Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice

Author:Patricia Rice [Rice, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, General, Regency
ISBN: 9781611384741
Google: hIuHBwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Book View Cafe
Published: 2015-04-06T23:00:00+00:00

21

She turned him down. Rhubarb Girl had turned him down. Rejected. Crushed like a cockroach.

Still simmering with hurt the next evening, Fitz turned his back on the simpering misses at still another grandiose ball. At least his hostess had the sense to provide a decent gaming room. He flipped a card on the table and took another, carelessly arranging his hand while the other inept players struggled over their decisions. The stack of coins in front of him tonight shimmered in gold instead of silver. He was feeling furious enough to risk higher stakes.

He didn’t think winning would change Abby’s mind. He was supposed to be out on the dance floor, wooing a wife. Quent was likely to grab him by the scruff of his neck and haul him out of the gaming room and back to courting, should he discover Fitz’s whereabouts.

To hell with Quent. Fitz knew whom he wanted.

He wanted Abigail for mother of his daughter as well as for his own desires. He wasn’t selfish. Maybe, just a little bit. He supposed there might be other women out there who would be good with children. He just had no way of knowing, and he didn’t have time to find out.

He scowled and lost count of the cards when he looked up to see Blake Montague walking past with Miss Merriweather on his arm, the two of them chatting like old friends. He would kill the bastard.

He lost the damned round. Glaring in dismay as half his winnings disappeared into the pockets of a wealthy viscount, Fitz gathered up what he had left and rose from the table.

“Sorry, gentlemen, but my mind is elsewhere this evening. Perhaps another time.”

He walked off with more than he’d had going in, but not with as much as he’d hoped. If Quent wouldn’t loan him the blunt to hire an estate manager, then he must earn it with cards.

Pursuing Montague, Fitz shoved a hand into his pocket and pretended to saunter around the edges of the ballroom until he located the bounder, who was still talking earnestly with Abigail. Treading a toe or two to remove the obstacles in his path, Fitz tapped his old friend on the shoulder.

“Still considering that position in the War Office, old chap?” he asked with a threatening growl.

Not easily deterred, Montague narrowed his dark eyes. “Haven’t seen you wearing your silver balls yet, my lord.”

If the Danecrofts had ever owned a ceremonial coronet with an earl’s eight silver balls, Fitz didn’t know where the hell they kept it, and he certainly wasn’t paying to have one made. But that wasn’t what Montague meant.

“You don’t really think the Lords would appreciate my arriving in their holy chambers trailing bailiffs, do you? There’s one sitting on my front step as we speak.” Fitz turned to Abby, who was following this discussion, eyes wide with sympathy. He didn’t want her damned pity. “Penelope asks after you constantly. Perhaps we could arrange a visit in the park someday?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” she stuttered.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.