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CHAPTER ONE

The rattle of the curtain rings sounded like thunder The head of the huge four-poster bed remained wreathed in shadow yet Max are that for so to wake him Surely it couldn’t be noon already?

Lying prone amid his warm sheets, his stubbled cheek cushioned in softest down, Max conte slumber But Masterton kneake And knew that he knew, so to speak Sohts before he did And he certainly wouldn’t go away before Max capitulated and acknowledged him

Raising his head, Max opened one very blue eye His terrifyingly correct valet was standing, entirely immobile, plumb in his line of vision Masterton’s face was impassive Max frowned

In response to this sign of approaching wrath, Masterton made haste to state his business Not that it was his business, exactly Only the combined vote of the rest of the senior staff of Delmere House had induced him to disturb His Grace’s rest at the unheard-of hour of nine o’clock He had every reason to know just how dangerous such an undertaking could be He had been in the service of Max Rotherbridge, Viscount Delhly unlikely his master’s recent elevation to the estate of His Grace the Duke of Twyford had in any way altered his temper In fact, from what Masterton had seen, hiswith his unexpected inheritance than in all the rest of his thirty-four years

“Hillshaishedlady to see you, Your Grace”

It was still a surprise to Max to hear his new title on his servants’ lips He had to curb an automatic reaction to look about hi A lady His frown deepened “No” He dropped his head back into the soft pillows and closed his eyes

“No, Your Grace?”

The bewilderment in his valet’s voice was unmistakable Max’s head ached He had been up until dawn The evening had started badly, when he had felt constrained to attend a ball given by his maternal aunt, Lady Maxwell He rarely attended such functions They were too tahs his appearance provoked ah to throw even the most hardened reprobate entirely off his stride And while he had every claier his style Not at thirty-four

He had left the ball as soon as he could and repaired to the discreet villa wherein resided his latest mistress But the beautiful Carmelita had been in a petulant ? And why did they iine he was so besotted that he’d stand for it? They had had an al the luscious ladybird her congé in no uncertain terms

Froone to White’s, then Boodles At that discreet establishether they had , too He had neither won nor lost But his head reminded him that he had certainly drunk a lot