Page 41 of Desperately Seeking Seduction

Winston looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. But it was mainly to hide the sadness she experienced over the thought of leaving him. Tomorrow, he’d wake up alone and have to tie his own cravat and pick up his own clothes…or he’d stand before the easel all day, painting in ignorance.

Hopefully, by the time he realized she was gone, she would be miles away. Far beyond his reach, and that of her father, too.

Now she knew what to do with a man’s body, she brushed her fingers down his bare chest until she encountered his bulging trousers.

He broke the kiss, chuckling. “You are a fast learner.”

“I had a good teacher.”

“My dear, your lessons are only just getting started,” he promised as he rolled her fully under him.

She shook her head. Lord, he could talk. “Stratford, shut up and kiss me.”

CHAPTER 13

Stratford marveled at the ridiculousness of his cousin George’s babble the next morning. While everyone prowled forward through the long grass in near silence, George, of course, chose to do the exact opposite. Even Stratford knew shooting required one to shut their mouth or risk scaring off the wildlife. He glared at George, who was leaning against young Edwin Aston, explaining some past shoot where he’d brought down the greater number of birds and earned praise from the late duke.

It had been a long morning of him boasting and drinking with Edwin Aston. They never stopped, and they were a distraction the shooting party could frankly do without.

He glanced at the duke in exasperation. Why was Algernon putting up with this nonsense?

Surely it was time to put their cousin in his place.

He handed off his gun to one of the servants in frustration and stalked over to his brother, who was standing near a collection of woven baskets.

“We’re short a few birds still,” Algernon was saying to Crawford, who was raising his new rifle and taking aim at a cloud above them. “I’ll not go back yet.”

“I think we ought to leave them out here to get the rest,” Stratford muttered softly, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

Algernon smiled. “I might be tempted to do the same. However, I looked at the tally. His prowess is far below standard.”

“That has always been the case,” Stratford murmured.

“But it isn’t what our cousin has achieved in the past that matters anymore,” Algernon answered and finally looked up, grinning. “It is what he can do from today that we will dine on at gatherings in the future.”

“Ah, of course,” Stratford said, finally understanding why Algernon wasn’t annoyed. George tended to bludgeon everyone with his self-praise, but Algernon had always played a game of subtlety. Only a fool would believe George’s boasts when there was no one important enough, such as the late duke, to support his version of his achievements.

Stratford retrieved his gun and moved forward with his brothers and, at a signal, took aim. He had a near miss for one bird, but the duke’s aim was better. To the left, there was no sound of a gunshot but the harsh braying of drunken laughter.

Stratford did not bother to turn and look. George and Aston hadn’t taken a single shot.

Algernon signaled they were done for the day, and George and Aston wasted no time leading the way back to the palace. That was where the rum and any other spirits were to be found, after all.

Stratford joined his brothers to watch them stumble off together.

“Not so much as a by your leave,” Jasper complained.

“They barely acknowledged the duke all morning,” Nash complained. “It’s as if he imagines nothing has changed.”

Algernon said nothing to that. But his lips pursed in thought.

Stratford clapped his hand on the duke’s shoulder. “What’s next?”

“Next?”

“In your plan to humiliate George. After all the slights you suffered over the years, I imagine you have endless plans?”

“I wouldn’t waste my energy on so poor a target. His soft spots are rather obvious after all.”