The Duchess of Bedford partnered Lord Holland against her sister and the Duke of Clarence. They played whist for an hour until Charlotte threw down her cards in disgust. “Lud, that time I cheated and still lost.”
“The cards are against us, m’dear,” Clarence declared.
“Never mind, William, perhaps you’ll have better luck in the hunt tomorrow.” Georgina knew if the royal duke didn’t seek his bed soon, he would be unfit for the shoot.
“I shall retire, if you will be good enough to lead me to my chamber, Your Grace.”
Charlotte beckoned her daughter Sophie, who had been playing faro with her Russell cousins. “What about your girls, Georgina? Do you think it prudent to let them gamble until dawn with these young vultures?”
“Charlotte, you know prudent isn’t in my repertoire.” She glanced around the gallery. William had fallen asleep on a couch with a drink in his hand. Johnny was having an animated conversation with young Abercorn, and Georgy was giggling happily as she sat playing faro with Teddy, George, her brother Edward, and her sister. “Georgy is extremely impulsive, but no more than I was at her age.”
When Louisa saw that her mother was retiring, she rose from the table. She hadn’t been able to concentrate on her cards because her thoughts were filled with Abercorn. The effect of the kiss they had shared still lingered. Though she vowed to put it from her mind and focus on the game, she found it impossible to forget. She glanced quickly in Hamilton’s direction and saw he was deep in conversation with Johnny. She joined her mother and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for a lovely birthday celebration, and thank you for the precious gift.” She touched the diamonds that lay against her throat. “I will cherish them always.”
“I find more pleasure in seeing my daughters wearing the diamonds than in wearing them myself.” Georgina took firm hold of the Duke of Clarence, and Lord Holland offered his arms to Charlotte and Louisa.
As she walked from the gallery, Louisa vowed that she would not look back.
At the faro table, Edward had lost every game for the last hour and George Grey hadn’t done much better, since they were both three sheets to the wind. “It doesn’t seem fair that m’sister is having all the bloody luck.”
“Of course it’s fair. It’s my birthday. . . . I can’t lose!” Georgy declared.
“In that case, I’m done. My pockets are to let.”
“I agree,” Grey said owlishly. “Not decent to resheive a drubbing at the hands of a female . . . speshly one dripping in diamonds.” He stood up and made his unsteady way from the long gallery.
“I didn’t want diamonds,” Georgy confessed. “I wanted a new horse. A big male hunter like yours, Teddy.”
“In that case, I’ll put up my horse against your necklace,” Teddy offered.
Georgy picked up her glass of champagne and drained it. “It’s my birthday, Teddy. I can’t lose,” she warned.
“Won’t let a female beat me,” he asserted aggressively.
Edward let out a loud snore as his head dropped to the gaming table.
It caught Johnny’s attention. “I seem to be the last Russell standing.” He removed the drink from William’s hand and lifted his brother’s feet onto the couch. “Good night, Abercorn. I’ll see you at the hunt tomorrow.”
James Hamilton got to his feet and stretched. He had thoroughly enjoyed his conversation with Lord John. He hadn’t been paying much attention to the gamblers since Louisa had retired with her mother. He glanced over at the table and frowned when he saw Georgy was still drinking and gambling. He moved toward the table with a feeling of disquiet.
Georgy’s eyes glittered with recklessness as she unfastened her necklace with unsteady fingers and laid it on the table. “You are about to lose your favorite mount, Teddy. I’ll cut you for it—high card wins.” She reached confidently toward the deck of cards, cut it, and turned up a jack. She laughed with abandon. “Jack is my lucky charm!”
Teddy sat still with a stunned look on his face. Then he reached out unsteadily and cut the deck. When he turned up a king, he threw back his head and laughed raucously.
Furious, Georgy picked up the necklace and threw it at him. “Damn you to hellfire, Teddy Fox! Keep your bloody horse!” She jumped up angrily, knocked over her chair, and began to stalk away.
