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But then there was the other side Sexual, inte to be perfect The side that uilty as hell
Gabriel hadn’t yet found a way to reconcile the opposing halves of his nature, the angel and the devil He doubted he ever would All he knew for certain was that Nola Black illing to do anything he wanted, as often as he wanted, and he’d never found that kind of relief with anyone else
Flushing, Gabriel struggled to explain withouthimself sound like a depraved freak of nature "The problem is that I require particularthat isshe lets uttural curse
"Every man has his tastes," Sebastian said sensibly "I doubt yours are all that shocking"
"What your generation considered shocking is probably different from mine"
There was a short, offended silence When Sebastian replied, his voice was as dry as tinder "Ancient and decrepit fossil that I ae to grasp what you’re trying to convey You’ve indulged in wanton carnal excess for so long that you’re disillusioned The trifles that excite other in’s pallid charms could ever hope to compete with the subversive talents of your lanced up in surprise
His father looked sardonic "I assure you, eneration The libertines of randfather’s time coe are born craving ood for us Obviously I was no saint before I married, and God knows I never expected to find fulfillment in the arms of one woman for a lifetime But I have Which means there’s no reason you can’t"
"If you say so"
"I do say so" After a conteain "Why don’t you invite the Ravenels to Heron’s Point for a week? Give the girl a sporting chance, and become acquainted with her before you make a decision"
"There’s no need to invite her entire family to Sussex for that It’s more convenient for me to visit her here in London"
His father shook his head "You need to spend a few days away from your mistress," he said frankly "A man with your developed palate will enjoy the next course far , Gabriel braced his hands on the edge of the table as he considered the suggestion With each passing day,him about the incipient scandal Especially Nola, who had already sent a half-dozen notes de to know if the ru off the same questions, and would probably welcome the opportunity to escape London The estate at Heron’s Point, with its eleven thousand acres of woodland, farmland, and pristine shoreline, offered complete privacy
His eyes narrowed as he saw his father’s bland expression "Why are you encouraging this? Shouldn’t you be a bitwhen it corandchildren?"
"You’re a ht-and-twenty who hasn’t yet sired an heir At this point, I’m not inclined to be overparticular about whorandchildren before your ave his father a wry glance "Don’t pin your hopes on Lady Pandora In her opinion,ever to happen to her"
Sebastian s to happen to a woman Fortunately, that never stops them"
Chapter 4
Pandora knew she was about to receive bad nehen Devon sent for her to co requested Cassandra to come down as well To make matters worse, Kathleen, who usually served as a buffer between Pandora and Devon, wasn’t there She had gone for the afternoon to visit Helen, as still in childbed after having given birth to a healthy son a week and a half ago The robust dark-haired infant, named Taron, closely resembled his father--"Except prettier, thank God," Mr Winterborne had said with a grin The boy’s name had derived from the Welsh word for thunder, and so far he had justified it in fullthe delivery, Helen had been attended by Dr Garrett Gibson, a staff physician at Mr Winterborne’s department store As one of the first feoland, Dr Gibson was skilled and trained in modern techniques She had taken excellent care of Helen, who’d had a difficult ti the delivery and had developed a mild case of anemia from loss of blood The doctor had prescribed iron pills and prolonged bed rest, and Helen was i every day
However, Mr Winterborne, as overprotective by nature, had so far insisted on hovering over his wife every possibletheat the store No er of falling ill from childbed fever or some other dread condition, he reil Helen spentquiet ga Helen had sent a note, begging Kathleen to visit so that Mr Winterborne would go to his office and attend to so to Helen, Winterborne’s e mad with him
The house seemed abnormally quiet as Pandora reached Devon’s study Slants of afternoon light bored through multipaned s set in deep oak wainscoted recesses