Duke Looks Like a Groomsman: The Footmen’s Club Series by Valerie Bowman

Author:Valerie Bowman [Bowman, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780989375849
Publisher: June Third Enterprises, LLC

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The next morning, Rhys met his friends in the storage room of the servants’ hall in the basement of the manor house. They’d begun meeting in the room ever since they’d been found talking in the library one day by one of the guests. As usual, Rhys was the last to arrive.

“Still in the game?” Bell asked the moment Rhys strode through the door.

“Yes, you?” he shot back, giving his friend a wide grin.

“Indeed,” Bell replied. “Kendall is, too.”

Rhys glanced at the earl. Kendall didn’t say a word. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Don’t ask,” Clayton said, waving his hand. “The poor chap was caught kissing Miss Wharton in the library earlier this morning.”

“The devil, you say! Who found you?” Rhys asked, slapping his friend on the shoulder and laughing.

“We were not caught kissing,” Kendall retorted, pulling his shoulder away. “We were almost caught kissing by Miss Wharton’s lady’s maid, Albina, and that is quite different.”

“Oh, the lady’s maid? You’re fine then,” Rhys replied with another laugh.

“I’m glad you think so,” Kendall shot back, rolling his eyes.

“It’s the mother you have to worry about,” Rhys said with a wink.

“Agreed,” Clayton replied with a nod.

“So, what’s the news, chaps?” Rhys asked, rubbing his hands together. Ever since informing his friends that Lady Julianna had discovered him in the stables the first day of the house party, he’d yet to tell them he suspected she was trying to make him quit. He intended to mention Lady Julianna to them as little as possible.

“Well,” Clayton replied, “in addition to Baron Wharton and the Prince Regent joining our little group on Monday, apparently the Marquess of Murdock will be arriving as well.”

“Murdock?” Rhys’s head snapped up. “What’s he doing joining the party? I didn’t know you were friendly with him, Clayton.”

“I’m not, particularly,” Clayton replied. “It was the strangest thing. He wrote me a letter. Apparently, the man cannot bear to be away from the company of his betrothed for so long. He’s coming here to see Lady Julianna.”

“Really?” Bell arched a brow. “That’s…odd.”

Rhys bit the inside of his cheek, but quickly ensured his normal devil-may-care smile appeared on his face. “Hard to believe, given that he’s betrothed to Lady Julianna,” he said with a snort.

“That’s not all,” Clayton continued, shaking his head. “Apparently, he’s so enamored by her, he’s written to the Duke of Montlake asking him if they might move up the wedding date.”

“Really?” Bell drawled again, his eyes widening slightly.

“Sounds like Murdock cannot wait for his wedding night,” Clayton continued with a chuckle.

Rhys clenched his jaw. Did Julianna know about this? She hadn’t mentioned to him that her beloved Murdock was on the way. And she certainly hadn’t mentioned that her wedding day had been moved up. But given the extent of their interactions in the stables, neither were exactly pieces of information he would expect her to be particularly forthcoming with.

Still, Rhys couldn’t ignore the clench of his stomach when he’d heard that Murdock wanted the wedding date moved up. “Did Murdock mention a new date?” he heard himself asking.

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