“Don’t be a sore loser, Georgy. I’m sure you will think of some way to persuade me to give you back your diamonds.”
Abercorn asked quietly, “You put up your horse?”
“Wouldn’t you, for a chance to win diamonds?” Teddy asked.
“I’m rather fond of my horse, but I’d hazard a throw of the dice if you’d be willing to bet the necklace.” Abercorn pulled a pair of dice from his pocket and rolled a seven. He gathered them up and handed them to Teddy, who dropped them three times before he managed to get a firm grip on them. James knew Teddy was so intoxicated, that it would be a miracle if he remembered anything in the morning.
Teddy cast the dice and rolled a three. It slowly sank in that he had lost. “Damnation,” he cursed. “I didn’t want to lose my hunter.”
“You didn’t lose your horse, Teddy. We were playing for the necklace.”
A look of relief transformed his face. “Oh, all right then.” He fished in his waistcoat pocket and handed over the diamonds.
Chapter Six
When Louisa fell asleep, once again she dreamed that she was When Louisa fell asleep, once again she dreamed that she was in the Highlands on a recruiting mission with her mother and sister. The line of braw Scots stretched out for a mile, but as she offered each one a kiss, he turned into James Hamilton. He kissed her thoroughly, gave her a look of triumph and passed her on to the next man. Again and again the Scot turned into the wicked Irish devil whose possessive kisses turned her knees to water.
Louisa awoke with a start as her sister rushed into her bedchamber and slammed the door. She sat up in bed. “Is that you, Georgy?”
“Yes, it’s me—who the devil else would it be?”
Lu, hearing the near panic in her sister’s voice, turned up the lamp. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing! Why do you always think there is something the matter?”
“Because there usually is when you awaken me.” Lu saw that her sister’s face was unusually flushed and knew she’d had far too much to drink. “Are you going to be sick?”
“No . . . Yes!”
Louisa reached under the bed for the chamber pot. “Where’s your necklace?”
“I lost it,” Georgy said defiantly.
“No wonder you feel sick! Don’t worry; I’ll help you look for it. You were wearing it when I came up to bed. It must be in the long gallery.”
“We won’t find it.”
“We’ll keep looking until we do. Don’t tell Mother you lost it. She would be devastated to think you were careless with the Russell diamonds.”
Georgy kicked off her shoes and swayed precariously.
“Better lie down before you fall down. Get into my bed and I’ll go down now and look for your necklace.” She reached for her robe. “If the servants find it in the morning, they’ll take it straight to Mother.”
Louisa watched her sister fall asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. She put on her slippers, picked up the lamp, and carefully made her way downstairs. Louisa encountered no servants and she was relieved that they had all gone to bed. When she arrived in the gallery, she saw that Edward was asleep, face down on the gaming table. She set the lamp down and turned up two others. The light fell across William, who was asleep on one of the couches. Carefully, trying not to awaken them, she went down on her hands and knees and began searching the carpet around the table.
She heard a step behind her and almost jumped out of her skin.
“Are you searching for something?”
Abercorn had caught her in her nightclothes and she felt guilty as sin. “My sister lost something.” She stood up quickly, too embarrassed to remain on her knees before him.
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“Would that something be her diamond necklace?”
Her eyes lit with hope. “Did you find it, my lord?”
“Your sister didn’t lose it on the floor. She lost it to Teddy Fox in a bet.”
Louisa gasped. “You are a liar! My sister would never gamble away her diamonds.” She raised her hand to slap his face.
James Hamilton grabbed her wrist and held it in a vise grip. “You will apologize, Lady Lu. Not for the slap but for calling me a liar.”
Her mouth went dry and her knees felt as if they were about to collapse. He towered above her, his dark masculinity threatening to overpower her. She gathered her courage and swallowed her fear. “You delude yourself, Abercorn. I would die before I’d apologize to an arrogant Irishman!”
James had been ready to return the diamonds. He released her wrist, reached into his vest pocket, and took out the necklace. The diamonds glittered in the lamplight as he weighed them on the palm of his hand. He returned them to his pocket and bowed formally. “Have it your way, my lady.”
