A Summer Seduction Read Free Page A

“Thea’s brother is as ever. He will doubtless want to fill your ear with an article he read about Hadrian’s Wall. I fear he finds me sadly lacking in the qualities he would wish in a brother-in-law; I told him I had visited youat Castle Cleyre several times yet not once had gone to look at the wall.”
    Alec chuckled. “That would, indeed, be anathema to him. I shall have to call on him. A scholar wrote me, asking if he could dig on my property for bits of some Roman encampment. I suppose I shall let him; I thought Bainbridge might wish to visit when he is there.”
    “Good Gad. You will have a friend for life in Daniel if you do so.” He paused, watching Alec’s face as he went on. “We must have a dinner party while you are here. ’Tis too bad that Mrs. Howard is not in Chesley.”
    Alec was aware of a distinct sense of disappointment, but he was too well schooled in concealing his thoughts to reveal it. “Indeed? I am sorry to hear it. I am sure that Lady Morecombe must miss her.”
    “No doubt. But she will not be gone long—merely a trip to London. Shopping, I understand, was the driving factor.”
    “Ah. Well, pray give her my regards.”
    “Of course.” A mischievous light glinted in Gabriel’s eyes. “A beautiful woman, Mrs. Howard.”
    Alec shot a sharp glance at his friend, but he had never been immune to Gabriel’s humorous bent, and after a moment, he chuckled. “Oh, the devil take you! I am not interested in Mrs. Howard.”
    Gabriel made no answer, but the skepticism was clear on his face.
    “I’m not,” Alec reiterated. “I can appreciate beauty without planning to acquire it.”
    “Mm. And yet, how often are you taken with a work of art and do not purchase it?”
    “If money were all that was involved, trust me, it would be a different matter,” Alec retorted. “But I fear that the price of a lady like Mrs. Howard would be far too high for me.”
    The lighthearted humor dropped from his friend’s face, and Alec knew that Gabriel realized all too well what lay behind Alec’s disinterest in pursuing a lady of quality. Alec glanced away; he had no desire for any man’s regret or apology, still less for his pity.
    “Well, we shall do our best to keep you entertained,” Gabriel said easily. “Even without the charms of the lovely Mrs. Howard. Come.” He set aside his drink and stood up. “Let me show you up to your room, else Thea will scold me for not giving you a chance to rest after your journey.”
    “Of course,” Alec agreed, rising to his feet and following him. It made no difference that Mrs. Howard was not in town. He had come here to see his friends and his godson. Dreams did not matter in the light of day.
     
    Gabriel was true to his word and kept his friend well entertained. In the country, it seemed, one could whip up a dinner party on a day’s notice, and though the squire’s family, the vicar, and a retired colonel were not exactly sophisticated, they were a convivial lot who, at least, were not too urbane to be amused. As Gabriel had predicted, Daniel Bainbridge was rendered almost speechless with delight at the prospect of getting to dig about in a Roman ruin, and he insisted thatAlec come for tea the next afternoon to chat about the proposed visit.
    But in truth, Alec derived the most amusement simply from being with baby Matthew. The sight of Matthew’s sunny face never failed to warm him and he found that if he held the lad high over his head, Matthew burst into a cascade of giggles. Sometimes it was as if a spectral hand clutched at his heart when he looked at the son of the woman he’d once loved.
    Best of all was when, as now, Matthew came running at Alec as fast as his chubby little legs could carry him. Alec squatted down, his arms out to meet Matthew, who, much to Alec’s surprise, planted a wet, sticky kiss on his cheek.
    “You look quite natural holding him,” Thea told him with a smile.
    “Do I?” Alec raised his eyebrows. “I cannot