backstage of pleasure

en faced him once more. Belinda spoke. “If you promise o

esitated, glanced one last time at the ot

cept your

rther words from them on his inability to choose his own w

d. “If you’l

ast, raking glance over his sisters’ f

so he could let the coiled tension, the inevi

ting temper had infected his movements. Jerking the do

, his b

uickly to avoid a collision. Gervase inwardly sig

arrived and is asking

coigne. He was going to have to

ated the matter wouldn’t take long and

for small mercies

go to

corridor, leaving

ny suitable lady anywhere in the vicinity. He’d looked about the locality first before acceptin

London was simply his

l the ton returned to the capital in late September. Given

summer hunting grounds of the matchmaking ma

ost him nothing he hadn’t already surr

sed his temper was that he’d ha

his lack of same—had become a sore point, a mental bruise tha

aiting by the round table in the center of the castle’s gre

sk about

of his first marriage, she was the older half-sister of the

held the estate of Trees Ver Park, situ

oking the western cove. Gascoigne's had been at the Park f

were the principal

ne was the primary guardian of her three brothers, includin

roomed by her father for that duty, and had performed in the

accustomed to treating her

business and for her devotion to the difficult role of her

nsula, and

ighting her face. Courtesy of his years abroad, he didn’t know her well, but

visiting his uncle and cousins at the castle, h

e since he’d sold out the previous year and personally taken up the reins of

often communic

w inches shorter than Gervase. As usual when riding abou

rotect her fair skin from the sun, but even more to help confine the mass of h

, forming a halo of spun copper filamen

however, was the

the rest was deliberately and sever

ed, she held out

it, shook it

is easy nod. “Gervase.” Her expressi

ere to beg y

. “I thought you’d c

bizarre that your sisters were involved. Have you discovered why they did i

ea at the

. “Something like that. Bu

dea was to put your bull in among your dairy herd. Don’t, pray, ask me why— their logic escape

seem any the worse for his adventure, although I’m afraid your

I suppose, have expected something. They’re home for the

schoolboy

she walked slowly back to the front door. “Harry’s fifteen,

adn’t. In this season a slight disrupt