave to do so. She is shy.”
She wasn’t shy last night when she was handling my cock.Phineas ducked his head to hide his smug grin and dedicated himself to getting exactly the right amount of cream into his flawless cup of coffee.
After breakfast, he went directly to the library, plucked a book at random, selected an extremely comfortable chair, and began flipping pages. He couldn’t read a word without his spectacles, but he had left those upstairs, not thinking he would need them for today’s hunt. He hadn’t planned on reading; the idea had come to him over the last bit of breakfast.
But he didn’t need to read, really. He just needed to create the illusion of reading. He was going to sit in the library and pretend to read and beg off the morning’s shooting. Then, when everyone else had left the manor, he was going to find Lady Caroline and have a good talk with her. Find out what this was all about. Find out whatherintentions were towardhim.
Ha! That was a turnabout. What an adventure she was.
He heard Edmund shouting his name.
“In the library,” he called out and turned a page.
“Phin.” Edmund put his head in the door. “Blazes, here you are. We’ve been looking for you everywhere. We’re ready. Let’s go.”
“I’m going to read, you go ahead.” He waved vaguely and crossed his legs. “I’ll find you later.”
“You’re going to read?” Edmund crossed the room in long strides and pulled the book from Phineas’ hands to read the title. “The Young Woman’s Companion?”
Phineas snatched the book back. “Yes.”
Edmund frowned. “I would have expected to find George holed up with a book, but you? We’ve been talking about this day of shooting for months. And now you’re going to miss it to read a girls’ etiquette book?”
Phineas glared up at him. “Yes.”
Edmund threw his hands in the air. “Fine.” He stalked from the room.
Phineas sat in the chair until he was sure the other men had departed the manor. He put the book down and left the library and went up the main stairs.
