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Dah of relief “Thank you, sir In the meantime, I'll re tensions”
“That would be appreciated”
They exchanged a cordial goodbye, and Damon left the room with a sense of relief As he crossed the threshold, he heard Wyvill hter of his could ever hope to equal Sybill”
After telling Williao i day, and he needed some private time to rest and reflect However, there was still a duty he had to attend to Squaring his shoulders, he headed to his father's suite of roo, but as he neared the bedroo fro aloud from a novel
Knocking lightly on the half-open door, Dah his father, Frederick, had suffered froes that had left hiht side, he had retained or He had the coarsely handsome looks of a philanderer, a man who had enjoyed retted a moment of it He loved to recount stories of his past debauchery to the ularly and reminisce about their youth
Propped up on a pile of luxurious pillows, a glass of stea milk in his hand, the duke seemed entirely conurse who sat at his bedside The wo, and the duke looked up expectantly
“I've been waiting,” his father said, his voice slightly slurred from his physical condition “Why didn't you…come earlier?”
“I had so to take care of” Da William”
“Again?” The duke always enjoyed listening to tales of his youngest son's escapades, clearly feeling that he and Williaestured for the nurse to vacate the chair she occupied
As the nurse left the room, Damon sat by the duke “You look well,” he commented
“Yes, I'm quite well” Frederick reached behind his pilloithdrew a silver flask, and poured a liberal amount of brandy into his hot milk
“You never change,” Da his head as his father offered the flask to him
The duke seemed momentarily disappointed by his son's refusal of the brandy, then shrugged in resignation “Neither do you” He downed a large s of brandy-flavored milk and smacked his lips “Now…about William?”
As htened him on the events of the past two days As Damon had expected, the account seemed to entertain Frederick vastly At first he seemed mildly displeased, but that was soon replaced by a misplaced sense of masculine pride
“Foolish, self-indulgent boy…” the duke said, chuckling “William has the morals of a tomcat”
Damon scowled “Is his behavior any surprise, after the example you set for him all these years?”
“Ah…here it co with his half-finished milk “Try to lay this at my door, will you?”
It had always infuriated Damon that his father was so unrepentant, so co to accept responsibility for his actions “I' in your footsteps,” heand ga as you”
“And if he does? What is the worst that could happen to him?”
“He could end up being shot in a duel, or owing a fortune in debt”
His father regarded hi indifference “I shouldn't worry about debt The money always comes, one way or another”
“Hoell I know” Dah to you eighteen years ago, didn't it? You brought the faate the perfect opportunity to sail in with the offer of a large dowry All you had to do was hter, as barely out of nappies at the time”
Frederick sighed and set his elass on the bedside table “YouWilliam's predicament and your own dissatisfaction with life I have no doubt I wasn't the father I should have been But the fact is, I did what I had to do Whytoward the future?”
“Because for years I've had to dispose of your messes, and now it appears I'm to do the same for William—and I'm damned tired of it!”
“I suspect that in a way you rather like it,” the duke said mildly “It makes you feel superior to conduct your life with all the propriety and responsibility that Williaainst the pillows “Heaven help poor Julia when you do find her I'h to suit you, even if she is a Hargate”
Daue, but shut it suddenly as an echo of Julia's voice ran through his mind What could possibly come of a relationship between us?…I've turned myself into soive up everything I've worked for, everything I need to be happy…
The duke shtly as he saw the troubled expression on his son's face “You know I'ht, don't you? Perhaps what you need is to take your example from William A man should have a feeaknesses…otherwise he becomes a deadly bore”
Seeing that his father appeared to be tiring, Damon stood and slanted a look of exasperation at him There were few times in his life when the duke had actually bothered to dispense some advice to hiain in thebefore William and I leave”
Frederick nodded “Send the nurse in to attend htfully, “You know, you reate in his youth He was just as self-controlled, and every bit as determined to ht”
Daed, revolted at the idea that any siate But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if there were any truth to it Even ree Was he so rigid and do that she feared he would make her life into a repetition of her childhood?
All of a sudden he was fiercely impatient to return to London and e her, or take anything away frouarantee that he would easily accept her career, the theatrical world she occupied, or her stubborn independence Perhaps the best thing was to set Julia free…but that seemed to be the most impossible choice of all
Chapter 7
The opening night of My Lady Deception, Logan Scott's newest play, had attracted a crowd of stunning proportions Aristocrats had sent their servants to obtain and hold seats for thein The house nearly burst at the seaallery, where the cheaper seats were located, people argued and erupted into fistfights to defend their territory against determined encroachers