Page 14 of The Duke’s Rejected Mate

“Yes, yes,” he muses as he looks through his cards. “‘Twas a lark and nothing more. I’ve seen you play. I’ve seen just how hard you get at causing the ladies pain and pleasure. ‘Twas only a lark.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes as I glance about once more, doing my best to keep my tone neutral. “It has nothing to do with it. More like Miss Campbell is a dear friend to my sisters. They are concerned, seeing as they know nothing about him. I’m just doing my best as their older brother to allay their fears so they can stop pestering me about it.”

“Your sisters are to come out to the marriage mart next season, is that not correct?” Kincaster puts down his cards and smiles at me while Ilmoor looks between us, his features schooled into a mask of indifference.

I know he has views, as does every fucking Alpha in the Ton. They all have their paws out, ready to snare one of my sisters. But I don’t wish to think about that now. Such problems will need to be solved at the next Season.

Smiling, I lean forward. “You mean the sisters who are guarded by both dukes? One of whom served in the military and the other a veritable force to be reckoned with?”

Thankfully, he backs down and continues playing as we descend into silence. The sound of the club bounces around, setting my nerves on edge. Again, I look about, seeing neither hide nor hair of the bastard.

“I do say,” Kincaster finally says. “Your Miss Campbell will find herself quite occupied when she becomes his bride.”

“Oh? How so? I mean, besides the obvious of becoming a wife and eventual mother.” They both put down their cards and look at me, their eyes so wide, I worry they might fall out of their sockets.

“You mean, you truly do not know?” Ilmoor asks.

“If I knew,” I grind out, “I wouldn’t be asking. Now would I?”

He shakes his head and goes back to his cards. “His six sisters. All sequestered in his estate.”

“Six,” I choke out. “Six? Who in the bloody hell has six children? Well, seven, including Henhaven.”

“That’s not for me to say,” Ilmoor muses. “I didn’t know his parents all that well. Just that they died bonded. When he went, so did she, leaving Henhaven to care for all his sisters.”

“I wonder if Miss Campbell knows.”

“I’d assume she does,” Kincaster says. “I would like to think any man going into such an arrangement would not leave that out.”

“You would assume… In that case, what is his vice here? What sort of player is he?”

Again, they look at each other.

“Your sisters long to know that?” Kincaster asks. “Very progressive, if you ask me. Dangerously so.”

“Of course not,” I growl out. “My sisters have no earthly idea about the carnal arts. This is so I can assess what manner of man he is and report back truthfully.”

With that, they shrug.

“You’d do best asking the madam,” Ilmoor says as he goes back to his game, obviously bored with this line of inquiry. “I’ve never seen him here nor heard tell of his proclivities.”

“That can’t be right. Why wouldn’t he come here? He’s man enough, and an Alpha to boot. Surely, he has needs.”

“Perhaps they’re being met elsewhere then,” Kincaster sighs as his body ripples with irritation. “Now then, if you’re done with this interrogation, I’d love nothing more than to ease some coin from Ilmoor’s tightly fisted purse.”

I shake my head as I move away from their table. These two are in here far more than even my friends and I were. If they haven’t seen him, then he hasn’t been here.

Walking toward the back of the club, I slip through the thick, velvet curtains and make my way toward Madame Douleur’s room. A quick knock, then a shuffling of sound. As she opens the door, I keep my gaze away, not wanting to see who she has bound in there today.

She slips out and crosses her arms. “Why Norhaven. This is unexpected. What can I assist you with?”

“Henhaven.”

Silence grows wide between us for a moment as she blinks at me. “Henhaven? As in…”

“What do you know of him? Does he frequent here? Perhaps another bawdy house?”

“I can’t say I’m familiar with that name. At least outside of knowing who the peerage is. He’s never stepped one foot in here. If he had caused mischief somewhere else, I would have heard about it. May I ask into your inquiry? It wouldn’t be because of a certain announcement at church today, would it?”