“Wake up, Georgy!” Louisa sat beside the bed waiting for her sister to rouse as dawn slowly lightened the sky. For the past hour she had mulled over the possibility that Abercorn had been telling the truth about Georgy. Her patience had finally run out.
Georgy groaned in protest. “What do you want?”
“I want to know if you lost your diamond necklace in a wager with Teddy Fox.”
Georgy squinted up at her sister. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I warrant you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
With another groan, Georgy pushed herself up to a sitting position. “It isn’t the calamity you imagine, Lu. I shall simply persuade Teddy to give it back to me.”
“That will be impossible.”
Georgy gave her sister a sideways glance. “You don’t know my seductive powers of persuasion.”
“Seducing him won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Because Teddy doesn’t have it anymore.”
“What the deuce are you talking about?”
“Abercorn has it. He must have won it from Teddy after you lost it. Georgy, I can’t believe you wagered your precious diamond necklace. How could you be so reckless?”
“It was my birthday . . . I didn’t think I could lose.” She threw her sister a speculative glance. “Perhaps my seductive powers of persuasion can work their magic on Abercorn.”
“From my experience with the dominant Irish devil, he’s impervious to feminine wiles.”
“Well, from my experience, no male breathing is impervious.”
Louisa’s conscience began to prick her. Abercorn may have given it back if I hadn’t called him a liar. Perhaps if I apologize he will . . . No, he wants something from me. She chided herself for being fanciful. But deep down, in her heart of hearts, she thought she knew exactly what the Irish devil wanted.
“Don’t look so forlorn. I’ll have it back by lunchtime,” Georgy said with confidence.
“You’ve forgotten the hunt.”
“Then I’ll wait until the hunters return. I shall mark my prey.”
“If you can’t get it back, we can take turns wearing my necklace so Mother doesn’t find out you lost it.”
“I already thought of that.”
Teddy Fox wasn’t enjoying the hunt. The Russell brothers and George Grey had bagged far more pheasants, and even his own father had outshot him. His self-esteem was sinking by the hour. He fortified himself from a flask of whiskey he’d slipped into his saddlebag and decided he’d had enough. As he approached the stables, he spotted Georgy Russell and drew rein.
She stood on tiptoe and stroked his horse’s nose. “I wish he were mine, but it was foolish of me to wager my diamonds last night to try to win him from you.”
Vaguely, Teddy remembered staking his horse on a cut of the cards. “It was your birthday. You should have won.” He eyed the full breasts that strained against her tight bodice. “Would you like to come for a ride, Georgy?”
She licked her lips in anticipation. “I would love it, Teddy!”
He reached down with both arms and lifted her before him in the saddle. As he began to slowly canter toward the trees, he could feel her plump bottom between his legs, rubbing against his cock and balls. He became aroused instantly and pressed his hard erection into her soft flesh. “Are you enjoying this, Georgy?”
“Oh, yes.” She wriggled her bum. “I love a big animal!”
Teddy transferred the reins into his left hand and brought his right hand up to cup her full breasts. He rubbed his thumb across her nipple and felt it harden with arousal. Fire snaked through his groin as Georgy unfastened the buttons on her bodice luring him to explore her naked titties. With his knees, he guided his horse toward the lake and looked for an inviting spot where they could dismount, so he could finish what she had started.
“I’m not much of a hunter,” James Hamilton told Lord John Russell. “I prefer live pheasants to dead ones.”
“My brother William is an avid huntsman. My two elder brothers ridiculed me unmercifully because I was such a bad shot. They didn’t realize I missed on purpose.”
James laughed. “My aim is perfect when I’m shooting at old bottles.”
“I’ve enjoyed the exercise. I don’t get enough, sitting long hours in Parliament.”
“The weather’s been perfect—not a cloud in the sky all afternoon. I know the Duke of Clarence has enjoyed himself.”
