Page 76 (1/2)

Author: Anne Stuart Beginning

London, 1842

Benedick Francis Alistair Rohan, Sixth Viscount Rohan, arrived at his town house with a et an heir and a spare on her and then proceed to ignore her for the rest of their lives

The second and hly and royally fucked

He wanted someone so skilled in the erotic arts that he would be unable to move, talk, or think for at least four hours afterward He didn’t want a mistress—his most recent had been cheerful, complacent and onlyeveryone who caught his eye, young and old, fat and thin, pretty and plain He was after mindless sensation, and he intended to find it

London was the best place to take care of these pressing needs In fact, there was nowhere else he wanted to be He was tired of his house in Somerset, even more tired of his parents’ house in Dorset His brother Charles was si children And his sister’s place in the Lake District was untenable due to the fact that he was certain to murder his brother-in-law if he was forced into any proximity with him

At least he was properly enchanted with Miranda’s unending succession of offspring, even if they were fathered by that spawn of Satan commonly referred to as the Scorpion

No, at least the fa but interfering parents, siblings and anyone else anted to fuss over hi his second hood perfectly well His headstrong wife had died in childbirth, as his first wife had, and he’d co so He hadn’t loved Barbara as he had Annis, but her death had still been difficult The year ofwas thankfully over, and he had returned to London for the two aforementioned reasons

He’d already chosen his new bride The Honorable Miss Dorothea Pennington would do hih at three and twenty she was still young and strong enough to be able to give hih not to cause hi that was proper, and once he wed her he wouldn’t have to think of her again

And if she were unfortunate enough to die after presenting him with a couple of boys, he would take it in stride instead ofdesperately, as he had after his first wife’s death in childbed After all, any woh to one already Lucky in cards, unlucky in love, they said, and he was an excellent gamester

He was about to rap on the front door with his walking stick when it was flung open, and Richreeted him with his usual repressed effusiveness “Your lordship! We had no idea you would be returning to us ” He signaled the coachman as he moved to allow Benedick to enter “The house is, of course, ready for you, but had I knoould have endeavored to have fresh flowers brought in ”

“There’s no need, Richloves and handing them to him “Flowers are the least of my worries I need a hot bath and food and a nap and a little breathing space before I can face anyone ”

Richmond made that discreet noise he tended to use when he wished to i unpleasant, and Benedick halted his stride toward the stairs, wheeling around to look at him

“Spit it out,not to sound too irritable Richmond was one of the few people he tended to spare the brunt of his bad tes, and while he hovered like the others, he did so unobtrusively and with only the occasional look of reproach The only other hu hiuilty was hisin Egypt

“Master Brandon is here, my lord ”