A Duke in Shining Armor Read Free Page A

Jon grimaced “Nothing in this godforsaken end of town. I am saving the best for last tomorrow at The Blue Lioness that sits in on the middle of London.  We have never visited this gentleman’s club and I am hoping for beautiful women and fair card games.”
                    Thomas gave a chuckle from where he was sitting and said “Not that it matters with you among our party Clint, ladies barely bat an eye in our direction when you are around.”
    “Speak for yourself chum, I intend on finding my share of beautiful ladies to make acquaintances with.” Jon said joyfully.  Clint rolled his eyes at his comrades.
      They always made such a fuss about the attention that he received from women, but little did they know how much it bothered him that women flocked to him for his title before even knowing of his devilishly handsome good looks.  At six foot two inches, he had broad shoulders and a muscular build that went perfect with his jet black hair and eyes of grey steel. 
    Almost every silly young chit he had encountered in the last five years since his father’s death threw themselves at him with their senseless prattle; he had begun to tire more so of it this year than ever before.
    .               He had restlessness about him he could not quite explain.  Life was boring, seemed to have no meaning.  He longed for a woman in his life he could share his thoughts with, a companion to share his dreams and to give him children.
      But, before he could marry such a woman his mother insisted she put her stamp of approval on the union.  His brow wrinkled as he thought of his mother.  Lord knows he loved her dearly, but she could be so trying at times.  Celeste Wells, the esteemed Duchess of Norchess, was the very symbol of society herself.  She gave grand balls, associated with the wealthiest of the ton and expected perfection for her son.
    If he thought he had it bad, his two sisters definitely had it worse.  Poor, Juliet was about to make her grand debut into society at the age of ten and six, and this had luckily kept his mother off his back for some of the year.  Juliet was a true tomboy at heart and could always be found with himself and Jonathan in whatever escapades they could conjure up at the Norchess Estates. Whether it was fishing or horseback riding she was always hanging from their shirt tails.   She had fancied herself in love with Jonathan for several years now, and Jon was oblivious to the fact.
      Olivia still had a few years to go before mother focused all her attention on her coming out.  She was the youngest of the family at ten years and he was sure she would endure the most hardship of the three.  Turning back to face his friends, he put a smile on his face and pushed his mother from his mind.  “Well, I for one am going to take a stroll down to the Ladies Wake before we bed down for the night. Either of you care to join me?”  Thomas stood and threw back his glass and drained the contents.
      “Not tonight, I think I will save up for tomorrow to see if this gentleman’s club meets Jon’s expectations.”  As Thomas took his leave of them, Jon clapped his hands.
    “Shall we?” he asked with a grin.  Clint shook his head at his friend as he followed him out of the room and into the night.
                  There was a constant pounding somewhere.  Clint struggled to open his eyes with a groan.  Who in the bloody hell was pounding on something so hard in the middle of the night?    He tasted sour whiskey in his mouth and his body ached all over.  He sat up in the bed trying to grasp his surroundings.
      “Ah the prodigal son awakens at last.” Thomas chuckled from his bedside. 
    “Tom, for Christ sakes man, I feel like I have been beat to death. What the hell happened?”  Tom grinned and slapped his friend on the shoulder and Clint grunted in pain. 
    “Well old boy, I am afraid that is because you and that sodden fool Jon did