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Chapter One

London—June 3, 1814

The skeleton clock on the over to bed Besides, he was thoroughly foxed, although not drunk enough to keep hi what had possessed hih with organisation so ruthlessly efficient that to cancel noould throw his entire staff, financial teaement and social life into disorder—and make it seem he did not know his own mind

‘Which I do not,’ Rhys Denhaer to hier duchess could muster ‘Know my own mind, that is Always do, just not this time’

The appearance of the kitchen mouser on the principal floor, let alone in the study of the third Earl of Palgrave, was unheard of The householdalready, too distracted by their master’s imminent departure for the Continent to notice an open door at the head of the servants’ stair

‘It seeood plan at the tilowed in the candlelight, and he splashed in more and tossed the lot back ‘I’m drunk Haven’t been this drunk in years’ Not since he had woken up one afternoon and realised that drink was never going to blot out the disaster of his wedding day, restore his faith in friendship or his delusions about romantic love

The cat switched its attention to the plate with the remains of the cold beef, cheese and bread that had been left out with the decanters ‘And you can stop licking your whiskers’ Rhys reached for the food ‘I need this more than you do I have to be more or less sober in three hours’ That seeed brain

‘You have to admit, I deserve a holiday The estate is in order, my finances could hardly be better, I am bored to the back teeth with town and Bonaparte has been out of harm’s way on Elba for a month,’ he informed the cat around a mouthful of beef ‘You think I aht I will appreciate things room itself intimately

‘Stop that A gentleman does not wash his balls in the study’ He tossed it a scrap of fat and the cat pounced ‘But a year? What was I thinking of?’ Escape

Of course, he could come back at any time and his staff would adjust to his demands with their usual smooth efficiency After all, if there was some kind of crisis, he would return immediately But to cancel on a as not responsible behaviour It put people out, it let them down, and Rhys Denham despised people who let others down

‘No, I ah with this,’ he declared ‘It will do e of scene, and then I’ll be in the irl with a stay-at-ho hips I will be married by the time I am thirty’ And bored out of my skull A vision of the succession of pri just such boredom flitted across his ahed

The friends who had deposited hiht at the club were all married, or about to be Some even had children And, to a ht of so into parson’s mousetrap As Fred Herrick had put it, ‘About ti the cheese, takes a proper bite at it and springs the trap, Denham’

‘And why is that such a daht?’

‘I could not say, my lord’ Griffin stood in the doorway, his face set in the expressionless nified deep disapproval

What the devil had his butler got to be disapproving about? Rhys levered hiht in his chair A man was entitled to be in his cups in his own house, da to the cat, Griffin’

‘If you say so, my lord’

Rhys glanced down at the rug The ginger beast had vanished, leaving behind it only a faint grease stain on the silk pile

‘There is a person to see you, my lord’ From his tone it was clear this was the cause of the stone face, rather than his master’s maudlin conversations with an invisible cat

‘What kind of person?’