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Chapter One: Despicable

England, 1793

August, ustine, never expected to spend his twenty-eighth birthday at a tame house party in Berkshire Since two of his three best friends hadhad become his life

“Nonsend, get your teeth into it” Gentlee for apples in traditional Hallowe’en fashion

“Open wide,” said another “If you ue!”

Perhaps not so tame a party The Marquess of Townsend and his wife, Aurelia, had gathered a merry crowd of friends and acquaintances to Somerton, their country manor It would be their last opportunity to entertain for some time, as Lady Townsend expected a child in February His friend Lord Warren’s as expecting as well, in March, so the lot of theer sister Minette and her co duke,” who indeed rese at times

August’swith his sisters Catherine and Eliza, and their husbands and children The Townsends had also invited the Earl and Countess of Colton, whose daughter, Lady Priscilla, was often linked to August in gossip

Truth be told, Priscilla was practically planning their wedding, with encouragement from his mother, and hers

During the bonfire at dusk, Lady Priscilla had stood by his side in a wholly proprietary ht had blown smoke in their direction, she’d hidden behind hiustine, how heroic you are” He didn’t knoas heroic about shielding someone from a bit of smoke He supposed delicate, china-doll ladies like Priscilla wilted beneath the horrors of flame and soot, which made him wonder why she came down to the bonfire at all

Priscilla was beautiful and genteel, with her sleek brunette hair and striking blue eyes, but the sht to have stayed in town He always spent Hallowe’en night—his birthday night—in the company of the famed Dirty Esmeralda Half-witch, half-wanton, Esme had become his favored outlet for lustful dissolution When he was in London he visited her three or four times a week, and on his birthday, she always bestowed “special favors”

If he ht have to reduce his association with Esether He wondered if Priscilla would find that heroic He wondered if he cared His only chance at birthday fun this year was the buxo when she brought his bathing water Perhaps he ought to seek her out later and have a ith her, though he wasn’t sure Townsend would appreciate hi with the help

“Huzzah!” Cheers rang out frohts Townsend had cohed and swabbed at his soaked hair and face with a towel Water dripped onto his shirt; the linen clung to him at his neckline His cravat and collar had been undone, of course, before he took the first dive This apple-bobbing ritual provided the younger —at least partially—before the ladies, and a great many of them waited their turn to experience this masculine thrill The ladies blushed and whispered behind their fans, and ate ginger and pumpkin cakes, and drank black currant tea

August sat on the outskirts, leaving the He was only tired of doing what everyone expected, particularly Lady Priscilla, who doubtless wished him to untie his cravat, take off his coat and waistcoat, and undo his top button so she otten the apple in his teeth—and he was excellent at this, since he had a big mouth—she would also expect to be the one to dab his black hair dry with a towel She’d expect him to hand his apple over to her with a sesture would be tantaement announcement

He found all of this distasteful

He did not wish to marry Lady Priscilla At all

The ginger-haired Lord Robert went next The a special attention to Minette ever since the house party convened the week before August searched the roo near Lady Warren and soht at hio learned not to encourage Minette in her childish infatuation Not that Minette was a child any twenty-eight

August sighed and stood, and retreated to the other end of the roouests sat at card tables or snored in tufted chairs, keeping their distance fro merriment on the terrace His mother smiled at him from a chaise, where she visited with Lady Colton These blasted Oxfordshire fahters

Another great cheer rose froh the music at the piano Bland stuff, suitable for company

“Play so for us, would you?” his mother asked

“Oh, yes Soested Lady Colton with a smile

August shuffled through a fewhere, and besides, everyone’s preoccupied with the game at the moment” He looked over toward the terrace, and found that Minette had escaped her group of friends and was headed his way

“Good evening, Lady Colton,” she said “And Lady Barrymore” Minette embraced his ly polite Since Minette had lost her parents at a young age, many of the Oxfordshire ladies had acted as mother to her over the years Spoiled her, even He half-listened as Minette chattered on in her typical happy way about the past season in London, and her brother’s e to Josephine, and the Warren baby to be born before Easter He traced fingers along the keys as the ladies asked after Minette’s winter plans They hinted sweetly that e and children should not be far off in her future

Ah, God Minette, married with children? It see about whether to dress her in ankle skirts Lady Colton continued to discourse upon the blissful state of h for him to overhear He would not be drawn into the conversation, no matter how loudly they talked Another cheer from the terrace, and the ladies rand bonfire, and the rosemary-pumpkin tarts

“Well, perhaps Lord Augustine will agree to play if I play with him,” said Minette

August looked up at that Lord help hiht have sent her—good-naturedly, of course—to re-join the other young people, but at thatover So, instead, he slid sideways on the bench and placed the great, disorganized pile of sheet music on her lap

“This shall be a treat,” said his mother “Lady Minette has always played so prettily”

Minette did not play prettily at all August knew this, but he told her to pick so Minette, she liked them all

“Well, Flowers of August ht be perfect for the season, and perfect for your na this other piece at the Denham’s dinner and it was beautiful too It’s new and oh so lovely, but it takes rather ot Oh, here is The Clock Shall Chime, have you heard it?”

Before he could answer, she went on

“It’s a rather sober piece for a fun night I don’t think it will do Oh, here is a whole suite of baroque arranges, don’t they?”

“Perhaps you should pick one,” he said in as polite a voice as he could , ready to draw hiuests weretheir way over from the terrace

“Here is Poggle and Woggle Oh, that’s a dreadful noise, we’ll put that one on the bottom And Holly on the Green, but it’s not even the holidays yet, only Hallowe’en, and oh!” She turned to hiaze “That ustine? How could we all have forgotten?”

It was too late to shush her, and he probably shouldn’t anyway, in front of all these people

“I say, it is your birthday, isn’t it?” said Townsend, who had coht to celebrate What would you like? A chane toast? Some cake?”