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.”
Fox mounted his horse and took off through the trees.
Georgy grabbed her petticoat to cover her nakedness.
James helped her to her feet and picked up her dress. “The lecherous swine coerced you into this with a promise to return your diamonds. But he no longer has them, Georgy. I do.”
She neither acknowledged nor denied his assertion. She donned her petticoat and reached for her riding dress. “Will you return my necklace, James?”
“Of course I will.” Guilt washed over him for his role in this sordid affair. If he had given the necklace to Louisa last night, none of this would have happened. “I’ll bring it to your room after dinner.”
Louisa stood rooted to the spot on the path that led to the lake. She couldn’t believe her eyes at the scene she saw before her. A shirtless Abercorn stood holding her sister’s dress. Georgy was stark naked with him until she put on her petticoat. Lu was shocked beyond belief. Her sister had actually lured James Hamilton to the lake and taken off her clothes in a blatant seduction to get her necklace back. Georgy’s words echoed in her brain: Perhaps my seductive powers of persuasion can work their magic on Abercorn. I’ll wait until the hunters return. I shall mark my prey.
“I told her that James Hamilton was impervious to feminine wiles. How utterly naive I was.” Louisa turned on her heel and returned to the house. Her heart was pounding and there was an ache inside her breast. She felt betrayed by both
“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.”
Fox mounted his horse and took off through the trees.
Georgy grabbed her petticoat to cover her nakedness.
James helped her to her feet and picked up her dress. “The lecherous swine coerced you into this with a promise to return your diamonds. But he no longer has them, Georgy. I do.”
She neither acknowledged nor denied his assertion. She donned her petticoat and reached for her riding dress. “Will you return my necklace, James?”
“Of course I will.” Guilt washed over him for his role in this sordid affair. If he had given the necklace to Louisa last night, none of this would have happened. “I’ll bring it to your room after dinner.”
Louisa stood rooted to the spot on the path that led to the lake. She couldn’t believe her eyes at the scene she saw before her. A shirtless Abercorn stood holding her sister’s dress. Georgy was stark naked with him until she put on her petticoat. Lu was shocked beyond belief. Her sister had actually lured James Hamilton to the lake and taken off her clothes in a blatant seduction to get her necklace back. Georgy’s words echoed in her brain: Perhaps my seductive powers of persuasion can work their magic on Abercorn. I’ll wait until the hunters return. I shall mark my prey.
“I told her that James Hamilton was impervious to feminine wiles. How utterly naive I was.” Louisa turned on her heel and returned to the house. Her heart was pounding and there was an ache inside her breast. She felt betrayed by both
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