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Frowning, Danized the hasty scrawl as that of his younger brother, Williae
Damon—
In real trouble this tiotten myself into a duel to be held on the ive some much-needed advice Please come to Warwickshire at once and save the skin of your only brother
William
Damon's nerves were suddenly stretched taut orry He was accusto had ever come close to this “God, Will, what have you done now?” A thunderous scowl settled on his face “Daland to know that dueling is out of fashion” He glanced up to see a glint of sympathy in the butler's usually irowled “This tied to a duel”
The butler showed no surprise The younger Savage's reckless streak ell-known to everyone in the household “May I be of some assistance, my lord?”
“Yes” Damon nodded in the direction of the library “Tell those two that I've been called away on an urgent matter Have them reschedule the appoint to write a note to be delivered to Mrs Jessica Wentworth, of Somerset Street She is to receive it this afternoon, without delay”
A cool, arden in the back of Julia's house Her loose hair was ruffled and disordered by the wind, and she pushed it over one shoulder Surrounded by the heady scents of roserant herbs, she sat on a small white bench and opened the letter that lay in her lap
Dear Julia—
Unfortunately ht has been altered I e estate in Warwickshire to take care of an urgent piece of business concerning my brother, Lord William I will visit you immediately upon my return to London
Yours,
Savage
Alht, a last sentence had been added to the bottoe
I have no regrets about what happened between us—I hope you feel the same
Troubled by the tersely worded note, Julia reread it and frowned unhappily A sense of uneasiness crept over her Certainly that last had been intended as some sort of reassurance, but she didn't know if it had the effect of causing her relief or disan to cruhtly against her midriff
Lord Williae, the brother-in-law she had never met She wondered if the lad were really in trouble, or if he served as a convenient excuse for Da her Despite his words to the contrary, it was possible he did regret spending the night with her Perhaps it was the conventional thing to tell a worets, even if the opposite were true
Flushing with shame and uncertainty, Julia wondered if she had displeased him so than Lady Ashton She hadn't knohat to do or how to satisfy hi or, worse, ao to bed with an experienced lover, not an aard virgin
Julia grimaced and silently berated herself She had to remind herself that she wanted an annulive up her career and her independence, and live under the thu if she had displeased hie with no qualms
The pale golden walls of the Warwickshire castle, looave no clue to the tur shadows across the ground and striking off the glittering diamond-paned s of the medieval structure
Da the pleasures a young man could find in London in order to stay with his , painful death of a consumptive, and he had suffered with her He still relanced up fro aloud to her, and found her anxious gaze on him “Take care of your brother and father,” she had entreated hiuidance and protection I'm afraid you are all that will keep the the five years since her death, he had done his best to keep his proh it hadn't been easy
Striding through the great hall and into the large first-floor parlor, Damon discovered his brother sprawled on a dalass of brandy in his hand Judging from his bloodshot eyes and disheveled appearance, it appeared that Willia his sorroith the help of a healthy portion of strong drink
“God, I' up on the couch “I half-thought you'd stay in London and leave me to my fate”
Daarded him ry affection “Not likely, after all I've invested in you”
Moving over to h “I've never dueled before I wouldn't care to start now”
“I don't intend for you to” Damon frowned “What was Father's reaction?”
“Everyone has conspired to keep hi out With his health so precarious, it would finish him off for certain if he were to hear of it”
Dareement “Aside from his bad business sense, Father's no fool He would rather know the truth than have everyone tiptoe around and keep secrets from him”
“You tell himan”
Rolling his eyes, Dalass of brandy from his hand “Leave off the spirits,” he advised “It won't do any good for you to get drunk” He looked around for a s none conveniently close, he downed the last fes hilow of the liquor
“That was nantly
Dalance “I needed refreshment after my journey Nohy don't you tell et in this et you out of another predicament”
“I don't know exactly how it happened” Beh his ruht I went to a dance held by the Wyvills, a si Sybill, and we slipped out into the garden…and the next thing I knew, her brother George was challenging me to a duel!”
It wasn't difficult for Damon to read between the lines The Wyvills, a well-landed and titled family of Warwickshire, were notorious for their bad dispositions From what he recalled, Sybill couldn't be more than sixteen or seventeen Any offense to her would be taken as a mortal affront to the fa tone
“All I did was kiss her! It was nothing—hardly worth risking otten along I suspect he was spying on us e me—the hotheaded bastard—”
“Let's save the na for later,” Damon interrupted dryly “The only way to solve this is to approach old Lord Wyvill He rules the family with an iron, fist, and he's the one who can put a stop to the whole affair if he chooses”
William's blue eyes widened hopefully “Will you talk to hie withdraw the challenge—”
“First I want the truth Are you certain all you did was kiss Sybill?”
Williaaze “For the most part”