“Here comes Father.” Johnny drew rein and waited. “Are you heading back? I’m amazed at your stamina.”
“I’ve had enough. I can’t keep up with that lot. They’ll be at it until dark, I warrant.”
The three men rode back to the abbey and dismounted in the stables. Johnny refrained from assisting his father. He had too much pride to be helped from the saddle.
“It was a warm ride. I’ll give Shammar a rubdown. I’ll do the same for your horse if you wish, Your Grace,” Abercorn offered.
“That would be most kind, James. I need to get off this leg.”
The two younger men removed their jackets and set to work tending the animals. After the rubdown, Johnny led his horse into its stall and returned to admire James’s Arabian. “Your mare is lovely. Did you breed her in Ireland?”
“Yes. My stable isn’t large, but I value quality over quantity.”
“My father’s racehorses are bred from Gimcrack, a Woburn champion when I was a boy. Their bloodline is excellent.”
“That is evident. I was admiring the pair only yesterday and trying not to covet them.” He removed the saddle from the duke’s horse, wiped the perspiration from his brow, and picked up the currying brush. “This is hot work. When I’m done, I think I’ll take a swim in the lake before dinner. Would you care to join me?”
“I’m not as athletic as you, James. I much prefer the library to cold water.”
While the men hunted, the ladies enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then took a stroll through the abbey’s renowned formal gardens, which had been designed by Humphrey Repton. The duchess was particularly proud of the Chinese garden with its Oriental pagoda and a carved wooden bridge that arched over an ornamental pond where koi swam between the delicate water lilies.
Later in the afternoon the ladies took tea in the Venetian drawing room as they shared the latest gossip about London’s haut ton. Louisa saw her sister’s look of discomfiture when the conversation turned to Charlotte’s daughter, Sophia, and the grand match that would be announced shortly. Lu wasn’t surprised to see Georgy slip away at the first opportunity.
“I would have loved to have a daughter,” Princess Adelaide lamented. “I do get to spend time with my niece, however. The late Duke of Kent’s daughter, Alexandrina Victoria, though very small for her age, is an extremely intelligent young lady.”
“Is it true,” Lady Holland asked bluntly, “that the Duchess of Kent is having an illicit affair with John Conroy, the Irish
officer who is her private secretary?”
“My husband certainly believes the rumor. All I can tell you is that Conroy is an attractive devil, but extremely dominant. Princess Victoria cannot bear the man.”
Another handsome, dominant Irishman! Louisa’s mind flew back to her encounter with Abercorn. I should have used sweet talk last night instead of calling him a liar. I think he is attracted to me. If I apologize profusely, perhaps he will be generous and give me the diamonds. I’ll watch for his return from the hunt.
Louisa made her escape from the drawing room. She saw her brother Johnny as he descended the main staircase. “Ah, you’re back from the hunt early.”
“Yes. Father had had enough, and Abercorn and I aren’t avid huntsmen, so we returned with him. Lord only knows when the rest of them will be back.”
“Is Abercorn upstairs?” she asked as casually as she could manage.
Johnny hid a smile. “After he gave Father’s horse a rubdown, he went off to the lake for a swim. His athletic build provides him with an excess of disgusting energy.”
She tossed her head. “More like an excess of arrogance.” As James Hamilton made his way down to the lake, he took off his shirt in anticipation of the cool water. It was only a small lake about a mile across. He knew he could easily swim to the far side and back.
He spotted Teddy Fox’s horse tethered to a tree and assumed his Oxford friend had also decided to take a dip in the lake. Just as he was about to call out Teddy’s name, he stumbled across a male and female coupling in the long grass. He saw immediately that the naked girl was Georgy Russell, and to his horror, James saw that the man on top of her was Teddy Fox. “Almighty God, what are you doing?”
Abashed that they’d been caught, Teddy rolled off her and pulled up his breeches.
“This isn’t a servant girl, Fox, it is the daughter of the Duke of Bedford,” Hamilton declared in outrage. “Get the hell out of my sight before I give you the thrashing you deserve.”
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