A Most Scandalous Position [Brothers of the Absinthe Club 4] by Emma Wildes

Author:Emma Wildes [Wildes, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Siren Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2011-05-10T16:27:10+00:00

Chapter 6

Colin picked up a letter opener and frowned abstractly as he slit open the envelope from his solicitor, scanned the contents of the letter, and set it aside.

"I see you are hard at work."

The familiar cool, amused tone made him look up. His older brother lounged in the doorway of his study, a pair of riding gloves in his hand, dressed casually in worn boots, fitted breeches and a loose-sleeved white shirt. Jonas had his usual cynical half-smile and his light eyes held a speculative gleam. The family resemblance was strong, and his brother had the same dark gold hair, clean cut features, and they were about the same height and build.

"You must have read my mind.” Colin raised his brows and smiled back. “I was going to ride over a little later and see if you were in residence. How is Mother?"

"In quite a bit of pain,” Jonas admitted as he chose a chair and sat down, stretching out his long legs in a careless sprawl. “That's why we are here. She prefers the tranquility of the country in her condition, and the doctor from the village seems competent. She will probably stay at Cleredon Hall until the spring rains are over. Father is chafing over it, anxious to get back to London, and I suppose he will go without her when Parliament convenes again."

The family estate was less than five miles away, which was part of the reason Colin had decided to buy Rosemount when it came up conveniently for sale. He and his family had always been close, and when he married and wanted his own home, the proximity had been perfect. “That sounds like the best thing,” Colin remarked. His mother's affliction of the joints always worsened in damp weather. “I'll come over later and pay a call."

"Come for dinner. They've been asking when you were going to arrive."

"Maybe in a day or two,” Colin said evasively.

Jonas knew him fairly well. His older brother's eyes narrowed and his scrutiny increased. “You look preoccupied and Mrs. Howard said you wrote to tell the staff you'd be here days ago. She's been fretting over your absence like a mother hen. What's happened? I thought you were just in London for few weeks to take care of some business matters."

"It's an interesting story."

"It must be, from the look on your face. I'm perishing from suspense."

As briefly as possible, Colin recited the events of the past few days, leaving out, naturally, his seduction—or had he been the one seduced?—of the night before. Certainly it had felt odd to slip out of the bed in one of the guest rooms in his own house once Kate had fallen back to sleep. Creeping about like some adolescent wasn't exactly dignified, but then again, discretion seemed the best course.

When he finished, Jonas had an almost carefully bland look on his face. “Well, that certainly is quite a tale. If it was put on paper, I'd guess it to be some sort of romantic fable.

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